Computer Hardware Servicing NC II Tutorial

CPU Overheating - A Simple Solution

noreply@blogger.com (drey razon) — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 10:45:00 +0000

Warping Of The Processor And The Heatsink
You might find yourself using a computer and suddenly your system freezes and immediately shuts down? And when you try to the computer on, you need to wait for a minute or even more to "cool" down the system. This is quite a serious problem! Your computer's CPU is overheating. But don't worry, there are several reasons why your computer's processor overheats.

Some computer overheating problems may have a quick solution where one may not need any technician to do the job and some overheating problems may require an expert to do the fix. But with our simple tutorial, we will teach you the basic troubleshooting to a more advanced techniques. Computer problems that has to do with the processor is delicate and dangerous. You might have your processor fried or get burned so adequate care is a must to observe.

So here are some of the possible causes why your CPU is overheating

1. The auxiliary fans or case fans aren't working and or defective.

2. The CPU or processor fan that is mounted on the processor's heatsink might be broken or spinning below its required speed. Lower speed means lower dissipation of heat from the computer processor heatsink.

3. The computer processor heatsink might be filled with dust. And as we know, dust impedes the escape of heat thus increasing the processor to build heat fast and high causing to trigger the overheating protection feature for most computer processors including the AMD and Intel Processors.

4. The thermal grease or paste may have run dry or it may not have any. Lack or no thermal grease applied on the processor increases the tiny area or air gaps between it and the heatsink. The trapped air will serve as an insulator and this is not good for your computer.

5. Computer processor heatsink and or processor may have warped. This can be checked by removing both the computer processor and the heatsink and mark both surfaces with a permanent marker and rubbed on a flat surface, preferably a sheet glass. We will have more discussion about it on lapping a processor.

Now that we how what causes the problem, what are then the most effective ways to solve it?

If the fans on the side cover or generally the auxiliary fans aren't working or are not working properly, it could possibly contribute to the increase in temperature inside the system unit. An increase in temperature inside the system can and will cause a slow dissipation of heat that has built-up on the computer processor's heatsink. With the constant increase in temperature the processor automatically triggers the unit to shutdown,before it fries itself.

So the best solution for this is to have those auxiliary fans working again by fixing or totally replacing them. It's the quickest fix and if things still does not work, you probably need to do another check to see what really causes the problem.

Processor Heatsink Fans Spins Slow

Slow spinning of the fan that is mounted directly on the processor's heatsink impedes the dissipation of heat. Thus there will be an enormous heat buildup and again triggers the computer to shutdown to avoid frying the processor itself. The slow spinning fan does not always indicate that the fan is defective. It is possible that the BIOS setting may have affected its speed. You can disable the fan control setting in the BIOS and this will automatically let the processor fan run at its maximum speed.

Another possibility is that your PSU might have some problems. But prior to pointing the problem solely to the PSU, you might also consider checking the fan if it is in good working condition. Try to check if the fan is constricted by hairs or dust particles. A good fan blows air harder on the heatsink thus allowing it to dissipate heat faster and saving your CPU to shutdown by itself. Cleaning the fan blades will likely solve this problem.

The Processor Heatsink Is Filled With Dust

Dusts would serve as heat insulator. That means if your heatsink is filled with it, heat couldn't dissipate well to keep the processor running at the right temperature. You can easily check this one by looking at the grills of the aluminum or copper heatsink, clean all dusts and other particles on it using a brush and a can of compressed air. Better yet, remove the entire heatsink-fan assembly then clean it.

Aside from cleaning it, you might consider buying a copper type than utilizing an aluminum one. Copper is a better conductor of heat than aluminum but it sure does will cost you more.

No Thermal Grease Or Past Applied?

Before mounting the heatsink on the processor, a thermal grease or paste should be applied to reduce the air gaps and patch up the deep areas of both surfaces. If a thermal grease or paste isn't available in your favorite computer parts store, you may alternatively use silicon compound which is available at any electronics store.

Sometimes, you need to replace the thermal grease once in a while. You actually get the problem solved by doing this. By the way, if your CPU's temperature reading is high, it doesn't mean it's overheating as different CPU's have different operating temperature. CPU overheating was a thing of a past for AMD processors. Most AMD processors this day has a feature that prevents itself from frying. Intel Processors had long been a favorite because of its durability and ability to endure working even on high temperatures.

The heatsink really does not warped as much as the processor will. Why do you think that a processor will warp or deform? It is because of the heat that it generates when it is in operation. Intense heat deforms metals and other materials and it doesn't exempt processors. Indication of a warped processor is that when you try to remove the heatsink, the processor would stick on it. It sticks because of the air packets trapped between the processor and the heatsink when one of the materials warp when heat begins to rise.

So how do we resolve this problem? We can do this through a process called lapping. CPU lapping can be dangerous when performed inappropriately. Lapping is flattening out the surface especially the processor to some few micrometers to a fraction of a millimeter by rubbing it on a sandpaper. The purpose of this is to eliminate air packets on the surface of the CPU. We will be discussing about lapping for the next topic.

CPU overheating can be resolved with procedures mentioned earlier. Test and observe then switch to the other procedure if one cannot resolve the problem. Please ensure to follow safety and proper procedures before opening your computer or performing the said solutions.

How To Make Copying of Files Faster

noreply@blogger.com (drey razon) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 09:35:00 +0000

These days, storage capacities of devices are becoming larger and larger. About four years ago, a 512 MB USB Flashdrive was a star. As of today, we have Kingston 128 GB DataTraveller that is so unimaginable. So as portable data storage devices are becoming extremely spacious, the need for users to copy large amount of data and files are also increasing proportionately. That means to say that when copying very large large, a very much longer time will it take to copy those files.

Such a problem can however be solved using programs or software that can make copying of files a lot faster. These programs are extensions that can really make copying of files easier and faster. To be able to enjoy the benefit these programs, all you need to do is to install it.

Here are some of the programs that I personally use in my computer and in our school.

TeraCopy
This was the first of the programs that I love to install to speed up copying of files in my computer. TeraCopy is free and easy to use. When you try to copy bulk files or large files, Teracopy automatically runs upon pasting in of the copied files to the new location or directory.

TotalCopy
It is more like a Windows addon that will give you options when you click right on a a file or folder to copy. The best thing with this is that you can actually change the copying speed, or even have he pause-resume option. I have heard that this doesn't run well in Windows 7 but I need to verify it myself.

FastCopy
This is one of the oldest softwares to make copying fast. It is another windows addon similar to Totalcopy. It has options on which to paste in the copied files. This is my favorite tool of choice when trying to backup very very large files like to backup a hard drive because it seldom fails or gives errors.

I have also noticed that when you install both TeraCopy and Fastcopy, the dialoue box that will appear when you copy is that of Teracopy's but the color of the status bar is blue (FastCopy's) instead of the default green of TeraCopy's.

The programs above mentioned can drastically make copying of files faster. Even faster than how Linux can copy files. Copying large files will be a lot faster and easier eliminating the long wait. Though there are many other programs that can make copying of files faster, the programs mentioned above are freeware. It's free to use and free to download!

Installing An Antivirus - A Complete Guide

noreply@blogger.com (drey razon) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 11:22:00 +0000

Installing an antivirus is essential specially if your platform or operating system is Microsoft Windows based. Having the right protection for your computer ensures that your system will work at its fullest without compromising your security. Keeping your files from being stolen or destroyed by viruses, trojans, and worms.

Almost all computers are vulnerable to virus infection from downloading pictures, music, documents, and other forms of downloadable media. Since you can't live having all downloading stuff restricted, we can still do so as long as your protected by a dependable antivirus.

Today, viruses are getting smarter as they can infect other computers across networks and can even replicate among themselves and wreck havoc on the infected computers. Some viruses are even capable of monitoring your internet activity and records your keystrokes then sends the recorded data to the attacker's server via ftp. Trojans are the most common methods of delivering the virus into the victim's computer.

So How Should We Protect Ourselves From These Attacks?

The best solution aside from limiting our internet activities such as emailing, downloading, or streaming and others; is to install a good antivirus that can protect your desktop in real-time and protect your computer when you are online.

There are so many antivirus products online and many other utilities that search for malwares and rootkits. So many choices that sometimes will just leave us a decision to just choose any of the antivirus online - preferably the free ones.

Here is a short list of the most notable antivirus for 2012

BitDefender Antivirus Plus - buy here

Kaspersky Antivirus - buy here

Panda Antivirus Pro - buy here

Avira Antivirus Internet Security Premium - buy here

AVG Antivirus - buy here

Avast! Pro Antivirus - buy here

ESET NOD32 Antivirus - buy here

My personal favorite is Avira Antivirus as it allows users to enjoy the premium version for a trial period of three months plus it can also be used with full functionality for 180 days or six months using a special link.

So all in all, I am enjoying Avira's full version to about seven months including the 30-day trial period. So in this example, we are going to install Avira Antivirus. Here is the detailed procedure on how to install an antivirus and how to enjoy the full version for half a year legitimately for free.

1. Go to Avira's website to be able to get Avira Premium 2012 downloaded.

2. If you are using Win Xp SP2, you must upgrade your system to SP3 as this is Avira Premium 2012's requirement. You can get the service pack update here then install the service pack update. Computers with Win 7 or Windows Vista operating systems won't be needing to have Service Pack updates.

3. Upon completing to install the service pack update, run Avira Premium 2012's setup icon and fill in the appropriate user details.

4. On the process of antivirus installation, it prompts to ask you but the product or continue installing it using the 30 days trial license. Restart the computer. As the antivirus update is automatically completed, you can now enjoy your 30 day period of free Avira Premium 2012 antivirus.

5. As your 30 day period expires, you need to have another key to extend your free trial. You can do this and have a trial not only for 30 days but for six months!

How To Extend Avira Premium 2012 Free Trial For Half A Year

1. First thing to do is go to the website as posted below:


https://license.avira.com/en/promotion-pu9jja4s67tguz2zd7w5

2. Fill up the necessary details asked in the form and confirm by pressing the "Request license now" red button.

3. After that, the page will let you see the License Overview. You can see two keys with a green arrow down just below the "Download" heading. Click that to directly download Avira Premium 2012 license keys.

4. In your desktop, open Avira Premium 2012 antivirus dashboard and go to the license setting. Change the current license key with the one having been downloaded earlier by browsing it.

5. After having the new license, you can now enjoy the full Avira Premium 2012 good for six months and for free!

This detailed instruction for antivirus installation is easy to follow. And the Avira trick as well is perfectly simple and nifty. Software installation is just one things you should be able to learn here. You can learn more about computer servicing by browsing and reading our tutorials and tips.

Video Problem Solutions

noreply@blogger.com (drey razon) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 00:09:00 +0000

Video problems are the most devastating of the troubles your computer may have. It shown a dead blank display and leaves you clueless of what is happening inside of it. Don't get too anxious about it - we will solve your computer's video problem.

Having problematic video display may just be caused by a minor problem like loose cable connection to a more concerning defective video card or the display monitor itself. To be able to spot the real problem, it does not necessarily require you to become a computer technician. All you need is this short tutorial and some common sense at your disposal.

First, we need to find the root cause of the problem using a troubleshooting technique called "Zeroing of a Problem". The question is how do you spot the problem? Here are some questions that you should ask yourself while solving video problems.

Ask Yourself About:

Does my LCD or LED display monitor have the right cable configuration or connection?

Is it receiving power from the AVR?

Are all the cables leading to LCD or LED display in good condition?

Does the fan of the Power Supply Unit of the system unit spinning?

Is there any whizzing or any other abnormal sound inside the system unit?

Have you installed a new hardware or program earlier?

Has the computer been moved to another location lately?

Now after trying to trace the last things done or the recent condition of the computer before it had any video problem gives you some sensible clues to where we should begin to locate its cause. Let us take the last question "Has the computer been moved to another location lately?", if you are to analyze the display problem may have been caused by the action. So what might have caused the display monitor to fail? Probably it would be from a power source, or loose cabling, or damaged monitors due to mishandling and other probability. You can then start checking for the suspected cause of the video problem one after the other. Do not check all problems at once - your check may not be thorough.

Loose cabling can easily be solved by reinserting it or as a temporary solution wrap the exterior of the plug with paper adhesive tape to snugly fit it in its socket. If however you have checked the cabling and power source and finds no fault or cause of the display problem, then it is worth to consider that the video failure might be attributed by the components inside of your computer.

To check the inside components of your computers, you must adhere to practice computer servicing safety measures and able to have some background in disassembly and assembly of a computer. So what particular peripherals or parts inside your computers that if it fails, it leaves you some disgusting display problems? Here is a short list of the possible defective peripherals that may contribute to the video trouble.

Defective Peripherals That May Cause Video Problems

Video Card

Power Supply Unit

Hard disk

These are the most common peripherals that if they may fail, are usually the primary things that lead to video or display problems. Use trial and error technique by swapping each individual peripheral with a known good functioning one. In doing so, you will be able to "screen-out" other possible cause of the problem. But sometimes, cleaning the connector edge (the shiny gold colored plates) of the RAM and Video Card usually solves the problem. You can easily clean the connector edge using the commercial electronics detergent spray or a simple rubber eraser.

You don't have to be a computer technician to find video problem solutions. All you should have is common sense and some tips from us. Learn more about computer servicing and troubleshooting by browsing across our pages' topics. You are also welcome to ask questions or ask some assistance about troubleshooting your computer problems.

Best Desktop Virtual Applications

noreply@blogger.com (drey razon) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 08:33:00 +0000

Today, computers are so powerful that they can run different operating systems within an operating system. This can be possible using a software called desktop virtual applications or commonly called virtual machines. Both Microsoft Windows and Linux have different desktop virtual applications that can run "guest operating systems" within its operating system.

Here, we will show you the different virtual machines that are widely and commonly used. Some may be free and others are not. The free ones are good enough but if you want more of the power of virtual computers, then the paid applications should suffice your needs.

Some Of The Most Common And Widely Used Desktop Virtual Applications

1. VirtualBox (Free / Windows / Mac / Linux)

A free virtual application that can be used in Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms. VirtualBox is very easy to install and contains a huge collection of features. User friendly and can easily be installed with different software. The virtual machine also allows users to mount flashdrives, CD ROMs, and even connect to a network. This is the best desktop virtual application every newbie should try.

2. WINE (Free / Linux)

Wine is a free virtual application for Linux to let Windows-based applications to run within Linux. Though this application is still under development, its goal is to entirely remove Windows API to have other applications that runs under Windows operating system to run with Linux without any problems. As of now, more and more applications which are Windows-based are able to be run inside Linux. That is only possible using Wine. Know more here about the myths about wine.

3. VMware (VMware View: FREE VMware Workstation: Not FREE / Windows / Linux)

VMware is a favorite among many users. It comes in two versions : basic and paid versions. Using the basic version or the VMware View allow users to create and run virtual machines without any need of the added features. If however a user wants to use the more feature packed version - VMware Workstation is available at a reasonable price. VMware Workstation allow users to clone machines, take snapshots, and so many more features.

4. Parallels (Not Free / Windows / Mac / Linux)

Basically made for Mac, it also allows Windows and Linux virtualization. Parallels is also capable of direct link or access to the host pc's hardware resources. Peripheral support, synchronization, file sharing, and others are some of its great features.

5. QEMU (FREE / Linux)

Regarded to be one of the best desktop virtual applications made for Linux based on KVM or Kernal Virtual Machine. What makes QEMU stand out among the rest of the desktop virtualization solutions out there is that it would not require any administrative access to run. It also is capable of directly executing the the guests' codes instruction for the hardware resource to be used.

6. Windows Virtual PC (FREE / Windows)

This may not be your ultimate virtual desktop software as it has limited features fitted for sole Windows user. It allow users to test and install software for operating system-machine backward compatibility. A test whether Vista, Windows 7, Windows XP, or any other Windows operating system is compatible with the current computer having installed with Virtual PC.

These are some of the most common and popularly used desktop virtual applications both free and paid. Personally, I am a big fan of VirtualBox and had been using it for more than a year. Whatever suites your virtualization needs, go and just try any of those mentioned. More virtual machines are going to be developed in some years or even months to come, let us just sit back and wait for the more powerful applications and hopefully still for free.

Fix A PC Motherboard - Simple How To Tips

noreply@blogger.com (drey razon) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 11:06:00 +0000

Is it really a logical thing to fix your computer's motherboard? How come I am asking such question where most people would plainly say yes. Having been fixing computers for more than six years now gave me adequate time to hone my skills including "fixing" pc motherboards. But technically, you can't fix your computer's motherboard as its components are integrated and the only way to resolve chip level problems is to replace those soldered components - which is impractical. However in some cases, you may be able to do simple motherboard fixes like burnt capacitor replacement through soldering or perhaps straightening the bent pins and defective ports.

Basically, most computer motherboard problems are caused by leaking or burnt capacitors. Checking your motherboard visually or perhaps carefully listen for abnormal sounds while your computer is operating. You may see some brownish-yellow fluid on top of your leaky capacitor, a bulging top or raised capacitor which is shaky on its base, or an oddly sharp whizzing sound when your motherboard operates. These are some easy indications that your motherboard is problematic.

Another indication that your motherboard needs a fix or replacement is when you get no display or intermittent problems even if the processor, RAM, video card, or hdd had already been isolated and checked. Problems like constant restarts and POST errors are well associated with motherboard problems. Another good indication that your motherboard is likely defective is that your processor won't heat up when trying to power up the system unit.

If in any case there are visually clear indication of defective capacitors, you can replace it through soldering. But if you can't possibly find problems visually, then it could be chip level - which is possible but very hard to fix. Fixing a motherboard requires great skills in soldering and troubleshooting. Some advanced computer technicians feel each major and minor chips on the motherboard if it heats a lot when in operation. If you want to check for chip temperatures, it is best to use a digital thermometer. When the temperature reading well exceeds 35 degrees, it could be your problematic motherboard's culprit.

If overheating chips or other uncommon problems are observed other than the obvious defective capacitors on your motherboard, replacement is the best solutions. There are many good motherboards to choose from in the market and you can even order them easily online. And if you want to get the best motherboards in the market today, check the top motherboard reviews before considering to buy one.

Fixing pc motherboards are easy - if you are only to replace the defective capacitors. And if the problem is chip level, perhaps you consider buying a new motherboard.

Installing and Using Virtual Computer - Virtual Box

noreply@blogger.com (drey razon) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 02:39:00 +0000

What Is A Virtual Machine?

A virtual machine or VM is a program (an operating system) that runs other programs within itself virtually. It is compared to as like having a physical computer within a computer. With the use of a virtual machine, we are able to run software or programs to test without risking the main operating system or host operating system. In this setup, a computer with an XP operating system can be installed with a virtual machine software like Microsoft Virtual Machine, Virtual PC, VMware, or Virtual Box, and when deployed it can be installed with any other operating systems like Linux and the other Window's Operating systems. You can then run different programs like you normally do with your computer.

The current setup of my computer is having a host operating system of Windows XP SP2 installed with Sun Microsystem's Virtual Box (which is free) and I had Windows 7 and Ubuntu 11.10 installed in it. So whenever I feel like using Ubuntu, I just open Virtual Box and run Ubuntu in it. You can have this setup too! It is so easy to install and we are providing some steps here on how to install Virtual Box in your computer.

Here's How Virtual Box Can Be So Useful

How To Install A Virtual Machine - Virtual Box

1. Download Virtual Box.

2. Unzip and run the installer, just follow the wizard and click next if your unsure what to do. The installation should be fine by clicking next even without reading its contents and warnings because the default locations and settings may not be changed at all.

3. Restart your computer.

This is how simple to install a virtual machine like Virtual Box. You also use other VM software like VMware or Microsoft Virtual Machine. The best thing with having a virtual machine is that you can easily remove the guest operating system with a click of a button. It also allows us to mount our flash drive, DVD ROM, or even connect to the internet - just like you normally with any computer! Having multiple operating system is really cool and the solution to that is having a virtual machine installed in your computer.

Disassemble A Computer - Easy and Detailed Procedure

noreply@blogger.com (drey razon) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 09:37:00 +0000

To disassemble a computer may be a very daunting task to anyone - at least to people with no or little knowledge or experience. Does this mean it includes you? Probably not, you found our blog and you will be learning how to do things right and easy. Yes! By reading and following the detailed instructions that we will be providing, you will be able to disassemble a computer correctly and easily.

Before we begin, allow yourself to ponder with these questions.

Is it necessary to disassemble my computer?
Am I sure I can get things right?
Will I be able to put this thing back in one piece again?

By answering the questions above, you will be able to evaluate yourself whether you are confident enough to do it (or whether your way or based on other reference like this blog)? If you aren't sure enough, just read on and learn before doing any actual application.

Here are some things you need to consider before you begin to disassemble your computer

1. Safety - Safety should be a priority specially that you are dealing with electricity, precious data, and expensive computer parts to handle. Find out more about computer troubleshooting safety here.

2. Tools - Though are are many tools a computer technician should have, we can however do the job well with fewer tools. A long philip screwdriver, a wide bristle brush, and a rubber eraser. This are the basic tools need to disassemble a computer.

3. Notes - What's a note for? If you are to disassemble a computer and unsure of which things is first to remove and how it is positioned, sometimes you get disoriented of the proper procedure and end up having the computer dumped in a bin. Note taking is essential so that it will serve as your personal guide. Believe it or not, I have been working as a computer technician for more than five years now and still maintains a notepad.

All are now set for the procedure. Again think safety, have the appropriate tools, and have a notebook alongside to take down important notes. Let's begin to to disassemble your computer or system unit.

1. Find a suitable insulated table (or wooden table) to begin with your work.

2. To avoid any accidental electrocution, be sure to unplug your computer from the AVR. And then remove the other connectors at the back panel or back side of your computer (where you can see some wires going to your mouse, keyboard, and others) leaving the computer or system unit totally detached. At this moment, you won't be needing any tool for the removal of the components.

3. We are now ready to remove the side covers. At the back side of your computer you should see some screws locking the covers, but which side cover should we remove? Can you see where the ports are located? If they are located on the left side, then you need to remove the right side cover and vice versa. Use your Philip screwdriver to do this.

4. Once the correct side cover is removed, lay down the computer on the table so that you will be seeing the insides from above. In this manner, it will be a lot easier to remove the components.

5. You may now begin to remove the computer's components. Here is a short list of which components should be first removed.

Power Supply Unit (PSU) - remove the molex connector or power cablings (with red,yellow,black,orange wires) from the board and drives. When you remove the connectors, try to swivel it along its length.

Data Cables (IDE and SATA) - carefully remove these cables by swiveling it. Removing all cables clears the space for us to work things easier.

Card Peripherals - this should include removing the RAMs, Video Card, Modems, Sound Cards, and other card peripherals. Be sure to remove them properly

Drives - DVD,Blue Ray, and hard disk drives should be removed after the card peripherals. Be sure to put back the screws back to the drives upon removing it

Front Panel Connectors - since every motherboard has its own configuration, we need to take down notes of the proper orientation of the pins. But if you memorize it, the better. Asus and intel board are almost having the same front panel pin configuration. Other boards like ECS and IBM boards have the same pin configuration as the latter. This is where we will be taking notes, draw the pin configuration if possible.

Motherboard - be very careful in removing the motherboard, avoid scratching any surface on the motherboard as there are many surface mounted components soldered on it. And after removing the motherboard, put it in an area where there is insulation on its bottom or best, put it in a anti-static bag.

Processor (CPU) - removing the processor requires a bit of technical skill (which it will be easy for you to learn soon) and thus we will be dealing with this in our next tutorial.

6. After all the components are taken apart, clean them with the brush that you have. Dust will accumulate heat and can destroy your computer's components.

7. Do not forget to clean the connector edges of your peripheral cards. The connector edges are those shiny gold-colored edges of your RAM, Video card, and other similar components. Use an eraser to do the cleaning but if you have a flux cleaning agent, that should do the job better. Using an eraser, just lightly scrub on the connector edges and then brush off the shredding. Remember to always clean the computer every time you take it apart.

This is how a computer should be disassembled. Again safety,proper tools, and note taking is your arsenal. Drop your fear, start learning and to disassemble a computer is just one of the many things you have to learn in troubleshooting computers. If you have any question about computer disassembly, please do not hesitate to comment and I will help you out in no time.

Procedure On Sharing Globe Tattoo Internet Connection In A Local Area Network

noreply@blogger.com (drey razon) — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 03:57:00 +0000

You may be looking for some ways on how to share an internet connection using your globe tattoo or Smartbro broadband kit. The procedure is relatively simple. Just some few knowledge in networking and be able to follow simple yet detailed instructions. Sharing an internet connection using either globe tattoo or Smartbro WiFi kit has been a common practice by most "technically" inclined techies to be able to save on the cost of loading and individual purchasing of the WiFi kits.

However, there are several things to have to be able to share an internet connection using your Globe tattoo and Smartbro WiFi kits. Cables, computers, and of course the proper configurations. Let me also encourage (specially the newbies) to make some reviews on how to setup a home network and configuring ip's for LAN. So here is the tutorial for you so you can start sharing your internet connection via globe tattoo and Smartbro.

Things Needed For Globe Tattoo / SmartBro Internet Sharing

Several networked computers or at least two (OS : XP, Vista, or Win 7)
A Globe tattoo or SmartBro Wifi Stick

Procedure On How To Do Internet Sharing With Your Globe Tattoo or SmartBro Wifi Stick

1. First, you must have your computers have a network. To start with this, follow this procedure on how to setup a home network.

2. Once you have completed the networking procedure, we need to change the ip for computer with the internet connection. The computer that has Globe Tattoo or SmartBro dashboard installed SHOULD have an ip of 192.168.0.1 to serve as the gateway for the rest of the computers that are connected in your network.

To do this, go to "Control Panel" choose "Network Connections" and click right on the "Local Area Connection" and choose "Properties" and under the "General" tab highlight "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" and click on the "Properties" button. Do the same configuration like shown below.

For the rest of the computers in the network, have the configuration as shown below (use 192.168.0.2 , 192.168.0.3 , 192.168.0.4 and so on... for the rest of the computers). Please use the ip of the computer that we did a setup earlier as the gateway ip for the rest of the computers. Use the configuration as shown below.

3. Once you got to the "Network Connections" window, click right on "Globe Broadband - Prepaid" network icon and choose "Properties" then go to "Advanced" tab. Check the box under "Internet Connection Sharing" that says "Allow other network users to connect..." Just click "ok" and see to check your configuration below.

4. Disconnect and reconnect your Globe Tattoo or SmartBro dashboard and test if the computers in your network already has a shared internet connection. If you ran over a problem, please check if your browsers are configured to use proxies. Please disable the proxies. And also consider checking the gateway ip of the connected computers.

This is the procedure on how to share internet with Globe Tattoo or SmartBro. Though this example is for Windows XP, the procedure with WIn 7 and Vista is very similar. Our setup is currently running with eight computers all connected to a switch. We also tried running proxy servers on Globe tattoo but we need to configure each networked computers with the same proxy as the gateway computer is connected on. Who says you can't run VPN connections using either Globe Tattoo or SmartBro to be shared in a network, well try it yourself - it does work with us!

Best Value for Buying Computers in Visayas and Mindanao

noreply@blogger.com (drey razon) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 23:32:00 +0000

We always look for the best value when buying a computer right? It came yesterday that we needed to ride a fast-craft for about thirty minutes and traveled on a bus for more than four hours just to reach the city of Cebu. Why do we need to go to this place when back home we had several computer parts and unit resellers with the utmost comfort of time purchasing. I'll let you know why am I convinced that the time and energy we spent yesterday going to Cebu was well compensated.

Buying computers may be a hassle to people who are always on the go and there seem to be no time to spend scouring for stores with cheaper prices. Cebu is the answer, just around SM Mall. The prices of the computer stores varies a lot. In one store, the AMD Sempron processor costs Php 1,650.00 and in other stores it costs around Php 1,800.00 to Php 2,350.00. As compared to the stores outside of Cebu like Dumaguete, it should be possible that the price range is Php 2,400 and up high!

As we did canvass computer parts and peripherals in Cebu, the whole unit including the LED screen (14.5"), keyboard, mouse, and avr will just cost us around Php 12,000.00. If computer stores like in Dumaguete, the whole set should cost us at least Php 18,000.00 and the stores' markup is way too high than the SRP in Cebu. But if you are to purchase a single unit, it may be practical (practical??) to spend a "little" higher price in purchasing to local stores than in Cebu considering the time to travel (back and forth) and it is indeed tiresome (allowing the local computer stores to "rob" you at least Php 4,000.00 per unit).

Other peripherals are priced as follows: 2 GB DDR III Kingston RAM costs just Php 880.00, Philips LED Screen 14.5" costs Php 3,400.00, Samsung DVD writers are priced at Php 950.00, Keyboard + Mouse is at Php 350.00, Seagate 500 GB SATA HDD costs Php 1,900.00, ATX Casing starts at Php 900.00 and a lot more! As I have said earlier, you can save at least Php 4,000.00 PER UNIT.

Here are the stores that worth visiting to :

PCEXpress (2nd Level SM City Mall)

TechHead (2nd Level SM City Mall)

PC Quick Buys (2nd Level SM City Mall)

CBX Main (J. De Veyra St., North Reclamation Area)

Gaisano Interpace

Don't miss to visit these computer stores! We are not affiliated with the stores mentioned and we no less advertise them but we are posting this to help PC buyers like to to get the best value for your money. I as a computer technician get at least Php 3,000.00 (from the discounts and low prices) when somebody asks me to assemble a computer for them.

Computer Hardware Technicians' Favorite Tools and Utilities

noreply@blogger.com (drey razon) — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 00:10:00 +0000

Looking for some great computer hardware technician's tools and utilities? You came to the right place! Fixing computers requires you to have adequate tools and equipment. That includes primarily your screwdrivers, swap peripherals, test data cables, and installers. However in this section, we will be focusing on the different utility installers or computer technicians call it as "tools".

We do not vouch or sell the said products listed here but we as technicians, find these free and commercial products and brands favored by their performance. Again, we do not promote any of the softwares to be discussed of but rather give an honest opinion on which is right to use.

As a computer technician for almost seven years, I and my computer technician friends found some utilities that are really helpful for every learner out there and that includes you. The products and brands that will be mentioned have nothing to do with marketing or anything. We also encourage that you should use legitimate or licensed products and we hate piracy as much as you do.

If you are a student and wanting to pass computer hardware servicing nc ii, then it is a must to have the tools and utilities. By the way, we have tips on how to pass computer hardware servicing exam NC II in one of our articles.

So here are the most useful products that we feel you must have in your backseat :

1. Driver Packs - Driver packs or Driver Package is a collection of different drivers all "packed" in a single installer (CD or DVD) for easy device driver solution. The drivers included will range from chipsets, video or graphics, sound, modem, ethernet, printer, and much more. The best thing with having drivers packs is that it is handy and greatly reduces the number of cd or dvd installers that you will be bringing when doing onsite troubleshooting.

There are a number of driver packs to download out there but I suggest you to scan it first with an online virus and malware detection website like at virus total. You might as well have your own massive collection of drivers so that you can assure it is virus free. Here are some of the driver packs that we currently use.

Cobra Driver Pack 2011
10,000 Drivers
DriverPacks.net

2. Hiren's Bootable CD/ - This is a collection of freeware and shareware. This is a must for every computer hardware servicing technician. It also includes Mini Xp and Mini Linux where you can choose which of the said operating systems you wish to boot. Other utilities included in Hiren's bootable cd are for data recovery, partition recovery, windows password remover, driver backup softwares, xp and win 7 restoration, disk wiping software, and many other useful utilities.

The best thing with Hiren's is that it can be used both as a boot utility cd and a Windows utility cd too! I have been using Hiren's for quite some time now and I actually have 3 versions of the cd since its first release.

3. BackTrack - This is a very powerful Linux Based (though there are versions working for windows platform) penetration testing tool. Perfect for testing a system's security like sniffing and cracking. This tool is intended for pentest only and not to be used for wifi password hijacking as many do use this tool for evil intentions. Security enthusiasts and professional finds this list to be on top.

4. ERD Commander - A systernal tools specifically tailored for Windows platform. File system rescue and Operating system recovery are some of the features of ERD Commander.

3. Spotmau - A bootable cd used as Windows platform utility. This feature rich bootable cd is perfect for recovering XP and Vista.

4. BartPE - Considered to be one of the oldest and legit boot cd distribution. This has been my favorite for quite a while. BartPE is versatile where you can personally add up some more features or utilities. It is free to download too.

5. UBCD - One of the original boot cd readily available for free. Its collection of utilities are regarded to be one of the best.

The above mentioned tools and utilities are indispensable and essential to every computer hardware servicing technician. We will update this entry once in a while when we get more technician tools and utilities in the future. We are also currently building an utility installer pack for xp and it will be open for download very soon. So enjoy downloading and using these computer hardware servicing technicians' favorite tools and utilities. By the way, computer hardware servicing NC II students should have these tools!

How to Setup a Home Network

noreply@blogger.com (drey razon) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 02:38:00 +0000

Networking home computers is quite a tedious task if you are not familiar with it. Setting up a home network with xp, vista, or win 7 seems difficult but actually it is simple. We will be discussing on how to setup a home network using xp and following networking with the xp procedure in this tutorial is simply similar to that of networking vista and windows 7.

Procedure with networking XP computers is relatively easy. If you will be setting up a network involving two computers, a crossover cable and some xp networking wizard procedure will do the job. Same procedure will work well if you will be setting up a home network for windows vista and windows 7 computers.

Networking with Xp will start by crimping your first or probably not your first crossover network cable (xp networking may sometimes be addicting!). All you need to have is a crimping tool, a length of UTP cable, and an RJ45 jack. Crimping a crossover cable has been previously discussed in our crimping straight through and crossover cable topic. Ok we'll do detailed xp networking and let us start with the materials.

What You Will Need For Setting Up an XP Network

A length of unshielded twisted pair (UTP) cable

2 or 3 RJ45 jacks (better have 2 or more spare jacks)

A network cable tester

Crimping tool

Procedure in Setting Up A Home Network With 2 Computers

1.Create a crossover cable by following the crimping a network cable procedure. This is the very start on setting up a home network. Knowing how to make network patch (straight through cable) and crossover cable is essential for xp networking or setting up a home network.

2. After having crimped your own crossover cable, plug in one end of the crossover cable in one of the computers' Ethernet port or network port and the other end to the other computer's network port. If however you are using a network switch, then you should be using straight through cables.

3.Now go to "Control Panel" and navigate to "Network Connections" (Alternately, instead of going the control panel you can go to "My Computer" and navigate to "My Network Places"). You should be seeing "My Network Places" window with no items on the file display pane.

4. As the window opens, click "Setup a home or small office network" and follow the xp networking wizard as shown in the image above. Just click "Next". This is the beginning of setting up an xp home network on one computer. We will be doing this whole procedure to the second computer.

5. You will then be prompted on what best describes your computer should behave in a home or office network that you are going to setup. Choose "Other" and click "Next".

6. The next window will describe how your computer should fit in the description pertaining to the internet connection and the network itself. If this computer is directly connected to the internet and you are planning to let the other computers in your network to "get" or establish an internet connection through this computer, then choose the first option as shown above and click "Next".

7. This will let us tell about the name of our computer in the network. Fill up the computer's description and the computer name. You may choose your own description and name as "computer station 1" and "inuyasha" instead of using "technisize computer1" and "technisize". After filling, just press "Next".

On the other computer that we are also setting up an XP home network, do not use the same computer description and name or else you will have problems with configuring and setting up a home network. Be creative.

8. We are almost halfway of xp networking, let us now give a workgroup name for the network that we are setting up. In the image above, we gave the workgroup name as "Technisize", you can change this to whatever you like and click "Next".

REMEMBER : on the second computer that we are setting up a network, use THE SAME WORKGROUP NAME. If you fail to put the same workgroup name, your computer will NEVER "see" each other in the network.

9. The next window will let us decide on file and printer sharing. Of course we may want to let our computers share files on the network right? So go choose "Turn on file and printer sharing" option and click "Next".

10. Just wait for the network wizard to finish automatic configuration.

11. Just as the XP network configuration will finalize, choose "Just finish the wizard;..." and click "Next"

12. Complete the xp networking wizard by confirming through clicking the "Finish" button.

13. Lastly, the xp networking wizard will prompt to restart your computer. Confirm to restart by clicking "Yes".

14. After having your computer restarted, go to "My Network Places" and click on "View Network Connections". A local network connection indicator (two overlapping computers icon) appears and just click right on it and choose "Properties".

15. As the LAN Connection box appears, navigate to the "General" tab and highlight "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) as shown above. As it is highlighted, click on the "Properties" button and the "Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)" properties box should appear.

16. Choose the option to "Use the following IP address". Type in the following ip as 192.168.0.1 on one computer and 192.168.0.2 on the second computer. Please do not use the same ip for both computers. The subnet should automatically be filled up as you press the "Tab" space and click "OK" to all confirmations.

IMPORTANT
At this point of the xp home network setup tutorial, I am assuming that you have completed to configure two computers. If you haven't done setting up a home network on the other computer, kindly do it now.

17. We are almost done on setting up a home network. Xp networking wouldn't be complete if we cannot establish a connection between the computers. To check on how "see" if your computers are able to communicate or has establish a connection, follow this simple pinging procedure.

Press Win+R

Type in "/ping 192.168.0.2 -t" and press enter. You must ping the ip of the second computer.

If your computer has an ip of 192.168.0.1, then you must ping the other computer's ip which is 192.168.0.2 and see if it shows something like the image above which concludes a connection is being established.

18. Let us now verify if we can "see" the computers in our new xp network. Just go to "My Network Places" and as the window should open, you will be seeing the shared documents from the connected computers of your network. Congratulations! You just finished setting up an XP home network.

Setting up a home network is just easy! XP networking as they say, you will be doing the same procedure in setting up a home network in Windows Vista and Win 7. Please comment if something goes wrong with your setup following this tutorial. Networking XP computers will never be as easy! Enjoy your new network and share this wonderful "How to setup a home network" tutorial to your friends.

Computer Servicing Tips

noreply@blogger.com (drey razon) — Sat, 14 May 2011 02:10:00 +0000

What has urged you to find computer servicing tips? Probably you are into learning how to fix or troubleshoot a computer hardware peripheral or the whole computer itself. That's great! You just can't always call for a computer technician to fix little problems when you can handle it yourself. The computer servicing tips provided here are mostly common and very useful. These computer servicing tips are also based on the actual computer technician experiences. Take note that this is a computer hardware servicing blog which provides accurate tutorials made by real-world computer hardware servicing technicians.

Learning some computer servicing tips does not perfectly remove our reliance with some computer hardware servicing experts. But at least we will be able to solve simple problems that may have been from you by a computer technician for big bucks. You can save time and of course money when you do things around by yourself. So let us start with listing down our computer hardware servicing tips.

Computer Servicing Tips - Hardware Related Problems

"These are the most common and effective computer servicing tips related to hardware problems. Please note that safety must be observed when dealing with electronic devices."

Check Cables' Connection and Integrity

Since computer peripherals are made modular, that means you can take out and replace a peripheral very easily, there is a big chance that those connections or contacts may get loose. This usually happens with monitor cables that the monitor itself is constantly moved or adjusted from its position. You may get "No Video Signal" or no display at all and it sometimes simply being caused by a loosen cable connector.

This also applies true to your other connections like for the mouse, keyboard, webcam, printer, scanner, internet connection, and any of your computer's peripheral. So how are we going to solve this problem with your computer servicing tips? Here are the solutions.

- Unplug and plug back the connectors or cables to it's position and secure the connections tightly. It is that simple and really does work.

- Unplug and plug back then secure the connectors or cables then restart the computer. This is crucial specially if you are going to connect peripherals like the mouse and the keyboard. Most problems are basically solved by simply restarting the computer.

Open Your Computer and Check the Peripheral Cards

Sometimes, you may need to open your computer to be able to fix the problems. This should be done if you are to check your video card, RAM or memory, hard disk drive, internal modem, and other peripherals. So is it really that necessary? Yes it is specially if you are going to replace or just even clean the peripherals. So here are some computer servicing tips for replacing or cleaning your peripheral cards.

- Be sure to turn off the computer and unplug the computer from the AVR. Turning off poses threat to damaging the computers, there is still a 5 volt power intended for switching the computer. So always remember to turn off and unplug your computer from the AVR.

- Remove and Clean the connector edge of the peripheral card. When removing the peripheral cards like the video card, be sure when you are pulling it off from its slot you must carefully and slowly pull one side after the other like a "see-saw". This provides easy and safe removal of the card.

Upon cleaning of the connector edge (the side of the card peripheral that looks like golden teeth set at one edge of the card), use a rubber eraser to clean it. Rub on the connector edge lightly to both sides of it. Place it back to its slot and test the computer.

Computer Servicing Tips - Software Related

"Fixing this type of problem may be harder than fixing hardware related problems. The common types of problems being somehow attributed to are slowing down of a computer, computer virus infection, slow internet connection,computer does not boot up or boots so slow, computer hangs up, computer automatically restarting and a lot more problems."

Slow computer

Slow computer may be caused by many factors. Let me ask you, does your computer have small RAM capacity (128 to 256 MB)? or Have lots of programs installed? or Are you using a memory and cpu intensive operating system which is not suitable for your current system unit? or Are is your hard drive full of music and movie files? Were you not using any registry or disk management or optimization software lately? If you may have answered any of those questions above, I guess you got the reason why your computer is slow. Consider these computer servicing tips to follow.

- Increase your RAM. This will significantly improve your computers performance. If you can't afford it yet, consider up sizing your virtual memory. Go click right on "My Computer"\"Properties"\"Performance"\"Advanced"\"Virtual Memory" then adjust the maximum and minimum space you want to include for virtual memory between at least 3500 to 4000 MB.

- Uninstall some unnecessary programs. It is common that people just install any programs even if it does not serve them any purpose at all. So remove some unused programs right into your control panel.

- Switch to the appropriate operating system. If you "upgraded" your previous operating system to the current operating system and finds your computer slowed down tremendously, then it is recommended that you should switch back to the old operating system. Not all new operating systems in the market today are fitted to run smooth with the previous technology of motherboards, RAMs, and processors. So if you have an older computer, use an older operating system as well.

- Delete or move files. If your hard drive if already full, then it should not surprise you that your computer will go slow. Remove some files or move it to your external drive to free some spaces of your hard drive.

- Use a registry optimizer and disk defragmenter softwares. It sure does help you to optimize your computer's performance. Computers require to have some maintenance check not only for the hardware part but most importantly, the software side. That is why using softwares like a registry optimizer and a disk defragmenter can really boost your computer's performance.

Computer Virus Infection

This is very common and usually we are not able to detect this problem right away. It is a common fact that files are the number one carriers of computer viruses. That is why having an antivirus installed in your computer can somehow block or reduce the rate of infection if you are fond of downloading stuff from the net.

- Get a well performing and updated antivirus. There are a lot of free antivirus offered online but I suggest you should acquire a licensed copy. The reason is that licensed copies have stronger antivirus definition and protection than the free ones.

Slow Internet Connection

If you are suffering from slow internet connection, it may be because your computer is also slow. Another is that you must be infected with a computer virus that monitors your computer activity. It also be that you are downloading something via a torrent client. Worse if your ISP is really having some problems.

- Try using a good laptop and see if the connection improves. ( Use speed test if you want to check for connection speed )

- Run an antivirus program or an anti-malware software and see if you're spied or being computer virus infected.

- Pause or cancell your torrent download and check for the connection.

- Call your ISP. They may have problems with their lines.

These are some of the most common but very useful computer servicing tips for you. We will be adding some more tips from time to time as some users like you would like to add some more tips by simply giving us an email. Hope that this computer servicing tips will really work for you.

Computer Hardware Logo Designs For Shirts

noreply@blogger.com (drey razon) — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 05:50:00 +0000

Looking for windows pc logo, computer hardware image, computer servicing logo, computer hardware tshirt logo,computer logo design, computer logo image or whatever you are looking for; you might be finding it here.

The computer logos or designs provided here are already being used and designed for abd by some computer schools in our city. But you may use them to make a basis for creating your own new design. All images had been drawn using CorelDraw 12 and you may request for the .cdr files as with permission of the logo creators. This is just a short list of images are some are still awaiting permission for publishing.

If you want to include your designs here, kindly email us.

This logo could be nicer if two hexagons with computer hardware emblem were added to create a uniform and a round shape looking figure. The text looks cool and the total look of the logo needs to be jazzed up a little bit more.

Simple and modern looking computer operation logo but can also be redesigned and give it a more hardware servicing look. Very attractive at a distance and the logo really speaks something of a "computer usage".

A bit away with a typical windows logo and immersed in the trade brown Ubuntu feel. Many says that this logo obviously favors Ubuntu as the Windows logo is monochromatic. We wan't argue with the designer, you have to edit it to make a balance.

I have just created this TESDA logo in CorelDraw 12 today because there were people requesting to have it posted here. They said that this is necessary for logo shirt printing with TESDA regulated programs. A transparent background was also requested and here it is. Those who would like to have the CorelDraw file, please drop me an email. This TESDA logo is open for everybody to use.

This shirt logo looks so modern and slick. The dark background gives a good illusion of a reflective effect and the mouse over seems to draw attention. This is perfect for dark shirts depicting the phrase : "A picture says a thousand words". The logo shows two operating system logos and a computer in abstract. This may also be a shirt logo fit for a programming or an IT course.

Free Internet Using Globe Tattoo And Proxies

noreply@blogger.com (drey razon) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 11:12:00 +0000

Free internet using globe tattoo has been a constant news among globe tattoo users. There are so many ways to acquire free internet using globe wifi kit. The most common and what they say the most stable is using a good and secured VPN connection and a globe tattoo kit for free internet. What we will be using to acquire free internet are mozilla firefox, globe tattoo wifi kit, and some working proxies.

Setting up for this free internet using globe tattoo is very simple and easy. This tutorial will emphasize that a network can always have a loophole and smart people can always find a way to exploit it. Please note that this is for educational purposes only and if you want to have a good and fast connection, please inquire at your nearest Globe Wireless Center.

What We Need To Setup A Free Internet Using Globe Tattoo

1. Mozilla Firefox installed
2. Globe Wifi Kit
3. A list of working ip proxies
4. 2% of brain activity needed to follow the instructions below

Procedure On How To Have Free Internet Using Globe Tattoo

(Install with admin rights if your OS is Win Vista or Win 7)

1. Open Mozilla Firefox and navigate to "Tools"/"Options"/"Advanced"/"Network"/"Settings"

2. Under "Manual Proxy Configuration" type in a proxy. Just choose any of the ones listed below and use port 80.


10.201.0.120
10.201.26.106
10.201.55.6
10.201.22.214
10.201.42.146
10.201.58.64
10.201.51.9
10.201.26.22
10.201.44.72
10.201.21.57
10.201.56.253
10.201.60.241

3. Check the "Use this proxy server for all protocols" click "Ok" then close Firefox browser window.

4. Connect your Globe Tattoo wifi kit and click "Connect" on its dashboard.

5. Open Firefox and enjoy browsing!

What If You Can't Connect? Here are some remedies

1. Change your proxy.

2. Try to close Firefox open it up again.

4. Or try disconnecting Globe Tattoo's dashboard and reconnect it.

If you are able to connect but has no stability, use any connection stabilizer. And if it doesn't connect... Use vpn to have free internet using globe tattoo.

Advantages

1. Youtube rocks!

2. Can do basic browsing or plain "Googling" just fine

Disadvantages

1. Terribly slow.

2. Cannot or hardly can login to any website (gmail, yahoomail, facebook, blogger, etc).

3. Connection often disconnects.

This is a very simple procedure on how to have free internet using globe tattoo and some working proxies. Again, if you want fast and good internet connection using Globe Tattoo, go for a plan and visit your nearest Globe Wireless Center.

ATTENTION : Just this morning (05.05.11), I found out that having free internet using Globe Tattoo and Proxies doesn't work anymore. We will scour something for a freebie. :-) Please extend your patience.

UPDATE! : Since many are already publishing and revealing the new proxies to be used for Globe Tattoo Free Internet, I think it is time to publish it here as well. Long wait guys? Here is it! Just be creative in any way ok? But be warned that this free internet using globe tattoo and proxies WILL NOT LAST FOREVER as Globe, Smart, or Sun telecommunications networks will ~~always~~ find ways to patch their security loopholes. This exploit shows a weakness in their security and we know that they will be looking for a solution. Again, these Proxy IP's are just temporary. :-)

10.200.xx.xx Play around and replace xx's

10.200.67.20
10.200.89.5
10.200.120.3
10.200.72.8
10.200.100.14
10.200.110.9
10.200.78.19
10.200.93.9
10.200.115.26
10.200.111.5

As you can see, (20,5,3,8,14,9,19,9,26,5) is (t,e,c,h,n,i,s,i,z,e) our website name. You can play with the IP's but be sure that they are working. The said proxies provided for free internet using globe tattoo were verified and all working.

Beginner's Guide to Troubleshooting Computer Hardware

noreply@blogger.com (drey razon) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 22:33:00 +0000

If you are trying to learn how to fix computers and don't know where to start, this is the right place for you. When learning how to fix or troubleshoot computers, one must have a trusted guide and clear instructions to follow. Computer hardware servicing is not that hard as you may be thinking and not as easy as some people claim. A step by step approach of teaching should favor the student and that is what this Beginner's Guide to Troubleshooting Computer Hardware is promoting for you to learn computer hardware servicing fast, easy, and free.

Before we proceed with our tutorial, let us first assess things that you currently learn about computers and yourself.

1. Are you familiar and practicing occupational health and safety (OHS) when working with computers?

2. Do you know how to operate a computer?

3. Are you afraid of electricity?

4. Do you have the passion to learn on how to fix computers?

5. Have you ever tried tinkering or opening an electronic device?

6. Are you resourceful enough?

7. Do you have patience?

Asking these questions to yourself gives you a hint of what a computer hardware service technician's attributes are. If ever you say no for any of the questions above, it is ok. Read on and you will know why I am saying it really is ok.

Safety Is A Priority

Working with computers may seem harmless. You can't be sure though because even if you are just sitting and browsing the web with your computer, radiation is already softly cooking you. Your monitor emits small amounts of radiation tolerable by own body but radiation is still radiation. Wonder why your eyes gets tired and sores a little when using computers for some prolonged usage of your computer. Safety must be observed.

Now how about if your are to fix a computer? Accidents may happen like electrocution, cuts, dropping and damaging the tools and equipment, blowing or frying the motherboard and other peripherals if safety is disregarded. To make things short, computer safety must be followed.

I Know You Can Operate A Computer

This might be a silly statement but what I am trying to imply is different. Of course I know you can operate a computer that is why you are reading this article. But sometimes, what we think we already know isn't enough. Keyboard shortcuts, using process names to open programs, use of batch files and the command prompt, tweaking using the registry editor, and so many things are some of the operation that you should be familiar. And I am not saying that you must know everything about operating the computer first before learning how to fix it, you must somehow "learn" by process. Learn more computer terms by reading ebooks. We will soon be providing ebook downloads soon or just email me to ask for a copy.

Fear Not For Electricity Is Your Friend

During my years as a freelance computer hardware serviceman, I often see students having On-the-Job Trainings (OJT)in computer shops just standing by the corner and watching seasoned computer technicians doing something. And when a seasoned technician asks for assistance from the trainee, it is evident that the trainee shows hesitation with plugging into sockets and molex power connectors. It is not good to hesitate in doing things because uncertainty surely leads to disaster.

Fear of electrocution is common among newbies. I could remember during my college days when my Building Wiring and Electricity instructor tried to have us touched a 220 live wire just to let us feel electricity. I never touched when he said so but when we were asked to do our practical examination by building a two-way switch on a large dashboard, I accidentally touched a bare live wire! A shock was sent up to my armpit and I was so careful about electricity ever since.

You can't fix a computer without electricity, just be very careful in using it.

Be Passionate About Fixing Or Troubleshooting a Computer

It's just like having a girlfriend. If you are not dedicated and passionate with her, you will be throwing stones at each other by the morning! You see if you love what you are doing, you can do things right and makes you genuinely happy. If you feel that troubleshooting computers is not the thing for you, then quit. Do other stuff that you feel you love to do and you surely will be good and happy with it.

Be passionate to troubleshoot and learn computer hardware servicing. You can only be a good computer hardware technician if you are passionate on what you are doing. Doing things right with eagerness to improve is the key to be a successful learner.

Tinkering And Being Curious About The Insides Of An Electronic Device

If you love to open electronic devices or just anything you are curious at, is a good sign that you are an eager learner. It also shows that you have interest in the inner workings of a machine and wants to analyse how a thing works. In troubleshooting computer hardware, it is important that you can analyse how the parts are positioned or being attached to. Computer hardware servicing may seem difficult, very technical, and boring but it is actually easy, handy, and exciting!

Be Resourceful, Not Everything You Got Is Enough

Learning really takes time. You just can't just click any links from the web and expect to learn something. Sometimes you must choose those which are worth knowing and reading. Sometimes clicking some links in a site brings you to good pages and will take away your blues trying to learn.

So be resourceful, don't just get stuck with few resources. Research and don't be afraid to learn. Experience will also bring more knowledge. Try to apply what you have learned and you will surely thank yourself.

Be Patient At All Times

Patience has something to do with time. In troubleshooting computer problems, there will be times when you can't fix the machine right away. You need to give yourself a time to regroup and think of a better solution.

Have you thought of these things? If you think you have or able to develop the attributes discussed above, then you already becoming a good computer technician in the process. Learning is a process, it takes enormous effort and time. So let me give you a draft on what things you should be learning to become full fledged computer hardware servicing technician.

What You Should Learn About Computer Hardware Servicing

1. Occupational Health and Safety Procedure

2. Basic Computer Operation

3. Understanding Binaries and Logic Gates

4. Introduction To Computers - Components of the IT System

5. The System Unit - Hardware Component Functions and Description

- Motherboard
- Central Processing Unit
- Random Access Memory, Read Only Memories, and Basic Input/Output System (BIOS)
- Storage
- Operating Systems, Tools, and Utilities - Installation
- Networking
- Troubleshooting Techniques

Basically these are the things that you should learn about computer hardware servicing. We will be providing more computer hardware servicing tutorials soon.

Store Files Online For Free - Cloud Storage

noreply@blogger.com (drey razon) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 09:40:00 +0000

You might be wondering how other people place their files or backups in the internet? The answer is cloud storage. Cloud storage is having your files uploaded online and is segmented then distributed to different servers or computers. Using this method can significantly increase file security. You don't have to worry how they did it or might your file still be intact when you will try to access it.

Your files are a lot safer when it is in cloud storage servers rather than in your USB flashdrive. You may be able to access and share your files anywhere in the world like accessing your email. What you need to do to be able to use the service is to sign up for a free account and then you're now ready to upload and share your files online. We will be listing some of the cloud storage services that offers small (at most 50 GB) online drive space for free.

Pros - Free, Portable, easy to download and share files

Cons - May take a longer time in uploading files.

So here is a list of Cloud Storage Sites

Dropbox.com

One of my favorite cloud storage options. Its features includes able sync files so that if you are to open a document from one computer with dropbox installed, you can also view those files to your other computers with dropbox installed and files shared. You can also access your files from different operating system like mac, linux, windows or even your ipad! By the way you'll get 2 GB of free storage and will increase if you refer dropbox to your friends.

SugarSync.com

SugarSync offers realtime backup of your files and able to share these files anywhere and even to using mobile devices. It enables us to steam your cloud saved audio files and even create galleries for your uploaded images. SugarSync gives 5 GB free cloud storage for personal accounts.

Box.net

An online virtual storage offering a wide array of features having been the choice for many. They may be offering a 10 GB of free space for individual plan and can actually increase the storage space with an account upgrade. Very easy to use and the console is very easy to understand.

AmazonClouD Drive

A cloud storage by Amazon. Amazon offers a free 5 GB online storage with an upgrade for your need of a larger space for a dollar per per. The best thing with this type of cloud storage is that it enables us to stream audio directly from your virtual storage account. This is perfect for storing mp3's and not so very good for document or file storage.

Windows SkyDrive

Made by microsoft and it boasts a lot of features and offering 25 GB of free storage for every account. That is way a good deal if you want to upgrade your plan with SkyDrive. This feature rich cloud storage has been in the market since 2007. When you say you want a good cloud storage, I'd say go for SkyDrive.

MemoPal

MemoPal has been developed mainly as a Microsoft client backup (though they also have Linux, Mac, Iphone, etc). It's strong feature is file sync and auto backup to a remote server via a well secured internet connection. Perfect for offices and personal use who needs constant backup of files.

ADrive

Other cloud storage companies cannot beat up ADrive's free 50 GB of cloud storage. That could hardly be matched and security wise, it's one of the best and preferred. What Adrive might have to improve is to open its doors to free users of some great features. The prices might be reasonable but I think more features should be accessible and the security for the free account is light.

IDrive

IDrive offers 2 GB free cloud storage for the personal account. Backup features is great and allows you to have backup schedules. The use of a proxy is a priced feature which enables you to heighten the security of your files to be backed up. The interface of IDrive is excellent. Really very to use and what amazes me is that it offers different file version backup that in case you'll accidentally delete a file, you can still access it!

Google Docs

Google docs has been around last 2006 and been a document storage of choice by many. I personally use Google Docs to store my office and personal documents. Why google docs is favored by many it that it enables to to convert documents to be converted to Google Docs format or PDF or even just retain its format. You can even edit the files online if you want to and share it online to your friends or whoever you want to share it with.

Zumo Drive

Zumo Drive allows 2 GB of free cloud storage for personal accounts. It boasts to trick your computer that when it save files on the local drive, it actually is using Zumo's online storage. Though designed for Mac, Zumo Drive also allows Windows users to enjoy its services. Zumo Drive is perfect for storing images for it has its own gallery which you can share online and for music files.

CX.com

You'll get 10 GB free online storage by CX.com. Like other cloud storage, its features includes file sync, auto backup of files, share, and even can be accessed anytime and anywhere using your computer or phone. It is compatible with Windows, Mac or Andriod

Syncplicity.com

With Syncplicity you don't have to worry a thing because once you got it installed in your computer, it monitors for file changes and automatically uploads those files to Syncplicity's servers. Syncplicity offers like any other cloud storage a 2 GB free of online webspace for a personal account.

Mozy

Though Mozy's service is not intended for sharing special with mobile devices, what makes Mozy out edge other providers is that it uses 128-bit SSL Encryption to ensure no data interception. Mozy provides standard support options and its interface is simple thus making it easy to use.

So here is a short list of cloud storage you can use for your free online storage of files and other media.

Free Internet Using VPN for Globe Tattoo

noreply@blogger.com (drey razon) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 00:17:00 +0000

Using VPN is essential for companies to save money in using leased lines to connect to networked remote computers and share files over the internet.It also provides user safety that they will less likely be tracked by hackers and sniffers. May it be cable or wireless connection, VPN's come handy to use. In this tutorial we will be having to connect to a VPN server using your Globe Tattoo and a working ip proxy. Please be reminded that this lesson is for Educational Purposes ONLY.

Things We Need To Prepare

VPN installer
Working Proxy
Wifi Kit - Globe Tattoo
VPN Account

Procedure to Use VPN and Globe Tattoo

1. First thing that you should do is have a VPN account. We will be using AirVPN for creating an account. You can also try hostizzle.

After activating and registering your airvpn account, we will generate files needed to run our VPN client by going to "Members" tab then navigate to "Access without client". It will bring you to a new page and just the option using "proxy" then scroll down the page and click "generate". A download should then proceed after.

2. After generating and saving the files from AirVPN, download Portable OpenVPN.

3. Unzip Portable OpenVPN then locate and copy the earlier downloaded and generated files from your airvpn account to the data\config folder of OpenVPN.

4. Plug in your Wifi Kit ~ Globe Tattoo and install it. After its installation, do not connect it yet.

5. Make sure you have the profiles settings of your Globe Tattoo dashboard below to properly run openvpn. To be able to do the setting in your Globe Tattoo dashboard, go to "Options", "Profiles", and add a new profile as with the settings below.

Profile Name : YourName
Dial Number : *99***1#
APN : (Static) http.globe.com.ph

or

Profile Name : Your name
Dial Number : *99#
APN : (Static) www.globe.com.ph

Just play with the right Profile Setting. In my case, I had the second profile run on my kit.

6. Save the new profile and set it as default.

7. Install OpenVPN.

8. As OpenVPN is installed, an OpenVPN tray icon appears on the notification area. Click right on it and go to "Proxy Settings". Select "Manual Proxy" and provide a working proxy. We will be sharing the same proxy as 192.168.100.1:8080 and will terribly slow down our connection. It is good if you can provide another good or even better proxy. It is also good if you can share working proxies in this post by contacting us so we can share it to the rest.

Some claim to have these proxies running but did not provide the ports. Use port 80 or 8080 combination. Buy or rent a proxy if possible. The proxy I have given earlier works like a breeze.

~ 125.5.112.167
~ 156.154.81.65
~ 203.177.57.231
~ 203.177.57.225
~ 125.112.5.173

9. After having completed the above requirements, we can now start our vpn session. Click right on the OpenVpn icon and go to "Air", then connect. A dialog box will appear with the lines saying unable to connect.

10. Of course, we cannot yet establish a connection because your Globe Tattoo hasn't yet been connected. With OpenVPN running and trying to connect, go to your Globe Tattoo dashboard and click "Connect".

11. Wait for some time to let OpenVPn connect. If the connection fails, simply click right OpenVPN tray icon, go to "Air", and choose "Connect".

12. Wait until the OpenVPN icon turns its color from yellow to green. When the icon changes color to red, it is indicated that you are disconnected or cannot establish a connection and when it is yellow it is still connecting. Upon connection, enjoy browsing. :-)

This is a VPN lesson and the example is used for the purpose of knowing the power of VPN. If you are planning to use this method to gain free internet access using your globe tattoo, I STRONGLY disagree and discourage you. It is best if you subscribe for an internet plan from Globe Wireless Center.

Hiding Files in a Picture using WinRar and TSL Batch File

noreply@blogger.com (drey razon) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 01:36:00 +0000

How important is hiding files in a picture? Sometimes we need to keep our files not easily accessible to others by hiding them using a program or software . We use encryption and simple giving of attributes to files and folders. But there is also a tricky and easy way to do it by using WinRar and some simple NT command syntax.

Yup using WinRar and simple NT command syntax will do the job easily. Let us now start binding files into your picture.

What You Need to Hide Files in a Picture

File or Files to be hidden
WinRar should be installed in your computer
An image file which I prefer you use .jpg file

Procedure on How to Hide Files in a Picture

1. Create a folder in Drive C: and name it as "embed"

2. Copy the files you wish to embed to folder embed which you have created earlier.

3. Select or highlight all the files inside folder embed and click right on one of the items and choose 'Add to "your_files.rar"'. You should see an archive in this directory.

4. Add a jpg file. Let us assume we have placed clhidohsr.jpg (which you can have your own filename of course) inside folder "embed".

5. Go to "Run" from the start menu, type "cmd" and press "Enter"

6. Once you are inside command, type "cd\" then "cd embed". The purpose of typing "cd\" is to bring you to the default root directory. Typing "cd embed" lets you go in to directory embed or the going inside the folder you created earlier named "embed" in drive C:

7. Once you are inside directory "embed", type the following :


copy /b clhidohsr.jpg + your_files clhidohsr.jpg

8. You're done! Piture clhidosr.jpg now has the rar files with it. Changing filename clhidohsr.jpg into another filename is ok. You can extract your files by clicking right on the clhidohsr.jpg image and choose "Open With" then "Choose Program" and finally choose WinRar.

Using Command to Archive and Extract Files

To Add an Archive using WinRar Command

1. Go to "Start" then go to "Run" then "CMD"
2. As the command prompt windows appears, set a path to be able to use command prompt in archiving files. Be sure to have winrar installed on your computer.


set path=%programfiles%\winrar\;%path%

3. Prepare the files or files for archiving and use the code below :


rar a my_compressed_files kagome\*.*

That's it! folder"my_compressed_files" will be your archived files name and "kagome" will be your folder name that contains your files

To extract a rar file using command

If the rar path hasn't set yet, set it. Do follow instruction number 2 at archiving files using command.

1. Once the path has been set, use the following syntax


unrar e my_compressed_files.rar

That's it! You can really do archiving using rar's command. I even made a batch file (TSL) to archive then embed the files in a picture. TSL or Tago sa Litrato are Visayan words meaning Hidden in a Picture.

Using TSL to Hide Files in a Picture

1. Download TSL

2. Run TSL. Upon executing TSL, a folder named "keeper" will appear. Folder "keeper" should then contain all the files you wish to embed - so copy your files in it. An image file ( secret.jpg ) will also appear and this will be the image that your archived files be binded with. You can however delete this image and replace it with your own image but please rename your new image first as "secret". Only jpg files are used for this tiny batch file.

3. After having a secret.jpg file and had already copied files to folder keeper, go to the TSL window and read the menu.


Option 1 asks you if you want to embed the files from folder "keeper".
Option 2 asks you if you want to extract the files from an image named "secret.jpg"
Option 3 asks you if you want to quit or exit
Option 4 asks you if you want to visit our blog.

Since we want to embed the files, we choose 1. After the files are successfully embedded or binded in picture "secret.jpg", we can now exit by choosing option 3.

You can now also rename the secret.jpg to whatever name you want.

4. If however you want to extract the files from your file binded image, you must have TSL in the same directory as your image file. Please rename your file to "secret.jpg" or simply click right on the file binded image and select "Rename" then rename it to "secret".

5. Run TSL and choose 2 to be able to extract the files. A folder will be created named "extracted_files" which now contains the files having been extracted from your secret.jpg file.

Hope our little TSL batch file script helps you with your hiding files in pictures. Just a caution, use only .jpg files and please do not forget to rename your .jpg picture to "secret.jpg" before extracting and DO NOT OVERWRITE image or surely you'll lose your image and files. Enjoy hiding files in pictures!

Crimping Your Own Straight-Through Patch and Crossover Cable

noreply@blogger.com (drey razon) — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 05:24:00 +0000

Crimping your first patch or crossover cable for networking may seem hard. But with the proper technique and accurate knowledge, it should be easy as counting 1, 2, and 3. You don't have to memorize certain standard color patterns to be able to crimp your own network cable but we will be discussing about the standard later. There is a quicker way to be able to make a crossover cable fast and easy. I assume you know what a network cable is and decided to make or crimp the cable yourself. However follow the link if you want to have a clearer understanding about home networking. Crimping a patch or crossover cable for networking is an essential skill a computer hardware servicing technician must have. Sometimes, most common computer problems deals with network cables.

T568A and T568B Straight-Through Wiring Diagram

The basic Ethernet pinouts are straight through and cross over. When connecting to switches and hubs, straight through pinout is used. Crossover is used for peer to peer connections for two computers or bridging routers or switches. Relatively, we will be using T568A and T568B diagrams.

For cabling straight through, you can either use T568A or T568B for both ends of the cable. Here is the diagram for you to look as a reference.

This is a T568A Color Pattern

This is a T568B Color Pattern

A patch or straight through is simply crimping two ends of the cable with the same color pattern. If you use one end with T568A color pattern, you must as well use T568A color pattern for the other end. So is the same if you will be using the T568B color pattern respectively. Meaning, there is no need to follow the standard color pattern.

If you will be crimping a crossover cable, just use the T568A on one end of the cable and T568B color pattern on the other end.

I want you to figure out how we crimp crossover cables. If we will be crimping straight-throughs, we use 1-2-3-6 modular connector pin pattern paired to the other 1-2-3-6 modular connector pin pattern.

On the other hand if we will be crimping a crossover cable, we use 3-6-1-2 pin pattern paired to a 1-2-3-6 pin pattern. This method will eliminate memorization of the color patterns which commonly adds confusion in crimping for beginners. Think and figure it out. The diagram provides a clear answer. :-)

Crimping a Network Cat5 Cable with Modular Connector

Materials :

A Length of Unshielded Twisted Pair (UTP) Cat5 Cable

Wire Stripper

Crimping tool (RJ45)

8P8C Modular Connector Plugs or Jacks ("RJ45")

Network Cable Tester

Procedure :

1. Observe computer safety.

2. Remove about 2 inches of the cable's sheath on one end of the Cat5 cable using the wire stripper.

3. Once the sheath is removed, untwist the paired wires. The eight solid wires should be straightened by pressing it down against the table and pushed with another solid material.

4. Align the solid wires and follow either of the color pattern diagrams above.

5. Cut or trim the exposed wires neatly aligned about half an inch.

6. Insert the trimmed wires of the UTP cable into the RJ45 jack following the diagram's direction of the pinouts.

7. Use the crimping tool to set the jack's contacts piercing the 8 strands of wires of the UTP cable. This sinking of the RJ45 "fingers" or "teeth" ensures connectivity for the wires to the jack itself.

8. For the other end, just repeat steps 1 to 6.

9. Verify if your newly crimped cable have perfect connectivity using a LAN cable tester.

If you want to crimp a crossover cable, crimp one end of the cable with the T568A color standard and the other end with the T568B color standard.

No Beep, No Video Display, and Fan Spins Erratically

noreply@blogger.com (drey razon) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 02:21:00 +0000

This computer showed no video display, no beep, and as observed the cpu fan spins erratically. The problems seem complicated and our instincts tell us. This Compaq Presario SR1000V had not been used for about five months because of this problem.

Troubleshooting this type of computer problem does require a lot of patience specially that you are not hearing any beeps and seeing no display. You might want to suspect problems with the video card, RAM, power supply unit, or the motherboard itself. Proper troubleshooting procedure and technique, troubleshooting safety, and documentation must be observed so that you may be able to solve the problem quick, systematic, and efficient.

The procedure done below is a very good example on how a computer troubleshooting procedure should be done correct. This is a step by step tutorial and guide on how a newbie should when troubleshooting a computer.

Date Fixed : January 13, 2011

Problem : No Beep, No Video Display, and Fans Spins Erratically

Motherboard : Compaq Presario SR1000V, 2.6 GHz 512 MB
Operating System : Windows Media Center

Technicians : Computer Hardware Servicing Class of CLHIDO
Weblog : http://clhidohsr.blogspot.com

INTERVENING FACTORS

- No Motherboard Support CD

OBSERVATIONS

- No Video Display
- No Beep on POST
- CPU fans spins but erratic

TROUBLESHOOTING PROCEDURE

- Before testing the system unit, we must first ask few questions to the owner of the system unit to give us some clues on what and when's regarding the computer problem encountered. Remember that first hand information about the computer problem encountered by the owner or user is the most near-reliable source of idea on what really is the problem of his or her computer. But be warned, I have had said near-reliable because most users being asked lies on the details fearing that the blame is on them. You must ask them in low tone, soft, non-vindictive, and non-agitating manner. The details they give might be useful for your approach in troubleshooting.

- After gathering the information provided by the user, you must verify it by checking and testing the system unit. Be sure to physically check the peripherals first before testing. Try to see if there are missing, blown, or poorly attached cables and peripheral cards. Then after a thorough check, test the system unit and do a detailed observation.

- Upon turning on the system unit, we have noticed that there was an obvious whining sound inside the DVD ROM. There was no video display, no beep or beeps heard, and we can see the fans spinning erratically by when it spins fast then slows down to the extent of almost stopping then turns fast again. This must be a PSU or RAM or motherboard problem. Since there were drives attached, they need to be removed. Once the hard drive, floppy drive, and DVD ROM were removed, the system was powered on and again carefully observed for. The whining sound was gone but there was still no video display or a beep and the fans still spins erratically. The whining sound must have been caused by either of the drives which we verified later.

- Having eliminated the observed whining sound, we must now find out which peripheral or peripherals are failing. On our list we had the PSU, then the RAM, and finally the Motherboard. But among the three, PSU is the nearest candidate to be failing because it main function is to supply power to all the components of the motherboard including the CPU fans. But the RAM is also suspected to be defective so we have to check the easiest component to test which is the RAM. We cleaned the RAM's connector edge with an eraser and powered the system, but it was all the same. The fans still spins erratically. So we transferred the RAM to the next slot and again observed if CPU fans will spin regularly but it didn't. The RAM or the slots must be defective. Since we have an extra RAM, we swapped it with a known good RAM and powered the system unit again. Alas! the fans spins quite regular and we now have a clear display but we can still observe a little erratic spinning.

- Knowing that the RAM was indeed defective and has been tested, our attention switched back to the PSU. It doesn't mean that when as the RAM was initially replaced, it had already solved the problem. Logically, what made the RAM failed is either the motherboard or the PSU. So knowing this, the PSU must be checked.

- Upon checking the PSU, we were not surprised to see three blown capacitors. Though it may be ok to replace the blown capacitors, it is recommended to buy a new one. The system unit that we were troubleshooting had its defective PSU replaced by a new one.

- Two problems found and solved. Now let us go to the whining sound observed earlier. When we plugged in the drives we could hear that the source of the sound is really coming from the DVD ROM and as we tried to open the rack tray, it was stuck. So we manually opened the tray by pinching an eject hole of the DVD ROM and found a CD in it. When we closed the tray back and powered on the system unit, the sound was no longer heard.

- Installation of the operating system was done, appropriate drivers, and the necessary programs were finally installed. The system is now up and running.

SUMMARY

- Troubleshooting problems like this seems so common. The most common problems we have encountered are these the ones we have just worked on. No video display, RAM, and PSU problems are the most common computer problems.

- As we have made the troubleshooting procedure above, problems with display are commonly caused by a failing RAM provided that the video card is ok. Fan problems are generally attributed by a failing PSU or worse a failing of defective motherboard. Also, abnormal sound produced by a system unit may be coming from a CD or DVD ROM, Hard Disk Drive, and or Fans.

Hard Disk Review : Which do you prefer to buy?

noreply@blogger.com (drey razon) — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 08:54:00 +0000

You may be looking a lot of hard drive reviews on the net but can't find a technical review but rather marketing reviews. Of course, most sites do a marketing review to mark up sales and any Hard Disk Drive is good as long as it sells. With today's technology, reliability and performance are no real big issues. Even new storage technologies are emerging and one that is so promising are Solid State Drives or SSDs.

Regarding SSDs its primary advantage is the reduction ( some says total removal ) of shock problems, lesser weight, more portable, and faster data transfer rate. And the downside? Yes there is, lesser data capacity than Hard Disk Drives can handle and way too expensive as compared with bytes per $. That is why hard disk drive will still thrive in the market as long as SSD technology cannot surpass the advantages of hard disk drives. Now if you ask me which hard disk drive is most preferred to use? Take a look at the review below according to my 43 computer technician friends.

Top 5 Hard Disk Drives According to Computer Technicians

5. Maxtor

- Maxtor had been around for quite some time until it has been bought by Seagate Company. HDDs made by Maxtor was greatly appreciated because it doesn't produce much heat as compared with the other bands of drives. This is the sole advantage of Maxtor. I know it's quite harsh but that's how the technicians had experiences with it. Maxtor is slow and doesn't lasts long. It may be because it is so sensitive to shock and power disruption. Anyway, you won't be buying Maxtor these days because Seagate already had.

RATING : 5/10

4. Samsung

- Samsung originally makes optical drives then until hard drives. Samsung hard disk drives are not recommended by most technicians because it does not last long. It's common problem is overheating. This may be the cause of the possible warping of the platters or the actuator heads and cause squeaking sound inside the HDD as it ages. This can somehow be temporarily resolved by freezing the drive to be able to do file backup. Samsung however is new to the game, give it some time to perfect its hard disk drive technology.

RATING : 6/10

3. Hitachi

- The response was positive when the technicians were asked. Hitachi hard disk drives
are commonly used by laptops ( 2.5" ). Hitachi hard disks are designed for anti-shock and can has higher heat capacity. However, the 3.5" drives used for desktops cannot outrun the performance of the top hard disk drives. It usually has problems with longevity. It will just crash in some moment but will it take a longer time yet before it does.

RATING : 7/10

2. Western Digital

- This may sound unfair but that is how it has been rated by our technicians. WD hard drives are data reliable because it is fast and not so expensive. The only flaw we knew of Western Digital is that is produces a lot of heat. This intense heat may be the cause of the squeaking sound in the hard disk drive as it ages. The squeaking is caused by the heads brushing the platters. This disadvantage does however fair with the top brand. Why? Because the drive seldom fails to be detected during POST. I once had a Western Digital 20 GB hdd which I left and thought to be defective in my storage room and just recently tested it and it ran.

RATING : 9/10

1. Seagate

- Seagate has somehow "perfected" the hdd technology. Of course there is no such thing as a perfect technology but this brand so far has met our needs. It may not be as fast as Western Digital, but it can handle greater heat and shock tolerance. Its major drawback however is that if the hdd starts to squeak, you need to backup your files because the drive wouldn't last long. The price? Worth it if you want a reliable data storage.

RATING : 9.5/10

Fixing a Failing or Dead Hard Disk

noreply@blogger.com (drey razon) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:28:00 +0000

What is a failing hard drive? How do you know that your hard drive is failing? Is there a chance to fix hard drives? These are the common questions one may ask regarding a failing hard drive.

Let us now try to answer the common questions above and let me give you some friendly and sometimes aggressive and slightly dangerous procedures just to save your hard drive from failing or sometimes reviving it. What is a failing hard drive and How do you know that your hard drive is failing? A failing hard drive is a condition where you will be having limited operations on your computer due to system crashing and stalling contributed by a over-heated, mechanically failing, read/write errors, and so on.

There are few indications that proves your hard drive is failing, but be very careful because hard drive errors are also relative to RAM, Operating System, or even PSU errors. A defective hard drive has similar indications with virus infection like system hang-up or freezing and constant restarting. So before doing the procedures to fix hard drive errors provided here, ensure and verify that your hard drive is really the component that is failing. Hard drive mechanical errors are not hard to detect, you can determine it by simply listening to it. Overheating also contributes to hard drive failure. Here are some of our tested procedures in trying to fix failing or defective hard drives.

Please be warned that on our tests, only less than 30% of the procedures done proved success.

Fixing Noisy Hard Drive

A. Before turning on your system unit, listen closely to your hard drive. Turn your system on and if you hear a brushing or sometimes accompanied with little sharp squeaks, your hard drive is already in very bad condition and you need to have file backups and replace it. The brushing sound is caused by a slightly bended actuator arm due to heat. The read/write heads then touches the platters's surface thus producing sound from the friction. To "fix" the bending of the actuator arm, we need to reverse the effects of heat by freezing it. Yes freezing "might" relieve the bending. Here's how its done.

1. Remove your hard drive from the system unit. Wrap your hard drive tightly with a newspaper and secure it with a tape. Then wrap it with a plastic bag or similar that will restrict moisture from getting in. Have multiple layers of plastic wrappings enough to prevent moisture from getting into the hard drive.

2. Set your fridge to a lower temperature. Place your hard drive vertically in the freezer. Leave it their from 24 to 48 hours. 24 or 48 hours after, remove the hard drive from the freezer and just let it open in the air for a day. Please don't remove the plastic yet, the hard drive is cooled down and the moisture will build up in the cold.

3. After settling the hard drive for a day, remove the wrappings and put it back to your system unit and power it up. If there is no significant reduction on the brushing and squeaking sound, then its time to buy a new hard drive.

System Stalling or Freezing Contributed by HDD

B. Over-heating can cause some components to fail. It doesn't exclude the hard drive, an overheating hard drive can cause a system to freeze or stall or even sometimes constantly restarts a computer. How to determine if the hard drive is overheating? How to resolve this type of problem? Here's how.

1. To determine whether the hard drive is overheating, while your computer is in operation place a piece of paper on top of your hard drive. Touch it paper covered part of your hard drive with the back of your palm. If it gives you a burning sensation, your hard drive is overheating.

2. Removing or reduction of the overheating can easily be done by installing a hard drive fan. It costs a little and it works effectively to reduce to heat of your hard drive. Recommended to be used by specially by gamers and people who works on graphics and animation. If this won't give you significant results, buy a new hdd.

Hard Drive can't be Detected Sometimes

C. A dirty and corroded terminals and data paths on the hard drive controller board can cause problems like hard drive is unable to be detected on POST and other unusual hard drive error. This can be resolved by:

1. Remove the controller board from the hard drive, the PCB with components held by three or four screws is the hdd's controller board. Clean the controller board by using an old toothbrush and a lacquer thinner. This will in turn wash away the varnish and also the accumulated dirt. Let the controller board be completely dried before reinstalling it back to the hard drive and test it. If it doesn't work, try reheating the components with a hot air or with a hair dryer. And if again it doesn't work, buy a new hard drive.

Hard Drive Error is Neither Nor Here

D. That's good, your desperate. :-) The last option that I recommend is for you to find another hard drive exactly the same as you are having, the size, brand, and series. You can have an old and defective hard drive. What should you do with the other hard drive? Here's what:

1. Remove the controller boards of both hard drives, swap it. Test each hard drive to determine which will function. If this still doesn't work, BUY A NEW HARD DRIVE :-)

These are the most common way of approach of fixing a failing or dead hard disk.

Thumbdrive, Flashdrive, or USB Devices Can't Be Used or Recognized, HIMIPX.EXE Error

noreply@blogger.com (drey razon) — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 10:48:00 +0000

In this troubleshooting example, an EMachines D725 laptop can recognize USB devices but refuses to load it up. When a Globe Tattoo was plugged in an error message of the dialog box appears as : "The file or folder 'himipx.exe' that this shortcut refers to can't be found" and the dialog box can't be closed. This restricts the USB device to be loaded. The laptop has Win 7 operating system with an expired Avira Antivirus - which I suspect caused the problem. I was able to remove and deactivate the himipx.exe (himip.exe) but I suggested that the laptop should be reformatted as soon as possible. The fix made was not full because they need to have the laptop sent to the school just half an hour when I was "fixing" it.

Date Fixed : December 12, 2010

Problem : When a flashdrive or a USB device is plugged in an error message appears as : "The file or folder 'himipx.exe' that this shortcut refers to can't be found"

Owner : Gwen Amante
Unit : Emachines D725 T4400 2 GB RAM
Operating System : Windows 7

Technician : Drokz
Weblog : http://clhidohsr.blogspot.com

INTERVENING FACTOR :

- The laptop needs to be fixed around 30 mins

OBSERVATION :

- The laptop just boots fine and there seems to be no problem. But when a flashdrive or thumbdrive or any USB device is being plugged in, an error message appears and the dialog box could not be closed and likewise the USB device is refused to be recognized.

TROUBLESHOOTING PROCEDURE :

- Since the antivirus has already expired, I have a suspicion that a virus must have caused the problem. So I plugged in a wifi kit (Globe Tattoo) then a dialog pops up and shows the himipx.exe error. So I checked in the task manager if the himipx.exe is active in the memory but what I found out was its process name is himip.exe. So I need to find himip.exe in the registry and manually delete it.

- To be able to find himip.exe in the registry, press Win+R and type in "regedit". As the registry dialog box appears, click or highlight "My Computer" and go to the "Edit" tab then to "Find" then type in the text input box "himip.exe" and press "Enter". A few seconds after, it should display in the left pane of the registry dialog box a string value entry named "himip.exe" then click right on it then choose delete.

- You have just deleted the first himip.exe and you need to find the other string value by going to "Edit" tab again then to "Find Next". It should reveal another himip.exe string value entry and delete it.

- Now the known registry values has just been deleted, we need to disable the startup item for "himipx.exe" or "himip.exe" in the System Configuration Utiity. In order to do so, press "Win+R" then type "msconfig". As the System Configuration Utility appears, go to the "Startup" tab and uncheck the the item for "himipx.exe" then click "ok". Restart your computer.

- As I have accomplished this and had the computer successfully boot up, I tried to plug in a USB drive (Globe Tattoo) and the error message did not come out! I was already able to use the wifi kit then later uninstalled the expired Avira Antivirus and replaced it with the 1 year trial of Avast Pro. The laptop is now ok but I strongly suggest that it should be reformatted.

SUMMARY :

The Emachines D725 laptop virus infected by the malware "himipx.exe" or "himip.exe" could not be able to use a flashdrive or a thumbdrive or any USB device. The only way to do this aside from having your computer scanned by a good and updated antivirus is to manual deletion of the registry values of the "himipx.exe" and its derivative "himip.exe" and disabling its startup item in the System Configuration Utility. I also found no other problem made by this type of malware so far.

Operating System Installation Checklist

noreply@blogger.com (drey razon) — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 09:08:00 +0000

Before installing an Operating System for a System Unit, one must adhere to the fact that not all machines are the same and that will include software and hardware compatibilities. Aside from that, we as computer hardware servicing technicians should be able to establish a strong background in the proper procedure of installing and operating system. In some occasion, a computer technician is satisfied with the plain installation as long as it works fine. As a responsible computer hardware servicing technician, one must consider to use utilities, ensure data security is met and the computer should be properly optimized to make an ease of use for the client. We will be listing down the things a computer technician should do or check upon when installing an operating system.

Operating System Installation Checklist for Computer Technicians

1. The most important thing a computer technician should watch for is to do backup on the files. Files are worth more than the computer you are or will be fixing. It is best to secure the files of your client's computer before beginning a troubleshooting process. Ask your client what files are necessary to backup.

2. Always bring the most crucial tools specially if you are an on-call computer technician. Here are the most important tools or things an on-call technician should always bring.

a. Installers and Utility Softwares
b. External Drive (for backup storage)
c. CD ROM or preferably a DVD ROM much better if it is portable
d. SATA and IDE (both 40 and 80 pin) cables
e. Power Cable
f. PSU Checker
g. Long Philip Screw Driver
h. A set of small screw driver and a torx screw driver set as well
i. A wide bristle brush
j. Tube of thermal grease or paste
k. Rubber eraser
l. Test peripheral like a RAM or a Video Card
m. Penlight

This will all come handy with a backpack

3. Before doing an Operating System Re-installation or Installation, confirm first that the system unit really needs to have a fresh operating system. Check and verify the integrity of the RAM, Video Card, Power Supply, and the HDD before proceeding the installation.

4. After the integrity of the peripheral has been checked and has done a file backup, consider doing a driver backup if there is no Motherboard Support CD.

5. Start the OS installation.

6. After the OS installation is finished, install your motherboard and device drivers.

7. Have your HDD share some of its space for the RAM. This is virtual memory for Windows and Swap file for Linux. In Linux, you set it during installation and in Windows you set it up at the system properties.

8. Do registry optimization.

9. Have Sysedit optimized (works well with XP) by:
a. Press "Win+R" and type in "sysedit"
b. Look for the "system.ini" tab and locate [386enh]. Make a line after [386enh] by pressing "enter" then type "Irq14=4096". Do not include "" and this is CASE SENSITIVE. Save it by going to "File" then "Save".

10. Customize the Start Menu for better navigation and reduce clutter.

11. Install the necessary softwares like MS Office, Media Player Updates, Yahoo Msgr, Google Chrome, Adobe Reader and other programs.

12. Install Disk Defragmenter like SmartDefrag and Registry Defragmenter like RegCure.

13. Delete caching files by:
a. Press "Win+R"
b. Type "Prefetch" then as the windows opens, delete it by pressing "CTRL+A" then "SHIFT+Del".

14. Run Disk Defragmenter. Run it twice then restart your computer.

15. Run Registry Defragmenter. Run it twice and restart your computer.

16. Remove some unnecessary startup items (not harmful to your system)like yahoo messenger, adobe update, skype, and etc by :
a. Press "Win+R" then type "msconfig" as the System Configuration Utility window appears go to Startup tabs and uncheck the items not necessary for startup.
b. Restart your computer.

17. Perform Disk Cleanup by:
a. Press "Win+R" then type "cleanmgr" Select drive to clean. Follow the instructions provided.

18. Set or Create a System Restore Point by:
a. Press "Win+R" then type or copy this "%systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui"
b. Follow the instruction provided then restart the computer

19. Disable AutoUpdates.

20. Install a known good antivirus and restart your computer.

You see, the antivirus has to be installed last. This is the method is being taught and used by the Computer Hardware Servicing NC II students. Hope this Operating System Installation Checklist can help you. Please do comment if you have to add something important to add.