July 11, 2007 by AC.

I have received a bunch of calls lately about dead PC’s that will not power-up.  In almost all of the situations it has been due to a dead power unit.  This is a common problem among machines 3-years and older.  Whether you leave your machine running all the time or turn on/turn off the device, the power unit is a very vulnerable part.  Add to that heat, dust, power surges and power outages and it is a ripe candidate for failure in many systems.

That said there are a few simple, cost-effective tips you can try to get more life out of your power unit.  In each of the systems I recently worked on there was one constant - lots of dust.  Most people place computer towers on the floor or tucked inside a desk, etc.  This attracts more dust and does not allow the system to vent the airflow properly.  One solution is to place the PC tower on a riser or something that gets it directly off the floor.  Try to let the tower have sufficient airflow.  I know this is not always possible.

Another suggestion is to clean the tower regularly with a compressed air canister to clear dust, etc. from clogging up fans, motherboards and drives.  Pay special attention to both the CPU fan and the power unit fan making sure both are free and clear to do their jobs.  Need some compressed air or unsure what to look for?  Below is a link to buy with a graphic to assist you if you are looking for some in a local store:

Staples X80004 Compressed Air Duster - 10 oz. Can (2-Pack)  Staples X80004 10 oz. Air Duster General Features: Two (2) 10 oz. cans Remove dust, lint and dirt with a powerful blast 100% Ozone safe Flammable Precision-dusting extension tube Offers an effective and efficient cleaning method for hard to reach or sensitive areas

Posted in All Platforms, General | 1 Comment »

July 11, 2007 by AC.

Those who create virus and other dangerous malware programs to attack your PC are always trying to stay one step ahead of anti-virus programs and public knowledge of known threats.  One new mechanism of attack is not garnering enough attention but is certainly on the rise.  Infected PDF attachments have been blanketing the internet recently.  These are generally email messages with an infected PDF attachment trying to lure someone into opening the attachment.  It can do no harm to your PC unless opened.

We have grown accustomed to safe and unsafe attachments and PDF has generally been deemed safe.  The message portion of the emails is sophisticated and usually looks legitimate, from an internet service provider, bank or friend.  Sometimes the address is spoofed as well.  Visit the link to the Adobe Update site below for more assistance:

http://www.adobe.com/downloads/updates/

How can you stop or block the threats?  Always use caution when opening an attachment.  Make sure it is from a known source and information you requested or are expecting.  Also make sure you have current, up-to-date virus scanning software installed and running.  It is also worth keeping your Adobe Acrobat program (reader and pro) updated

Posted in Virus/Malware Alert, All Platforms | No Comments »

July 11, 2007 by AC.

I recently starting using the new generation iPod Shuffle and found an interesting difference between this second generation model and the original shuffle.  In the original shuffle you could easily select a playlist or playlists to sync with the device, or fill the device automatically.  The new generation model has a similar feature but it is more disguised.  On first glance I thought I could only manually add songs to the device, but you can tweak the autofill feature to grab a specific playlist.  With that feature you can deselect the random fill feature which is checked by default, essentially allowing you to sync a specific playlist with the device.  Just a quick tip if you are looking to manually control the music going to your iPod.

Posted in Apple/Mac | 1 Comment »