PC Maintenance Archives - heartlandtechs.com

Tech Tips

Steps to Take Before the Crash

Backup your files

External Hard Drives

Every computer has a hard drive but viruses, Trojans, Hard Drive failures, kids deleting files or folder accidentally may make you loose your important data. As external hard drives are located outside your computer, it is good investment for considerable level of safety.
Buy External Hard Drives from Heartland Computers

Cloud Storage Services

Google Drive, Skydrive and Dropbox are revolutionary and handy cloud storage services, which actually saves storage space on your latop computer or smartphones.
I rate Dropbox the best among these 3 services. Your data at Dropbox is relatively more secure than Google Drive. Drop box mobile app ensures security with 4-digit pass-code lock on top of 2-step verification process. However, Free storage quota for Dropbox is 2 GB only. Google Drive and Skydrive has free storage 5 GB and 7 GB respectively.

Antivirus

Always have antivirus software on your machine. We strongly recommend Microsoft Security Essentials and Malwarebytes Pro for virus and malware protection. Scan your hard drive for errors and repair bad sectors.

Secure with passwords

It is important to have a strong password for your laptops, PCs or smartphones. All your devices should be secured with a strong password which is hard to crack in.

Turn off Java

Over the years, Java powers billions of desktop computers, Java mobile phones, printers, gaming consoles, car navigation systems, ATMs, medical devices, Blue ray players, parking payment stations. That made Java top target for the hackers. Back in early 2013, the serious zero-day vulnerabilities discovered in Java. Though Oracle released an emergency Java patch, but that did not meant for all the critical vulnerabilities.

Click here to read Oracle instructions on how to disable Java from your browsers.

Steps to Take After the Crash

Turn the power off to the computer.
Use system restore.
Try Run in Safe Mode
If none of the above options work out for you, Try Reformat and Reinstall your operating system.
*** Heartland Computers can help you to Re-installing Operating System. Contact Repair service desk.

Repair Tips

My neighbor’s kid can fix for free or cheap why pay a professional?

This is a very good question and there are two main reasons.

The first and the obvious one is training. A lot of kids are smart and know HOW to use a computer but very few are PROPERLY trained. Almost every week we get a computer in that a friend tried to fix an issue and actually made the repair worse. Instead of a $34.95 system tune-up it ends up being a $49.95 Data Recovery along with a $59.95 OS Installation. But nothing compares to the phone calls we have to make where someone messed up and now all those pictures and videos of your kids are gone forever.
The second reason is as a business, you are protected. What I mean by that is as a company we have to carry insurance to protect you from loss, damage, errors, etc… Thankfully in my 20+ years I’ve never had to use the insurance on me or my employees. My point is guys who work from their home, post cheap rates on Craigslist; do you think they carry insurance? No. you have no protection. When you hand over that computer it’s as good as giving them a free laptop. The data, pictures, videos, web searches, everything is now theirs. Funny thing is you have more protection if you would just hand over your credit card.

I come from a Dutch heritage and I’m as cheap as it gets so I promise at Heartland you will get Professional Repair Service and cheap rates. A Win Win by my standards!!