Our Top 5 PC Utilities

We thought it would be helpful if we put together in one place our top 5 picks for PC utilities that would be useful to PC users. So here they are, enjoy!                                 

4 Ways to Keep Your Computer Safe from Viruses

If you are anything like many of our customers at Northampton Computer Repair, you worry a lot about your computer catching a nasty virus. While it’s true that the internet is full of viral menace, it doesn’t have to feel like an overwhelming or unavoidable thing. There are things that you as a user should do to reduce your chances of contracting a virus on your home computer or laptop – or rather, things that you should not do.

With the advent of Social Media such as FaceBook, Twitter and other social media sites the chances of getting duped by scammers on the Internet has grown exponentially. The internet has made communicating back and forth between one country and another a normal every day occurance. A person in Boston, MA can instantly chat with someone in England by video or text with no lag in communication time. This all makes staying in touch with family, friends and businesses much easier, yet it also opens up the world to many more chain letters, scams, and other unethical attempts to take advantage of the unsuspecting person. There are ways to avoid the major scams and spams out there between knowing the common attempts and always being vigilant to avoid new scams.

Graphic card technology advances so quickly that you better do your homework before buying.  So it’s a good idea to figure out which type of graphics card will last the longest, how much you want to spend, and whether or not your computer can handle it before you lay down your money. The latter here is a key consideration because if you buy a card that exceeds the capabilities of your machine you have just wasted a ton of cash for nothing, so make sure to note your systems requirements before buying

Have you ever been in a group of friends or at a local gathering and the tech-savvy individuals start to talk shop and all of a sudden you feel like they're talking in another language? How about trying to read a computer magazine article about a device you want to buy but are totally confused by all of the buzzwords and abbreviations? Well, believe me, you're not alone. This jargon is everywhere and learning how to decode computer jargon is a must in this day and age. We have assembled some of the most common terms that you may have heard and decoded them for you.

Each year, we at Northmapton Computer Repair talk and meet with hundreds of businesses and indiviuals to discuss their computer needs. They have come to trust us knowing that we will always give them honest answers and assesments for what they need, not what we want to sell them. During our conversation's they often will ask us who are some of the other computer repair stores in Northampton and the surrounding area.

 One of the first questions anyone wants to know about a product or service is "How much is this going to cost me". When you go on line to research some thing no matter what it is, once you find a site that seems to appeal to you the next thing you do is look for pricing, right. Of course you do, and I do the same thing. I don't know about you, but when I get to the point of liking what I see on a website but can't find the pricing, I just  go to another website. You the consumer have been conditioned to expect to see all of the information on a website and that is how it should be. You don't want to be bothered with having to pick up the phone, dial a number, explain what you have seen on their website and ask about the cost, that's insane in this day and age.

In a recent review of Microsoft's newest version of Windows, Windows 8, MIT professor and professional wise-guy (internet entrepreneur) Philip Greenspun stated that 8 was a "Christmas present for someone you hate".  That sentiment seems to be shared by many home PC users who have purchased a new desktop of laptop in the past few months.

So you think that by having a user account and a password set up, your files and data are safe. Wrong! An intruder can easily gain access to your files by booting into their own operating system from a special disc or USB flash drive. Once they do this they vitually have access to all of your hard drives and files just like you would if you logged on using your password. So how can you protect yourself form this kind of invasion?

Surge protectors are an often ignored part of keeping your technology safe from power spikes and surges.  When I worked at a big-box store (I won't mention any names, but needles to say, my black and neon green uniform shirt was pretty eye catching) it was my goal to make sure that each person walked out the door with the right technology, every time.  People would come in and drop hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars on technology for their homes and businesses, buying anti-virus programs, backup programs and backup hardware to keep their investment safe.  Surprisingly, many people balked at the idea that they needed anything more to keep their data and digital gadgetry safe.  The lowly surge protector, and it’s bigger cousins the battery backup units are an integral part of keeping your devices and your information safe from harm.

When the subject of power protection comes up, many people think of the simple stick-style “power strips” that have been a staples of offices and homes for decades.  Unfortunately, these inexpensive items do not provide much, if any protection from normal surges and power spikes.  Computers, phones, routers and other high-tech digital devices are very susceptible to damage from power surges, and the last thing you want to is get hit with a surge and not have your machine turn on the next time you try to use it.  Protecting your electronics from damage when the power goes out or a circuit breaker trips is now more important than ever with how much we have come to rely on our technology.