CPU Overheating Issues Solved

PC Virus Doctors have come across many desktops and laptops having overheating issues that may be resolved with a modification and upgrade to the (central processing unit) CPU. Many times computer users complain that their desktop or more often their laptops are overheating and are shutting down prematurely which can cause data loss or more importantly physical damage to motherboards.

Heat times the factor over a period of time may determine the lifespan of a laptop or desktop. The circuit board or motherboard as it is more commonly known is subject to heat as the conductors on these boards are thin strips of copper laid over a thin piece of plastic. These circuits and connections become sensitive to cold and heat and they contract and expand as heat and cold are applied. The results can be devastating as these circuits can become broken just like concrete sidewalks that are exposed to extreme cold and extreme heat.

PC Virus Doctors are able to get inside desktops and laptops to modify the existing environment around the CPU that may cool temperatures up to 20 degrees fahrenheit. The results are dramatic and the PC should last significantly longer saving hundreds of dollars without replacing hardware.

Tips to keep your CPU from overheating include:

1. Not overclocking the unit
2. Stop running unneeded processes
3. Not allowing unneeded startup items to run
4. Adding fans or cooling pads
5. Place the desktop or laptop in a well ventilated, open area
6. Make sure all fans are working and adjust speeds if necessary
7. Vacuum or blow away all dust and particles from around the CPU and all interior
8. Do not put too much thermal paste on the CPU
9. Make sure the CPU is properly seated
10. Install software to adjust speed fans manually or automatically to cool
    

802.11n Wireless is Here

Speeds are now up to 300 mb/sec. with the wireless protocol 802.11. The new wireless speeds offer wireless connectivity that will allow offices to not have to be wired for computer communication. The technology allows for a potentially easier setup for networks saving alot of copper that would be strung throughout an office setting, saving the high costs of copper and eliminating the labor of stringing up wires and cables.

This type of business capable wireless connectivity will allow offices to more easily move, make additions and allow for changes to the network. Phones can be attached to the wireless network along with printers and other hardware that proves that wires may be a thing of the past.

Dallas Computer Repair- Upgrading RAM

Computer upgrades that prove worthwhile include increasing RAM capacity. Both desktops and laptops may be available for significant RAM upgrades that are quiet affordable and offer a noticeable increase in computer efficiency.

Most name brand machines allow at least a 2 gigabyte RAM load. This can be significant if the current load is 526Mb while allowing 4 times times the output load when upgraded[both modules].

Computer Repair Tips- Replacing Power Supplies

After the previous blog about basic PC maintenance and you find your desktop computer is still just shutting off after a few minutes then you may want to consider if the power supply is going out. Changing the power supply is not that difficult but safety should be number one in concern.

Dallas' PC Virus Doctors Recommendations:

1. ALWAYS, disconnect the power cord from the computer along with all other USB plugs, monitors, keyboards, the mouse, modem, etc.
2. Remove the one side of the computer that allows you to unscrew it from the back or has a lever for the user to lift and remove the designated panel.
3. Now view the power supply located on the rear computer panel and located against the upper case; the supply is connected by about four phillips screws on the rear panel.
4. If the power supply is rectangular, almost square, then most certainly it follows the 'form factor' and any good power supply with the same wattage rating should work well and fit 'true to form'. If you find two power supplies with similar rating see which one is heavier and choose it.
5. Before removing the old power supply the next step becomes obvious to the most novice computer repair tech: documenting where the plugs go from the old power supply into the mother board, hard drive and other removable drives like a floppy-drive or cd-rom.
6. After documenting the plugs' whereabouts then remove the old supply and replace it with the new power supply.
7. Attach the plugs from the new supply into the motherboard and drives.
8. Replace the cover and plug in all the peripherals.
9. Turn it on.
10. If the computer does not shut down and reboot then one knows it was a faulty power supply shutting the PC down, not software problems.

Another PC tip from PC Virus Doctors' Dallas Computer Repair.

Computer Repair Tips- Temp File Cleaners

#1 PC Repair Tip- Dumping Temp Files

An often overlooked aspect to keeping personal computers running like they should is dumping temporary files. File extensions that may be dumped include:

1. .bak
2. .chk
3. .gid
4. .log
5. .old
6. .syd
7. .tmp

***PLEASE NOTE: PC Virus Doctors will NOT be responsible if you dump these files and things go bad, KNOW WHAT YOUR DOING!

There are many freeware programs that are from good to decent cleaners. Just as always, be aware of freeware programs and malware that may be included. Some good cleaners include CCleaner from Piriform, HDCleaner available from MajorGeeks and other temp file cleaners can be found at SnapFiles in the freeware category. These cleaners are worth the time learning and evaluating how well each cleaner does by running them in different orders every day or every other day.

Temp Files Cleaners and Their Advantages

CCleaner is nice as it has a mild registry cleaner to delete bad registry entries. Users are given the option to backup the registry which is always a good idea before beginning a computer repair. After a few weeks if everything seems like it is opening and executing then the old registry backup can be deleted. CCleaner or Crap Cleaner can be operated with just one touch for temp file deletion and one touch for the registry cleaning minus options provided like backup.

HDCleaner is nice and allows users to add file masks such as .log, once again caution to readers about dumping files. HDCleaner also allows the most recent opened documents to be dumped with a DOD erasing method. This utility also has other great tools such as duplicate file finder where one duplicate may be deleted, the utility has a tool to wipe free space, users can check disk and perform other maintenance/repair from one interface.

Built-in Programs for File Deletion

Also do not forget to [1] dump files by going to start> all programs> accessories> system tools> disk cleanup. Many megabytes or even gigabytes can be deleted/dumped from there. [2] Firefox and Internet Explorer users should go to "Tools" on the upper toolbar on the browser and find where the temp file deltion is located, very important.

Users would be surprised at the difference of performance after this simple 'computer repair' which is not really a repair but a maintenance issue. Temp file deletion is one of the first items that PC Virus Doctors' Dallas computer repair performs before malware removal. This eliminates other issues that can complicate a diagnosis that may not be malware but just temp files all over the drive that number in the thousands if not hundreds of thousands with volumes in the gigabyte range.

The easiest computer repair/maintenance/tuneup tip: dump temp files!

Dallas PC Repair- Help for Laptop Heat Issues

PC Virus Doctors have observed for years how heat affects desktops and laptops over time. Heat is electronic circuitry's worst enemy along with water exposure. Humidity is a complete different issue to tackle than heat; here is where heat issues can be ameliorated.

Cooling laptops is not easy as it sounds where the environment is enclosed around the motherboard and only a cpu fan and possibly a fan blowing out a ventilated area on the case enclosure. The only way to efficiently deliver cooling is through external means. Even a small oscillating fan on a desk or support alongside the laptop would be of some beneficial help but not enough. A better delivery system of "forced air" is the 'cooling pad'.

Cooling pads are just a few inches tall or shorter, the width and length of the laptop with a varied numbered of fans that force air around the machine. The cooling units are available from large local electronic suppliers and the price ranges from around $25 on up to about $65. Check out the coolers and note how many fans they have or support. The more fans the better the entire laptop will stay cool. There are many components to heat installed all under the motherboard; such components as modems, ram, optical drives, usb ports, ac/dc jack, pci slots, hard drives, and other components that can individually collect heat quickly.

PCVD's Dallas Laptop Repair recommends the most fans a cooling pad system supports. It is much easier and cost-to-self-insurance to supply the cooling system. This in our opinion is better than any warranty issued as far as naturally occurring issues versus 'user abuse' protection, such as dropping the unit.

The bottom line is: the more fans distributed across the cooling pad platform the better.

Dallas Computer Repair- Virus Removal Tip

PC Virus Doctors' Dallas Computer Repair consistently receives machines, whether desktops or laptops, that owners do not know how to effectively remove malware. Anti-virus software installed on owners machines often will not detect the most recently released viruses, trojans, adware and spyware. Other defects of anti-virus programs are that they become corrupt with malicious software installed surreptitiously by websites or downloaded programs.

A very effective alternative to installed anti-virus programs are online scanners from well-known anti-malware vendors such as Trend Micro that specialize in malware removal. These online scans eliminate the need to question whether the installed malware removal tools are corrupt and unable to remove unwanted issues. The online scans will scan portions of the computer or the whole system and will allow users to choose to delete the items from the drive.

The advantages also include the fact that the online scanners are the latest up-to-date virus signatures, uncorrupted scanners and the ability to accurately detect malicious items on the computer. If the online scanners cannot remove the unwanted items at least they will have identified the malware and possibly the location where the software resides on the drive.

An important note for virus removal is that each tool or scan that can eliminate just one piece of malware brings the machine one step closer to becoming a virus-free machine. Contact PC Virus Doctors' Dallas Computer Repair for a thorough hard drive cleaning.

Dallas Laptop Repair Tips

PC Virus Doctors' Dallas Laptop Repair has encountered numerous physical breakdowns of laptops lately where heat is the suspected culprit. Laptop users should always use a cooling pad when the laptop is turned on so the fans within the cooling pad continue to blow air onto the bottom of the machine. The fans blow across the cpu units on the laptop which moves air much more efficiently than the laptop can do on its own. These laptop cooling pads are only around $20-$60 but can save hundreds of dollars in the short run of a few years.

Dallas Data Recovery Dilemmas

Dallas Data Recovery is responsible for moving data from a nonreliable source, generally a hard drive or laptop drive, to other media where the data may be accessed. Many times customers want to move the data to their own drives they bring and that is where some confusion exists for the average user.

Problems may occur when the media arrives from from customers who have purchased proprietary backup drives that may also encrypt or provide their own software for backing up data. Many of these drives are not easy to learn the software solutions and may come with no documentation, online documentation that is not laid out well, support that is not easily available or guide books included that could comprise a full 3 hour college credited class.

PC Virus Doctors have reviewed several "easy to backup drive(s)" and it is trying and frustrating for us to easily figure out how to back the data up without going through hours of research and training by the manufacturers when there is a much easier solution that will allow us to continue working without training for manufacturers that may only be used on a one-time basis.

The solution is to buy a blank drive and an external drive case. This simple method allows easy data migration for PC Virus Doctors and smooth data retrieval for customers whose time is valuable to our company. Folders may be created for specific files to be recovered that customers find useful and customers may use the external drives after data recovery to organize their data for future use. Individual folders may be created for pictures, itunes, outlook, movies, etc.

The rule for data recovery, storage and retrieval should be the simpler, the better.