Computer Repair - Data Recovery, Computer Services, Home Networking

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Fighting pop-up and pop-under ads
One sure fire way of fighting pop-ups is to disable active scripting in your browser. This is a radical approach that will also disable some functionality such as mouse overs and pull down menus on many web sites, so you should only use this method if you are prepared to lose functionality as well. Get step-by-step instructions here!

A less radical method of fighting them is to install a program that allows you to block them. Some free programs that can give you control over what pops-up include NoAds by SouthBay Software and POW from AnalogX

The Netiquette of e-mail
Did you know that ALL CAPS in an e-mail message means that you are YELLING at the recipient? Did you know that if you leave the subject line blank, many Spam filters may delete your message?

Get an overview of e-mail netiquette here!

How fast is my Internet connection?
Test your download speeds at 2wire.com's Bandwidth Meter or at Cnet's Bandwidth Meteror test both your upload and download speeds at PC Pitstop's Internet Connection Center

Why won't Scandisk and Defrag finish running?
Windows disk utilities require exlusive access to the hard drive. Restarting in Safe Mode is a sure fire way to get them to run properly. Get the steps for starting in Safe Mode here!

Windows Update
Keeping your version of Windows up-to-date is very important in the fight against hackers, because they try to exploit known vulnerabilities. Get in the habit of going to WindowUpdate.com at least once a month!

Viewer e-mail questions:
Q: Why am I getting 'Mail Undeliverable' messages for things that I have not sent?

A: You have either contracted a mass-mailing worm or someone you know has and the worm is 'spoofing' the return address of the infected party with your address. In either case, make sure you are up-to-date with your anti-virus software and perform a scan of all files on your system.

Q: What would you recommend for making an exact copy of a hard drive?

A: The only way to properly 'image' a hard drive is to make sure it is not currently running an operating system. The pros use a program called Ghost.

Q: Why do I constantly get scripting errors that ask me if I want to debug or something?

A: Older Microsoft browsers attempt to debug scripts by default. Get the info on how to turn it off here!

Tech No Phobia - Episode 1.1

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