PC Tips Archives - Page 11 of 12

What is a Chromebook?

by Earendel | Dec 7, 2018 | Chromebooks, News, PC Tips, Products

What is a Chromebook?

Chromebook is a laptop of a different breed. Instead of Windows 10 or macOS, Chromebooks run Google’s Chrome OS.

These machines are designed to be used primarily while connected to the Internet, with most applications and documents living in the cloud. Chromebooks run Chrome OS, Google’s operating system, so they heavily feature Google’s suite of applications and often times rely on a working Internet connection. Although you can log in to Chrome OS as a guest, we recommend you log in to the system with a Google account to have the best experience.

Chromebooks are affordable and offer decent performance, and the introduction of Android apps is increasing their capabilities. Microsoft is fighting back with claims that Windows 10 S mode will give laptops better performance and battery life, but if you’re looking for a simple way to get online and you prefer Google’s services, you’ll be happy with a Chromebook.

Website Maintenance Service – Irvine

by Earendel | Nov 22, 2018 | News, PC Tips

Affordable Website Maintenance Service in Irvine by PC Expert ServiceS

PC Expert Services provides professional Website Maintenance Services and Website Maintenance Plans. We fully manage and update your website so you can focus on growing your business.

Website Updates
Website Database Optimization
Website Post Revision
Website Uptime Optimization

Website Backups
Website Security Scans
Website Performance Scans
Website Analytics

Irvine Computer Repair

by Earendel | Nov 22, 2018 | Computer Repair, PC Tips

Best Computer Repair in OC

When you’re searching for computer tech repair services, you may want a one-stop shop that can handle all of your technical needs. That means more than just fixing your Mac or PC. You may need experts that can repair your iPads, iPhones and other portable devices. PC Expert Services may be the company you’re looking for. This shop is fully credentialed and has partnered with major manufacturers and vendors to provide you with reliable and affordable repair services.

PC Expert Services selected by CBS Los Angeles as one of 5 best PC Repair Shops in Orange County.

What is a Computer Spyware?

by Earendel | Nov 16, 2018 | PC Tips, Security

What is a Computer Spyware?

A Computer Spyware can install on your computer without your knowledge. These programs can change your computer’s configuration or collect advertising data and personal information like internet surfing habits, user logins, and bank or credit account information. Spyware can track Internet search habits and can also redirect your web browser to a different websites than you intend to go to.

Spyware is mostly classified into four types: adware, system monitors, tracking cookies, and trojans; examples of other notorious types include digital rights management capabilities that “phone home”, keyloggers, rootkits, and web beacons.

Spyware does not necessarily spread in the same way as a virus or worm because infected systems generally do not attempt to transmit or copy the software to other computers. Instead, spyware installs itself on a system by deceiving the user or by exploiting software vulnerabilities.

What is a Computer Virus?

by Earendel | Nov 16, 2018 | PC Tips, Security

What is a Computer Virus?

A computer Virus is a small software program that spreads from one computer to another and interferes with computer operation. A computer virus might corrupt or delete data on a computer, use an email program to spread the virus to other computers, or even delete everything on the hard disk.

Computer viruses are frequently spread by attachments in email messages or by instant messaging messages. Therefore, you must never open an email attachment unless you know who sent the message or you are expecting the email attachment. Viruses can be disguised as attachments of funny images, greeting cards, or audio and video files. Computer viruses also spread through downloads on the Internet. They can be hidden in pirated software or in other files or programs that you might download.

How to Scan & Fix Hard Drives with CHKDSK in Windows 10

by Earendel | Oct 21, 2018 | PC Tips

Microsoft Hard Disk Scanning Utility

Microsoft’s hard disk scanning and repair utility, CHKDSK (“check disk”), was introduced over 30 years ago but still has a useful place today. Users running even the latest Microsoft operating system can still use the command to examine their hard drives for errors and repair them if necessary. Here’s how to run CHKDSK in Windows 10.

Even in Windows 10, the CHKDSK command is run via the Command Prompt, but we’ll need to use administrative privileges to properly access it. To launch a Command Prompt as an Administrator, press the keyboard shortcut Windows Key + X to bring up the power users menu, then let go of those two keys and tap the A key. Alternatively, with the power users menu open you can use your mouse or trackpad to select the Command Prompt (Admin) option.

From the Command Prompt, type the command “chkdsk” followed by a space, then the letter of the drive you wish to examine or repair. In our case, it’s internal drive “C.”

Simply running the CHKDSK command in Windows 10 will only display the disk’s status, and won’t fix any errors present on the volume. To tell CHKDSK to fix the drive, we need to give it parameters. After your drive letter, type the following parameters separated by a space each: “/f /r /x”.

The “/f” parameter tells CHKDSK to fix any errors it finds; “/r” tells it to locate the bad sectors on the drive and recover readable information; “/x” forces the drive to dismount before the process starts. Additional parameters are available for more specialized tasks, and are detailed at Microsoft’s TechNet site.

To summarize, the full command that should be typed into the Command Prompt is:

A CHKDSK command can take a long time, especially when performed on larger drives. Once it’s done, however, it will present a summary of results including total disk space, byte allocation, and, most importantly, any errors that were found and corrected.

The CHKDSK command is available in all versions of Windows, so those on Windows 7, 8, or XP can also perform the steps above to initiate a scan of their hard drive. In the case of older versions of Windows, users can get to the Command Prompt by going to Start > Run and typing “cmd”. Once the Command Prompt result is displayed, right-click on it and select “Run as Administrator” to grant the program the necessary privileges to execute CHKDSK successfully.