Basics

Basics: 6 Things To Look For When Buying A New Laptop Or Desktop Computer

When you’re in this business of fixing and maintaining technology – one of the most common questions you’ll be asked is “What do I look for in a new computer?”. While I’m usually obliged to ask for more about the prospective computer in question – sometimes the brand names come up and sometimes it’s just a general question because the customer wants to buy a new one. Coming to me (the IT Guy) is a good step and a worthwhile use of time, but without me, what kind of stuff can you do to find the computer that’s best for you?

How-To

Malware: A Fast Way To Clean Up The Group Policy Mess After A Virus

So, you’ve cleaned an infected Windows PC and yet some stuff still lingers. You can’t right click on the desktop, you can’t get into task manager and you just know that a host of other policy related stuff is going on. Often, with Virus Scanners, they’re adept at removing files and folders, but they’ll leave behind things like registry settings (often taking the form of Group Policy changes). These settings can be just as harmful as the initial infection itself.

How-To

Windows 8: Connecting To A Domain

As an IT guy, I’m quite interested in how the new version of Windows is going to handle connecting to a domain. Is the interface new? Updated? are we going to see more tools? Does Windows 8 still require a reboot after joining a domain? There are a few questions I wanted to answer with this Consumer Preview version of Windows 8 I have loaded. My test environment included a Windows Server 2008 Domain Control and a Windows 8 computer.

How-To Ideas
Craigslist Head Office

Rules Of craigslist: For Sellers

You do, but you’re worried about the stories you’ve heard regarding fake electronics, bad buyers and shady people. In honor of the disclaimer craigslist attaches to every mail that comes in, I decided to create a more exhaustive list of rules to follow when buying and selling there. Using these rules as a guide, you’ll be more comfortable in the jungle that is Craigslist.

Basics

Basics: How To Repair A Water Damaged Phone Or Computer

Apparently, the most common way to destroy a phone is by dropping it into a toilet (though, you want to take “studies” with a grain of salt). If you’re a heavy mobile phone user, at some point you’ll drop your phone or device into some liquid substance at some point. I had the same thing happen to my laptop, and I wanted to share how I managed to return the laptop to a working state.

How-To

Hard Drive Destruction 101

What transpired is a lesson in destruction of a poor IDE drive, or sheer stupidity. So, join me as a take a drive from a (somewhat working state) to an all but certainly unusable state. Please also note, this is not something you should do unless you’re sure it’s okay to possibly destroy data and you wear protective glasses and/or gear. I didn’t wear any protective gear in this video, and it was dumb. Don’t be a dummy like me.