troubleshooting 101 : how to fix the family computer and save your holiday - download squad

troubleshooting 101 : how to fix the family computer and save your holiday - download squad gather 'round, children, mother earth has a story for you at greendaily.com aol my aol mail make aol my homepage aol m&f engadget tuaw joystiq tuaw wii fanboy diy life download squadweb troubleshooting 101 : how to fix the family computer and save your holidayposted nov 7th 2007 12:00pm by grant robertsonfiled under: features, troubleshooting face it, if you're even slightly more computer literate than the rest of your family you've been pegged "the computer guy"; henceforth doomed to a life of unpaid tech support. there's no time when it's more readily apparent than the holidays. if you're like most of the download squad, your family are already preparing their laundry list of "hey, can you look at this?" items to bombard you with as soon as you step off the plane looking for your thanksgiving turkey leg. maybe you're not even the person they should be looking to for fixes and patches. it can take as little as being the first one in your family to have loaded up an mp3 player or burned a home movie dvd; regardless, you're on the hook and we're here to help you with some basic troubleshooting tips and tricks.bring the basicsas the boy scouts say, "be prepared!" for less than $20 you can buy yourself a key-chain sized usb drive to load with some basic spyware, adware, and malware cleaning tools. add in a fresh copy of firefox, a free anti-virus scanner plus any other utilities you find useful in keeping your own computer running well and you'll come to the thanksgiving table prepared to tackle some of the most common free tech support requests. must have software for your usb repair kit include the usb pc repair system and clam anti-virus. another great looking kit -- although we've not tested it -- is the computer repair utility kit which includes clam av and leaves you with one less thing to download. also useful in your arsenal, blank media. there are few things worse than having to run around hunting for blank cd-rs or dvd-rs during the holidays. stuff a few from your own stash into your carry-on bag and it's likely you'll be happy you did. for the advanced family computer expert, and for the really tough problems, it's also a great idea to pack a bootable rescue cd or "live" cd based on linux. the recently released ubuntu 7.10 even includes read/write support for ntfs so you'll save time having to scramble for the rescue tools you need to get mom's data back. start from square onewhen you're doing tech support duties, it's easy to get wrapped up in details. the best advice is to start from the most basic issue which could be causing the problem and work up from there. keep notes, and make changes one at a time. paying careful attention to detail can easily mean the difference between catching the game on tv, or being stuck in your mother's home office pulling out your hair while everyone else is lounging in the family room.for example; don't spend all day trying to fix the supposed software problem with that usb printer before you check the basics. is it connected? is it connected through an el cheapo usb hub? get rid of it. plug the printer directly into the pc see if anything changes. basics like this may only solve your problem one time in ten but, that one time will save you endless frustration, and make you look like a pro. ok, looking like a pro is only going to get you more phone calls for free support in this instance but, you would've gotten those anyway. at least you got to see the game. start with the simplest potential cause of the problem and work forward from there, keeping notes and eliminating possible causes. don't bite off more than you can chewthe last thing you want to do is create more problems than you solve, especially if you've got a return plane ticket in the next few days. if the problem is too big, or if you think you're headed into deep water with little chance of making a difference, don't be afraid to say so. a little diplomacy goes a long way. grab the phone book and find a good local computer shop you think has the skills. your helpful and understandable problem description should make things easier for the tech who winds up with that family computer on his bench, and you'll have saved your family from the big expense and poor service available from a big-box retail chain service desk. you'll rest easy knowing that you not only saved your holiday time, but saved your family some cash.tags: computer repair, computer troubleshooting, computerrepair, computertroubleshooting, holidash, tech support, techsupport, things i have nightmares about, thingsihavenightmaresaboutpermalinkemail thislinking blogscomments [16] reader comments(page 1)1. this is valuable advice. i would also add that many times they have a warranty for support on their computer. pushing people to call their support by mentioning that is part of what they paid for will lighten your load a bit - especially if they call them before you get out there.posted at 1:07pm on nov 7th 2007 by insomnic2. for extending the fun after the plane ride, you can download hamachi (http://www.hamachi.cc) and install that with tightvnc (http://www.tightvnc.com) to do remote support later. i do that for a number of reasons when i have to ensure that a loved one's computer doesn't get screwed up during finals season.don't forget portableapps (http://portableapps.com/). you can run some tools from that usb stick to make sure things are working as you expect them prior to uninstalling / reinstalling stuff. the clam anti-virus is on there.ttfnposted at 2:56pm on nov 7th 2007 by gregger3. ie7 is just as secure, or is more secure than firefox btw. you can just search it, and the latest ie7 is much more secure than firefox. so i don't get why all ff lovers keep promoting that 'feature'. i just think that ff users think all ie versions are like ie6, and have never tried ie7.all you really need is:ie7anti-virus software / security suite.that's really it. i never ever had a problem on windows since. neither does my family or friends.posted at 7:23pm on nov 7th 2007 by michael4. i've re-read my article twice and, i never wrote anything about one browser being more secure than another. many people just happen to prefer firefox. i know i've turned nearly every single family member on to the firefox love and none of them have ever looked back. sure, ie7 is nice, but don't you think it was just a day late and a dollar short?posted at 7:33pm on nov 7th 2007 by grant robertson5. this is so true cant wait to get home and get computer questionsposted at 8:36pm on nov 7th 2007 by julian6. i actually needed a floppy-disk last time i went home and spent an hour searching the house to find one in the bottom of a desk drawer.posted at 8:42pm on nov 7th 2007 by blake7. i second that about ie7 being a day late and a dollar short. from my experience with ie7, i feel that it wants to take parts from firefox but still have the microsoft control on the product. i love firefox, mainly because i can tell it what to do. ie7 would be much better if users could modify it to their liking. back on topic, i really appreciate the article. i'm that person in the family (and my girl friend's family) who's asked to fix the pcs. i'm currently trying to get them to switch to ubuntu, but as i have only now gotten them all on ff, i have a feeling it's going to take a while. posted at 8:25am on nov 8th 2007 by audiodrumm8. the ff in your toolbox is primarily there so that the family computer (that's been used/abused by the teenage boys or the unaware internet user who doesn't understand how to properly clear a pop-up) can be recovered from the standard hijacking and you can demonstrate that the problem is browser specific by installing a clean ff and surf freely - that simple demo brings ooos and ahhs from the crowd and maybe then they'll listen to you when you teach them that the close button built into the popup is the same as the install button!!! then you go about the business of clearing the problem...posted at 1:30pm on nov 8th 2007 by undertheradar9. i definitely agree that you should have firefox on the usb drive. when a computer is infected with spyware the install of ie on the machine is generally screwed -- it is also among the first applications to be targeted by malicious software if you were to reinstall it. firefox suffers far less from these issues.posted at 2:40pm on nov 8th 2007 by chris b.10. i love the way they say "my monitor's broken" or "my mouse doesn't work" and it turns out that the machine won't boot.btw., ie 7 may be as secure as firefox (don't know myself, but if you say so), but it's more annoying with all those little yellow popups at the top of the browser window. posted at 2:41pm on nov 8th 2007 by david11. the first step should be: give each member of the family his/her own account with limited user rights.too many people work with administrator rights while they don't need those most of the time or even never. some think they do need them all the time. i know that some software needs those rights now and then, but for some programs this can be easily solved (for example nero, use burnrights, see: http://johnbokma.com/mexit/2007/01/30/nero-burnrights-installing-and-configuring.html )and for programs that are too troublesome, complain with the developers. some are willing to fix the issue if enough people complain about it.posted at 3:01pm on nov 8th 2007 by john bokma12. generally speaking, i would not recommend using a computer that has been infected with malware. simply put, a machine that has suffered a root-level compromise can't ever be "cleaned" with assurance by anyone that isn't a professional (i'm not talking geeksquad here, i'm talking an infosec specialist), and a professional isn't going to bother to try to do this unless there is a forensic or major business need.if you find malware on your computer, copy your data files off the machine and reinstall it from scratch. anything else and you're probably leaving your machine connected to a botnet.posted at 3:25pm on nov 8th 2007 by pat cahalan13. install logmein on everyone's computer you touch...if you haven't heard of it go check it out and you can thank me later!!!it is basically like gotomypc only better and it is free!!! this program is a lifesaver and should be on all your friends and families computers for long distance support!enjoy!posted at 9:08pm on nov 8th 2007 by knightryder14. well there are a couple of things i have seen in the comments so far that i would like to address. 1) it has been asked why choose firefox and disregarding the issue of safety and that it is a hell of a lot more customizable, it is so much easier to install. you can just have the latest install file on a flash drive and install it in maybe 30 seconds. with ie7 you need to go to the microsoft website or windows update and spend 10 minutes just validating that the copy of windows is legit and then it takes 15-30 min to install ie7 in a process which looks like brain surgery. to put it simple, it is just tons easier. 2) there was a comment above by pat cahalan which i disagree with 100%. there is no reason to format your hard drive if all you have is a malware infection. there are so many websites out there which specialize in malware removal and have specific forums in which people who have infections get free help from experts. when i say expert i really mean it because i have seen what they do and it is incredible how much they know about the effects of malware. it is amazing how they can perfectly clean a computer that is so trashed and infected that it seems to be heading to the dumps. some examples of these websites include geekstogo.com and castlecops.com. thanks for listeningposted at 12:56am on nov 9th 2007 by ben15. as a windows vista user i can say that ei7 suffers from constant freezes and crashes often when used in the same way i use ff - that is multi-tabs - it also loves opening new links in new windows even when i use the ctrl key. i update date regularly so that isn't the issue. i will even say vista is great (once you spend the time to customize it and turn off some of the annoying security features) i am not saying to run w/out security just some of the annoying 'new' microsoft tweaks. great article, i suppose i will be making use of these tools at family gatherings shortly. i suggest a portable hard drive as well as a usb - my 60 gig simple tech fits in my shirt pocket and cost me less than a dollar a gig. i have dropped it several times and it still preforms without a problem after 16 months.posted at 2:47am on nov 9th 2007 by finity16. i would add the small stand-alone programs hijackthis and siw to the usb drive.posted at 11:58pm on nov 9th 2007 by mmmork add your comments please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. when you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. to leave another comment, just use that password. to create a live link, simply type the url (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. you can put up to 3 urls in your comments. line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br> tags. new users name e-mail current users e-mail: password remember me e-mail me when someone replies to this comment add your comments: view posts by categoriesaudio (690)beta (123)blogging (569)business (1222)design (713)developer (861)e-mail (419)finance (109)fun (1491)games (458)internet (3642)kids (114)office (422)os updates (449)p2p (132)photo (412)podcasting (152)productivity (1126)search (113)security (444)social software (762)text (420)troubleshooting (19)utilities (1454)video (798)voip (114)web 2.0 (221)web services (2745)companiesadobe (154)aol (28)apache foundation (1)apple (408)canonical (11)google (1072)ibm (29)microsoft (1098)mozilla (376)novell (12)openoffice.org (35)palmsource (11)red hat (16)symantec (13)yahoo! (286)licensecommercial (572)shareware (176)freeware (1576)open source (717)miscpodcasts (5)features (249)hardware (167)news (1014)holiday gift guide (13)platformswindows (3081)windows mobile (334)blackberry (25)macintosh (1851)iphone (41)linux (1357)unix (65)palm (163)symbian (104)columnsask dls (2)analysis (15)browser tips (248)dls podcast (4)googleholic (135)how-tos (74)dls interviews (15)design tips (13)mobile minute (51)mods (66)time-wasters (309)weekend review (7)imaging tips (28) resources send us news tips contact us advertise corrections? problems? rss newsfeeds feeds by category sponsored links download squad bloggers (30 days)#bloggerpostscmts1brad linder178252chris gilmer4743ted wallingford2724jason clarke1205christina warren1046grant robertson927ian smith808dolores parker729lisa hoover3110sue polinsky3411alex hung10 download squad tags photos ipod microsoft productivity video browser web2.0 firefox socialnetworking youtube developer search im vista onlinevideo web2 ajax googleholic yahoo add-on windows piracy apple audio mac design email amazon music facebook business itunes lawsuit mobile photo iphone blogging rss downloadsquad online mp3 windowsvista ads digg pc gmail google blog web security most commented on (60 days)itunes alternatives (26)eee pc tips: a crash course in linux (24)get your @live.com email address today (23)verizon fios customers getting searchjacked (16)troubleshooting 101 : how to fix the family computer and save your holiday (16)using thunderbird with gmail imap (12)another one bites the dust: demonoid is dead (12)google hacks helps you find what you're looking for (10)no more blocked attachments (10)install windows live wave 2 a few hours early (8) recent commentsmiro on miro 1.0 released: it's not joost, but it is open sourcealexandre jourdain on excel 2007 can't do math (unless 850 * 77.1 = 100,000)kojo87 on task killer: end pesky windows tasks without opening task managerxaero on no more blocked attachmentsangelg1028 on hot news! yahoo! mail now offers free text messaging to mobile phone numbersida on eee pc tips: a crash course in linuxtiger on task killer: end pesky windows tasks without opening task managerjohnny bumps on apple: boot camp beta set to expire any day nowrobotrock on no more blocked attachmentsjerome on task killer: end pesky windows tasks without opening task manager bloggingstocks tech coverageaapl apple incadbe adobe systemsakam akamai technologiesamzn amazoncsco cisco systemsdell dellebay ebaygoog googleintc intelintu intuit incjava sun microsystemsmot motorolamsft microsoftnok nokia corporcl oracle corppalm palm incrht red hat incrimm research in motionsymc symantec corptwx aol time warneryhoo yahoo!more from aol money and financeauto loans banking checking account credit cards credit reports debt management identity theft insurance loans money mortgages online tax filing personal loans refinancing retirement savings account small business stock charts stock quotes stock screener tax advice tax basics tax forms taxes weblogs, inc. network autos autoblog autobloggreen autoblog spanish autoblog chinese autoblog simplified chinese technology download squad engadget engadget hd engadget mobile engadget chinese engadget simplified chinese engadget japanese engadget spanish tuaw (apple) lifestyle aisledash diy life gadling green daily luxist parentdish slashfood styledash that's fit gaming joystiq ds fanboy nintendo wii fanboy ps3 fanboy psp fanboy second life insider wow insider xbox 360 fanboy entertainment cinematical tv squad finance bloggingbuyouts bloggingstocks also on aol african-american culture autos games maps money movies music news sports switched television other weblogs inc. network blogs you might be interested in: gametap's 're\visioned' animated series concludes first seasonsupreme commander confirmed for xbox 360marvel universe online source of cancellation rumorsgeometry wars: galaxies delayed to 2008 in europehaze on track for december releasesubscribe with my aol, myyahoo or bloglines geometry wars: galaxies slips ... everywherethat fence comfy, konami?rumor: nights release date undergoes a transformationnights undergoes a transformationwii zapper gets unboxedsubscribe with my aol, myyahoo or bloglines trampoline updates to 2.3.2iphone coding: use nsbundle and avoid hard-coded pathsrefresh finder is ready to refresh leopard's finder, tooiphone coding: iphone developer docs updated to 1.1.2itunes: free tuesdaysubscribe with my aol, myyahoo or bloglines china mobile in talks with apple over iphoneactiontec's zcontrol router extends networks to tvs, cellphoneskeynetik's motion tracking prototype handset spotted in the wildat&t gets cozy with pandora for on-device radioverizon preparing a samsung i760 world phone?subscribe with my aol, myyahoo or bloglines niveus prepping sierra edition media center pcpolk audio's surroundbar 360 dvd theaterchina mobile in talks with apple over iphonealienware m15x / m17x laptops revealed with nvidia 8800m gtxactiontec's zcontrol router extends networks to tvs, cellphonessubscribe with my aol, myyahoo or bloglines peltz offers to buy wendy's (wen), price not disclosedis e*trade about to become a cautionary tale?to mourn death of colleague, lazard ceo lunches with stanley o'nealthe sole energy value (for now): natural gassubprime: deal of the century?subscribe with my aol, myyahoo or bloglines new vector wx8 revives iconic american supercar namepininfarina struggling, seeks new partnersabt tunes the vw tiguandiesel option added to jeep grand cherokee laredoborgwarner builds a better dsgsubscribe with my aol, myyahoo or bloglines win kane & lynch: dead men from gtrhalo 3 easter egg: this ... is ... sparta!fanpoll: will you use the xbox originals service?tim schafer keen on xbox live arcadexbox live is 5ive: events roundupsubscribe with my aol, myyahoo or bloglines the ultimate thanksgiving: bon appetit in 60 secondsan arnold a day keeps the doctor awaycraving a sweet, herby, spicy nut mixcanned cranberry sauce sandwiches?ginger squash pureesubscribe with my aol, myyahoo or bloglines cinematical seven: my favorite screenplays 1995 - 1999halloween costume contest -- it's your turn to vote!alexis bledel's got a 'ticket to ride'photo of the day: dogs can strike too!mailer's son gets film rights to 'the naked and the dead'subscribe with my aol, myyahoo or bloglines dancing with the stars: week 8 resultsnielsen ratings for the week ending november 11kathie lee gifford to guest host today tomorrowwga strike: week two updatestv squad daily with brigitte - videosubscribe with my aol, myyahoo or bloglines halal tourism in the middle east?drinking local stuff around the worldhow can anyone not like rome?remember michael fay? does caning sound familiar?disneyland: a popular place to spread ashes?subscribe with my aol, myyahoo or bloglines

Acceuil

suivante

troubleshooting 101 : how to fix the family computer and save your holiday - download squad  PC World - Two Charged with Hacking PeopleSoft to Fix Grades  PC World - Apple Posts QuickTime Security Fix  DailyTech - Apple Releases Fix for iMac Freeze Issue, Updates MacBooks  BBC - Languages French Quick Fix - Basics  NASA plans spacewalk to fix ripped solar wing - CNN.com  Les plus beaux restaurants du monde : Le Fix  Microsoft to Fix Two Windows Holes on Patch Tuesday  AppleInsider Apple releases iMac freezing fix, MacBook Pro ...  AppleInsider iMac Software 1.2.1; Time Machine fix; MacBook ...  Fantasy Fix: Starters - MSN Video  Qwik-Fix (de PivX Labs)  CSS PNG Image Fix for IE » Blog » Komodo Media  What Mozilla users should know about the shell: protocol security ...  GUNDAM FIX FIGURATION  Outlook Recovery Tool to Fix PST File - PST Repair Software  NVidia Refresh Rate Fix Win2K/XP - PC INpact  AmyFix.com  Fix - Wikipedia  Heroes: The Fix - TV.com  Conservatives to fix glitch that could block rural voters  WMP Scripting Fix  Ezee-Fix  Don’t Throw Out Your Broken iPod; Fix It via the Web - New York Times  Jim Fix  Fix Your Own Printer  Download details: SafeDisc Windows XP Fix for Microsoft Games  It's not always malware: How to fix the top 10 Internet Explorer ...  The Fix - Salon.com  Fix 4 RSO  fixoyun fix oyun fiks oyunlar fıxoyun fıx oyun fiks oyun fix ...  Apple posts fix for freezing iMacs - Engadget  Digg - Don’t Throw Out Your Broken iPod; Fix It via the Web  Kitco Inc. - Past Historical London Fix  Fix-A-Flat - Car Care Products- A easy way to fix a flat tire  IPv6 Fix: Home  Intel Researcher Homepage  Fix the pumps  réseau pc fix(usb) portable wifi - je ne trouve pas les config ...  Télécharger Works Fix  FixMyXP.com - Your One Stop Windows XP Fix It Site  ColdFusion 8.0 Cumulative Hot Fix 1  ColdFusion MX 7 Cumulative Hot Fix 3  Definition of fix - Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary  6 Ways to Fix a Confused Information Architecture (Jakob Nielsen's ...  Growing a Business Website: Fix the Basics First (Jakob Nielsen's ...  BBC NEWS Science/Nature Lovelock urges ocean climate fix  BBC SPORT Tennis Llodra reveals match-fix approach  Aimfix - Jayloden.com  Télécharger Object Fix Zip - Zebulon.fr : téléchargement du ...  Definition: fix from Online Medical Dictionary  B2BITS — High Performance FIX Solutions  Fast Fix Jewelry and Watch Repairs  Excel Recovery Tool - Fix & Repair Excel File - Corrupt XLS Repair ...  Fix the Fells - Home  Functions, events, club, bar, lounge, entertainment, Venues ...  Fix-it Index Page  Here's hoping fix is in :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Mike Mulligan  Blagojevich floats new temporary fix :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES ...  Housse Sit Fix pour coussin 3 en 1, Housse Sit Fix - Fnac éveil et ...  Macworld: Mac 911: Bugs & Fixes: Fix Leopard glitches