What&#039;s On My PC

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2 Comments | Geek Squeaks | Tagged: acer aspire, computers, Malware Removal, menu launcher, notebook, Rick Robinette, Technology, uninterrupted power supply, UPS, Whats On My PC, windows 8 | Permalink
Posted by Ramblinrick

Monitor The Status of Your Favorite Web Services

September 13, 2011

We have become quite dependent on many of the top web services out there to the point that we are at a loss when a service disruption occurs. Usually when a disruption occurs we end up scratching our heads and begin thinking the worse.

For example, let’s say you are one who uses Hotmail on a frequent basis to get your daily email fix. You go to their site and you get a blank page that displays the 404 error (which, by the way, means the client cannot communicate with the server). You immediately begin thinking it is a computer problem and start messing with things that you probably should not be messing with. In the end your messing around causes more issues than you bargained for and you come to find it was not your computer at all.

To help you along with this type of problem, before you go into crisis mode, go to the web site downrightnow . If that website loads, then it is not your computer and is most likely a service disruption.

downrightnow is a web site that has been setup to monitor many of the commonly used services out there (such as Gmail, Facebook, Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, Twitter, YouTube and many more).

downrightnow monitors the status of your favorite web services, combining user reports and official announcements to tell you when there’s service trouble.

The cool part about downrightnow is that it is people driven. You can help by filing a report at downrightnow or on Twitter to let others know when you’ve encountered a bug or outage. The information reported is subsequently analyzed to document and graph out potential service issues and timeframes.

There are even troubleshooting tips posted to help you from going into crisis mode by narrowing down the cause of a service issue:

Troubleshooting Tips

Can you reproduce the problem by repeating the same steps? If not, it may have been a temporary glitch.

If you’re having trouble accessing a certain web site, make sure there isn’t a problem with your Internet connection. Can you reach other web sites successfully?

Does the same issue appear if you use a different device or Internet connection?

Have you recently changed any settings or installed web browser plug-ins, firewall software, or other upgrades that might be causing trouble?

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[CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL SIZE PREVIEW]

4 Comments | Computer - Cloud Apps, Computer - Instruction, troubleshoot | Tagged: computers, monitoring site, Rick Robinette, service disruption, site issue, status, technology troubleshoot, Whats On My PC | Permalink
Posted by Ramblinrick

Get the Story on Android

September 12, 2011

What is all this talk about Android, Cupcake, Donut, Éclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb and the soon to be released Ice Cream Sandwich? Now I am hearing talk of Jelly Bean.

To put this all in perspective. Android is an operating system, like Windows is an operating system. The Android OS differs from the Microsoft Windows OS in that it is engineered to work on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers. The delicacies’ named Cupcake, Donut, Éclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich and Jelly Bean are the names given to the version upgrades of the Android OS. For example, my Toshiba Thrive tablet PC is running the Android OS Honeycomb V3.2

To get the full history of the development of Android, I found a nice infographic, at xcubelabs, that tells the Android Story.

Bonus Article: If you are someone that is familiar with the Android OS and the various devices for which Android runs, then check out this bonus article at Tech-for Everyone, titled, “

Netflix For Android Phones – At Last

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Get Deal of the Day @ Amazon.com
[ CLICK HERE]

2 Comments | Android, Tablet PC | Tagged: android, Operating System, Rick Robinette, tablet pc, Whats On My PC | Permalink
Posted by Ramblinrick

Wallpaper of the Week (#34)

September 11, 2011

If you are looking for something to cheer up your desktop, then download Little One.

To get this wallpaper, [CLICK HERE] .

Browse for wallpapers from previous weeks, [CLICK HERE]

Windows 7 Users: If you are using Windows 7, did you know you can create a desktop background slideshow to show off your pictures and wallpaper images? To learn how to use this feature [ CLICK HERE ].

GrooveShark
The world’s largest on-demand and music discovery service

2 Comments | Animal, Artistic, Wallpaper | Tagged: background image, computers, Rick Robinette, Technology, Wallpaper, Whats On My PC, Windows | Permalink
Posted by Ramblinrick

[GEEK SQUEAKS'] – Music Discovery Service, Gateway NV55S05U, Testing Your Backups, A Dark Moment, and Computer Workstations

September 10, 2011

Laptop Reviews
Gateway NV55S05U Review

Internet Security Blog
Testing, Validating Your Backups – 13 Reasons Why You Should Do It

I Want Ice Water
Is This Thing On?

Computer Workstations
Several Hundred to Choose From

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1 Comment | Geek Squeaks | Tagged: backup strategy, computer workstation, computers, desk, gateway, laptop, music on-deman, music sharing, Rick Robinette, Technology, video, Whats On My PC | Permalink
Posted by Ramblinrick

Get Rid of Boot Malware with Microsoft’s System Sweeper

September 8, 2011

Guest Article By:

Tibor Schiemann,
President and Managing Partner,
TuneUp

Have you ever booted up your PC only to get a black screen? When this happens, something’s clearly wrong, so you’ve probably tried a number of steps to get your PC running again. But what should you do if those solutions don’t help? Try using Microsoft’s System Sweeper to get rid of the malware that’s messed with your system’s boot files.

System Sweeper is a boot-up recovery tool that performs an offline scan on an infected PC to identify and remove rootkits and other advanced malware—without booting into Windows. You can also use System Sweeper if you cannot install or start your antivirus solution, or if the installed solution can’t detect or remove malware on your machine. Based on Microsoft Security Essentials, System Sweeper should get PCs back on track; however, it’s important to remember that System Sweeper is not a replacement for an antivirus solution that provides ongoing protection.

Let’s take a look at how to run System Sweeper when you cannot start your PC and quickly get rid of malware.

Step 1: Download System Sweeper. Go to Microsoft Connect to obtain the beta version of the program. Make sure to choose the right version (32-bit or 64-bit) depending on what your infected system is running. The supported web browsers are Internet Explorer 6 or higher, or Mozilla Firefox 2 or higher.

Step 2: Create a bootable recovery CD or USB thumb drive. System Sweeper can be installed on both a CD and on USB flash memory. You should first get a blank CD or a reformatted USB thumb drive with at least 250 MB of space. Then, go to your Downloads folders, and run the “mssstool32” or “mssstool64” files depending on which architecture you have. System Sweeper will download the latest antivirus signature files onto the disk, and then burn them onto either the bootable CD or USB thumb drive.

You should then insert the CD or plug the USB key into the computer you’re trying to clean up, and make sure to boot from the CD/DVD drive or the USB port. To do that, go to the BIOS of the machine by pressing DELETE, F2, F12 or another special key repeatedly right when the PC is turned on. Then, go to its boot section, make sure that the “Boot Priority” is set to either CDROM (DVD) or USB, and restart the PC.

Step 3: Use System Sweeper. Your PC should ask you to “Press any key to boot from CD or DVD”—follow this advice and wait until the recovery environment is loaded. Once System Sweeper appears on the screen, hit “Start full scan” to scan all of the hard disks for viruses and malware.

Once you’ve completed these steps, you can let System Sweeper run its course, but keep in mind that it might take a while depending on the amount of data. It will be worth the wait to enjoy a clean and bootable PC again.

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