Short answer: Yes...
It also depends... If you are using
the computer through out the day, it is better to leave it on all
day instead of turning it on and off each time you want to use it.
The usual failure for a computer is the hard drive and it usually
fails during the power cycle. The typical drive these days spins at
7,200 RPM or 10,368,000 times per day and 3,786,834,240 per year.
There are also drives that spin at other speeds ranging
from 4,200 RPM to 15,000 RPM.
When you first get a new computer
system, We recommend power cycling it (completely off and on, not
just reboot) during the first part of your computer's warranty
period. If the drive, or any other parts fail during the warranty, have
the vendor repair or replace the failed parts under warranty
coverage. Later on in the
warranty period (and beyond warranty) leave your computer on more
and don't power cycle as much. Hard drives these days usually will either
fail within the first few weeks or last for 5-10 years, or
more.
Keep your computer system clean!
Open up the case every once in a while and look for any dust and
clean it out using compressed air. The dust causes parts to heat up
and lead to failures. Check the CPU, power supply and case fans to
make sure they are spinning correctly.
But why leave the computer running
all the time if it isn't doing anything??? Run a background program
that use your computer resources when you aren't. Examples of these
are the BOINC programs such
as SETI at Home and
Climate Prediction, plus
many others. These programs use your computer resources (and many
other computers from around the world) to compute data for various
projects. If these programs are set up correctly, you won't even
notice that they are running but will help out these projects.
Personally, we have a computer (this
web server) that we leave powered on 24/7. The only time it gets powered
off is for hardware changes. It's on a UPS system so it stays
powered up even during the (rare) power outages.
We leave it powered up; it's been up now for 37 months (or more?).
It does get rebooted (power stays on so the drives keep spinning)
about once a month because of the Microsoft monthly updates.
My main computer (a Lenovo laptop) I
power on in the morning and put in sleep mode at night. I leave it on when
I'm out on service calls and use it for
TeamViewer. When I'm gone, I change the power settings to
shut its monitor off after 1 minute instead of using a screen saver.
I only turn on my other computers as needed, usually during the
monthly
Microsoft updates.
Recap:
- If you have a desktop, leave it
powered up. This will extend the life of the hard drive and
other components over
doing power cycles on the computer.
- Power off the monitor when not
in use. Older LCD monitors use a fluorescent bulb to light up the
display and they can go out over time. If you have an old CRT
monitor,
upgrade to LCD or LED flatscreen.
- If you leave your system on,
let it run BOINC or
similar. No use wasting CPU cycles.
- If you don't use your computer
much (less than daily), power up as needed.
We often get asked if a system is
worth upgrading and which upgrades are recommended. It depends on
how old your computer is, what it has in it and what you use it for.
If you have a newer system running
Vista, Windows 7, 8.1. or 10, it should have at least 4GB of RAM
minimum. Again, add as much memory as your system board can handle.
The 32-bit version has the 4GB usable RAM limit. To use
more than 4GB of RAM, the 64-bit version of Windows is required.
Should I upgrade an older Windows
(98se) system to XP or an XP system to Vista/Windows 7/8.1? Basically, no...
Systems designed for older Windows versions don't run the newer
versions very well. They are limited on CPU and memory
upgrading and it is usually cheaper to get a
new (or
recertified) system than trying to upgrade.
Only upgrade your Windows 7 or 8.1
to Windows 10 if your system can handle it. Check your computer
vendor's website so see if your system can support Windows 10.
Hard drive upgrades. If you are
running low on drive space, it is usually easy to add an additional
drive or upgrade your original drive for a larger one for more space. The prices for hard drives keep coming down
(they have now for the past 30 years!) so adding or upgrading to a
1TB (1,000GB) drive costs less than $150 now.
Upgrading your hard drive to a
Solid-State Drive (SSD) will speed up your boot time. But the cost
of an SSD is more than double that of a hard drive.
So, you can upgrade your system with
memory and hard drive space or get a good used recertified system
for around $250 or a new system for around $400.
We do not give service price
quotes (estimates).
We will quote the hourly rates we charge for
services.
We have ran into problems with a customer
saying they have a certain issue and we would quote a price to fix
that issue, only to run into many other issues and spending a lot more time
than expected.
Some services aren't charged at the
full hourly rate since a lot of the time is spent running scans.
Here are some approximate
estimates.
- Laptop DC power jack
replacement - $100-150 (in-shop only).
- Laptop
LCD screen replacement $60-120, plus parts.
- Virus removal
with cleanup - hourly rate, usually 2 to 3
hours, but could hit the $300 Flat Rate. Ransomware adds to the cost of
the recovery, usually $500+ in Bitcoin plus the Bitcoin exchange
surcharge, with no guarantee of successful removal.
Labor is taxable
-- including free software and software updates.
I got a virus, can I
fix it myself?
Maybe...
If you get a virus that causes issues like a pop-up that says your
system is infected and to click here to buy and clean your system, do
NOT click on it! If you do click on it, it may cause more
problems and will be more difficult to remove and clean the virus.
Beware of Conduit and Mindspark programs, they are bad software that will
infect your system and cause lots of problems!
If you just got the virus,
recommend restarting your system in Safe Mode by pressing the F8 key
during boot (before Windows loads) and choosing 'Safe Mode'. Once in
Safe Mode, select System Restore. It's under Start/All
Programs/Accessories/System Tools. Choose a recent restore point when
the system was working fine (before the virus infection). Your system will reboot and should say:
"System was successfully restored to <date/time>". If it says it failed
to restore, try another recent restore point. (This applies to XP, Vista
and Windows 7. Contact us for the process using Windows 8 and 8.1)
Open Computer from the Start orb to
browse your drives, folders, and files. In its Address bar, type
%temp% to go to your temporary folder at
C:\Users\<Current User>\AppData\Local\Temp.
Press Ctrl-A to select all of the folders and files within the temp
folder and press Delete to remove them. Some temporary files may still
be in use and won't delete.
Once your system did a successful System
Restore, run the command "MSCONFIG" by typing the command in the search
bar (in Vista or Windows 7, the "Search for programs and files" box
after you click on the Start button) or the Run command in Windows XP.
This will open "System Configuration". Choose the 'Services' tab
and check the box at the bottom where it says "Hide all Microsoft
services". It will then show only the non-Microsoft services, select the
button "Disable all" to disable all of the non-Microsoft services from starting
upon reboot. Click on the "Startup" tab and click on the "Disable all"
button to boot without any of the startup items. Click on the "Apply" and "OK"
button to close the System Configuration and reboot the system.
After the system reboots clean, you may
get a message stating that the system started without some startup items
(because of MSCONFIG). Now download, install, update and run the program
MalwareBytes. Do a Quick Scan and
fix any issues it finds, reboot as needed. The Quick Scan should take
about 5 - 10 minutes. Rerun
MalwareBytes again doing a Full Scan of your hard drives, again fix
any issues it finds and reboot as needed. A MalwareBytes full scan may
take 2-4 hours or more depending on the amount of data and speed of your
system. Continue to rerun MalwareBytes until it does a clean scan and
does not find any additional issues.
Once MalwareBytes runs clean, rerun
"MSCONFIG" and select the "Services" tab. Check the box for "Hide all
Microsoft services" to display the disabled non-Microsoft services.
Enable the services that are required for your antivirus programs and
vendor devices (Dell, Lenovo, HP, etc.). If you're not sure that a
certain service needs to be started, leave it unselected and see if you
have any issues. Select the "Startup" tab and select the items that you
wish to start upon Windows startup such as your antivirus program. This
is a good place to clean up your startup items so unneeded and unused
programs aren't running all the time such as Windows Live Messenger,
Adobe Reader, etc. These programs can be ran, when needed, and don't
need to run all the time at startup. Select the "Apply" and "OK" to save
the changes and reboot your system.
After you made changes to the startup
using MSCONFIG and rebooted your system, run your antivirus program.
Check for updates to your antivirus program and definitions and run a
full scan to make sure your system is now clean.
Recommend running MalwareBytes regularly
to make sure your system remains clean. Suggest doing a Quick Scan of
MalwareBytes every few days and do a Full Scan weekly. Make sure
to download the current definitions update to MalwareBytes each time you run the
program.
Some viruses may keep you from
performing some of these steps and are more difficult to remove. It is
recommended that you bring in your system for repair. It may be required
to reformat your hard drive and reinstall Windows to completely remove/clean up
some viruses - all personal data WILL BE LOST. You will need to restore your
personal data and settings from your backups.
Backup your data! GB's is NOT responsible for the loss of your
personal data.
But I have an
antivirus program, why did I still get a virus???
Antivirus programs and definitions are made to catch and remove most viruses
after they're discovered New virus infections may not be found
using your current definitions or may not be known by the antivirus
program vendor, yet. Most antivirus programs have a 'submit' option to
forward unknown virus files to the vendor to add to their future definitions.
Make sure your antivirus program and definitions are up to date.
If there were an antivirus program that catches everything, they would
have all of the customers using their product. Each vendor tries to do
its best at catching and removing viruses, but none are perfect at it,
yet...
Should I run multiple antivirus
programs?
NO. Running more than one antivirus program on a
system usually causes more problems and less protection, sometimes worse
than not having any antivirus protection. If you wish to install a new
antivirus program, make sure to completely uninstall and remove your old
antivirus program and reboot before installing the new program.
Which antivirus program should I use?
This is a personal choice. If your system came with Norton, McAfee,
etc., and you are used to it and keep it up to date, you may wish to keep
renewing and using it. There are many antivirus programs available (some
for free) that do a good job. You "usually" get what you pay
for, don't expect much from the free versions. Windows Defender or
Microsoft Security Essentials that come with Windows work fine, most of
the time. Do a Bing
or Google search for more
information.
Back to Top
What Is
Microsoft
Updates?
It's the new website from Microsoft that helps you update
Microsoft Windows and other Microsoft programs that
you've installed, all in one
convenient place.
Does it work with Automatic
Updates?
Yes. If you turn on Automatic Updates using your settings in
Control Panel, Windows will automatically find and install
high-priority updates for any Microsoft products that you
have installed and that are supported by the website.
Tip: To check which version
of Office you're using, open any Microsoft Office program.
Click Help, and then click About (program name).
How often should I visit
Microsoft Update?
That depends. If you turn on Automatic Updates, you
automatically get the most important updates for your
computer. You only need to visit the site to check for
optional updates for your software and hardware.
If you do not use Automatic
Updates, you should visit the site as often as possible and
at least once each week.
What types of updates does
Microsoft publish?
See this
description of the standard terminology used to describe
Microsoft software updates.
How does the website work
with my computer?
Microsoft Update works with updating software in Windows.
When you visit the site, the updating software identifies
which version of Windows and other Microsoft products you
use. This way, the website shows you only the updates that
apply to your computer, not all updates published by
Microsoft. The privacy policy describes which information is
used to find updates your computer needs in more detail.
How often does Microsoft
Update release new updates?
Security-related updates are released once a
month. However, if a
security threat occurs, such as a widespread virus or worm
that affects Windows-based computers, Microsoft will release
a corresponding update as soon as possible. Other types of
updates can be released whenever they are ready.
It’s a good idea to turn on
Automatic Updates so that your computer can receive
high-priority updates as they become available.
Which
types of updates do Automatic Updates, Microsoft
Update, and Windows Server Update Services deliver?
|
|
Automatic
Updates |
Microsoft
Update Web Site
|
Windows Server
Update Services* |
|
High priority
Updates |
|
Critical
Updates |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
Security
Patches |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
Update Rollups |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
Service Packs |
X |
X |
X |
X |
|
Optional
Updates |
|
Software |
|
|
X |
X |
|
Hardware |
|
|
X |
|
|
Beta software |
|
|
Opt-in setting |
|
*Network administrators can select any or all
supported updates to distribute. Updates for
Microsoft products such as Office, SQL Server
and Exchange Server will be made available for
use with Windows Server Update Services servers.
Back to Top
|
|
Backup your data! GB's is NOT responsible for the loss of your
personal data.
