Some of you may know that I'm a part time computer technician. I consider myself part time because I've got a day job and primarily repair computers during nights and weekends.One of my customers recently asked me for some computer shopping advice. She told me that (unfortunately) her desktop computer is about 8 years old and that she wants to buy herself a new one. Her major issue is a limited budget: she can only spend $150 to $200 to spend on a new machine. She asked me if it's possible to buy a new desktop for that price.Is it possible to buy a brand new desktop for only $200? Yes. Yes if you're OK with buying an "almost new" system.TigerDirect is an excellent place to buy these almost new machines. While their new Desktop PC's cost anywhere from $359 to well over $1,000 you can get yourself an excellent Recertified Desktop for anywhere from $99 on up.What does TigerDirect mean by the term Recertificed Desktop? In most cases Recertified just means that the machine is just "Off-Lease." Essentially the system has been leased to a business customer for 2-3 years, the computer was turned back in, inspected by a computer technician, and turned around for sale as "Off-Lease." Since these computers are only 2-3 years old it's pretty rare that they'll be any issues a computer technician will need to repair. These desktops are almost brand spanking new!TigerDirect explains that they "only purchase and sell the highest grade off-lease products. Occassionlly some machines will show signs of use, including minor scratches, slight wear on keyboards, etc." TigerDirect is only buying and reselling top quality systems.Purchasing off lease computers can typically save you about $200 to $300. Click here to see all of TigerDirect's Recertified Desktops. I'll be highlighting particular recertificed models later this week. Read the rest of this entry »

A world of beautiful images beckons us. Gloriously beautiful beaches, crystal blue oceans stretching from horizon to horizon, sun drenched vineyards waving against stark green savannas in the background. Guess what? We can access this world of images, easily download them our desktops, and enjoy this beauty for free with Flickr and Downloadr. Read the rest of this entry »

If your version of Windows 7 gets screwed up you'll have to go into Safe Mode and do a System Restore. Read the rest of this entry »

What if I could suggest an idea to you that would vastly improve your computing experience, save you hours of wasted time, and make you more efficient that you’ve ever been? What I’m about to suggest isn’t a computer upgrade, it’s an experience upgrade! It’s an experience so amazing that it will open up your world in ways you never believed possible. No, it’s going to cost you an arm and a leg, only about $170. Here’s my suggestion: hook up a second monitor to your computer. Read the rest of this entry »

In the back of your mind the questions repeat themselves over and over. Should I buy the protection plan? Is the cost worth it? Is it a waste of money? I've been asked these questions over and over for the past 10 years. Ah - the infamous protection plan. Every major big box seller has one. Best Buy, Fry's, Staples, Radio Shack, on and on. Always when you're in the middle of the purchase some type of sales person interjects one reason or another to buy their plan. Madness. Read the rest of this entry »

Stop for a moment and think about all the pictures, videos, and documents you have. My digital collection includes 7 years of pictures, 3 years of digital videos, tons of music, and countless documents. My C: hard drive is 2/3 full. Looks like it's almost time to buy myself another hard drive. Read the rest of this entry »

I've been doing eBay since 2004. For the first couple of years I was really into the whole thing. I loved surfing around for items, finding the something interesting, bidding on and winning the item. After using eBay on and off for a year I noticed something very interesting: the bidders most often winning the item wouldn't bid until the last 5-10 seconds of the auction. I later learned that this process of watching an online placing the winning bid at the last possible moment is called auction sniping. Read the rest of this entry »

I've been working on & repairing computers for the past 17 years. All throughout as technology has evolved I've continually heard one statement over and over: "Backup your data." From the old 486 machines, through the Pentium era, onto to today's quad core systems...I've heard the same "Backup your data" statement. I've heard it so often that it's almost become a mantra. Back up stuff up so if, for some reason or other you loose your data, you can retrieve it from the backup. Read the rest of this entry »

All of us surf the web every day. While casually perusing around online it's easily possible to go to a "fringe website" and get infected with a virus or spyware. Internet Security 2010 is one of the worst spyware programs out there. As computer technician who does a fair amout of software repair I see this program often on my clients laptops. I just removed this so I know exactly how to fix it. If you think you're infected with Internet Security 2010 do the following: Read the rest of this entry »