If you ever want an excess of anything when it comes to computer hardware, it would be RAM (or memory). The more RAM you have, the more your computer will be happy. Ever feel the effects of a computer with low RAM? It’s performs very sluggish. Most computers that experience sluggish performance is mostly because there isn’t enough memory. Each year, programs and operating systems are requiring more and more memory to function desireably.

So before you even think about buying a whole bunch of RAM, you should understand that there is a limit to how much you can use. Every computer has a motherboard, and your motherboard will have it’s limits. The hardware must be compatible with it.

Your Motherboard Has RAM Requirements

Knowing what motherboard you have is extremely important so you will know which type of RAM you will need to get. If you have a ZOTAC brand, you would visit the ZOTAC site. Find the product of theirs that you have, and look at the specifications it has for memory. You will need to know what type and pin it will accept. Usually they will tell you how many slots of memory there are too.

Time to Buy

Once you know what RAM you are getting, now its only to buy it. Many people use Newegg when they shop online for computer parts, but if your in the Denver area – we suggest that you visit Mircocenter. Going to a Computer Store is your best bet, because they have people there that do know what they are talking about. So if you have any questions about what you are looking for – they can answer them.

Now to Install Them

Now you are ready to get your RAM sticks installed. This means that you need to safely unplug everything and take the side panel off your desktop and then you’ll easily spot where they will go. You just can’t put a square in a circle, you know? If you are questionable about how to do this, you can easily find many instructions online how to do this.

From the moment, you plug in your Ethernet cable into your PC that is bringing you an internet connection – you are automatically not safe! From the moment you connect you can be attacked by online criminals. Online criminals can give you viruses (among other things), they can use your PC to attack other people, and they can even steal your identity.  This is why its very important that people are aware that with technology comes responsibilities.

Use Software

These responsibilities include using a firewall, anti-virus, and possibly a spyware/malware/adware removal tool. But,  the above softwares are not the only thing you need for your PC to remain safe. You must be actively aware that people are trying to penetrate your firewall and anti-virus! This is very similar to keeping your home safe from intruders, you know that they could possibly get past your locks one way or another – and you make other precautions to make sure you can handle it if they try. You need to make other precautions to keeping your PC safe because online criminals will always try to penetrate your software protection.

Up-To-Date

So what else can you do to help prevent attackers from getting in? That’s actually a really good question! Keeping your computer up to date is very important. These updates patch up any security holes there may be in the operating system. Now remember, this doesn’t mean you are totally safe… unfortunately, online criminals tend to find new holes and exploit them. It’s kind of like an on-going battle, this is especially so for all Windows users. So, now you know to keep everything updated. That’s great, you’re only couple steps in to making your PC safe.

What?! More?!

I know this may seem, so annoying. This is very important though. Everyday you are going to need a PC for something! It may be for school, work, contacting your children in another state, training, and learning something new -  I could list many things. These are all great reasons to keep on going, fulfilling these responsibilities of keeping your PC safe pays off!

Onward We Go

One of the most used ways to get you is by forcing a permission out of you to attack your computer or steal your identity. Sounds pretty crazy right? You would never fall for something like that! These online criminals are clever! They make their emails attract you in some way, i.e. money. We all really want more money, financial freedom, etc – and they use that against people. They trick people into giving them information that they definitely shouldn’t give. Another way they trick people is by sending emails that look like they came from a certain trusted  site, like www.Facebook.com. They’ll say that someone sent you a message or that you have a friend’s request. If you follow that link, it will take you to a site that looks just like the site you think it is. If you put in your login information – they now can use that to spam others. This is called Phishing.

Don’t Read That Spam

So with all that in mind, you can now inspect your emails – have all your spam emails filtered to go into your spam/junk folder or delete it. Just do not read it. Surprisingly enough you are still facing security issues that you will need to remedy.

Internet Browser Safety

Your browser effects your PC safety. Like everything else – browsers can have security holes too. So it is very important that you don’t use whatever browser is handed to you. Many people use Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Google Chrome and Safari. I, myself, don’t really suggest Internet Explorer – I do suggest that you perform your own research about the safety of browsers and use your best judgment. Once you have picked a browser to use by default, you should constantly make sure it’s updated.

Wireless Network Protection

If you happen to own a wireless network, we suggest that you have it encrypted so that one can use it other than who you give permission to and also to keep from people eavesdropping on you. You can achieve this by going into your router settings.

Just In Case

As a just in case measure, you should keep current backups of the files you store on your computer. If you do get attacked, you can just reformat your PC (deleting all viruses, malware, trojans, etc) and then you can transfer your files back onto your computer and it will be just like new.

Dragon Age will be available November 3rd. That is tomorrow! It requires a really nice graphics card to run its full potential beauty. Perhaps you need to upgrade your desktop computer? No need to worry. For the Denver gamers, you can head to Micro Center and pick up a sweet deal on a new graphics card.

If you aren’t so familiar with installing hardware, we can do it for you. Just give us a call and we will be on our way to your home and quickly get you set up to start playing!

This is usually just a Hardware issue. Knowing where the sounds are coming from in the PC is a great start to diagnosing the problem. You may just have a loose wire or fan. So begin with unplugging your PC (especially power) and then open the side panel. Make sure you aren’t doing this on carpet, moving around on carpet is known for causing static electricity – which could fry your PC if you touch it when charged. Make sure that all the wires are snug and not loose. See that all the fans are snug as well. Now after making sure nothing is loose, leave off the side panel and then plug in your PC. Turn it on, and see if you hear the weird sounds again – still hear it? You may have a problem more complex than you know and it may be a great time to call a computer technician.

When your PC overheats it’s possible that the heat could easily melt sensitive wires. If this happens, we suggest calling a computer technician.

Please read ‘About Data Recovery – Issue 1′ if you are not familiar with what Data recovery is.

In the last issue we discussed hard drive failures and getting your data recovered from them. Well sometimes, you may want your data recovered after You, the user, have deleted files and emptied from the recycle bin.

That’s right. You can recover those files, if you do it in a certain time frame. It takes a while for the system to delete the files, so the more you use your computer the more the system will overwrite those files.  If you go on a search for file recovery software, you run into a lot of time investment in finding the right software. There are a lot of things to take into consideration when finding the software to recover your files.  You do not want to download any software that will alter your files, or give you spyware/malware/viruses/etc. This takes time to research and read reviews, find what other people’s experience with the software and so forth. You should not feel skeptic about any software that you download. So if you rather not devote much time to finding the right software, we suggest that you call the professionals. They already have all the tools needed to use to recover your data.

Windows users have experienced virtual memory errors at least once while using a Windows PC. So what are these errors? What do they mean? What are they telling you about whats going on with your computer? There are a couple reasons why you get these errors.

Page File Size Too Small

The Page file is what the virtual memory will use to store temporary data. This keeps from needing to use the computer’s memory. When the page file size is set at a low value and you begin to use programs that uses memory that exceed the page file size, you will get a virtual memory error. This is by far, one of the most common reasons for virtual memory errors.

Page File Corruption

Sometimes the page file headers become corrupted. Usually this is because of unexpected shutdowns, like the power going out. When the page file becomes corrupted, you will receive an virtual memory error every time that a program tries to access the page file.

We all really do not like the Blue Screen of Death. What it is, is a Windows stop error. This happens when there is a hardware or device error which keeps the system from operating properly. Rebooting the computer may be all that is needed to fix the problem. However, if the error persists then this typically means there is more serious problem. Here at Snowcat Computer Repair, we have the knowledge and the means to help. We can diagnose the problem and fix it as promptly as possible. A PC wont be out of commission for long with us! If you are currently facing an issue with this Windows stop error, then call us now! We are a mobile service and we will come to you. No need for unplugging your PC and coming out of the way to get it fixed! Our number is 303-586-8150.

Many people have turned on their computer one day to find that they cannot boot up their system. Most people do not know whats going with their computer and begin to panic. Thoughts come to mind somewhat like, “Oh no, what’s going to happen to my important files?”. Read the rest of this entry »

When your buying a new computer it’s usually best to know exactly what you want the computer for. Knowing what you are looking for in a computer will help you skim through your selection and pick the top best contenders. So you may have a couple PCs your looking at and a couple Macs, how do you choose between the two?

Read the rest of this entry »

You can use both IDE and SCSI hard drives in one computer. SCSI just has a different cord for hooking up to the motherboard. You may need to purchase a SCSI board to plug in your SCSI drive. If you choose to use SCSI, then you will need to install a SCSI raid driver.

If you are not very familiar with hardware of a computer, then it is probably best for you to seek a professional to do it for you.  You do not want to risk messing up your computer, it is smart to take necessary precautions.