Should You Buy A New Computer Or Build One

  Here is my advise on whether you should build your own computer or buy one. If you have the knowledge on various parts of the computer and how they go together, then build one. It will save you quite a bit of money in the long run. You will also have the satisfaction of doing it yourself.
  On the other hand if you have no knowledge about building a computer have a professional build it. Most professionals have various models they build for different applications. They also fit into various categories of cost. Also be aware that if data is needed to be moved then generally there is an additional cost involved. Check out Amazon for some good deals at Various Computers . I would also recommend checking out Ebay at New Desktop Computer Systems.
  If you are going with either situation above remember that all your current programs may not run in windows 8 or 8.1. Here is a link to Various Operating Systems at amazon. The best solution is to check at the manufacturers website to verify that the program will run in windows 8 or windows 8.1. If you are going to stay with windows 7 remember that if the previous computer had windows 7 that was an oem piece of software it can not be transferred to the new computer. Under the oem license agreement it has to stay on the computer it was originally built with. If the windows 7 was a retail version then you can reinstall it on the new computer and only on that one computer. If the computer store says it is okay to put the oem software on the new computer they are crooked and I would not do business with them.
  If you do build the computer yourself I would follow the rules of avoiding any esd or damage by static electricity. Use a Anti Static Mat and ground strap Anti Static Wrist Strap that are grounded properly. Also DO NOT sit the motherboard or any other component on the static bag. The static bag has metal impregnated on the outside of the bag so it will adsorb the static electricity and not damage the component inside the bag. If it is on top it will place all points of contact to ground and can result in damage to the component. That damage may show up immediately or could take a week, month or longer. If the computer store is handling any component such as the motherboard, memory or other device outside of the static bag DO NOT buy it.
  If you are building it yourself you can purchase parts from Newegg Computer Components . They are a very good computer store to buy parts from.  Here is a link to their website http://www.newegg.com/Desktop-PCs/Category/ID-228 .There are many different places on the internet to buy parts from. I would just check out as many reviews as you can. Check out a website called ResellerRatings.com , they usually have a lot of good information on resellers on the internet. Here is a link to their web page http://www.resellerratings.com/ .  If you buy from ebay or amazon just check out reviews for the seller.
  The common items you will need are a case with power supply, optical drive, hard drive, memory, operating system, microprocessor with the fan and heat-sink. You will also need a keyboard, mouse as well as a LCD Monitor. Here is a link to various Computer Parts at Amazon. Here is another link to various Computer parts at Ebay New And Used Computer Parts. Always check on used items as to warranty return policies. Some resellers may suggest various types or amounts of memory to go with a motherboard as well as the microprocessor. Most operating systems now are 64bit operating systems. Most 32bit pieces of software will work in a 64bit system. If your not sure check at the manufactures website for the specifications. As far as a hard drive goes I would go with a solid state hard drive. Just be aware they can be expensive. Otherwise I would go with a 2 terabyte or larger sata hard drive.   Software today tends to take up a lot of space. As far a memory goes I would go with ddr3 memory and run at least 4 to 8 gigabytes. The optical drive should be either a dvd burner or a blue ray dvd burner.
 If you decide to go with a new computer you will see quite a few different brands to choose from. There are some systems that are all in ones with touch screens. The most common are Dell, Hewlett Packard, Sony, Gateway, Acer, Lenovo, Asus and Compaq. Newegg sell pretty much all these brands. I would also check out Amazon and Ebay. There are many places on the internet to locate Desktops, Laptops and Tablets and Amazon Desktop Computers  . Your other option is to check out your local computer shop. I would check online to see if there are any with good or bad reviews.
  Thank You for reading and stay safe, all comments are welcome.

What Is Data Recovery, Who Does It And How Much Does It Cost

  What exactly is data recovery ? At some time your computer may crash from a defective hard drive or a virus or some other reason. Your computer itself may suffer from a serious failure to your motherboard. If the computer is older you may not be able to locate a motherboard to replace it. The only choice is to go into a new computer.
  So the next question is how do I get my data back. Data can be anything from music, documents, pictures to your favorites or bookmarks. There are a few options available to the consumer. One solution is to remove the hard drive and place it in an external hard drive enclosure. This will give you the opportunity  to connect it to your new computer as an external hard drive. The computer will see it as a new hard drive. You will usually be asked to give permissions so you can access the data. At this point choose to ok the permissions and you should be able to see the data. If it does not ask then when you try to open for example the users folder it will ask about permissions. Again choose to ok the permissions. It may take a moment and then you should be able to access the data.
  If you can not access the drive due to bad sectors or bad clusters,  I would suggest a utility disk such as hirens or the ultimate boot disk.  There is also a program called easy recovery that is easy to use and works very well. I do not know if there is a free version of it available. I would suggest searching on  the internet for it.
  If you can not do any of the previous suggestions, then I would suggest to take it to a local computer service shop that does data recovery. It can sometimes be a somewhat costly service. If the local computer shop can not get at the data, then it may have to go to a professional data recovery company. This can be extremely expensive and is usually for companies or businesses. They have a clean room and take the hard drive apart to get at the disks inside and place them on their machine to copy the data off.
  The best protection that someone should have that may help in preventing this kind of disaster is to use a back up system. One choice is to use an external hard drive and use the back up program in windows 7, 8 or 8.1 . The other choice is to use something such as carbonite where your data is backed up to the cloud. Just make sure what the package you choose consists of. Some only back up data and not the entire system. Make sure whatever the choice is that is not only makes an image of the entire system, but it also backs up all data as well. That way if you only need the data you will have it.
  Thank You for reading and stay safe.

Cleaning the Dust out of your Computer, Laptop or any Device

  I always here my computer is running very slow or it runs for a short time and then shuts off. Chances are your computer may have the air flow plugged with lots of dust. I have seen computers that look like they are the inside of a pumpkin for Halloween. Fans get plugged with dust and do not spin. The most common problem is that the heat-sink on the microprocessor is packed with dust.                                     

                                                 Dusty Cpu Fan

CC-BY-SA-3.0 via http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dusty_computer_cooling_fan.JPG [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

  So what does happen when the microprocessor is packed with dust. Well the heat that the microprocessor builds up can not be dissipated. The cpu fan is no longer able to remove any heat. The system bios detects that the Microprocessor is too hot and it shuts the system off to protect the microprocessor and other components from damage. In other words the computer shuts off. You could lose important data if you were writing a document or saving data. A sudden shutdown could damage a ide or sata hard drive.
  The best thing to do is at least once a week look inside the computer and see if it is collecting dust. If it looks pretty clean then check every two weeks. A lot of it depends on the environment the computer is located in. If it is close to the floor it may collect more dust due to the flow of air in the room. If it is located close to an open window it may collect dust. If you have pets such as a dog or cat they can contribute as well with pet hair.

                           Small Amount Of Dust Inside The Computer

By Carlosar (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

By Andyzweb (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons. No changes were made.

  So what is the best way to remove the dust from the inside of the computer ? First DO NOT use a vacuum cleaner to suck the dust out. The vacuum cleaner tip and hose are not static safe and you can damage the motherboard or any other component with what is call ESD or electo static discharge. An example would be when you walk across the carpet in your socks and go to touch something you feel the zap or see the flash of electricity. I have also seen people use a paint brush to clean off the dust from a component such as a video card, sound card or motherboard. Do Not do this, because the paint brush is not statically safe.
  The best tool to use to remove is the canned air duster. These can be purchased locally or you can buy them off the internet. I would check amazon.com or ebay. See the links to some places for canned air off to the side of the article for canned air products.
Just remember before using the canned air unplug the computer from the surge protector so there isn't any electrical connection to the computer. I would also suggest to hold any fan with your finger when blowing dust from it. You do not want the fan to blow the fan faster than it is supposed to run. You could damage the fan. Also wait for awhile after blowing out the dust, because the compressed air will leave moisture on the components. You do not want the moisture to short anything out resulting in damage to the motherboard etc.....

                               

                                  An Example Of Canned Air Duster

Example Of Blowing Out Dust with Canned Air

   Another device that can be used is an air compressor. See the links off to the side of the article for various air compressors. Just remember that it blows air at a much faster rate than the canned air does. You may also get water blowing out with the air due to the compressor building moisture in the tank. I would make sure you bleed off any moisture first. See you air compressor information on how to do that. I would also recommend to hold the fans when blowing out any dust. It will also make it easier to blow the dust out of the heat sink. If a fan does get spinning Do Not stick your finger in to stop it. I have seen people get cut by the fan blade. Let it stop by itself.  
 

Mini Air Compressor used for Home Use

                     Industrial Air Compressor Used For Multiple Computers

By RussianTrooper (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

  If you have dirt and dust built up on the fan blades use some glass cleaner  or household cleaner on a q-tip. Fan blades can break, because they are only plastic. You can buy tack cloths to clean dust off the outside of the case. Now a place where you can use a soft paint brush is on a plastic cover or on the outside of the case. Here is a link to some paint brushes.

The dust on the laptop CPU heat sink after three years of use has made the laptop unusable due frequent thermal shutdowns. By Audrius Meskauskas, Audriusa 13:25, 30 January 2006 (UTC)

                                    Inside Of A Laptop Computer

By User:Affemitwaffe (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons

   Blowing dust out of laptop computers can be much more involved. The microprocessor fan is usually inside the laptop and accessed through the bottom of the laptop. There are usually vents on the side and back of the laptop nearest the microprocessor fan. Some  manufacturers have more than one fan in a laptop. They were usually the larger Alienware laptops. There some laptops that have a panel on the bottom that can be removed by some small screws. All of the rules mentioned for desktop computers apply to laptops as well.
                            Examples of Dust in CPU Fan and Heat Sinks

By DMahalko, Dale Mahalko, Gilman, WI, USA -- Email: dmahalko@gmail.com (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

  If a laptop is shutting off suddenly check the microprocessor fan to see if it is spinning. The small fans tend to pull in dust and hair very efficiently. Sometimes small chunks of dust build up and prevent the fan from spinning or block the air flow. To clean the fan I would remove the keyboard, because there may be an access point to the fan. Place something small in the fan such as a tie-wrap so the fan does not spin. Blow it from the bottom so the chunks will blow out the opening under the keyboard.

Dusty Laptop Keyboard

  If there is not any panel that can be removed or opening under the keyboard the laptop will have to be disassembled to get to the fan and clean it out properly. If you have never done this before then I recommend you take it to a local professional at a computer store. You should also blow out the keyboard and other openings where dust can collect. Just be careful with an air compressor not to blow off any keys on the keyboard. Also do not blow very close to the lcd display.
  Just to say a little about printers. Do not blow out Laser printers with canned air or an air compressor. The reason is because you will blow the toner dust in the air and if you breath it in you can damage your lungs. Not to mention it will damage other components in the printer. If the printer is a inkjet type printer be very careful blowing it out. If you have ink built up in the purge assembly you can spray ink all over the place.
  Cleaning out printers require special devices and toner cloths made to do the job. Here is a link to purchasing toner cloths. As far as removing built up toner, there are special vacuums with special filters. They are also statically safe and will not damage anything with static electricity. You can clean off the outside of the printer with a household cleaner such a 409. If you have to clean any of the  pick up rollers, feed rollers or separation pads  use a product called rubber rejuvinator. See the links to various cleaning products off to the side of the article.
  This type of cleaning for computers can be applied to any device,  Just remember to always disconnect any electrical connection before starting the cleaning process. Also let the component dry out thoroughly before turning it back on. Nobody needs a dead component, which then becomes a large paper weight.
  Thank You for reading and stay safe.

Make Sure To Blow The Dust Out Of That Computer or any Device

  I always here my computer is running very slow or it runs for a short time and then shuts off. Chances are your computer may have the air flow plugged with lots of dust. I have seen computers that look like they are the inside of a pumpkin for Halloween. Fans get plugged with dust and do not spin. The most common problem is that the heat-sink on the microprocessor is packed with dust.                                     

                                                 Dusty Cpu Fan

CC-BY-SA-3.0 via http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dusty_computer_cooling_fan.JPG [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

  So what does happen when the microprocessor is packed with dust. Well the heat that the microprocessor builds up can not be dissipated. The cpu fan is no longer able to remove any heat. The system bios detects that the Microprocessor is too hot and it shuts the system off to protect the microprocessor and other components from damage. In other words the computer shuts off. You could lose important data if you were writing a document or saving data. A sudden shutdown could damage a ide or sata hard drive.
  The best thing to do is at least once a week look inside the computer and see if it is collecting dust. If it looks pretty clean then check every two weeks. A lot of it depends on the environment the computer is located in. If it is close to the floor it may collect more dust due to the flow of air in the room. If it is located close to an open window it may collect dust. If you have pets such as a dog or cat they can contribute as well with pet hair.

                           Small Amount Of Dust Inside The Computer

By Carlosar (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

By Andyzweb (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons. No changes were made.

  So what is the best way to remove the dust from the inside of the computer ? First DO NOT use a vacuum cleaner to suck the dust out. The vacuum cleaner tip and hose are not static safe and you can damage the motherboard or any other component with what is call ESD or electo static discharge. An example would be when you walk across the carpet in your socks and go to touch something you feel the zap or see the flash of electricity. I have also seen people use a paint brush to clean off the dust from a component such as a video card, sound card or motherboard. Do Not do this, because the paint brush is not statically safe.
  The best tool to use to remove is the canned air duster. These can be purchased locally or you can buy them off the internet. I would check amazon.com or ebay. See the links to some places for canned air off to the side of the article for canned air products.
Just remember before using the canned air unplug the computer from the surge protector so there isn't any electrical connection to the computer. I would also suggest to hold any fan with your finger when blowing dust from it. You do not want the fan to blow the fan faster than it is supposed to run. You could damage the fan. Also wait for awhile after blowing out the dust, because the compressed air will leave moisture on the components. You do not want the moisture to short anything out resulting in damage to the motherboard etc.....

                               

                                  An Example Of Canned Air Duster

Example Of Blowing Out Dust with Canned Air

   Another device that can be used is an air compressor. See the links off to the side of the article for various air compressors. Just remember that it blows air at a much faster rate than the canned air does. You may also get water blowing out with the air due to the compressor building moisture in the tank. I would make sure you bleed off any moisture first. See you air compressor information on how to do that. I would also recommend to hold the fans when blowing out any dust. It will also make it easier to blow the dust out of the heat sink. If a fan does get spinning Do Not stick your finger in to stop it. I have seen people get cut by the fan blade. Let it stop by itself.  
 

Mini Air Compressor used for Home Use

                     Industrial Air Compressor Used For Multiple Computers

By RussianTrooper (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons

  If you have dirt and dust built up on the fan blades use some glass cleaner  or household cleaner on a q-tip. Fan blades can break, because they are only plastic. You can buy tack cloths to clean dust off the outside of the case. Now a place where you can use a soft paint brush is on a plastic cover or on the outside of the case. Here is a link to some paint brushes.

The dust on the laptop CPU heat sink after three years of use has made the laptop unusable due frequent thermal shutdowns. By Audrius Meskauskas, Audriusa 13:25, 30 January 2006 (UTC)

                                    Inside Of A Laptop Computer

By User:Affemitwaffe (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons

   Blowing dust out of laptop computers can be much more involved. The microprocessor fan is usually inside the laptop and accessed through the bottom of the laptop. There are usually vents on the side and back of the laptop nearest the microprocessor fan. Some  manufacturers have more than one fan in a laptop. They were usually the larger Alienware laptops. There some laptops that have a panel on the bottom that can be removed by some small screws. All of the rules mentioned for desktop computers apply to laptops as well.
                            Examples of Dust in CPU Fan and Heat Sinks

By DMahalko, Dale Mahalko, Gilman, WI, USA -- Email: dmahalko@gmail.com (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

  If a laptop is shutting off suddenly check the microprocessor fan to see if it is spinning. The small fans tend to pull in dust and hair very efficiently. Sometimes small chunks of dust build up and prevent the fan from spinning or block the air flow. To clean the fan I would remove the keyboard, because there may be an access point to the fan. Place something small in the fan such as a tie-wrap so the fan does not spin. Blow it from the bottom so the chunks will blow out the opening under the keyboard.

Dusty Laptop Keyboard

  If there is not any panel that can be removed or opening under the keyboard the laptop will have to be disassembled to get to the fan and clean it out properly. If you have never done this before then I recommend you take it to a local professional at a computer store. You should also blow out the keyboard and other openings where dust can collect. Just be careful with an air compressor not to blow off any keys on the keyboard. Also do not blow very close to the lcd display.
  Just to say a little about printers. Do not blow out Laser printers with canned air or an air compressor. The reason is because you will blow the toner dust in the air and if you breath it in you can damage your lungs. Not to mention it will damage other components in the printer. If the printer is a inkjet type printer be very careful blowing it out. If you have ink built up in the purge assembly you can spray ink all over the place.
  Cleaning out printers require special devices and toner cloths made to do the job. Here is a link to purchasing toner cloths. As far as removing built up toner, there are special vacuums with special filters. They are also statically safe and will not damage anything with static electricity. You can clean off the outside of the printer with a household cleaner such a 409. If you have to clean any of the  pick up rollers, feed rollers or separation pads  use a product called rubber rejuvinator. See the links to various cleaning products off to the side of the article.
  This type of cleaning for computers can be applied to any device. Just remember to always disconnect any electrical connection before starting the cleaning process. Also let the component dry out thoroughly before turning it back on. Nobody needs a dead component, which then becomes a large paper weight.
  Thank You for reading and stay safe.

Advise On Windows XP Home or Professional

                  This is a post is meant to help anyone who reads it.
 
  Just a message to everyone out there, windows xp will have no more support from Microsoft coming up in April. That does not mean that windows xp will stop running. What is does mean is that there will be no more security updates or any update for windows xp.
  The problem is that anyone using windows xp will be more susceptible to becoming infected while on the internet. The individuals writing the viruses may put out more viruses, spyware, adware and malware to easily infect your computer. I do not know at this time if the virus program manufacturers will continue to write programs to protect anyone still using windows xp on the internet. I would suggest checking out your virus software provider to check on this.
  My advise is to move on to windows 7, which will be supported to 2020. If you are using windows vista I believe it will be supported up to sometime in 2017. If you are using windows vista I would suggest moving to windows 7 due to the existing problems with windows vista.
  Windows xp will continue to function properly as a stand alone computer to run various programs just as windows 98 and millennium still do. I would not recommend it if you are sharing data with others, because you may become infected if your virus software is not up to date.
  My other advise is to go to windows 8 and then windows 8.1 and move data from the old system if needed. Just be aware that windows 8 and 8.1 are different in the way that they function. I would not advise trying to put these operating systems on a older computer, because it will not run properly due to older hardware and no drivers to support the newer operating system.
  Thank You for reading and stay safe. 

No Support For Windows XP In April 2014

  Just a message to everyone out there, windows xp will have no more support from Microsoft coming up in April. That does not mean that windows xp will stop running. What is does mean is that there will be no more security updates or any update for windows xp.
  The problem is that anyone using windows xp will be more susceptible to becoming infected while on the internet. The individuals writing the viruses may put out more viruses, spyware, adware and malware to easily infect your computer. I do not know at this time if the virus program manufacturers will continue to write programs to protect anyone still using windows xp on the internet. I would suggest checking out your virus software provider to check on this.
  My advise is to move on to windows 7, which will be supported to 2020. If you are using windows vista I believe it will be supported up to sometime in 2017. If you are using windows vista I would suggest moving to windows 7 due to the existing problems with windows vista.
  Windows xp will continue to function properly as a stand alone computer to run various programs just as windows 98 and millennium still do. I would not recommend it if you are sharing data with others, because you may become infected if your virus software is not up to date.
  My other advise is to go to windows 8 and then windows 8.1 and move data from the old system if needed. Just be aware that windows 8 and 8.1 are different in the way that they function. I would not advise trying to put these operating systems on a older computer, because it will not run properly due to older hardware and no drivers to support the newer operating system.
 Thank You for reading and stay safe.