Posts in Computer
Out of Warranty!? DIY!!

Have you ever purchased an item only for the item to not work after warranty expires? I'm sure many of us have experienced that scenario or know someone who has. Today, I will specifically discussing my experience taking apart a note book, specifically a Toshiba A105-S4084. [caption id="attachment_1850" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The LCD and Motherboard Case"][/caption]

A bit of background first. I purchased the computer in 2006, without warranty. Following the subsequent purchased it has been pretty reliable until the hard drive failed which i replaced and upgraded my self to a 320 gb and 7200 rpm hard drive from the original 120gb and 5200 rpm. I always try to make it point to others that often you could do the fixes yourself, especially when sending it in for repairs could be more costly. Most laptops these days have easily interchangeable parts.

[caption id="attachment_1851" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Keyboard, Hardrive, CD Drive, batter, ram modules"][/caption]

Unfortunately, the past year or so my laptop has had problems charging the source of the problem was determined to be the DC power jack. I looked up how much it would cost if it were taken in for repaired it would be more than $100 while the part alone costs $10. Therefore, I took this as an opportunity to put my skills to the test and learn something new about computers by disassembling the computer. Fortunately, i had backed up all my data two weeks before predicting the day it would not charge at all would be soon.

 

[caption id="attachment_1852" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="DC Power Jack (The Problem)"][/caption]

As mentioned earlier, i did my research. I goggled searched for guides on how to take disassemble the computer laptopka provided a good guide to do so. (NOTE: laptopka has guides only for toshiba for others ones try laptoprepair101)

[caption id="attachment_1853" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Motherboard"][/caption]

Subsequently, the process went smooth, I did not break anything- i think. The entire disassemble took about it 2 hours but afterwards could do confidently do it again in less than an hour. This is my first time taking a notebook apart and fairly comfortable working with the necessary tools. The guide i used also listed the required screwdrivers to make the repair easy. The only difficulty i experienced was with disconnecting the ribbon type connections for example the connector with the keyboard and motherboard. Eventually, I found the source of the problem but did not have the replacement part. Unfortunately, the part was set to arrive the day after the disassemble but sadly has gotten lost in the mail :'( . I have to reorder the replacement. Hopefully, next weekend I could update you with how everything went being my first BIG repair. In the future, I hope to fix my broken camera LCD screen so look out for that as well.

Video or it didn't happen: Why screenshot when you could screen record!

Have you ever wanted to make your own how to do videos ? Especially when related to how to do videos on a computer? One day in order to show an audience how to access a site visually without being there in person and posting it on a site so easily accessible to others I decided to look up ways I could do this. Therefore I searched for screen recording software for my computer. I tried a couple free trial ones,  ones that required more work than I would of liked. Fortunately,searching under the “freeware” category lead me toCamStudio - Free Streaming Video Desktop Recording Software.Once installed you may select a specific area of the screen to be recorded in case you only want one a specific portion to be viewed.My recommendation is to learn the short cut keys to record and stop while recording the entire screen. You want to maximize the area (and resolution) for the best quality video.The video files may be saved as either SWF (which are good for websites streaming) or.AVI (ideal for uploading to youtube).Unfortunately,there are limits to this free software:

  • No annotations
  • No post video editing
  • No support for other video formats (MPG, DIVX, FLV, MOV, MP4).

Overall, the software is great to share some how to do on your computer videos or some demos of software. For example, a visual of the steps to  remove Ping from Itunes or where some steps are better supplemented with visual steps aside from  screen shots. If you are in need of more advanced features similar to those mentioned under limitations of this software expect a monetary solution.

Print More for Less

Being the "tech guy" within my circle of friends, I often find myself fixing common printer problems! Usually a simple power cycle does the trick, but what alarms me instead is how often people don't look at their printer settings. Usually, under Windows and maybe Mac/Linux OSes, printers by default are set to print at normal quality. There are actually more options to print using less ink! The actual way to do this slightly varies for each OS aforementioned, but to keep it simple, I will cover it for Windows 7.

  • Go to Control Panel
  • Search for print
  • Under Hardware and Sound click on Devices and Printers
  • Find your printer and right-click to printer preferences
  • Change to desired settings
  • Start saving money!

You might be hesitant to lower the quality but the difference is minimal (my college professors can't tell, don't know or actually care about the environment). As a side bonus, using less ink, allows for faster printing (I like being on time to class)! Skipping the complicated math calculation, I do find getting a longer-lasting printer cartridge and saving money (for food) in the long run! Try it for yourself, feel free to post questions and see if you like it!

Switch that Windows Interface

Do you ever find your Windows UI (user interface) inefficient or has gotten boring over time? Most Linux distributions and the latest Mac OS X can provide you a more refreshing interface. Find a Linux OS too difficult to use? Or maybe a Mac OSX equipped computer is outside your budget? I would like to introduce Switcher by Bao Nguyen. Switcher makes window switching seamless, switch windows using search, and supports multiple monitors!

The program is easy to customize to your enjoyment. It supports both keyboard presses, mouse gestures and screen edge activation. I tinkered with it and got the most satisfaction by minimizing window labels and activating the program by pointing my mouse at the top of the screen.

The program is free (for now)  but does require Windows 7/Vista with Aero enabled. Definitely check it out if you are looking for a change in your interface.

Find a solution to your PC problem with Microsoft Fix It

Did you know about Microsoft Fix it? According to Microsoft, Fix It is a way to ...

....automate solutions to common software problems in an easy, intuitive way that is available when and where you need it. So whether you are looking for a solution in help or support content, or an error report, Fix it provides a way to apply automated fixes, workarounds, or configuration changes so you don’t have to perform a long list of manual steps yourself.

... or in simple words it is a website where you can download solutions to your problem. Yes, I said download. If you are having trouble with your CD/DVD drive not reading CDs/DVDs then you can download software that fixes your problem. You just find that article where it says you're having trouble and click the fit it button.

Give it a try. Here is the main website to Microsoft Fix it. You will be surprised how many problems Microsoft can fix.

Secure sites using https

Are you a Firefox user? Most people are. Are you concerned about your online security? You very well should be. If you did not know, you can tell when you are on a secure site by checking the address bar in your browser.

That is tip number one. The next tip is forcing your browser to put https on most of the sites you go to. That way you are 100% secure that nobody is reading your data by packet sniffing. In order to force your browser to put https you need Firefox and a plug-in called HTTPS Everywhere. This plug-in will force https on sites like:

  • Google Search
  • Wikipedia
  • Twitter and Identi.ca
  • Facebook
  • EFF and Tor
  • Ixquick, DuckDuckGo, Scroogle and other small search engines
  • and lots more!
Tether your cell to your computer

For a while now I have been tethering my Android phone to my computer using PDANet. I have heard other people talk about tethering using PDANet too. PDANet is software that lets you use your cell phone's  internet and use it on your computer. It works on many platforms. Some are Android, iphone, BlackBerry, Windows mobile, and many more. This usually works most of the time. It really depends on your carrier and phone. If you need help connecting your Android phone let me know. Good Luck!

Picasa a free photo editing and organizing software

Google has many great services but did you know about Picasa. Picasa lets you organize your pictures, like itunes for music. Also, you can edit pictures like crop, adjust tint, color, and many other tricks. My favorite feature is how it has face tagging. Picasa scan all your pictures and makes an album based on a face. I have my pics all organized. Oh, I almost forgot if you do not have your pictures backed up this is a great opportunity because Google can sync all your pictures to the Picasa web.

For Many People, Two Monitors Are Better Than One!

It all depends of what kind of person you are. if you are like in a business, you might need this so you can view many files at once. On the other hand, if you just use the computer for fun, one is enough. Two monitors gives you the option of opening more windows at one time. It also lets you have a bigger desktop space to put your stuff. In order to have two monitors, you must have 2 video outputs. It either has to be a VGA or a DVI. You might already have one, so you would just to buy a video card, and plug it in. Need more info, please follow this link.

Difficulty Level: Intermediate

Stop Windows update from restarting your machine

You're in the middle of  a very important paper or just doing something very important. Then, suddenly, you see a box in the lower right hand corner of the screen. It's Windows Update  restarting in 10.. 9.. 8. 7 sec. I find it very annoying when it just wants to restart after Windows has installed updates. Do not get me wrong. Updates ate VERY important. You must do them but Windows does not need to restart automatically.  Today's tip is how to prevent Windows from restarting.

Here are the steps:

  1. Start > Run
  2. Type in: gpedit.msc
  3. Expand Local Computer Policy / Computer Configuration / Administrative Templates / Windows Components / Windows Update
  4. Double-click 'No auto-restart for scheduled Automatic Updates installations'
  5. Select "Enabled". Then OK. Close the Group Policy configuration program.
  6. Your done. Just Restart one time and set to go!
A great week with a bad time zone

I am part of an organization called SHPE (The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers) where I attended a conference, NILA 201 0 (National Institute for Leadership Advancement). I had a great week at the conference but also had some very weird experiences. Todays tip will be on time zones, you will see what to do when you travel. To some, it might be common sense but lets say I learned my lesson. I will start from the very beginning where I picked up a friend Wednesday morning.

On Wednesday, I arrived to pick up my friend and was waiting a few minutes in the car. Then, I decided to get out and stretch my legs. I got out and to my surprise a skunk appeared right in front of me. I was toast. My week ahead of me flashed in front of my eyes. I would lose the conference if I smelled like skunk. I was very scared, I moved a little, and he got into defense mode. Tail shot right up. I did not move anymore. My heart stopped. He slowly backed up and ran away. I was safe!  My heart regressed back to normal  mode and I was finally calm. I was no longer going to risk smelling like skunk. Everything was normal . I arrived at the conference and enjoyed it. I learned a lot and am happy to say that I am a proud member.

Here is where I present to you my tech tip.  It was about 4pm when I was updating OneTechTip.com  at the hotel, Sunday afternoon. I was planning to leave towards the airport at 5pm. My plane  leaving at 7:20pm. It was a good amount of time to give myself to check in, pass through security, and all those normal steps. I was working hard and looking at the time on my laptop. At 5:00ish I put everything away and was ready to go. I then looked at  my cell phone and saw it was not 5:00ish it was 6:20pm!  I could not believe it. I had not changed the time zone on my laptop! I was late and was running the risk of missing my flight. I was so desperate. I rushed to the front desk and asked for a cab. I waited outside and the cab would not arrive.Finally it did. It was about 6:45 when it arrived. The drive  to the airport was normal if you can imagine me scared to death of me missing my flight. I arrived to check-in and gave my ticket to the Frontier flight personal. I thought I was safe when he said, "you are late and we can no longer take your baggage".  I had another skunk moment, my heart dropped. I argued so much with the guy to put my luggage on board. He said due to security reason he could no longer do that. I tried everything from shipping my luggage to asking for the supervisor. He gave me no chance. I called my friend who was all ready waiting for me inside, he had arrived early because he had visited his family. I talked to him and he told me to leave the big luggage and put everything I could into a plastic bag. I desperately did that. I asked the Frontier flight personal for a bag. It was awkward because I transferred everything from my big luggage to a plastic bag and my backpack. I finally did that. My bags were stuffed. I then rushed to security and guess what. They stopped me. I was already late because of what just happened. Security asked me to take my laptop out and put in another bin. I had to take out everything and do what they said. I finally got through security and rushed to get some souvenirs and on board I got. The flight home was suitable.  I arrived home with some turbulence, the flight was about to arrive late and I was going to run the risk of not connecting my flight in Denver. Oh, and on my flight from Denver to Santa Barbara I forgot the souvenirs.  I'll say it was an awesome experience with many lessons learned.

You may ask," ...and the tech tip?" Well, check your gadgets like Cell Phones, Laptops, GPS and other electronics and make sure they have the right time based on the time zone. Some should do that automatically. The second tip is taking your laptop out or having in another bag when passing through security. I believe these are simple tips but may one safe you life.

Dont Know What to YouTube Search?

Well, you can try the newly revealed YouTube Leanback. It serves as a great help in having to search on what good videos to search for. Just simply select your interests and YouTube will do its job for you. As soon as you open the page, it will automatically load videos in your interests. This avoids all the searching stuff and typing things. It is as easy as watching TV. Thats how easy it is to use this new website called YouTube Leanback.

Things to Look for When Buying a Computer.

There are a few things in making your computer fast and useful. Somethings to look for when buying a computer are, having a enough ram (2-4GB),  good processor speed (2.20-2.9GHZ), a big hard drive (250-500GB). These things will make your computerdurable and keep the speed that you have never seen before. All these things speed up your computer. So choose wisely when buying a computer, because it is better to waste more money in the beginning, then in the end having to buy separate parts to make it speed up.Choose wisely.

The 20- 20- 20 rule. Reduce computer eye strain.

I include myself in saying that we go through hours at a time staring at a screen. That magic box in front of you that takes you right in into a different world. Do you even blink? There is a rule called "The 20 - 20 -20 rule". This rule gives us some basic numbers so we can avoid dry eyes, red eyes, purple eyes, and just any color of eyes. The point is, we need to rest our vision. Just follow these numbers: Every 20 minutes take a 20 second break to look at objects 20 feet away. That;s it. Try  it to rest your vision hard at work.

picby[dotbenjamin]

Attaching More USB Devices

Have you ever had the problem of not having enough USB ports on your computer or laptop? Well, a USB hub is the real deal. Not only does it put more USB ports on your computer but, it only uses one USB port and expands out to, normally four. The maximum number ports a USB hub can have  is available 127. So, do not worry go all out  get yourself one if you need one.

Difficulty Level: Easy

Update your drivers

Many of us, usually update our computer drivers by going to Windows Update and looking in the hardware section but I have found an easier way. There is a website called My-Config.com. This website can help you find recent drivers for all your hardware.  To begin the process go to http://www.ma-config.com/ and click on "Run The Dedication" button. It may prompt you to install a plug-in. Go ahead. After that,  click "start detection".  Then "find the drivers". A list will populate on their website with links to download out-dated drivers.

Ever wondered how much bandwidth you are using!

Well guess what, AnalogX Netstat Live is like a saver for many people. It monitors both incoming and outgoing data.  It doesn't matter if you are using a modem, cable modem, DSL, or even on your very own network. It can also graph your CPU usage, and do much more. It works well with all Windows versions starting from Windows 95 and going until Windows 7. Want to give it a try, follow this link.

Difficulty Level: Easy

Is Your Laptop Overheating?

Well, in the first place, it is useful to keep your laptop cool because it will have a less percent chance in having a system melt down. Here are some useful ways into making your laptop cooler. You can buy a cooling pad for laptops, clean your fan with caution, and/or buy a regular fan and set it on the side of your laptop, so it can cool the top and as well as the bottom. If you were to clean your fan, make sure to use precaution, because you can severely damage the unit. Steps in Cleaning the Fan From the Inside.

1. Make sure the laptop has no power in it.

2. Turn over the laptop.

3. Unscrew the unit cover. ( keep the screws in a safe place)

4. Clean the fan with a cotton swab and/or a compressed air duster.

Difficulty: Intermediate

Record What You Do on Your Computer Instantly!!!

Ever wanted to record what you do on the computer? Well HyperCam is a free program that records exactly what your screen is showing. It will even show were you mouse pointer is, wow!!  After recording what happens in your screen, it will convert it into a format called AVI (Audio-Video Interleaved). This software is compatible with Windows 2000, XP, Vista, and  7. Want to download this then click here.

Difficulty Level: Beginner