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Computer / Internet Tips & News – exclusively for Computer Techs clients
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Category: Tech SupportComputer Maintenance Plan Scheduling CalendarRemote Computer Maintenance takes approximately 1 hour. To schedule your appointment on the calendar below click on an available date in bold, click on a time, fill in your name and contact info, then choose Pay Later.
Pricing comparison: Computer Techs vs. the othersWhy choose any place else for your technology service needs? Computer Techs is not only more affordable than the national chain stores, we’re local, experienced and take pride in our service. Computer Techs will come to you for all services, whereas some of the other guys’ services are offered in-store only.
Effective 6-1-14
We can help with many computer issues without coming out to your homeA majority of our customers already take advantage of our remote support service  Remote Support allows us to see your computer screen and operate your keyboard and mouse via your internet connection. This can be helpful if you need a quick-fix to a problem, question or other service that doesn’t require an in-home visit. Or perhaps you’d like service outside of our normal in-home daytime business hours. With Remote Support we offer lower rates than coming out to your home. Payment can be made via credit card on our secure webpage at the completion of the service. Remote Support is available for most services, including (but not limited to):
Remote support is not available if you don’t have a connection to the internet. Please contact us if you have questions. To get started, while talking with your technician on the phone we will have you go to our web page at CTreno.com/help then download and run the “Remote Support” program. You will be presented with an ID and temporary passcode to tell us, which will allow us temporarily access to your computer only for the duration of the call. You’ll be able to watch everything being done on your computer just as if we were there in person.  Print This Article
How to self-troubleshoot & fix common computer problemsUpdated October 2023: If your computer is slow or freezing up, your internet is not working or you can’t print – before calling for help there’s often some troubleshooting you can do that will likely fix the problem. Please Computer won’t power onIf it’s a desktop computer, unplug the power cord to your computer for at least 30 seconds, then plug it back in and see if it will then turn on via the power button. If it’s a laptop, tablet or smartphone, press and hold the power button until you see it turn on. If you’ve held the power button for at least 20-seconds, release and try again. Computer freezing up, non-responsive or showing you error messagesTurn off or restart your computer. This will often fix problems by clearing out the computer’s temporary memory and giving the computer a fresh start. If your computer will not shut off normally you can press and hold the power button on the computer until it shuts off (usually after about 5 seconds). You’re seeing a scary warning message that you’re computer is blocked, with instructions to call a phone numberIt’s a scam designed you to scare you into calling the number – a scammer. See this article for instructions on how to get rid of the scare screen. Can’t connect to the internet First, check the network status icon in taskbar. If you see the Network unavailable icon that looks like a globe, there’s a problem with your internet connection. If you see the Wi-Fi available icon, you’re not connected to your wireless router. Go to the next steps to continue…  Are all the lights on your internet modem and/or router lit and their normal color? If not, turning off or unplugging the power to your modem and/or router for a minute will often fix internet connection problems. If you have a router, power-on your internet modem first – wait a minute for all the lights to come on – then power-on your router. If all the lights on your router and/or modem look normal, then maybe it’s a problem with your internet browser (see the next step). Can you reach some/none websites in your browser?  If you’re seeing “This webpage is not available”, it may just be a problem wIth the specific webpage or homepage that you’re trying to view. Try navigating to a different website. If you can’t access any websites, and it doesn’t say “no internet connection”, it could be a problem with the specific web browser that you’re currently using. The most common web browsers are Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Apple Safari. If a web page does not display normally (or at all) in your usual web browser, try using a different browser to go to the website(s) that are not working. Printer not workingIf nothing happens when you try to print, make sure you are printing to the correct printer. When in the print preview screen, double-check to make sure your Printer/Destination is selected accordingly. If there is no communication between the computer and printer, turn off the printer then back on. Otherwise, unplug the power to the printer, then plug it back in. Printed pages are blank, have streaks not printing all colors? Print this test page, then compare the printed output vs. what you see on your screen. You may need to clean the printer’s print heads or change the ink(s). Refer to your printer manual for instructions. For further printer troubleshooting, see this article. Can’t send/receive email?
* Type the following address into your web browser address bar to access the webmail version of common email providers: When all else fails…If the above steps do not solve your problem, please contact Computer Techs. See our website for contact information or call the number on your tech’s business card. Also read: Have a backup plan for everything: Why you shouldn’t bundle all of your services with one provider Microsoft offers cheaper Office 365 subscription and free online versionMicrosoft now offers a cheaper subscription option to their Office 365 suite. For $69 per year (or $6.99 per month), you can use the full suite of Microsoft Office products including Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook and others on 1 computer plus 1 tablet computing device. Their original subscription option which is still available allows the use of the full suite of Office products on 5 computers plus 5 tablets in a household for $99 per year (or $9.99 per month).
Besides a subscription to Office, Microsoft currently offers several versions of Office 2013 with a one-time purchase starting at $139 per computer. Alternatively you can access free simplified web page versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint and OneNote at Office Online. See Get started at Office.com For more information on the subscription and one-time purchase options see Compare Microsoft Office versions. How to install AVG AntiVirus updatesUpdated November 2015: AVG AntiVirus releases program updates from time-to-time, and you will likely see pop-ups similar to those pictured below in the lower-right corner of your screen when an update is available. Whenever there’s an update that requires your interaction, AVG will try to entice you into upgrading to a paid version, add complimentary software or make other unnecessary changes. But if you follow the instructions below, you can continue with the free protection that is recommended for most home computer users at no charge. If updating AVG seems like too much trouble, see the bottom of this article for other options. Internet search results for tech support often show misleading ads from companies that attempt to swindle your moneyUpdated 8/26/14: When you have a problem with your computer, printer or other technology device you may be tempted to search the internet to find a resolve for the problem. When you using Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc. you will usually get search results from multiple advertisers that if contacted the person on the phone will attempt to scare you into paying lots of money for made-up non-existent computer problems. This is similar to the phony telemarketing calls from Microsoft scam, but since you are initiating the call you are lead to believe that you have contacted the official tech support for the company that you searched for. We frequently get calls from clients who have been the victim of such scams, after paying several hundreds of dollars and giving their credit card number to an untrustworthy person. Click the screenshots below to see examples of search results I found recently. As you will see there are plenty of ads and phone numbers listed from companies that will likely attempt to swindle you.
The next time you have a tech support problem contact Computer Techs, a local trustworthy business who will give you honest advice and help you resolve your computer problems. We’ve been in business for over 10 years, and don’t charge clients for a quick phone call or email reply. If you’ve been the victim of a tech support scam please contact us so that we can help you get your money back and check your computer for any malware or trojan software that the scammer may have left behind. September Microsoft Automatic Update breaks access to Office documents
To fix the problem go to the Control Panel > Programs and Features > right-click on Microsoft Office Starter 2010- English and click “Change”. This will Repair Microsoft Office and should fix the problem. See this Microsoft TechNet article about the problem if you are still having problems after the repair, or want to learn more. Why you shouldn’t bundle all of your services with one providerUpdated September 2015 AT&T and Charter promote the idea of bundling of services to save you money and the convenience of paying one bill. However both providers have had multi-day service outages in parts of the Reno area in recent years, in which customers have lost access to multiple essential services. Technology is vulnerable to disruptions: The cable down the street that provides service to your neighborhood could be cut by a contractor carelessly using a backhoe. The junction box servicing your area could suffer a hardware failure or be damaged by vandalism or an accident. The satellite providing your television service could be damaged by a solar flare or meteoroid. Because of these vulnerabilities I promote the idea of not bundling all of your services with one provider so that you have multiple methods to make phone calls, access the internet and watch TV in case one of your providers goes down. Below I detail the providers that I use: Internet Primary: Charter internet – connected to my home via coaxial and fiber optic cables running through my neighborhood. Secondary: AT&T Wireless – my iPhone or Samsung Galaxy SIII smart phone can be tethered to my computer and connect to the internet via a wireless 4G LTE connection to nearby cell towers. Phone Primary: AT&T landline service – connected to my home via copper wires than run from my home to the central telephone office. Secondary: AT&T Wireless – provides a wireless connection to nearby cell towers. Tertiary: VoIP service provided by CallCentric – I use an Obihai OBi202 device with CallCentric service to make and receive calls over my Charter internet connection. Television Primary: Dish Network – TV signals delivered wirelessly via satellites. Secondary: Roku streaming player – I can watch mainly pre-recorded movies and television shows streamed over my Charter internet connection. Tertiary: Local channels available for free “over the air” – received wirelessly from television towers located on nearby mountaintops. Email Service Primary: Gmail – Google’s free email service that offers secure connections and 2-step verification. Secondary: Outlook.com – Microsoft’s free email service that also offers secure connections and 2-step verification. Tertiary: Exchange Online – Microsoft’s business-class email service that’s just $4/month, is used with your own domain name, and offers syncing of mail, contacts and calendars between multiple devices. Backup You have a backup of all of your important data, right? Computers and hard drives fail on average at about 5 years. If you’re not backing up, you need to start doing so today! Primary: External hard drive – I backup my data and a clone image of my entire hard drive to an external hard drive. Secondary: Online/off-site services – I backup all of my computer’s data using Mozy online automatic backup, and I also recommend Carbonite. I backup my iPhone’s settings and data to Apple’s iCloud service. Tertiary: Other online services – I backup the pictures I take with my phone to Google Photos, and iCloud Photo Library. My music is stored on Google Play Music and Apple’s iTunes Match service. Web browser Though technically a web browser is not a service, it’s a program or app that lets you visit web sites. If your primary browser isn’t working for some reason you need an alternative. Primary: I use Google’s Chrome browser. Secondary: I use Mozilla’s Firefox and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer as a backup when Chrome does not work at all or for a particular web site.
10+ benefits of having a smart phone
• With the Maps app I was able to get directions to different cities & landmarks, get travel times with traffic slow-down time estimates, and pinpoint our current location while traveling on a trolley car. • With the mobile web browser I was able to search the internet to look-up a popular restaurant that I heard about, check reviews, and make a reservation. • Used the “Check Please” app to help figure the tip on our dinner. • While waiting at the trolley-stop, I used the mobile web browser to access the web address posted that was posted on a sign and found route map. • I ordered Alcatraz ferry tickets. • With the Email app I was able to receive receive dinner and ferry reservation confirmations. • I used the mobile web browser to search for “bay bridge toll amount” and “new bay bridge completion” and downloaded an app that simulates driving on the bay bridge. • I used the Google Places app to find nearby dining and reviews – which uses the smart phone’s built-in GPS to find my current location. • When our XM Satellite Radio stopped working for a brief time, I brought up the Pandora Radio app to listen to music while driving. • When it was time to fill-up the gas tank I used the Gas Buddy app to find the best price on fuel at nearby gas stations.
• I used the camera to take hundreds of pictures. • Remembered how I used a Disneyland park attraction wait times app last year to help manage time waiting for attractions at the park. • Read news from home using various apps from local media outlets. • Played “Words With Friends” – a game similar to Scrabble – while waiting in long lines at the amusement park. • While my wife was shopping with my daughter, and I was riding the trolley with my son, we both used the camera and picture messaging apps to send pictures back and forth. • Each day I used a weather app to help decide how to dress for each day’s activities in the bay area’s micro-climates. • I used my bank and credit card companies’ apps to check my balances, spending, transfer funds and pay bills. • To compile this list I used the Notes app often as I thought of different things to add to the list. So as you can see, a smart phone came in handy for more than just phone calls during our vacation. It also comes in handy every day in day-to-day life, and a backup for many of the things I do on my desktop computer. If you need help with setting up or getting more use from your smart phone or tablet computer, give us a call – we can help.
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Last month Microsoft released a version of Office designed for the iPad. Though the app is free to install, a Microsoft Office subscription is required in order to create or edit files. Oddly the initial release of the app doesn’t have the ability to print but Microsoft says that the feature will be coming in a future release of the app.
