Since I started fixing computers, I have certainly seen a wide variety of different problems. One of the more common calls I get deals with a laptop that's had a glass of water or other liquid spilled on it. "Can you fix it?" they ask. Well, the solution can be very simple or very complex. The difference between the two extremes, however, is much smaller than you may think.If you get a computer (or any electronics, for that matter) wet, the most important thing to remember is DON'T TRY TO POWER IT UP! Don't apply any power of any sort. In fact, remove any wall plugs and batteries ASAP. The liquid itself often doesn't cause the damage to the electronics, but when you apply power to wet circuits, it creates shorts, which in turn damages the components. In theory, you can dump any piece of electronics completely in water and so long as there are no corrosive elements present (salt, chlorine) and it is dried correctly, it should still function fine. The best way to ensure it dries correctly is to take it apart as far as you feel comfortable, and seal components in a plastic bag with some Silica Gel Packets (http://www.SilicaGelPackets.com) which will pull the moisture out. You can also try some rice.If you start to notice white or whitish green powder forming, there is corrosion. Try cleaning it with PURE alcohol, which contains no water and doesn't require drying.So the next time you spill a glass of water on your laptop, or drop your iPod in the pool (or God forbid, the toilet), resist the urge to immediately see if it will work. Take your time, let it dry, and try to power it up in a few days. You may be pleasantly surprised with the results. ...read more
By Willco Computing Services March 16, 2011
Is there anything more frustrating than being in the middle of working on something on your computer and your getting the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD)? No warning, no "you know, you should probably save your work because I'm about to die for seemingly no reason" dialog box, nothing. Many times they occur at random times and may not occur for weeks or months at a time. They can also be indicative of a problem that can be solved. If the BSOD is happening regularly, try to note what you were doing when it happened and make sure not to delete the Windows Minidump files. These files are created each time a BSOD occurs and can provide insight to a repair technician about what is causing the failure. I bring this up because of some problems I've been having with a system I have been working on recently. The job started as a standard virus removal, and that part of it was simple. However, something (hard drive problems, registry errors, driver problems, etc) was causing a regular BSOD. After reading through the logs and trying all of the troubleshooting steps I finally decided, with the client's approval, to restore her system to the factory configuration after backing up her documents. This is often a good idea as it restores the computer to how it was when it came out of the box, eliminating any software conflicts that could be causing the problems. All computer vendors used to include a physical System Restore CD with the computer when it was purchased. Nowadays many include a recovery partition that can do the restore without the physical media. I ran the restore from that partition and right when it was about to finish, BOOM. BSOD. Install failed. Uh-oh. Now the system won't boot, I can't access the recovery partition, and I'm stuck waiting on the recovery CD to be delivered from the manufacturer. It won't be hard to fix once it gets here, but because the client didn't have a CD the repair was delayed by at least 5 days. So remember, always be wary of the BSOD. It can hit at any time, causing any degree of problem. And if your system gives you the ability to create your own recovery CD through the System Tools please, by all means, DO IT. You won't be sorry. ...read more
By Willco Computing Services January 10, 2011
Designing and setting up a network itself can be a time-consuming job. Once you have determined the type of network which is to be installed, components which allow it to be built need to be assembled. Here's how to get going: ...read more
Networking is not always an easy thing to understand when a business owner or personal computer owner is new to the game. There are things and terms that a person might not understand. To be able to run a network smoothly and properly there are very basic things that any owner needs to know. ...read more