Author Archives: Kristin Willis

Back Up Your Computer

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Because of all of the essential papers, images, and other files saved on your computer, a failed hard drive is one of the worst things that might happen to it. Backing up your computer is widely suggested by both Mac and Microsoft technical help, and it will substantially relieve your stress. It’s also really easy to do!

For Macs:

You can either use iCloud or Macs backup feature, Time Machine. From there, you can reestablish any lost or accidental deleting from your computers’ hard drive. This is an easy go-to without the hassle of purchasing an external hard drive. However, when Time Machine is full, the oldest saved files will be removed. And if your computer is ever stolen or destroyed, you’ll lose everything.

For Microsoft:

Grab yourself an external hard drive and connect it to your computer to allow it access to your files. Back up your computer by using File History:

  1. Start Menu
  2. Settings
  3. Navigate and Update Security
  4. Backup

For help with any hard drive problems with either Mac or Microsoft, call us at 1-800-620-5285.  Karls Technology is a nationwide computer service company with offices in many major cities. This blog post was brought to you from our staff at the Frisco Computer Repair Service, if you need computer repair in Frisco, TX please call or text the local office at (469) 299-9005.

Free Up Hard Drive Space

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No one enjoys their computer running slower than usual. It’s a nuisance, especially if you use it for business. But there are plenty of ways to speed up your computer simply by freeing up your hard drive space.

Check how your Storage Usage is being handled under the Settings tab, to System, and then Storage. You can then click on which drive is running out of space. This will show you a breakdown of what it all contains, and you can click on each items listed to give you more detail. That way, you will be able to clear up any hard drive space by deleting unnecessary files.
Also, use Storage Sense to free up files. This feature will automatically delete files. You can also make this a manual option by clicking on “Change how we free up space automatically”, and under “Free up space now” click Clean Now.

Don’t forget to use Disk Cleanup. Search for Disk Cleanup when you click on the Start menu (Windows Icon). Deleting temporary internet files, downloads, and Recycling Bin in the Cleanup is one of the easiest ways to free up space on your Hard Drive.

You can find other ways to help alleviate issues with your hard drive by checking out Windows Central.

For help with space issues or any hard drive problem, call us at 1-800-620-5285.  Karls Technology is a nationwide computer service company with offices in many major cities. This blog post was brought to you by our staff at the Frisco Computer Repair Service. If you need computer repair in Frisco, TX please call or text the local office at (469) 299-9005.

E-mail Attachments Not Opening?

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A simple fix to an underlining issue.

If you’re checking your e-mail, only to find that you’re unable to open up any attachments, it can be quite aggravating. This concern is asked by customers many times to computer techs. It’s easy to fix, fortunately.

Tip: Make sure you have the correct software to open up attachments. If there is a PDF file attachment, you won’t be able to open it if your PDF Reader is unavailable or isn’t up-to-date. If you use Microsoft Edge as your browser, PDF attachments should open in Edge. Otherwise, you can use Adobe or another PDF viewer of your choice.

Be Careful of Unknown Attachments

Microsoft e-mail domains, such as Outlook say they accept, “a wide variety of different file types, but blocks potentially unsafe attachments (including .bat, .exe, .vbs, and .js files) that can contain viruses.”

They also highly advise to, “be careful in opening any attachment, especially if it’s from someone that you don’t know or trust. When in doubt, confirm the authenticity of the attachment with the sender. Also, keep your computer antivirus software up to date.”

For help with e-mail questions, call us at 1-800-620-5285.  Karls Technology is a nationwide computer service company with offices in many major cities. This blog post was brought to you from our staff at the Denver Computer Repair Service, if you need computer repair in Denver, CO please call or text the local office at (720) 441-6460.

Add Your Signature to Documents on MacOS

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Mac computers has iSight built into the webcam, which has a green indicator light to show it’s activated. And this is a nifty feature if you need a form signed digitally. If you have MacOS X, there’s an easy way to add your John Hancock to any digital documents that are sent to you. Here’s how to do it:

  • Open digital document in Preview App
  • Click on pen icon located around the top right corner
  • Select Create Signature from Built-in iSight
  • Sign your name on blank white sheet of paper
  • Hold it up to the camera, using the guides shown on the screen
  • Hit Accept to save signature
https://9to5mac.com/2014/02/15/how-to-use-preview-to-put-signatures-on-pdfs-pages-documents-and-mail-messages/
Source: 9to5Mac

If you use this app often, make sure to slip it right into your Dock for easy accessibility. And you can save your signature for future use by checking the box Save this signature for use after Preview quits in the Signature Capture window.

If you are needing assistance with any Apple issues, please give us a call at 1-800-620-5285.  Karls Technology is a nationwide computer service company with offices in many major cities.  This blog post is brought to you from our staff at the Arlington Computer Repair Service, if you need computer repair in Arlington, TX please call the local office at (817) 756-6008.

Are Applications Not Installing?

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If you’re attempting to install applications on your computer, yet nothings happening, don’t fret. This is a common computer issue, yet it’s one of the easiest fixes out there. The explanation of this cause is the lack of hard drive space. To see how much space you have on your hard drive, follow the steps below for Windows:

  • Start Menu —> Settings
  • Click on Storage tab
  • You can also click on View storage usage on other drives under the More Storage Settings heading

The quick and simple fix is to do some drive clean-up. Deleting files from your Download folder may clear up a large amount of space since a lot of those items aren’t needed any longer.

You can also use Storage Sense on Windows. This feature automatically removes temporary files and items from your recycle bin to free up space. You can turn this feature on or off, which gives you control of what is deleted from your hard drive. This feature also only do its job when your computer is low on space.

Disk Clean-Up has been Windows’ tool to use for many years. Simply go to the Start Menu and type in “Disk Clean-Up” and you can choose what it gets rid of.

With these tools and features to help keep your computer running smoothly, you shouldn’t have anymore issues with installing applications. For help with any application installations on Windows 10, call us at 1-800-620-5285.  Karls Technology is a nationwide computer service company with offices in many major cities. This blog post was brought to you by our staff at the Frisco Computer Repair Service. If you need computer repair in Frisco, TX please call or text the local office at (469) 299-9005.

ARM and Intel Processors: What’s the Difference?

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Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, announced at WWDC on June 22nd of 2020 that Apple planned on creating an ARM processor for their Macs. This two-year plan would allow time for developers to create a processor that would give Apple computers a boost in performance, along with better battery life, and overall better quality. Thus far, the company has used Intel processors.

Taking a look into ARM processors, it seems as though Intel is the better processor when implementing it in larger PCs. ARM processors focus more on power efficiency while Intel works harder on performance. A forum user on Quorm writes:

“While there are some ARM chips that are faster than low-end Intel chips, no current ARM design matches Intel’s top processor designs in terms of raw processing power (in terms of instructions per second). ARM’s current fastest design is comparable in performance with the Intel i5–7300U (a mid-range, mobile, “Kaby Lake”-generation processor introduced in early 2017), which is obviously slower than Intel’s current best performers.

However, exceeding Intel in performance is not ARM’s goal. They prize power efficiency above everything else, and so are willing to have lower overall performance if they get better performance per watt (which they have achieved).”

So while both Intel and ARM are processors, both have their uses in a PC, it was stated on Forbes that while Apple is currently in the works for a better quality ARM processor, Intel will continue to work with them to make the best possible computer. Apple will include both ARM and Intel processors, but Intel will be the supporting processor by 2022.

For inquiries, call us at 1-800-620-5285.  Karls Technology is a nationwide computer service company with offices in many major cities. This blog post was brought to you from our staff at the Frisco Computer Repair Service, if you need computer repair in Frisco, TX please call or text the local office at (469) 299-9005.

Benefits of Keeping your Computer Up to Date

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Whether you have Windows, Apple, or any other kind of operating system, it’s extremely important to keep your computer up to date. There are a handful of benefits that safely secures any and all parts of it. Here are just a few of them:

Malware

Hackers are constantly on the move, doing anything possible to intrude in on personal computers to steal as much information as possible. Updates quickly add more protection to any personal information, such as passwords and banking credentials, to avoid any kind of viruses or malware.

Two-factor authentication is highly encouraged to keep PC’s safe. Microsoft Docs shared a statement for an upcoming update, saying, “Windows Defender System Guard enables an even higher level of System Management Mode (SMM) Firmware Protection that goes beyond checking the OS memory and secrets to additional resources like registers and IO.

With this improvement, the OS can detect a higher level of SMM compliance, enabling devices to be even more hardened against SMM exploits and vulnerabilities. This feature is forward-looking and currently requires new hardware available soon.”

Quick Fixes

Often times, smaller updates include a handful of fixes due to an improper update that could lead to issues like the blue screen of death. The Windows Community forum shares hundreds of issue inquiries that also adds simple fixes to alleviate flaws in the system.

Improvements

Software companies are always working on ways to improve users’ experience on their operating systems. These improvements lead to new features and updates to older applications. It helps to modernize the computer world on a constant basis.

Cortana has currently been updated to enhance experience, and it’s tightly secured so you have to log in to use it.

For inquiries with PC updates, call us at 1-800-620-5285.  Karls Technology is a nationwide computer service company with offices in many major cities. This blog post was brought to you from our staff at the Frisco Computer Repair Service, if you need computer repair in Frisco, TX please call or text the local office at (469) 299-9005.

Delete Personal Information Properly When Selling Your Computer

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This seems like a no-brainer when it comes to selling your computer, whether it be a PC or a Mac. No one wants any of their personal information compromised and fall into the hands of the wrong person.

But according to Kim Komando, a blogger named Josh Frantz spent roughly around $600 on different used devices for security research. What he found was absolutely startling.

“Frantz posted what he discovered on his rapid7 blog — and it was shocking! Of the 85 devices he bought, only two were correctly wiped. Most of the devices still had tons of information on them.

With help from a script he wrote, Frantz found 214,019 images, 148,903 emails and 3,406 documents. From all that, he was able to see email addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and credit card numbers.”

Source: Kim Komando

If you are ready to sell any device you have, make sure you use apps, such as Eraser, or Permanent Eraser to delete any and all information that could easily be stolen. You can also look up apps in the App Store to give you options of which disk eraser works best for you.

These devices aren’t limited to just computers. Phones, printers, tablets and other electronic devices acquire certain information that you would not want leaked. Take the appropriate steps to remove the goods, so the goods don’t become tainted when you sell your device.

If you are having security problems or any other issue with your computer and would like some assistance, please give us a call at 1-800-620-5285.  Karls Technology is a nationwide computer service company with offices in many major cities.  This blog post is brought to you from our staff at the Arvada Computer Repair Service. If you need computer repair in Arvada, CO please call the local office at (720) 441-6460 or schedule an appointment at www.arvadacomputerrepairservice.com.

Widespread Computer Issues- Revisited

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Back in 2013, we shared this blog post, explaining the most known issues in the computer world. This is simply a re-post, in hopes to remind users of a few computer issues and how to fix them.

What’s the strange WHIRRING NOISE coming from inside your PC? Most likely this is a sign of an overtaxed or dying FAN. Your fan may have come loose or may have become clogged with dirt and dust, decreasing its effectiveness and requiring it to work harder than it should have to. Thus, it is vital to clean out any dirt and debris that may obstruct the computer’s ventilation.

A non-functional fan can potentially cause OVERHEATING as well. All components of a computer demand appropriate and sufficient ventilation and cooling, as they generate heat during operation. When you are dealing with any kind of odd computer noise it is of utmost importance to perform a backup of all valuable, irreplaceable files saved on the system’s hard drive.

Although clicking sounds are the predominant, ominous indicators of a HARD DRIVE CRASH, failing to acknowledge other strange noises as a sign of a potentially serious issue could result in catastrophic data loss. There are many possible causes for hard drive failure, including overheating, faulty air filter, power surges, violent vibration, static electricity, mechanical failure and virus infection.

Your PC’s longevity is top priority!

If you’re needing help with computer problems, call us at 1-800-620-5285.  Karls Technology is a nationwide computer service company with offices in many major cities. This blog post was brought to you from our staff at the Frisco Computer Repair Service. If you need computer repair in Frisco, TX please call or text the local office at (469) 299-9005.

Computer is Running Slow

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Computer performance is quite important, especially since more and more people work remotely. So, if yours is running slower than normally, you may find one or more of these culprits.

Too many opened programs

Multiple programs running at the same time can cause issues to the speed of your computer. It results in a loss in processing power. To check this, open up the Task Manager app in the Start Menu. From there, you can end unnecessary tasks.

Outdated Windows Update

Microsoft releases Windows Updates to keep your computer running as smooth and securely as possible. If you’re running an outdated Windows version, search for Check for updates in your Settings.

You may have a virus

No one chooses to acquire viruses on their PC. Unfortunately, it happens often. Malware can cause computer performance to noticeably drop. Virus & threat protection is easily accessible in the Windows Security of the Settings app. This scans your PC and lets you know if any action is necessary.

Low Disk Space

Freeing up space on your PC will potentially boost the speed. Open Storage settings can be found under Storage in the Settings app. From there, you will be able to how much space you actually have.

For help troubleshooting PC issues, call us at 1-800-620-5285.  Karls Technology is a nationwide computer service company with offices in many major cities. This blog post was brought to you from our staff at the Mesa Computer Repair Service. If you need computer repair in Mesa, AZ please call the local office at (480) 240-2950.