Laptop and Computer Repairs Guide

Troubleshooting a laptop or a desktop computer can be a daunting task but with a systematic approach you can learn to cope with some of the headaches when facing a computer crash. There are so many possibilities and scenarios that can cause your computer or laptop to go down. When problems occurs the first thing to do is to determine if you have a software or hardware problem, finding out if the problem is actually a physical issue like a bad component such as memory, hard disk, motherboard etc. or a software issue like a bad driver, a virus or spyware, corrupt system files etc.

If you suspect a software issue and don’t really want to spend the whole day finding out if you have a bad video driver or virus , spyware, or system file corruption, then the best thing to do is to format your computer or laptop, meaning wiping out the hard disk clean. I suggest doing a backup of important data if possible if your operating system is accessible. If your data is extremely important like for most people and a backup system was never put in place before the time of the crash, and the operating system is not accessible, then you will have no choice but to remove your hard disk physically from the computer or the laptop and place it in another computer as a slave. If you are equipped with an external hard disk enclosure, you could simply install that drive that needs to be backed up inside that enclosure and you will directly connect the enclosure via a USB port to a working computer. You will then be able to access your drive and backup all important data directly to that computer.

Once the backup is done and most important configuration are written down, again if your operating system is somewhat accessible. You are now ready for the following step, formatting (wiping your hard disk clean) and re-install the operating system, providing that you have your official operating system license cd, then once the operating system is installed, you will need to re-configure all your internal and external peripherals such as: sound card, video card, network card, modem, printers, scanners etc.(keep in mind that on some systems depending on the chipset of the motherboard, you will be spared from installing some drivers, nevertheless it is always advisable to get the latest drivers from the manufacturers sites. Your final step will be to restore all backed up data, and finalize the installation of all additional software and other downloads that you may require. Don’t i repeat please don’t forget your email and address book backup too. Once the computer is formatted, it will be impossible for you to go back and recover lost data if you are not a professional with specialized tools and software.

5 Basic Steps to Fix That Blue Screen of Death

Did your computer just come to a grinding halt and freeze at a blue screen showing a lot of messages in white? You’ve just encountered the famous Blue Screen resulting from a Windows Stop error - more colorfully known among the Windows Operating System user community as the Blue Screen of Death or BSOD. If this has just happened to you don’t despair, help is at hand!

Most Blue Screen situations come up after some kind of Software or Hardware install or uninstall resulting in a hardware or software error from which Windows cannot gracefully recover.

A careful perusal of the screen shows you the error number associated with the crash, a recommendation from Windows on the action you should take, and in the end, the name of the file that caused the crash.

In case you just saw the Blue Screen, here are a few steps you could follow to fix it:

1. Restart the Computer - Most of the errors related to the Blue Screen can be solved with a simple reboot. If the error persists, you may need to follow the steps given below.

2. Restart in Safe Mode - Windows loads only a minimal set of drivers in safe mode and it is easy to isolate any software-related problem. When you restart the computer and the Power-On Self-test (POST) screen is displayed, hit F8 and choose Safe Mode in the Advanced Options Menu that appears and hit Enter. Once Windows is loaded, you can uninstall and reinstall the software that caused the error.

3. Use Last Known Good Configuration - If starting Windows in safe mode doesn’t work, you can reboot and choose the Advanced Options menu as before, to boot into the last known good configuration. This causes a System Restore to the point just before the installation or uninstall.

4. Disconnect New/Faulty Hardware - If you are unable to use the last known good configuration, the probability of a hardware error is very high and you may need to disconnect any hardware installed just prior to the crash or check if any of your hardware is faulty. Once the offending hardware device is removed or replaced, the problem should be fixed.

Computer Repair

So your computer has crashed and you feel like you have lost everything!  Fret not!  There may be help just down the road.  There is hope that your data can be recovered.  Check the phone book or do an Internet search for “hard disk recovery Coventry” to locate a facility close to you.

What exactly is data recovery?  Data recovery is generically the process of retrieving information stored on a computer’s hard disk when the information cannot be accessed by normal means.  It may be that there is physical damage to the hard disk itself, or it may be that files required by your operating system to access the files has become corrupt, damaged, or even missing. 

About Physical Damage to Your Hard Disk

Hard disks can become physically damaged for a number of reasons.  Often what occurs is that the a motor necessary to properly run the hard disk fails.  Another common problem is that dust particles have made their way into the hard disk case and logged themselves between the read/write head and the platter.  The platter is the part of the hard disk that looks almost like a regular CD.  Repair to your hard disk if it become physically damaged is not for the novice and often should not even be attempted by someone very knowledgeable if they don’t have the right type of facility.  To properly take apart and repair a hard disk, you should find a company that has a “cleanroom” to ensure no further damage is done to the hard disk.  Many warranties will be voided if you choose to try and fix the hard disk yourself or if you take it to a professional who does not use an appropriate ISO-5 cleanroom.  When you call about data recovery Coventry, be sure to inquire what facilities the company uses if opening your hard disk for repair becomes necessary. 

About Logical Damage to Your Hard Disk

Often physical damage is paired with logical damage, or you may have logical damage alone.  Logical damage to your hard disk is when the file structure becomes somehow incomplete or inconsistent.  This can be caused by a variety of reasons including (but certainly not limited to) the following


  • Viruses or other malware
  • Loss of power during an install or uninstall
  • Hardware issues
  • Damaged or missing drivers
  • Improper install or uninstal

There is software readily available to help diagnosis and correct logical errors.  Often these programs come pre-installed on your PC such as Disk Utility for Macintosh, fsck utility for Linux, and chkdsk for Windows.  Typically logical data repair comes in one of two forms:  consistency checking and data carving.  Consistency checking is when a software scans a hard disk to ensure that all file associations are intact and are consistent with the specifications for your machine.  Data carving involves recovering data when file allocations are no longer intact.  Many times minor logical damage can be achieved using software at home, but not always.  If you find that your problem is not fixed quickly by free software, take your computer in to a pro.  You may do more damage or make the files permanently unrecoverable if you do too much tinkering on your own.  Data recovery Coventry services can recover data due to all kinds of logical damage and more importantly, they can make sure the root cause of the problem is corrected so you do continue to have the issue.

Computer Services

We Provide a Complete range of service with computer products such as computer repair, laptop repair.[or other computer

or parts goods. In general, Computer support services attempt to help the user solve specific problems with a product—rather than providing training, customization, or other support services.

Most computer offer technical support for the products .Computer support may be delivered over the Web site. Larger organizations frequently have internal technical support available to their staff for computer related problem. The internet

is also a good source for freely available tech support, where experienced users may provide advice and assistance with problems. Data Recovery

Data recovery

Data recovery is the process of salvaging data from damaged, failed, corrupted, or inaccessible secondary storage media when it cannot be accessed normally. Often the data are being salvaged from storage media formats such as hard disk drives

, storage tapes, CDs, DVDs, RAID, and other electronics. Recovery may be required due to physical damage to the storage device or logical damage to the file system that prevents it from being mounted by the host operating system. Although there is some confusion as to the term, data recovery can also be the process of retrieving and securing deleted information from a storage media for forensic purposes or spying.

Recovery techniques

Recovering data from physically damaged hardware can involve multiple techniques. Some damage can be repaired by replacing parts in the hard disk. This alone may make the disk usable, but there may still be logical damage. A specialized disk imaging procedure is used to recover every readable bit from the surface. Once this image is acquired, the image can be analyzed for logical damage and will possibly allow for much of the original file system to be reconstructed.

Recovering data after logical damage

The physical damage is logical damage to a file system. Logical damage is primarily caused by power outages that prevent file system structures from being completely written to the storage medium, but problems with hardware (especially RAID controllers) and drivers, as well as system crashes, can have the same effect. The result is that the file system is left in an inconsistent state. This can cause a variety of problems, such as strange behavior (e.g., infinitely recursing directories, drives reporting negative amounts of free space), system crashes, or an actual loss of data. For instance, when a hard drive’s read/write head begins to click, most end-users will associate this with internal physical damage.

A Larger Recycle Bin Means Less Space for Programs and Data

Microsoft included the recycle bin idea in the Windows 95 distribution. It keeps all the files that have been deleted intentionally or by accident. Presently, the content of the recycle bin can be verified before permanent deletion, but with earlier operating systems the only solution to recover a deleted file was to start a recover procedure.

The recycle bin is permanently present on the desktop or can be seen as a regular directory in any Windows Explorer program. The icon representing the program suggests whether there are programs waiting for deletion or not. The capacity of the recycle bin directory varies according to the driver capacity and the windows distribution.

The recycle bin is similarly represented in most operating systems, for instance in Windows competitor, Linux, it is called trash. Believed to have been invented by Xerox PARC, and then adopted by Microsoft, the recycle bin has a location directory that varies with most operating systems.

There are several ways to send the files to the recycle bin, but the most familiar way is to right click on the object and select delete from the menu or choose the file and press the delete key, in both cases the effect is similar. Moreover, the delete command can be selected from the file menu, side menu in win XP or you can use the drag and drop system into the recycle bin. If you wish to avoid this folder use the SHIFT + DELETE keys combination.

When deleting a file from the recycle bin, the physical space isn’t cleaned but marked as good for writing, so practically the old file will be overwritten by a newer one. If the file is larger than the directory storage capacity the user will be guided to permanently delete the file.

Another tip is that when deleting information from other media different from the hard disk files they are permanently deleted from the computer too. For example if you delete a picture from an CD card it won’t be moved to the recycle bin but permanently deleted.

Having a full recycle bin slows down significantly your computer but this can be easy solved by the “Empty Recycle Bin” command. In former Windows versions the recycle bin icon couldn’t be easily deleted from desktop and without advanced Windows knowledge you wouldn’t have succeeded. Vista solved this inconvenient as the recycle bin and all the other special icons could be manipulated normally.

Using the directory properties the capacity of the recycle bin can be enlarged according to your needs. However, keep in mind that a larger recycle bin means less space for programs and data so it is very important to keep the balance.

Malware

Virus: A virus is a computer program that has been coded to replicate itself and infect a computer
The best free anti-virus is AVG anti-virus which can be found at http://free.grisoft.com/ .

Trojan horse: Trojan horse or just Trojan is a program which looks legitimate but performs illegitimate actions such as granting full access to the intruder, installing a keylogger, disabling security software and as an invisible downloader and spywares. Spybot Search and Destroy is a free program that can find and delete Trojan horses and spywares. It can be found at http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/index.html

Adware: Adware (advertising supported software) is a software bundle which automatically downloads and displays advertisements to a computer in which it is installed. Adwares can be classified as privacy invading software. It is seen as a way to recover development costs by software developers

. The best program to combat adwares is Ad-Aware 2007 and it can be downloaded at http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad_aware_free.php

Rootkit: A rootkit is a program which has been coded to take complete (or root) control of the system without the user’s knowledge. Rootkits take full control of the operating system and therefore cannot usually be removed by anti-virus software. Rootkits usually modify the boot sector of the operating system or disguise as drivers and load during boot up. As a result, it is usually hard to delete them. The most recommended rootkit remover is Sophos Anti-Rootkit without the user’s knowledge. A virus spreads from computer to computer by infecting network files as well as CDs, USB drives, and other forms of removable media.

Understanding the Various Types of Malware

Definitions and A Brief Introduction to the Dangers of Malware 1. Introduction. The ever increasing use of the Internet means more and more computers can be accessed by others through file transfers, e-mails and websites, leaving them susceptible to infection from an increasing number of viruses, Trojan Horses, worms, adware, spyware, etc. These terms can be very confusing as each one is different in characteristics and will cause different problems or damage to your computer. People will tend to be more on the lookout for these threats if they understand what they are and their potential dangers. This article attempts to clarify the meaning of each of these terms. After reading this article it is strongly suggested that you visit www.bestvalueonline.biz/clearspyware.html for further information on how to protect your PC against this dangerous class of software. Your bank account and identity are ultimately at risk if you do not take action. 2. Malware Many normal computer users are still unfamiliar with the term ‘malware” and most never use it. Instead, "computer virus" is incorrectly used, even in the media to describe all kinds of malware, though not all malware are viruses. Rather than being defined by any particular features, software is considered malware if the perceived intent of the creator is to cause damage. Malware includes computer viruses, worms, trojan horses, most rootkits, spyware, dishonest adware, and other malicious and unwanted software. In law, malware is sometimes known as a computer contaminant, for instance in the legal codes of California, West Virginia, and several other American states. Malware is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner’s informed consent. It is a shortened combination of the words malicious and software. The expression is a general term used by professionals in the computer industry to cover a variety of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software or program code. Malware should not be confused with defective software, that is, software which has a legitimate purpose but contains harmful bugs. 3. Trojan Horse or Trojan In the context of computing and software, a ‘Trojan horse’, or simply ‘Trojan’, is a piece of software which appears to perform a certain action but in fact performs another such as a computer virus. Contrary to popular belief, this action, usually encoded in a hidden payload, may or may not be actually malicious, but Trojan horses are notorious today for their use in the installation of backdoor programs. Simply put, a Trojan horse is not necessarily a computer virus. Unlike such malware, it does not propagate by self-replication but relies heavily on the exploitation of an end-user. Therefore, a computer worm or virus may be a Trojan horse. The term is derived from the classical story of the Trojan Horse.

Data Recovery after Logical Crash

Data Recovery is exactly what it sounds like - a way to recover important information that was lost from a computer crash, hard disk malfunction, or virus attack. No matter the scale, big corporation database recovery or single user retrieval of files from spontaneous deleting. Data Recovery software can be developed, installed and removed from existing systems to retrieve lost data or partial data and minimize damaged caused to the system.

In the field of information technology, data loss refers to the unexpected and unwanted loss of data or information and there are several possible root causes. These following most common errors and technical glitches may cause to corrupt your computer and data loss occurs:

o File system corruption o The accidental deletion of data o Overwriting of data control structures. o Virus attack o Format disk inadvertently

In some cases file system corruption (FAT, NTFS, Ext2, Ext3…..) may result data loss, especially if the disk is not maintained properly and the file system scanned on a regular basis. Data gets lost completely only if overwritten with other files. XP and other modern Operating systems from Microsoft, all use NTFS (New Technology File System). NTFS is an advanced disk formatting that has many useful features including ways to recover lost data. Software malfunction (virus attack) may lead to data loss. Virus makes your system file corrupt and unbootable, so it is good to have antivirus installed in your computer.

Backups are the key resources to retrieve your lost data and bail you out from unwanted consequences. Having good back ups is one of the most efficient way to avoid data losses. Then even if you have a logical crash like operating system failure, virus attack, software malfunction etc. then your data will be safe and you can just transfer it to a new computer or drive while yours is being fixed. It is better to have a back up running that automatically backs up your work at a predetermined interval without you having to remember to do it.

Stellar Phoenix NTFS Recovery software is a user-friendly tool that utilizes NTFS features allowing you to recover files from damaged NTFS volumes or even recover whole volumes in case of them being lost or unintentionally formatted.

Stellar Information Systems Limited is trusted and leader Data Recovery Company that is committed to give maximum data recovery solution. If you have had a computer crash, hard disk malfunction, or a virus attack and it seems like all your data and work have disappeared, the first thing you need to do, is to avoid panic. Stellar Information System offers both data recovery software and services for business and home users. You can have these data recovery utilities for Windows, Linux, Novell, UNIX and Macintosh operating systems.

Data Recovery Service

Whenever a user encounters a data loss issue due to physical crash of the hard drive, he tries to find the ways to completely recover the lost data from the damaged hard drive. Most of the users browse the internet to find the best solution. But when the user searches for the data recovery service companies, hundreds of results appear on the computer screen that can fulfill the requirement. These results leave the user in a confused state of mind as it becomes very difficult for the user to differentiate between the never-ending lists of data recovery service companies.

Below are the points that any user should notice before choosing any data recovery service:

Specialization of the Organization

The user should do complete check of the data recovery organization. For example, if the organization only deals in data recovery services, then it is better than any other IT company which makes all kinds of software.

Infrastructure of the Organization

The user needs to ensure that the data recovery company performs data recovery under controlled and sterilized environment.

Reliability

The user should make sure that there are existing customers who are satisfied with the services offered by the data recovery organization.

After the user has analyzed all the above parameters, next thing that the user needs to do is safely remove the hard drive from the computer. Then carefully pack-in the hard drive so that no dust particle can enter the hard drive. After that the user needs to send that packed hard drive to the data recovery organization where the recovery is to be performed. The data recovery organization will now analyze the amount of damage suffered by the hard drive and will try to recover the damaged data to the maximum.

Stellar Information Systems Ltd. is an organization that provides 100% data recovery from all kind storage media, such as, hard drive, pen drive, iPod and more. The recovery is performed by data recovery experts who have rich industrial experience and deep data recovery knowledge. These technicians perform the recovery process in controlled and sterilized environment of Class-100 Clean Room facility, which ensures complete data recovery even in cases where hard drive is severely damaged.

Stellar Information Systems also provides the finest data recovery software. Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery software employs advanced scanning algorithms – developed by the highly qualified technicians – to recover the lost data to the maximum. This data recovery software supports operating systems including Linux, Windows, Novell, Macintosh and UNIX. The demo version of this data recovery application is obtainable on the Stellar’s website. This demo version allows the user to only view the lost data.

Stellar is the most dependable data recovery entity worldwide. It has more than 1,000,000 customers all over the world. This number is increasing rapidly on daily basis. So, always consider Stellar Information Systems Ltd. to resolve all kinds of data loss issues, and to recover 100% data.

Data Recovery- Data Loss Scenarios due to Hardware and Software issues

Irrespective of being a PC or a Mac the computer system behavior and consistency are dependent upon certain factors. These factors are broadly divided into software factors, hardware factors and the surroundings. The common software factors leading to a logical failure are: i.) System files responsible for handling control to the operating system missing or corrupt ii.) Unsigned drivers or drivers trying to access read only system area iii.) Operating system files corruption due to incomplete automatic update, malicious software The common hardware factors leading to a physical failure are: i.) Problems related to mainboard in terms of the chipset or connector, power supply issue like incompetent power supply to run the hardware setup ii.) Problems related to hard drive itself or the data or power cables iii.) Improper setup of hard drive cooler fans (if any) The common surrounding factors leading to data loss are: i.) Heat dissipation issues related to closed or poorly ventilated surroundings like in a basement or store ii.) Moist surroundings leading to the formation of thick dust layers and thus increasing heat iii.) Direct sunlight leading to extra heat and thus hardware failure We should logically negate these scenarios so that we can narrow down to the root cause of the problem and take corrective measures. In case we find that the data loss is due to any logical failure, we can use data recovery software as they are programmed to meet the challenges due to all kind of logical crashes. They scan through the file system, locate all the files which are marked as deleted and are distributed as fragments across the partition, logically rearrange them as per the file system information and then recover them. The data recovery software are indispensable in cases like file system corruption, hard drive formatting operating system corruption, accidental file deletion or malicious software like virus, spyware etc. We can perform a ‘Do It Yourself’ data recovery using these utilities as they are self descriptive and User friendly. We need to install the data recovery software on another hard drive which is bootable. We can also use a different working system preferably using the same operating system platform as for MS Windows. Then, we can attach our hard drive to the same for scanning. For attaching the hard drive we nowadays use USB 2.0 Hi Speed or IEEE 1394/Firewire Cables, Attachments or Enclosures. The same can be achieved by a Master and Slave setup that requires hard drive jumper operations and thus is a little complex. We should avoid any other jumper operations as of the mainboard as they may lead to unstable system behavior based on BIOS settings. We should always save the recovered data on a healthy hard drive. In case of data loss due to hardware failure where the hard drive is either not getting powered or can not be recognized by the BIOS, we need to go for hard drive recovery service. The data recovery service is personalized help, delivered by data recovery experts. Such experts can extract your data in all possible scenarios of physical data loss. Both these data recovery solutions are completely different from each other and have unique approaches in recovering data. There are several data recovery companies, which offer data recovery software and services, a user should opt for the best among them by comparing their features, reviews that is quality and pricing. Stellar Information Systems Limited is the best bet to solve all our data loss issues. Stellar provides high quality data recovery software for almost all operating systems and file systems. The Data Recovery Service of Stellar is the global numero uno. The reason behind is Stellar’s sheer commitment towards the highest quality standards in terms of Research and Development and Software Testing as a dedicated and never ending approach. It is carried out in safe environment of State Of The Art Class 100 Clean Rooms by skilled data recovery experts. It is available for all types of hard drives including SATA, SCSI, IDE/EIDE (PATA) and ATA interface hard drives. To know more about these products, we should download and use free demo versions that are available on Stellar’s website.