PC Tips

0POSTS

11 years ago

Hello All,

I would think nearly every Expat in Ecuador has a PC or lap tops and would like to have it preform well. I have had a PC (a DEC Rainbow) since 1982. Since then I have learned a lot and want to continue learning. As PCs advance so must the owners. Operating an English OS (Operating System) in an non English country can be difficult but the manufacture of your PC offers a MRD (Media Recovery Disk) which can save to day in a non English country. For my 5 year old Dell PC it cost me $44.00 USD and for my 3 year old Toshiba LT I paid $29.95 USD. The Dell is on a memory stick and the Toshiba 3 CDs. Both re-load the PC or LT to the exact condition as they left the factory! Everything included: OS (Win7 64 bit) all programs plus all drivers. The OS alone would cost you $200 USD. For under $50 it is the best insurance money can buy.

Recently here in the USA I down graded my internet speed from 15 to 2 to see what problems I might face. I lost the audio on most 'audio/video' links. I looked around and found an add on program which contains many audio codes and loaded it ... problem solved.
Google: Breakaway Audio Enhancer. I downloaded it from CNET Download.Net.

Happy Surfing to All

Tom

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quito0819 Serial expat

349POSTS

11 years ago

Have you experimented with streaming video?

Keltic Tom Guest

0POSTS

11 years ago

No I have not. The video is streaming well it was the audio I was missing.

Regards ... Tom

quito0819 Serial expat

349POSTS

11 years ago

Thankx

cccmedia Ecuador/Colombia Expert

10285POSTS

11 years ago

Dear Geek Squad,

I took my computer to a PC repair shop here in Quito.

When I got it back it was working.聽 However, now, in the lower righthand corner of my desktop screen are the words:
"This copy of Windows is not genuine."

What kind of short- or long-term problems could be caused by this if I do not take the PC back to the repair shop...

cccmedia in Quito

Keltic Tom Guest

0POSTS

11 years ago

First off ... what did the trip cost you?

What version of Win do you now have?

Regards ... Tom

cccmedia Ecuador/Colombia Expert

10285POSTS

11 years ago

Keltic Tom wrote:
First off ... what did the trip cost you?
What version of Win do you now have?

.

Windows 7.

It was a free under-warranty repair.聽 The original repair several months earlier (which I think was for a separate repair issue) was about $60.

cccmedia in Quito.

Keltic Tom Guest

0POSTS

11 years ago

Is it a PC or a lap top? What is the make? How old is it? What were the symptoms? Have you priced the Media Recovery Disks?

Regards .... Tom

Keltic Tom Guest

0POSTS

11 years ago

When responding please include some info:
PC / Lap Top made and model.
The OS installed
Other useful data.

Regards ... Tom

cccmedia Ecuador/Colombia Expert

10285POSTS

11 years ago

#10

Keltic Tom wrote:
Is it a PC or a lap top? What is the make? How old is it? What were the symptoms? Have you priced the Media Recovery Disks?

I'm sure the Expat Geek Squad was trying to be helpful.聽 But so many emails with so many questions.聽 It was just too much.

So I googled "if windows 7 is not genuine what will happen..."

This led me to a professionally produced YouTube video (2 min. 15 sec.) presented by a bearded geek and titled "My Windows 7 Says Not Genuine, How Do I Fix This."

Since neither this geek nor the Expat Geek Squad said anything about my computer possibly being ruined or attacked by malware, I am going to presume that this is not an urgent matter that requires me to research a lot of questions.

Thank you for offering your assistance.聽 Mark this one "Case Closed."

Keltic Tom Guest

0POSTS

11 years ago

#11

What is your down load speed? Here In San Antonio, Texas I have TWC (Time Warner Cable) basic now with DL at 2.18 and UL 1.12. I notice the slow up load.

Most of my speed is only needed only when I work with Adobe Elements 11 but the PC is fast on-board. Duo 3.0 Intel, 6K RAM and a T-bit of HD. I was forced to up-grade ... my Dell Optiplex of the late '90 would only run 768 ... new Elements requires 1K minimum and recommends 2K. The new (used) Optiplex [bits of two + a working processor +] set me back under $300 and includes a new HD.

Tom

Keltic Tom Guest

0POSTS

11 years ago

#12

Dear ccc ... where I the owner of a PC or Lap Top under warranty which received questionable service at an Authorized Serve Center I would report it the Factory and the Factory distributor in Ecuador. I would not let this slide under the bridge. I would out of curtsey begin at the Service Center.

Regards .... Tom

languagetraveler Active member

32POSTS

11 years ago

#13

cccmedia wrote:
Since neither this geek nor the Expat Geek Squad said anything about my computer possibly being ruined or attacked by malware, I am going to presume that this is not an urgent matter that requires me to research a lot of questions.

Thank you for offering your assistance.聽 Mark this one "Case Closed."

I know you said to consider "case closed", but for what it's worth, it sounds like they did a clean installation of your operating system. When that's done, it will provide you with a "clean slate" of sorts (and remove many of the errors which may have been occurring), but Windows will require to verify your product key # online. The key is the group of numbers on the Windows sticker typically found on the back of the computer, but sometimes inside the battery case (if a laptop). You're typically granted several days after installation before doing so become mandatory, but in the meantime, you'll see that warning. It sounds like they forgot to update the installation with your particular key.

Many times when a clean installation is done, it's performed not only with a generic installation disk, but one which may also be associated with a different Windows key. Not really a big deal to enter a new key, though. See here:

cccmedia Ecuador/Colombia Expert

10285POSTS

11 years ago

#14

languagetraveler wrote:
cccmedia wrote:
Thank you for offering your assistance.聽 Mark this one "Case Closed."

I know you said to consider "case closed", but for what it's worth, it sounds like they did a clean installation of your operating system.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge, LT.

I try to avoid bringing in my PC to that shop because they erase practically everything each time they work on it.

A "clean" installation sounds like a good thing.

However, since the last repair I am unable to type a forward slash or a question mark (which appear on the same keyboard key).

What do you think of that....

cccmedia in Quito

languagetraveler Active member

32POSTS

11 years ago

#15

cccmedia wrote:
...they erase practically everything each time they work on it.

A "clean" installation sounds like a good thing.

However, since the last repair I am unable to type a forward slash or a question mark (which appear on the same keyboard key).

What do you think of that....

cccmedia in Quito

Then yes, that sounds like what they did. As you've probably gathered by the name, the clean installation is simply where they take an installation disk and re-install WIndows to your hard drive,overwriting/deleting what was already there. In doing so, it's a fresh start, no errors, viruses, etc., but also no drivers or updates, You also lose any programs and personalizations which have been added. Sometimes a clean installation is a necessary step, but other times it's just a quick shortcut to fix a problem, but at the expense of all those programs and personalizations being lost. If they have done that every time you've brought the computer in to them, it sounds like they're a little "clean installation" happy.

So far as your keyboard, from the Windows button in lower left-hand corner, do a search for "Change keyboards or other input methods". Or you can search for that within Control Panel under "Clock, Language, and Region". Make sure your keyboard United States English, assuming that's your preference. The disk image they may have used to re-install Windows may have been from another similar computer, though one which had its settings to a different language's keyboard. That particular key may just have happened to go out, but I really doubt that. Too coincidental.

You'll also want drivers to be updated for your computer. Also something that they should do when performing a clean installation, but perhaps they didn't. Many drivers are now built into the regular WIndows updates, so if you just search for "Windows Update", it will take you to the option to "Check for Updates". Just be ready, though. If they did a clean installation and didn't update for you, then you're going to have at least one hefty update file (>500 mb) to download, with multiple smaller ones to follow. Hopefully you have good broadband. If not, perhaps bring it back to them and ask that they apply the updates with their bandwidth.