Repairs - Upgrades - Virus Removal - Security
Marc realizes that computers and Information Technology intimidate many people. It is his intention to free people from their IT concerns so they can concentrate on their business and not their computers. Marc will be glad to give you as much or as little technical assistance as you feel comfortable with. He always keeps in mind that the success of his business depends on the success of your business.
This effect is really a combination of things:
- When your computer was new, it was faster than most of the other computers that you may have used at the time. Now, it is slower than the other computers that are around. The computer seems slower, because your frame of reference is different.
- As you use your computer, you will download 3rd party programs, these programs then run whenever your computer boots up. You will usually see the programs show up in the system tray by the clock. Each program takes up system resources (memory) while it is running. This will cause your computer to slow down.
- As your computer is used, the hard disk drive becomes fragmented, which slows down the amount of time it takes to read a file off the hard drive. This affects the speed at which programs load as well.
- You could have spyware. Spyware is a general classification for software that is designed to track the way you use your computer. Spyware usually just tracks your internet browsing habits, and sends you popup ads based on the sites that you regularly visit. Some spyware is much more insidious, and causes you to receive unsolicited emails (SPAM), or even places pornography on your machine. A competent computer professional can assist you in removing the spyware from your computer, and immunizing your computer so that you are less likely to get spyware again in the future.
There are a number of things that can be done to keep your computer running smoothly, and to avoid losing your valuable data:
- Backup your data as often as you can afford to lose it. Regular data backups are essential to protecting your data from hardware failures. Sometimes, computer hardware will fail without notice. If you do not have a backup, you could lose everything.
- Run a thorough scandisk on your computer monthly. This will notify you if your hard drive is starting to fail. It is much more likely that you data can be saved if you catch a failing hard drive quickly.
- Defragment your computer monthly. This will help keep your computer running smoothly.
Buy a good quality surge protector. There is a big difference between a power board and a good surge Protector. I recommend Belkin surge protectors and uninterruptible power supplies. A good surge protector will come with a connected equipment warranty, which insures that if your computer equipment is damaged by an electrical surge while properly connected to the surge suppressor, they will pay for it up to a specified limit.
There are several actions you should take:
- Purchase up-to-date Antivirus Software. My current favourite is AVG Free for Home use and AVG Internet security for business. New Antivirus programs have better technology for scanning email as it comes in, updating themselves easily, and finding virus like activity, even if the virus has not yet been recorded.
- Keep your Antivirus Software current by downloading Virus Definitions and program updates on a Weekly basis. If you do not keep your Antivirus software up to date, it will quickly become useless. New viruses are released on a daily basis. These updates give you protection against new viruses as they are discovered. With the increasing use of the Internet, viruses spread much more quickly. It is not uncommon to come across a virus within two weeks of it being discovered.
- Download and install all security patches for your Operating System. If you are using Windows 7 or newer, Microsoft has an update utility available at http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com. Many viruses will exploit holes in windows, and the common windows email software (Outlook, Windows Mail and Outlook Express). Installing these patches will protect you against many of the known security flaws in Windows.
- Use common sense when handling incoming email. Do not open any email attachments that you are not expecting. Email attachments ending in: .scr, .bat, .pif, .exe, .com, .js, and .jhtml, these are very often viruses. Do not open files with these extensions, unless you are absolutely sure that you know what you are doing.
Software Solutions:
- These solutions will improve the performance, but will only get it running as fast as it did when you purchased it.
- Defragment your hard drive.
Stop any unnecessary programs from loading when your computer boots. *If you are not comfortable doing this on your own, have a professional take care of this for you.
Hardware Solutions:
- If you would like to increase the speed of your computer, the easiest method is to add RAM (memory) to your computer. Adding RAM can cause a noticeable improvement in the performance of your computer. The type of RAM your computer takes will depend on the age of your computer. RAM prices have dropped significantly in the past few years, making this one of the most easily justified upgrades on most systems.
- Replacing your hard drive is another way to increase the performance of your system. *The primary purpose of replacing your hard drive is usually to add storage space. New hard drives are larger, and faster than old hard drives.
- If you are looking for more performance than RAM alone can add, you are looking at a major overhaul. To substantially increase the speed of your computer, you will need a new processor. As technology goes, new processors require new motherboards, new RAM, and usually a new video card. This is OK, because all of these other new parts will also improve the performance.
Please note: This upgrade is not always worth it. You will still have some old parts on your computer, and sometimes you are better off just replacing the whole computer.
Yes, we most certainly can. Although we repair computers, we also offer services in computer consulting, computer networking, web hosting and web design. Call us 0403 261 661 or email us to schedule an appointment to assess your needs.
Yes. You can not only share your internet connection, but also your files, games, and printers by setting up a home network. Whether you want to set up a simple “peer-to-peer” or complex network involving more than two computers wirelessly on all floors of your house, MWCS has many solutions to get your network up and running. Call Marc to schedule an appointment.
No power from the computer can be caused by any of the following possibilities.
- Connections not connected properly.
- Third-party hardware.
- Bad power cable.
- Incorrect power supply.
- Bad battery.
- Bad power supply, power button, and/or power board or inverter.
- Bad RAM.
Call me 0403 261 661 or send me a request
Marcus Warren
23:48 05 Mar 24
Marc was incredibly helpful when my computer decided to die. He came over to our house and ended up purchasing and installing a new drive for me. Once installed, he helped me set everything up again & it's better than ever. I would highly recommend Marc for anyone with computer issues.
Will Pyke
00:58 15 Aug 23
I would highly recommended Marc's services to anyone looking for computer/laptop assistance. Marc went above and beyond to repair my laptop and gave me honest feedback throughout the process.He was easy to communicate with and extremely friendly.If you want someone with a wealth of knowledge and equal integrity when dealing with, Marc is your guy.
George Stefanescu
20:03 13 Aug 23
I highly recommend Marc. He is extremely ethical with his clients and fixes the most difficult problems. Best I.T. service on the Gold Coast.
