GEM computer services

GEM computer services GEM Computer Services is based in West Stockwith and provides mobile IT support to the Isle of Axholme and surrounding areas.

19/08/2015

As you have probably noticed Microsoft have offered Windows 7 & 8 customers a free upgrade to Windows 10, I keep getting asked, Should I upgrade?, my honest answer is if you can deal with fault finding annoying issues then go ahead, however if you don't know how to deal with sound not working, or Outlook not opening or sending emails or a machine that won't access the internet then proceed with caution and be prepared to have to call someone out to fix what you cannot. I have spoken to a number of people who have upgraded without any issue, I have also had a number of machines brought to me that have required work to iron out issues, in the long run Windows 10 support from Microsoft will go past Windows 8.1 support and currently a copy of Windows 10 is around £100 so there is a saving to be made by upgrading, when installed correctly it does run well, will it have the same maintenance requirements as previous versions of Windows only time will tell, I suspect it will given Microsofts track record along with the issues incurred during the current upgrade. One reassuring finding I have come across if after upgrading your machine falls over it is possible to reload the system from a Windows 10 DVD without the need for a serial key, it would appear that once your machine has activated its install of Windows 10 when your reloaded machine contacts the activation server it acknowledges it is a valid install. I have tested this on a customers machine that was unusable after upgrading so can acknowledge this works.

19/08/2015

I have a had a couple of calls recently where a customer has been infected with a virus known as Crypto locker, this is a ransom ware type of virus where the users data is encrypted with a strong form of encryption that requires a specific key to unlock, the virus will offer the decryption key at a cost which can be in the hundreds, removing the virus is straightforward decrypting the files is impossible to do without the key, the best defence is to ensure windows is up to date, you have an antivirus product that is working properly and more importantly you have some form of backup, things to remember if your using a network backup, a permanently attached external hard drive or even folder synchronisation like drop box for example if they are connected when a crypto locker virus runs those files can be encrypted at the same time. Be vigilant when opening emails with attachments and if you need any advice on a backup solution get in touch. Rebuilding the software on a machine is straightforward so you only need to worry about those important documents and pictures, a backup solution needn't be expansive, complicated or time consuming and well worth the effort if it meant you weren't to lose those files that matter the most.

Is your laptop running warmer than it used to? does the fan run constantly? if the answer is yes to the above the coolin...
19/08/2015

Is your laptop running warmer than it used to? does the fan run constantly? if the answer is yes to the above the cooling mechanism within the machine has started to fail, if your machine still powers up get it looked at ASAP, if left the end result will be the motherboard over heating with a loss of display, prevention is better than cure with this one, I have had some success reviving laptops that have lost their display after over heating but have had a much higher success rate with curing over heating before the display is lost, the machine in the pictures are a before and after, in the first picture the power light and wireless light illuminate but no display, after stripping the machine down, reflowing the solder on the motherboard, and overhauling the cooling mechanism the machine powered up and ran at the correct temperature

06/05/2015

New Windows 8.1 PC Build, From power on at the switch to browsing the internet in 20 seconds. This was not an expensive build and goes to show its the components you choose across the whole build rather than concentrating on one thing, How long are you spending waiting for your PC to wake up.

18/12/2014

This one is for Apple users,
If you are using the iCloud service with the find my phone\device function enabled, a feature available from IOS7 onwards, make sure you have the correct details to reset the Password in the event the account becomes locked out, ensure the correct date of birth has been entered and you have a record of the security questions, and to make life easier ensure the secondary Email address that can be used for password reseting is valid, accessible and not the iCloud email address. Without these the only way Apple will override the account is by deleting it upon proof of purchase. While this is probably not an issue for your own device, it can become a problem if you are setting a device up on behalf of someone, if you are helping someone make sure they answer the questions that come up during set up and keep a record somewhere, in these modern times of on line hacking and account password compromising etc, there is a lot to be said for writing passwords down in an old note book that lives in the bottom of a draw, its more secure than Apple, Sony's or Microsofts Servers are. Also if you have written them down its easier to generate a more complex password if you can refer back to it should you forget it. There are useful password encryption tools which I will do a piece on another time if you want a secure electronic system. The reason the above article has come about is because this week I was asked to help reset an iCloud ID on behalf of a lady who had been given an iPad by her grandson who had set the device up, 2 years later the password is forgotten there is no record of the security questions and even reseting the iPad back to factory defaults will not bypass this due to the fact that as soon as the device connects to the internet it will ask for the password. The account is associated to the devices individual serial number. Lastly if you are selling or passing an iPhone\iPad make sure you remove any of your associated Apple accounts otherwise you will render the device useless to its new owner unless you are prepared to give them your password. On a plus point as a security measure the find my device feature works very well and despite my best efforts i could not get round it, Apple can not gain access to any one account without 2 pieces of validation, so will not override an account just because you are asking, and an Apple store need proof of purchase before they will assist.

28/11/2014

I currently have a choice of refurbished Windows 7 desktop base units available to buy, they have been blanked, reloaded, activated, updated & prepared, they are an excellent low cost replacement for an ageing unsupported Windows XP desktop if you don't want to invest in a brand new PC. I can deliver and set them up in your home and at the same time transfer your data from your old PC.

24/11/2014

Busy day today, started with a call from a customer trying to install a recently purchased copy of Mcafee internet security, not only was the product over priced but to make matters worse its refusal to install was nothing more than plain annoying, I ended up with the call to fix this as after speaking to Mcafee support my customer was quoted £95 for a remote session to resolve the issue, had he taken up on this he would have ended up spending the best part of £150 on an AV product that regularly falls behind free alternatives in reviews. For the home user there is an argument to be made along the lines of using reputable free Anti virus products and using the money saved to have their machines given a proper once over annually, more issues would be resolved, detected or prevented this way than any one piece of software could achieve with the end result a faster performing machine. The second appointment of the day was courtesy of our friends at PC world, after successfully selling a nice HP all in one touch screen desktop for a fair price they failed to set the machine up as per the customers request despite re-leaving their customer of an additional £150 worth of add ons that were not needed for his application. I got the call to finish off where they had left off. The end result was my customer having the machine set up the way he wanted, unfortunately he had to pay a set up fee twice as he did not feel comfortable taking the machine back to dispute the issue with PC world customer services. I cannot fault the pricing on PC worlds hardware however their set up service is poor at best and still leaves the customer with additional set up at home afterwards. If you do need to shop at PC world buy the hardware avoid the add on hard sell, give me a ring I will save you money and set your machine up as you require, a new PC\Laptop purchase should need not result in hours of messing round to get thing as you want. The biggest advantage of having a home set up is having your data migrated from old machine to new, printer set up and any tuition you might require while I am on site. The day concludes fixing a laptop who's owner got caught out by a supposed online support service who have conducted a remote session on her laptop, the end result being an unusable desktop and card details being handed over to who knows. I have advised as I do whenever this happens to get the card cancelled ASAP, in the mean time the machine is getting a clean up and optimise.

New build Windows 8.1 Desktop PC in Pictures from out of the courier box into a complete system ready to go to its new h...
20/11/2014

New build Windows 8.1 Desktop PC in Pictures from out of the courier box into a complete system ready to go to its new home. The specs for this particular machine are as follows 4GB DDR3 Memory, 1TB Solid State Hybrid Drive, AMD FX6300 Six Core processor, This is a great mid price system with plenty of room for expansion into a gaming rig or graphic designers desktop. Despite the bad press Widows 8 has wrongly received it is possible to install the much loved start menu, making the new operating system feel more familiar, Windows 8 despite a dew quirks is by far the fastest Windows operating system to date so to ensure the best performance from a new build it is my first choice. From a life span perspective Windows 8 will be supported by Microsoft until 2023, and While Windows 7 is still available and still a good operating system if you do not want to go down the Windows 8 route and it will be receiving Microsoft support until 2020. This PC is to replace a dated XP desktop. One thing I learnt from this particular build is for some reason the current version of AVAST AV which I am a fan of is not currently compatible with Windows 8.1, upon installing the desktop became unresponsive with right click menus failing to open, I am sure this will be addressed before long, but for this build I used AVG to maintain stability

GEM Custom build PC installed at Knights Home Care in Misterton. Complete system built to the customers requirements and...
18/11/2014

GEM Custom build PC installed at Knights Home Care in Misterton. Complete system built to the customers requirements and set up onsite. The purchase process was straightforward a phone call was made a price and spec was agreed, the machine was built and delivered on an agreed date, Windows updated, Anti Virus & Microsoft Office installed, email, user profiles, printer networking all done. All the hassle removed from the customer. The machine was in use by its new operator within an hour of being onsite. All for a price that PC world could not touch, and without any compromise on the Components used to build the package.

18/11/2014

LIKE IT OR NOT… Should you be using facebook for your business? There is no doubt; the Facebook phenomenon has taken over those pockets of mind where peace and quiet once lived. A second of downtime and today’s generation is either sending cyber stickers or fiddling with settings to avoid receiving…

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