Author Archive

Desktop repair in St. Louis

Posted by

South City Computer offers desktop repair services for the St. Louis metro area. We service all makes and models of desktop computers. All brands such as Acer, Apple, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Compaq, MSI, custom build, and gaming computers.

The most common desktop repair services are virus repair, malware removal, tune-up, data recovery, hard drive repair, power supply repair, hardware repair, CPU repair, fan repair, and corrupt operating system repairs.

South City Computer also offers laptop repair services.

Bring your desktop computer to South City Computer for desktop repair services.

Refurbished Laptops Sale in St Louis

Posted by

Refurbished Laptops for SaleSouth City Computer carries high quality refurbished laptop and desktop computers. We carry several brands such as HP, Toshiba, Dell, Lenovo, Gateway, Asus, Acer, and somtimes Apple at any given time as they become available. Come in to our computer store located in South St. Louis City to see what computers we currently have in stock. All used laptops and used desktops are Grade A computers meaning they are not “brand new” but are in excellent condition and that all components have been tested to be functional.

South City Computer has Microsoft Windows laptops and desktops computers. All the Microsoft Windows computers come per-installed with anti-virus software as well as Google Chrome and Firefox.

South City Computer also has refurbished laptop and desktop computers with Ubuntu Linux pre-installed instead of Windows.

Apple Repair in St. Louis

Posted by

South City Computer offers Apple repair to the St. Louis metro area. South City Computer can repair all Apple computer related issues. South City Computer can repair all models of Macbook, Macbook Pro, Macbook Air, iMac, iPad, and iPhone. South City Computer also can help with Apple software such as Apple iTunes. South City Computer can also offers broken apple screen repair services. South City Computer offers Apple OS recovery services. South City Computer offers Apple data recovery services. South City Computer can also help with Apple iCloud.

South City Computer can help you with your Apple repair needs.

PC Repair in St. Louis

Posted by

South City Computer offers PC repair to St. Louis metro area. Having reliable PC repair is important when computer problems happen. South City Computer offers PC repair services on all makes and models of desktop and laptop computer. South City Computer also offers Apple repair on Macbooks and iMacs.

Here are the most common PC repairs we offer.

Virus Repair
Malware Removal
Laptop Screen Repair
Broken Screen Repair
Touch Screen Repair
Laptop Repair
Desktop Repair
Tablet Screen Repair
Phone Screen Repair
Windows Repair
Power Supply Repair
Motherboard Repair
DC Jack Repair
Laptop Keyboard Repair
Laptop Touchpad Repair
Windows Restore
Remote Support Service
Hardware Repair
Wifi Repair
Wireless Repair
Data Recovery
Hard Drive Repair
Custom Computer Repair
Gaming Computer Repair
Laptop Fan Repair
CPU Fan Repair
CPU Repair
Desktop Fan Repair
Laptop Power Adapter Repair
Computer Tune-Up
RAM Repair
Computer Repair Diagnostic
Internet Repair
Network Card Repair
Video Card Repair
Windows Driver Repair
Windows Update Repair
Windows 10 Upgrade Repair

If you need PC repair services in St. Louis then come to South City Computer.

Microsoft Pushes Windows 10 onto Users

Posted by

We often hear that computers are automatically upgrading to Windows 10 without the computer users knowledge or consent.

Here are just a few messages that appeared on Facebook over the weekend with the identities and expletives removed. You can see the frustration of the Windows users.

upgrade-10-message

upgrade-10-message-2

At first we thought maybe people were confused by the recommended Windows 10 upgrade message and maybe accidentally clicked to initiate the upgrade, until we noticed the computers for sale here at South City Computer started showing a message indicating that Windows was going to upgrade to Windows 10 automatically. What Microsoft?!?! We didn’t ask or agree to upgrade to Windows 10!

windows-10-forced-upgrade

As you can see, Windows is set to automatically upgrade to Windows 10 on May 20th for this computer. Even though we have ignored the pop-ups urging us to upgrade to Windows 10 for months now, we are going to be upgraded unless we take action!

So here is how to cancel this force upgrade. Do NOT click OK, instead click on the word “here” where it says “Click here to change upgrade schedule or cancel scheduled upgrade”.

The next screen you should see is as follows:

windows-10-forced-upgrade-cancel

Next click “Cancel scheduled upgrade”.

After this you will see the next message:

windows-10-forced-upgrade-cancel-2

Again, Microsoft wants to be very sure that we want to seriously Cancel the automatic upgrade to Windows 10. Now click the “Cancel Scheduled Upgrade” button.

After you do this, it should cancel the automatic upgrade that was set for May 20th. If you do not go through this process, then you will be forced into Windows 10. If you want to eliminate the Windows 10 upgrade completely forever, bring your computer to South City Computer and we will disable the Windows 10 upgrade for good!

Windows 10 Safe Mode menu at boot

Posted by

Remember when Windows failed to start and you could just enter Safe Mode by pressing F8 or Shift+F8 at boot. Long gone are those days with the new Windows 10. The only way to access Safe Mode is by first booting into Windows 10 and then holding the shift key while choosing to restart to get the Windows Boot Option Menu. But what if your computer no longer boots into Windows?
The only way to get Safe Mode during boot up is to create a boot time Safe Mode option before you can no longer boot into Windows. To create a boot up option menu Hit Win+x and select the Command Prompt (Run as Administrator). Now type bcdedit/copy {current} /d “Windows 10 Safe Mode” and hit Enter. Now from the Start menu, type msconfig, run System Configuration in the results, and then select the Boot tab. Choose the Windows 10 Safe Mode option you just created, choose Safe boot and select Minimal under Boot options. You can repeat these steps, substituting suitable names in quotes at the Command Prompt, to create shortcuts for Safe Mode with Networking (choose Network rather than Minimal in System Configuration) and Safe Mode with Command Prompt (Alternate shell). And there you have it, an “old skool – nu skool” Safe Mode boot option menu.
If you are in the predicament where you cannot boot into Windows and cannot access Safe Mode, or you just don’t like doing the techy stuff yourself, then bring your computer to South City Computer, and we can fix your computer for you.

Windows 10 Free Upgrade Ends this Summer

Posted by

Free Windows 10 Upgrade expires this summerThe FREE Windows 10 upgrade offer is set to expire on July 29, 2016. After the free Windows 10 upgrade expires Windows users will still be able to upgrade, but will have to pay for the new version of Windows.

As time is running out, you may be asking yourself if taking the leap into Windows 10 is going to be right for you? Most computers will upgrade cleanly to the new version of Windows without any problems, however some computers just do not work with Windows 10. Refer to your computer manufacturer to verify that your computer will work with Windows 10.

If you are in doubt and don’t want to goof up your computer please schedule an in-store or remote Spring System Maintenance Service for 34.99 and we will include a FREE Upgrade Consultation, a 49.99 value.

Stop by South City Computer located at 3235 Ivanhoe Ave. St. Louis, MO 63139 or Call South City Computer 314-400-7918.

Tips to stay safe on the Internet

Posted by

computer-repair-scams-st-louisKeep your computer system up to date. Run updates regularly and also have a running up-to-date anti-virus software if you are using Windows. Never allow your anti-virus software become out of date. Newer and better malware and computer viruses are released on the Internet every day.

Use 2-factor authentication whenever possible. This can mean having your cell phone number and an email address connected to your account. This way if one becomes compromised there is still another way to retrieve your hacked account.

Monitor your bank account and credit card account activity regularly. Keep an eye on your expenses, if you notice anything unusual contact your bank or credit card company immediately.

Use a Paypal, Google or Amazon account to make online purchases. This keeps your credit card or bank account information confidential with one trusted source. Don’t share your credit card information on any website that doesn’t take an alternative payment method such as Paypal, Google Wallet, or Amazon Payments.

Maintain strong, hard to guess, passwords. Try to come up with something memorable, yet complex. Use a capital letter with lower case letters, numbers, a symbol, and something that has a length of 8 or more characters are recommended.

Use different passwords for social media accounts than the one(s) you use for your financial accounts. Make sure the passwords are not alike either. This way if your social media account becomes compromised, then you bank account won’t be next in line. Just using different passwords could save you a lot!

Never share your password or login credentials with anyone.

Never allow anyone to connect to your computer using a screen sharing software without verifying they are a trusted computer repair company.

Never open attachments in emails you are not sure of their authenticity.

Never give out your Social Security number or credit card information unless you initiated the phone call and verified the phone number is who you indeed are trying to contact with a secondary source such as a phone book.

Use privacy settings on your social media accounts that will only allow friends to see your personal information and what you post. Also put as little personal information as possible into social media sites. Scammers and hackers can learn a lot about their victims by simply looking at social media posts.

Keep your system backed up. New computer malware and viruses can corrupt your data so that it cannot be recovered.

How to access the Boot Option Menu when Windows won’t start

Posted by

Windows 10 Advanced Boot Option MenuSince UEFI firmware was added to most new Windows computers the Advanced Windows Boot Option Menu is essential to change your computer’s bios settings, access the recovery partition, run startup repair, or to access the command prompt to administer the computer using the command line.

Normally to access the Windows Boot Option Menu you can hold down the shift key while choosing to restart the computer, however the Windows operating system sometimes becomes corrupt and will no longer boot to the login or desktop screen, or Windows will hang during start up in an endless startup recovery loop, or Windows will show a frowning face and report that it has an issue and needs to shut down, or Windows will boot to only show a black screen with the mouse cursor, and in any of these cases there is no way a computer user can press the shift key and select to restart the computer in order to access the Windows Boot Option Menu. So if you are experiencing one of these common symptoms during the boot up of your computer then you may be able to use the following workaround.

To access the Windows Boot Option Menu you will need to boot your computer with a Windows 8 or Windows 10 CD. After selecting your language, select to “Repair your Computer”, and you will be taken to the Windows Boot Option Menu.

But lets get real, unfortunately most computers no longer come with a Windows restore CD. Microsoft recommends borrowing one from a friend. But what if you don’t have a friend with the CD, or don’t have any friends at all? If you don’t have access to the Windows CD then bring your computer to a local computer repair store near you or if you find yourself in the St. Louis metro area, then bring your computer to South City Computer.

Ransomware Tips

Posted by

What is ransomware? Ransomware is a type of malware that can infect your computer, restricting your access to your data and/or threatening its destruction unless you pay a ransom. There are many different types of ransomware that manifest themselves in sometimes very convincing ways. They often appear to be official messages from well known organizations, such as Microsoft or the FBI. They are, however, elaborate scams con artists use to gain access to personal information such as account numbers, social security numbers, etc. Ransomeware is not so very new, but it is on the rise. Ransomware can impact home computers as well as businesses and other institutions. Even cell phones can be infected.

One common way to end up with ransomware is by opening emails from unknown sources. This can be difficult to avoid. Sometimes the emails will claim to be from official organizations, or even appear to be from a friend or loved one who’s computer has been infected. Simply entering websites that have been compromised can infect your computer as well. Once the device is infected, users are often prompted to pay a ransom, often with a pre-paid card or virtual currency such as bitcoin.

Here are some good ways to protect your computer from
ransomware:

– Have updated antivirus software on your computer.

– Use strong passwords (the strongest passwords don’t resemble words, contain capital and lower case letters, numbers and other characters). And use different passwords for different things.

– Enable automated patches for your web browser and operating system

– Use a pop-up blocker

– Only download software from sites you know and trust, as malware can also come in downloadable games, file-sharing programs, and customized toolbars.

– Don’t open attachments in unsolicited e-mails. Even if they appear to come from people in your contact list, and never click on a URL contained in an unsolicited e-mail.

– Make sure you back up your data

– Use these precautions any time you are on the internet, whether you are on a computer or your phone.

// //
//