Archive for the ‘Tech News’ Category

« Previous Page — Next Page »

Local Computer Repair in St. Louis

Posted by South City Computer

buy-local-computer-repairAre you looking to support local business? We offer local computer repair in St. Louis offering computer repair, new and refurbished computer sales, and south saint louis business IT services to individuals, organizations, churches and businesses. We are specialized in computer repair, data recovery, virus removal, malware removal, networks, computer support, screen repair and replacement, motherboard repair and replacement, as well as VOIP phone systems, and smartphone/iPhone/Android iPad/tablet repair.

There are lots of great reasons to buy local computer repair in St. Louis services beyond just feeling good about supporting small business in your community. Did you know your dollars have significantly more impact when you buy from a small locally owned shop than from a national chain? Here are ten reasons you may not have thought of:

When you buy local you actually support yourself: Many economic impact studies have shown that buying from independent, locally owned businesses, rather than from giant nationally owned corporations considerably more of your dollars are used to buy from other local businesses, service providers and farms. South City Computer actively buys from other local businesses so you can rest assured that your money is staying in our neighborhood which strengthens the economic base of our community. Economic impact studies show these that locally-owned businesses generate a significant economic impact to the community and our tax base.

Local businesses support more community groups: Non-profit organizations get on average 250% more support from small businesses than from large corporations.

Local businesses help to make our community unique: Our shopping choices like where we get our computer repaired or where we have fun all creates a unique take on community. One-of-a-kind businesses help to create the distinct character of our neighborhood. Visitors to our community businesses also benefit. South City Computer has gotten many customers while on vacation or businesses trips through local Google searches seeking a local computer repair shop that can offer them the feeling of being someplace unique, not in just a big box store.

Local businesses reduce their impact on the environment: Locally businesses purchase more from other local businesses which reduces the required transportation. South City Computer sources much of its refurbished computers from a local St. Louis computer recycling company. South City Computer is easy to walk to, is a neighborhood shop, and requires less driving and hassle to get to, creates less pollution, CO2 emissions, etc…

Local business creates more jobs: Small local businesses employ more local people in our community and provides a lot of jobs to residents. All of South City Computers’ employees live in the neighborhood!

Local businesses provide higher quality service: We hire people with a better understanding of the services we sell and we spend significant time providing ongoing coaching training and mentorship. We also take time to get know our customers, send surveys, and create real relationships.

Local businesses make investments in our community: South City Computer bought and rehabbed its own building into a live/work on Ivanhoe. The owners live upstairs anmd actively participate in the Lindenwood Park community, are unlikely to move, and are heavily involved in the community’s future.

Local businesses’ taxes go good things: Local businesses in the city needs less government and utility investements in infrastructure and are more efficient when using public services as compared to nationally owned big box stores, that tear down housing for parking lots and giant warehouse stores.

At local businesses you can buy what you need, not what someone wants you to buy: When you shop at South City Computer we provide you with the service of helping you to find the right computer for your needs, not high pressure commission based sales on inventory that needs to get moved. This actually gives you more choices since we are not wed to any one distributor or computer brand.

Local businesses generate local prosperity: A large body of economic research proves that in an increasingly corporatized one size fits all homogenized world, small community entrepreneurs and highly skilled workers are more likely to make investments and live in communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and unique character.

So when you are thinking of buying a new computer or getting your old one fixed, we would appreciate it if you would keep in mind your dollars not only get spent on your computer, but will also be reinvested in your community, helping other merchants you shop at and love to keep their doors open and their lights on.

Should you fix your computer problem yourself?

Posted by South City Computer

Motherboard repair st louis computer repairGot a computer issue that you think you can fix? Try it! Just be careful you don’t mess up your computer worse than it already is. There are many reasons that you may want to try to fix your computer issue yourself. Computer repair can be expensive and time consuming and it really depends on how much you value your computer. If you just don’t see the value in putting any money into an old computer, then you should probably try to repair the computer yourself to save you money. If the computer is valuable to you and you cannot afford to be without your computer, then you should probably take it to a computer repair store in your area to do the job for you.

If you feel comfortable troubleshooting computer issues, then by all means attempt to fix your computer. However if you are not the computer guru type, and think you will cause more harm than good, then you are probably right.

What is the worst thing that could happen to my computer if I try to fix it myself?

This is a variable answer to this question because it depends on what is most important to you about your computer. It could be your pictures or iTunes collection, or it could be those super important excel spreadsheets you have for work. What I am getting at is the most common worst case scenario is data loss. Losing your pictures, music, and documents can be very aggravating and costly, not to mention having a broken computer on top of that.

Do I have the tools to fix my computer?

If it is a hardware issue that requires you to get inside your computer, you may or may not have the necessary tools. Apple computers oftentimes have special screws that require special screwdrivers to disassemble them. Other computers could have similar requirements for tools to work on them. If you don’t have the necessary tools, then you might not be able to fix your computer. Unless you want to invest in these tools, you will probably will be better off taking it to a computer repair store.

What should I do if I mess up my computer worse by trying to fix it?

You should probably stop attempting to be a computer guru at this point. Shut the computer down, and bring it to a computer repair specialist in your area. A computer repair technician should be able to figure out what is the issue with your computer, and possibly come up with possible solutions to your computer issue. The computer repair technician may also be able to salvage your important data.

Why would a computer technician be better at fixing my computer issue than me?

Our computer technicians are certified experts at computer repair. Many have degrees in computer science and computer IT. They have a vast understanding of computers from the software layer to the hardware layer. If you are not knowledgeable about computers and their many different components you may want to leave it to a computer repair specialist. However if you think you can handle it, then you may be the perfect candidate to fix your own computer.

Forget Windows 9, are you ready for Windows 10?

Posted by South City Computer

Windows 10 is comingMicrosoft announced that they were making drastic changes to their operating system, so drastic that they skipped a whole version going straight from Windows 8 to Windows 10. The software manufacturer has heard enough griping from it’s customers about the touch-prioritized Metro design with the live tiles interface introduced in Windows 8 and has decided to remove it in the next release of Windows. They hope to appeal to their user base that has not made the switch to Windows 8 and have stayed at Windows 7, mainly their corporate business customers.

“We want all these Windows 7 users to have the sentiment that yesterday they were driving a first-generation Prius, and now with Windows 10 it’s like we got them a Tesla.” says Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore, corporate vice president of operating systems

Windows 10 aims to be a hybrid incorporating the new-age design of Windows 8 along with the familiar functionality of Windows 7. One great example of this that Windows 10 features is a mash-up of the start menu from Windows 7 with the live tiles interface from Windows 8. Another new feature is Windows will FINALLY have multiple desktops, a feature Linux, BSD and Mac users have had for a long time.

Windows 7 is still the most popular Microsoft OS according to this sites web traffic tracking statistics, Windows 7 could be found on 80 percent of desktop PCs in the past month, compared with just less than 12 percent desktops running Windows 8 and 8.1 combined. Surprisingly less than 6 percent of Windows users are still using Windows XP even though support has been discontinued completely by Microsoft.

Windows 10 is expected to be released to the public in fall 2015. However Microsoft will open up the OS to dedicated beta testers under its Windows 10 Insider Program this month.

Windows 7 reaches End of Sales date this October 31

Posted by South City Computer

Windows 7 End of SalesOctober 31, 2014 marks the End of Sales date for Microsoft Windows 7 Home Basic, Home Premium, and Ultimate. End of sales refers to the date when a particular version of Windows is no longer shipped to retailers or Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). Examples of OEMS are Dell and Toshiba—PC manufacturers who often preinstall Windows software.

This means that Microsoft will no longer offer retailers the ability to buy and sell new copies of Windows 7 and the operating system will no longer be offered pre-installed on new computers. This also means customers will no longer be able to order custom built computers with Windows 7 pre-installed or purchase new copies of Windows 7. When a version of Windows reaches its end of sales date, it’s probably a good time to think about upgrading to a newer version of Windows.

This deadline does not mean you will no longer find computers with Windows 7 pre-installed on them, and copies of Windows 7 available for purchase at big-box computer stores. Retailers already have a stock of computers that have Windows 7 pre-installed on them and will continue to sell the existing stock they have. However there are now a limited supply of these computers since manufacturers and retails can no longer order new computer with Windows 7 pre-installed.

Windows 7 Professional will not be affected by this date, as Microsoft has not yet specified a date to end of sales the operating system software. Institutions, corporations and businesses have been leery to make the switch to Windows 8 and have relied on Windows 7 as there have been too many bugs that needed to be fixed before the OS is ready to be a reliable business computing platform.

If you think that you may be running a version of Windows 7 that has reached the End of Sales date Microsoft urges you to start thinking about upgrading. However, realistically, you probably do not need to do anything at this point to your existing computer. You probably will not have to upgrade as the end of main stream support date for Windows 7 does not come until January 14, 2020.

Missouri passes data privacy amendment

Posted by South City Computer

MO digital privacy amendment
On the August 5th, 2014 primary election the people of Missouri voted to protect their digital data privacy from unreasonable searches and seizures with almost 75% of the votes. The original constitutional amendment in Article 1 Section 15 “Unreasonable search and seizure prohibited–contents and basis of warrants.” was enacted in 1875, and became outdated with the dawn of the computing and digital information age.

The original amendment states:

“That the people shall be secure in their persons, papers, homes and effects, from unreasonable searches and seizures; and no warrant to search any place, or seize any person or thing, shall issue without describing the place to be searched, or the person or thing to be seized, as nearly as may be; nor without probable cause, supported by written oath or affirmation.”

Not surprisingly there was no mention of electronic data privacy in this amendment, and left digital privacy up in the air until now.

Amendment 9 in the primary election adds the words “electronic communications and data” to this amendment to try cover electronics such as computers, smart phones, internet browsing history, and other digital devices. In theory this means that law enforcement would be required to get a warrant in order to confiscate and search your computer, hard drives, smartphone, Internet access history, and other digital devices.

This was the wording on the ballet:

“Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended so that the people shall be secure in their electronic communications and data from unreasonable searches and seizures as they are now likewise secure in their persons, homes, papers and effects?”

And this is what the actual constitutional amendment will be updated to:

“Section 15. That the people shall be secure in their persons, papers, homes [and], effects, and electronic communications and data, from unreasonable searches and seizures, and no warrent to search any place or seize any person or thing, or access electronic data or communication, shall issue without describing the place to be searched, or the person or thing to be seized, or the data or communication to be accessed, as nearly as may be; no without probable cause, supported by a written oath or affirmation.”

While their are already protections for digital privacy enacted by the Federal government, on the state level there had been no mention of digital privacy until now.

In reality what this actually means will have to be determined by the Missouri courts system, however in theory it may give those seeking protections from unreasonable search and seizure of their smart phones and laptops during an interaction with law enforcement more protection.

St. Louis Elections Website Hacked?

Posted by South City Computer

stlelections-hacked
Just days before the August 5, 2014 primary election, the St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners website (stlelections.com) may be hacked according to Google. When clicking on the link, the website appears to no longer be resolving, and shows only a blank white screen. This certainly makes it challenging for St. Louis City voters to “study up” as Mayor Francis Slay urged voters to do in a tweet he made on Saturday before the election.

While this is most likely an isolated incident on the stlelections.com web server, you should probably avoid visiting website until it appears to be fixed as it could also infect your computer with spamware, ransomware, malware, viruses, or trojans.

Voters can review ballot issues on the Missouri Secretary of State website: http://www.sos.mo.gov/elections/2014ballot/, however information on local St. Louis City election candidates and issues are a little harder to find at this time.

Facebook Down

Posted by South City Computer

Facebook Down Message
Today, around 11:00am CST tens of thousands of tweets flooded Twitter from London to St. Louis posting the resounding message, #FacebookDown. Twitter users made light of the situation by making snarky tweets such as “You are only on Twitter because #FacebookDown”. Or another tweet urged people to go do something else: “Since #FacebookDown go outside and play.”

The Facebook outage appeared to have only been temporary for less than 30 minutes. The Facebook website was back up by noon CST on August 1, 2014. However the hiccup to service was wide felt across the Internet.

A quick check during the outage using isup.me confimed the situation earlier today.
Screenshot - 08012014 - 11:29:36 AM

The Facebook outage only appeared to have affected the browser version of the application, the mobile interface seemed to function normally during the Facebook outage.

There has been no official statement offered from the companie’s Twitter @facebook for why there was a temporary outage to service, howerver Mashable reports that a representative from Facebook issued the following statement: “Earlier this morning, some people had trouble accessing Facebook for a short time. We quickly investigated and are currently restoring service for everyone. We’re sorry for the inconvenience.”

The companies stock NASDAQ: FB did not appear to be greatly affected only dropping about $1 to $71.58 per share during the service outage.

fb-down

What happens if I drop my computer?

Posted by South City Computer

Of course, one sure way to break a computer is by dropping it, but many people wonder what actually happens to the computer when it gets dropped that makes it stop working. There are a number of different issues that can arise, with the most simple being screen and case damage. If the case becomes damaged, you may also be facing the chance of a part of the motherboard being broken off, making the computer irrepairable. The most common issue, however, is hard drive failure.
The hard drive in your computer is the part that stores both your personal files, and the files needed to boot the computer and run an operating system such as Microsoft Windows. The hard drive is also the most delecate part of the computer. It works a bit like a traditional record player, but on a microscopic level. A small arm moves back and forth, the end of which contains a device that can change the polarity of molecules on the platter, the surface that the arm moves over. Because the data on the platter is stored so densely, any damage to it can cause failure. When the computer is dropped, it’s possble that the arm can scratch the platter, making it difficult for the computer to read. As the drive continues to be used, the scratch will become deeper, eventually causing failure. The hard drive will often make some noise if this is about to happen — see our article about noises your computer might make.

So, what do I do?

First and foremost, turn it off. This is one of the rare cases where it is OK to turn your computer off immediately by holding down the power button. Since Windows will try to write a bunch of information out to the hard drive during the shutdown process, it is good to just skip that in this case. You should not do this if your drive is not failing.
Don’t turn it back on. No matter how bad you need your data, turning the computer or drive back on will only increase your chance of irrecoverable data loss.
Protect the computer. Since the computer can’t be used anyway, take it and put it somewhere that it will be protected from any further shocks. If you have a padded case, put it in there. If your comfortable with removing the hard drive, you can take it out and put it in a padded container. Otherwise, I recommend puting it somewhere on the floor, but where it won’t get stepped on, like under your bed.
Bring it to a professional. Data recovery is a complicated task. This is why you should carefully bring your computer to a professional to have it looked at. South City Computer has an in-house data recovery specialist that can diagnose your issue and help you recover your data. We use advanced imaging technologies to pull raw data off the drive if necessary. We can then search this data for your important files. We also have specialists that can replace your hard drive with a new one and move your files over.
Don’t let a drop cause data loss in the first place! We offer comprehensive backup and recovery plans that eliminate the need for data recovery in case of a failure. We have some more information here, but you can also give us a call at 314-400-7918 for more information and to sign up.

Microsoft healthy smart watch to be released later this year

Posted by South City Computer

Microsoft is entering the market of smart watches just like Sony, Google, Samsung and Apple with the greatly anticipated iWatch. However, Microsoft is producing a watch that focuses on fitness and health instead of just apps. Rumors have been circulating the Internet for some time now about the new Microsoft smart watch, and a patent filed by Microsoft for a “Wearable Personal Information System” is more proof that the company is probably planning to introduce a smart watch to the consumer market. The Microsoft smart watch will include several different sensors to monitor the watch wearers health vitals.

A few features have already leaked into the news about the Microsoft smart watch. Those features include a blood-glucose monitor like Apples iWatch is rumored to have, a heart-rate monitor, and a UV sensor.

No solid release date has been set for the Microsoft smart watch, but sources from the company say the watch should be out by the end of the year.

South City Computer Installs 23rd Ward Democrats Phone Bank

Posted by South City Computer

For politicians campaigning for office, having an accessible easy to use turn-key phone bank system is tantamount winning in any election. Being able to reach voters and have person to person discussions is still the best way to advertise a candidacy, promote a platform, and earn votes.

Building on experience installing a phone bank during last years’ Mayoral and Aldermanic races, where South City Computer was chosen to install phone banks for Mayor Slay and Alderman Vaccaro, South City Computer has just finished installing a small call center for the 23rd Ward Democrats phone bank during this upcoming election cycle.

This phone bank will be used by volunteers phone banking on behalf of Sharon Quigley Carpenter in the upcoming weeks in their efforts towards her re-election.

“The turnkey campaign phone bank is a new product based on an enterprise telecom switch and easy to use web based management interface. It comes packaged with phones, laptops, and a wireless router plus all cables and surge protectors needed for the system.” Says Nestor Wheelock, project manager at South City Computer.

Since cost is always an issue, and campaigns end, this system is available to be leased for a flat fee based on the number of volunteer workstations needed.

Additionally, the package includes the first 2000 minutes free plus all the features of a PBX including email attached voicemail that can be routed to staffers. Calls can be made from mobile softphones so volunteers and staff can call from anywhere they have a strong wifi or mobile data connection.

Aside from the benefit of enabling volunteers to easily phone bank for campaigns, the campaign phone bank system includes the option for data and voter sorting services to make it easy for volunteers to call the right people at the right times, conduct surveys, and do what it takes to boost turnout and win the election.

“This unique product came our of years of research and development experience with VOIP in our Pink Asterisk IT studio, and also because of the hard work from the development community that wrote the software. We’ve productized the system so it’s turn key and available for any campaign.”

There is a new website coming soon specifically for this product. You can find it at http://campaignphonebank.com

« Previous Page — Next Page »
// //
//