Posts by ShaneMcP

One of the best things to do would be build your own computer, or fool around with an older one that you don't have to worry about breaking.

Experience is a really big thing, but in the corporate environment, so are certifications. MCSE, A+, CCNA are different types of certs you can and should get if you want to get into the field. You can just take the test on your own after reading some books on the subject or take a class. I find a lot of people spend money on the books but don't have the self-motivation to read them and study. Classes on the other hand help with that self-motivation.

Besides that though, you want to get as much computer experience under your belt as possible. Even if it means working for minimum wage at a computer repair shop, its better than nothing (plus what you'll learn from other techs will be priceless).

Also, if you want to be successful you need to get comfortable talking to other people and socializing. Even some of the best techs are not good at dealing with people, which is a priceless quality. Get comfortable talking to others (take some speech classes, project oriented classes). Be willing to get outside of your comfort zone.

Thats some quick advice I have, hopefully it helps!

Shane

I would personally recommend Microsoft Anti-spyware.

What the heck was I thinking? Ohh yea, thats when this program was actually decent (for the first 2 days it was out). If you are looking for free protection, I'd use AVG Free and regularly update/run spybot.

Shane

I think the computer engineer / IT person is a commonly confused career path.

All things considered, IT is better :P

Try downloading the driver from a hard line connection (ethernet cable). Sometimes downloads can become corrupted when using wireless devices. Try plugging into the network and redownloading.

They could have released a bad driver, but I doubt it.

Check to see if you have spyware and remove it:

First you want to start your computer in safe mode (I say that a lot ).

Repeatedly strike the f8 key while your computer is booting up and select "Safe mode with networking"

Once Safe mode loads, try opening up internet explorer. Head to http://housecall.trendmicro.com and run their spyware/virus utility. Keep running it until it displays no results.

Also try download spybot and adaware. Update those programs and run them both until they don't find anything.

Also head to http://www.trendmicro.com/spyware-scan/
and run that utility.

What do you mean partition method?

It sounds like you should do a complete clean install. Restore disks are always messy. You want to format the disk (not quick format) prior to installing the OS.

Let me know how it goes.

A simple add-on should do the trick. Try one of these:

http://internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/?ttreng=1&ttrkey=internet+filter

This one is free:

http://www.k9webprotection.com/

They filter anything and everything you want to pretty much. Hope that helps.

You have the laptop drive directly connected to the desktop correct?

Check out this windows article addressing your issue:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;308421&Product=winxp

That should solve your problem, let me know how it goes!

Have you tried using the Disk Management tool to see if it shows up in there?

I warn you, be careful when playing around in the admin area.

Start > Setting > Control Panel or Start > Control Panel

>Administrative Tools

>Computer Management > Then select disk management

How many drives does it show here? How many disks? Send me a PM for a faster response

You could very well have some spyware issues. I have so ideas that may help. Send me a PM with questions.

First you want to start your computer in safe mode (I say that a lot ).

Repeatedly strike the f8 key while your computer is booting up and select "Safe mode with networking"

Once Safe mode loads, try opening up internet explorer. Head to http://housecall.trendmicro.com and run their spyware/virus utility. Keep running it until it displays no results.

Also try download spybot and adaware. Update those programs and run them both until they don't find anything.

Also head to http://www.trendmicro.com/spyware-scan/
and run that utility.

First you want to start your computer in safe mode (I say that a lot :D).

Repeatedly strike the f8 key while your computer is booting up and select "Safe mode with networking"

Once Safe mode loads, try opening up internet explorer. Head to http://housecall.trendmicro.com and run their spyware/virus utility. Keep running it until it displays no results.

Also try download spybot and adaware. Update those programs and run them both until they don't find anything.

Also head to http://www.trendmicro.com/spyware-scan/
and run that utility.

Another option is physically removing the hard drive, hooking up to another computer as a secondary drive and running a virus scan on it. That requires some expertise.

Keep running the scans until no results exist for all of those programs

First you should boot into safe mode:
1) Repeatedly strike the f8 key as the computer is starting
2) Select "Safe Mode with Networking"

-Head to: http://www.trendmicro.com/spyware-scan/
(in Internet Explorer)
-Follow those instructions to install it and give it a run!
-After it finishes select "show results"
-Then select "clean threats"

I'd also recommend downloading spybot and adaware. Make sure you update them prior to running a scan!

Let us know Trend Micro's results! Hopefully that helps you out!

It is normal for your IP address and default gateway to be different!

From what you described I am almost positive that your firewall settings are causing the problem. I'd make sure that both your Norton Firewall and Windows Firewall are off. Your router and modem have built in firewalls which should protect you from most threats. The most common issue computers face is spyware (somewhere around 90% are infected), but thats a whole other story.

Click Start
Go to Control Panel (or settings > Control panel)
Double click windows firewall
Make sure it is set to off

I'm not 100% sure on Norton but try
-Double Clicking the Norton Icon
-Look for "configure" or "settings" and select that
-You will have to permanently turn off the firewall, usually Norton will turn it back on in an hour or until you restart.

Let me know if that helps!

The monitor itself is purple?

Try hooking up a different monitor to the computer to test if your monitor is bad. The monitor may not actually be bad, it may just need to be reconnected to your video card. Sometimes this happens if a pin or two become disconnected.

Also, it may be your video card or video card drivers. You may have to take it in if thats the case. If you don't want to take it in, my company offers remote access!

It sounds to me like you have a spyware issue! Try logging into your computer via safe mode to see if IE works. To log into safe mode:

1)Repeatedly hit the f8 key while your computer is booting up
2)Select "Safe mode with networking"

Let me know if you can get into safe mode and if IE works. I own a small IT company in Michigan and we have remote support capabilities if you need the problem fixed ASAP.

I haven't had the time to read your whole thing now but send me a PM and I'll send you my work email address. I own a small IT company and would love to help!

How do you know the internal fan comes on? Are you just hearing a noise whenever you try to use the internet? That noise could be your hard drive spinning. If it is, you may need to:

-Defragment your Hard Drive
-Scan for Spyware/Virus

Start your system in safe mode (repeatedly press f8 on bootup). Run an antispyware program like spybot or adaware. Remove any problems. See if that helps

Yes, you can do this! You do need to create a separate partition. After that, you can install via cdrom like usual. Just make sure you install to your newly created partition (not the old one).

I can tell you that the only way you are going to start to make money from advertising is starting. I would recommend just trying something (like Adsense). If it doesn't work then you can learn from it. The most important thing is to do something though! Hope that helps.

I cannot say 100% but it sounds like a hard drive problem. I am 90% sure of that. The operating system not found error means that no data is detected on the hard drive. This happens when you format and when it "formats" itself. When you say it doesn't boot from a cd, do you mean it just won't install to the hard drive? Or do you mean it doesn't boot at all? Make sure you try a variety of cds that are boot-ready. If a variety of cds do not work, you at least have two problems (the HD and the cdrom). For more complicated issues, feel free to email me at shane@driventechnology.com. I check it frequently.

I'm not sure if I understand your issue but I doubt that changing your hard drive or upgrading your ram would cause it to overheat. Make sure your system fan is spinning. You may also want to buy a can of compressed air and use it on all the fans and openings in the machine. Make sure you hold it upright so no liquid escapes into the computer. The goal would be to remove all dust and dirt from the machine. If you are still having problems you can email me at shane@driventechnology.com. Hope that helps!

By all means USE Paypal. I use it weekly, but don't leave money in it is my point. Drain it as soon as money hits.

I agree! There are money market accounts available online that do offer protection! Some ARE FDIC insured! Here's one I just found:

https://www.amtrustdirect.com/Application/MMWiz.aspx
This IS FDIC backed!

Make sure you check to see how long it takes to withdraw money! That's one of THE most important features of online accounts.

Hey everyone, its been a while but have you heard of the new merger:

BellSouth Corp. and AT&T Inc. AT&T is proposing to buyout BellSouth, this is the exact same thing that happened YEARS ago. If my memory serves, these two companies (as well as a few others) we split apart for having a monopoly over phone service. Isn't it frightning to think of what would happen now? Now that they provide tv and internet services too? Sure the cable companies stand in the way of them controlling that, but for how long? And what if net neutrality goes through? AT&T will run the show!

Just trying to get some people interested and talking about it!

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/business/4257346.html

http://www.internetnews.com/bus-news/article.php/3637091

You could also purchase some more ram, I'm assuming this is an older machine? Pc-133 RAM is pretty cheap. Check out Ebay or something for it.

There are some very useful applications. Although it may be a poor idea for a company, it is a great idea for a small organization. I'm talking about like an after school club, or a fraternity or something. Or if everyone at Daniweb or some other forum had an email address setup up for them when they became members. It would sure as heck increase the activity for a forum. When you get into forums as large as Dani web there may be issues, but it is ideal for smaller ones.

Your best bet, since you seem to not really know much about it, would be to take an intro to programming class. Maybe something like Intro to C or Visual Basic. They tend to explain the basic principles of programming. All of the different languages you mentioned can be used in different situations and have different applications. You could get books for every single language, but before you do that, I would recommend a class. Even if some people are scared of them, they are useful. I think that applies to a class in C++ as well :D.

Your motherboard could very well be bad. Your data is probably still recoverable, but you would need to take your hard drive out and hook it up as a secondary to a computer. Doing this would also aid in your hard drive diagnostic. If it still didn't work as a secondary drive, it is your hard drive. You could try switching the slots the RAM is in. If its an old laptop its probably not worth the repair (they are typically WAY to expensive to repair). Go to your local computer repairmen and get him to back up your data for you. Best buy will charge you 79 dollars, I'm not sure about anyone else.

There is another agency for england, ill try to find it for you

You want to know who hosts his website, not his specific ISP. Enter the domain name (for example www.google.com) into this site: http://www.hcidata.co.uk/host2ip.htm. Then go to this site and lookup who it is: http://www.arin.net/ . You can communicate with that website about the abuse. Hope that helps

Shane

Get a router that works with DSL and has both wireless and wired capabilities

Put it as the secondary drive on another computer and recover the data that way. That way it will be safe to format. Also, your motherboard may have gone bad. In which case, you would need a new one. The best way to test your motherboard is to get some RAM you know works and put it in the slots. If it still says the ram is bad, you know the slots are bad. If the slots are bad, the whole motherboard is probably bad. Hope that helps.

shane

Windows Vista will be 64-bit ONLY. This means that whatever motherboard you want to get should have that option, your processor should follow suit and be 64-bit. The other things don't matter as much. If you are going to build a CPU, you should probably buy the best and newest all at the same time, for maximum compatibility and such.

Dreamweaver is your best bet, take a class on it, or use the tutorials. Dreamweaver mx 2004 is not that difficult, it just takes a little effort. Front page is okay, but I don't like it. Dreamweaver interfaces with their graphic editing software pretty well too.

The option is go with premade websites or templates. A lot of hosting places that use cpanel or something similiar will provide you with some blogging layouts standard. Usually you can edit these from those hosting sites too. If you are looking to sell something, try ebay or yahoo stores.

Try it with only one video card. It might be conflicting which to start up to for some reason. Do you have on board video as well? It may have defaulted to that.

Your power adapter is probably dead, try finding someone with the same adapter or go buy a new one that is compatible. If it is not the adapter, the power connection to your motherboard may have become lose. This is an easy sodering fix, but most places just replace the motherboard. If its not the adapter, and the cost to repair is over 100 dollars, I'd look into buying a new laptop (especially if it is older).

You should have a recovery CD or windows installation CD that came with the comp. You want to start the comp, put in the CD and walk through the step-by-step process to reinstall. It is fairly self explanatory once you get the CD in. If your comp does not have enough time to read the CD, reboot it while the CD is still inside.

Hope that helps

Flash is 1998 :P

Live, dang you, LIVE

As far as your money being secure or insured through Paypal's money market account, its not. Although I signed up for it (just for the heck of it) I do recall the warning that it is not, here it is:

Unlike checking accounts, money market funds are neither insured nor guaranteed by the FDIC or any other government agency. Although the Fund seeks to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 USD per share, it is possible to lose money by investing in the Fund. Distributed by Funds Distributor, Inc. To learn more about the Fund and its expenses, read the prospectus carefully.

Sounds scary! Go with whatever bank insures the amount. I don't even think the yield is guaranteed.

Just keepin the thread alive

You get a jackass, I put in more cowbell

I just wanted to see what people are using out there. If you want, give some reason why you use that software, it'll help everyone who is unsure make a decision.

try cleaning it with an air compressor or vaccume. If I had more time, I'd respond with more, but I g2g. Later

Shane

I dont know if I recommend this, maybe as a last resort, but I know people that, if this is the same thing you are talking about, have used a magnet on their monitor and dragged the green off. Usually that kind of thing is caused by a magnet as well. Before you try using the magnet, try slowly rotating the monitor so that it is upsidedown, and then bring it back to normal. Try that a few times until it works, otherwise, use the magnet thing as a last resort. I believe this only works with CRT monitors. Goodluck

Shane

You can easily backup your data if you buy something like a :

Adaptec USB 2.0 Hard Drive Enclosure Kit

You can get these from newegg.com or even bestbuy. You just plug your windows ME harddrive into it and plug it into your other computer. Then you can just copy and paste the data yourself. Itll save you some money for sure. Plus its really cool and good to have

Goodluck

Shane

I just wanted to get some input on this. I mean we all know that the big U.S. companies have discovered it is much cheaper to outsource help desk/tech support jobs to other countries. Whether it be India or Germany, the jobs are definitely leaving the United States. I'm pretty sure that this is an international community, so does anyone have any idea how much cheaper it is per individual or hourly based wage for companies to outsource to other countries for tech support? My computer science friends have told me that this is something that is happening in their field as well. Is everyone else just willing to work for less? Or do they pick things up faster. It kind of stinks for the people in the U.S. This seems like a good topic for discussion, so I'll leave the rest to you.

Would you agree though that there are some questions on the exams that are unneccesary? I know people that have years of experience with computers that would stumble on some questions on the A+. There are some questions that, if you did not prepare for them, would cause even an IT guru to stumble. Cisco certs have some really ridiculous questions on them. In my CCNA class only 10% of the students passed the CCNA exam, even though the average grade on the quizes were in the lower a upper b range. I agree that people should not just memorize potential questions and take the test, but even experienced IT people may need to to some degree. Unfortunatly I have met both types. I once knew an A+ certified tech that didnt know there was a battery on a motherboard *sigh*.

Google Earth owns! You can actually use it with some WAR driving programs. I havent done it yet, but it would be awesome to be able to view hotspots with it.

A get together would reinforce the standing as a community. It is a great idea, I hope I'm able to come out!