https://blog.marptech.com/posts/Recent content in Posts on Technology Bits by SeanHugo -- gohugo.iosean@smarpo.com (Sean's Tech Consulting)sean@smarpo.com (Sean's Tech Consulting)Sun, 27 Dec 2020 16:01:00 -0800https://blog.marptech.com/2020/12/the-season-of-scamming-dealing-with.htmlSun, 27 Dec 2020 16:01:00 -0800sean@smarpo.com (Sean's Tech Consulting)https://blog.marptech.com/2020/12/the-season-of-scamming-dealing-with.htmlHappy holidays, ’tis the season for scamming. It’s that time of year again where online scams begin to rise. It’s imperative to be on the lookout to avoid being a victim yourself. In today’s installment, we will outline some common scam schemes and how to avoid becoming a victim. The Tech Support Scam These scams rely on using scary sounding webpages to deceive you into believing your computer is actively under attack by a problem.https://blog.marptech.com/2020/09/wifi-woes-and-how-to-solve-them-for.htmlWed, 23 Sep 2020 22:31:00 -0700sean@smarpo.com (Sean's Tech Consulting)https://blog.marptech.com/2020/09/wifi-woes-and-how-to-solve-them-for.htmlNow that a vast majority of folks are working from home, a HUGE focus has shifted to home internet and the fun problems people experience. I feel like every other article I read anymore is about how you can solve your home WiFi issues with these 5 simple tricks… Ah, tech writing at its finest. In today’s post, I’m going to go over the basics of how your home WiFi works, and help you debug some common issues you might be facing.https://blog.marptech.com/2020/09/its-almost-fall-time-for-that-late.htmlSat, 05 Sep 2020 13:30:00 -0700sean@smarpo.com (Sean's Tech Consulting)https://blog.marptech.com/2020/09/its-almost-fall-time-for-that-late.htmlHere’s a fun one - When was the last time you opened up your laptop or desktop to clean it? Or better yet, have you ever opened your computer and cleaned it out? You might be surprised by the number of people that were entirely unaware that their computer should be cleaned at all… Questions aside, let’s talk today about cleaning the dust, debris, and potential gunk from the inside of your computer!https://blog.marptech.com/2020/06/computer-repairs-you-can-solve-on-your.htmlTue, 23 Jun 2020 11:00:00 -0700sean@smarpo.com (Sean's Tech Consulting)https://blog.marptech.com/2020/06/computer-repairs-you-can-solve-on-your.htmlHaving computer issues but prefer to social distance? In today’s post, I’ll go over some common problems and solutions that you can purchase on your own. No calling someone. No handing your computer off for a few days. You might be shocked how simple USB devices can solve the more common hardware failures you might experience. And yes, everything is social distancing compliant, woohoo! WiFi - It’s broken or you have bad signal strength With the vast majority of folks working from home, WiFi has recently become a very, very essential thing.https://blog.marptech.com/2020/05/recover-your-data-when-your-computer.htmlSat, 30 May 2020 13:12:00 -0700sean@smarpo.com (Sean's Tech Consulting)https://blog.marptech.com/2020/05/recover-your-data-when-your-computer.htmlSometimes all you want is your data off your computer instead of fixing it. I get it. Some repairs are just too costly or maybe you were just ready for a new computer anyway. No matter the circumstances, data recovery (when the drive is working) is actually quite straightforward. You’ll just need a few tools and an adapter. In this post, we’ll go through (at a high level) disassembling your computer (desktop or laptop), locating the hard drive or solid state drive, and getting it connected to another computer for data copying.https://blog.marptech.com/2020/05/do-you-need-anti-virus-software-anymore.htmlTue, 05 May 2020 09:00:00 -0700sean@smarpo.com (Sean's Tech Consulting)https://blog.marptech.com/2020/05/do-you-need-anti-virus-software-anymore.htmlOne of the more difficult questions I get from customers nowadays is whether or not they need anti-virus software on their computer anymore. Gone are the days of “viruses” and instead you have password stealing malware or ransomware or some other kind of “ware”. The days of pop-ups and junk software are mostly gone. They have been replaced with new kinds of cyber attacks that don’t rely on taking over your computer.https://blog.marptech.com/2020/04/windows-10-start-up-repairrecovery-how.htmlMon, 20 Apr 2020 15:33:00 -0700sean@smarpo.com (Sean's Tech Consulting)https://blog.marptech.com/2020/04/windows-10-start-up-repairrecovery-how.htmlHope you all are doing well out there. I know the world is in a strange place right now, but today’s post is hopefully going to help you solve your computer issues without having to get outside help. Windows 10 has some great built-in tools inside of the Start-Up Repair environment that can very well get your computer back into working order without having to get someone to fix it for you.https://blog.marptech.com/2020/02/windows-system-restore-and-you-or-how.htmlMon, 17 Feb 2020 14:00:00 -0800sean@smarpo.com (Sean's Tech Consulting)https://blog.marptech.com/2020/02/windows-system-restore-and-you-or-how.htmlThe amount of times I have had customers come to me saying a recent Windows Update has broken their computer is honestly astounding. Because of this, I decided it was about time I wrote up what I typically do when a customer brings me a “broken” Windows 10 computer (usually caused by a Windows Update). Outlined below are the four options you have to recover your computer if it is acting funny or no longer boots up.https://blog.marptech.com/2020/01/upgrading-to-windows-10-for-free-2020.htmlWed, 08 Jan 2020 14:11:00 -0800sean@smarpo.com (Sean's Tech Consulting)https://blog.marptech.com/2020/01/upgrading-to-windows-10-for-free-2020.htmlThere isn’t much time left before Windows 7 of considered End of Life by Microsoft. In fact, we are a little under one week away from the official deadline. However, all hope is not lost, you can STILL upgrade to Windows 10 for FREE in 2020. Yes, this is real, and I have no idea why Microsoft isn’t pushing this information more widely. Needless to say, this guide will help you upgrade from Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.https://blog.marptech.com/2020/01/windows-7-end-of-life-what-does-that.htmlWed, 08 Jan 2020 11:36:00 -0800sean@smarpo.com (Sean's Tech Consulting)https://blog.marptech.com/2020/01/windows-7-end-of-life-what-does-that.htmlWindows 7 is being End-Of-Lifed (new verb, yes) on January 14th, 2020 - a whole 6 days from when I’m writing this. I’ve already been asked by customers what this really means to the end user a few times, so I figured it was about time to write something up. Here’s my quick summary on what the End of Life / End of Support for Windows 7 really means to you - the user of a computer who just wants things to not change.https://blog.marptech.com/2018/03/migrating-your-computer-from-hdd-to-ssd.htmlFri, 23 Mar 2018 00:46:00 -0700sean@smarpo.com (Sean's Tech Consulting)https://blog.marptech.com/2018/03/migrating-your-computer-from-hdd-to-ssd.htmlThis is going to be a quick post about upgrading / migrating / cloning your hard drive to a newer, faster solid state drive. I plan to have a few more in-depth guides on this process, but this post will be a generic overview if you’re thinking of making the upgrade. The plan is discuss what you will need and what to look out for when purchasing a new solid state drive for upgrading.https://blog.marptech.com/2017/12/tech-tips-securely-factory-restore.htmlSat, 02 Dec 2017 17:55:00 -0800sean@smarpo.com (Sean's Tech Consulting)https://blog.marptech.com/2017/12/tech-tips-securely-factory-restore.htmlHappy holidays! You may have just purchased a new computer during the Thanksgiving sales and now you have a dilemma. What the heck do you do with the old PC? Many of you may choose to donate or sell your old system, but how do you get your old computer ready for sale? I’ve had many customers ask me over the years what they should do with a computer they are preparing to get rid of and today we’re going to tackle that question.https://blog.marptech.com/2017/04/tools-creating-usb-utility-drive.htmlFri, 14 Apr 2017 17:17:00 -0700sean@smarpo.com (Sean's Tech Consulting)https://blog.marptech.com/2017/04/tools-creating-usb-utility-drive.htmlThe day will come when you get into a tough spot with your computer. Maybe something very specific is acting up, maybe it won’t boot altogether, or maybe it just has a nasty virus that won’t go away. In the end, what can you do when your computer won’t boot into Windows anymore? Well, today’s guide is aimed to assist in this kind of a sticky situation, What You Will Need In this tutorial, you will need a few things before we get started.https://blog.marptech.com/2017/03/tools-creating-windows-10-usb-install.htmlThu, 16 Mar 2017 00:24:00 -0700sean@smarpo.com (Sean's Tech Consulting)https://blog.marptech.com/2017/03/tools-creating-windows-10-usb-install.htmlEver been in a situation where you need a Windows recovery disk or just want to re-install Windows on your computer because it died? Well, in this post, I will go over the steps to create a Windows 10 USB Install/Boot drive that you can use to perform diagnostics and install a fresh copy of Windows 10. You will need a few things for this tutorial, but I will be providing links and explanations where needed.https://blog.marptech.com/2017/02/install-software-easy-way-set-up-new.htmlTue, 21 Feb 2017 23:33:00 -0800sean@smarpo.com (Sean's Tech Consulting)https://blog.marptech.com/2017/02/install-software-easy-way-set-up-new.htmlAnd our next make-your-life-easier computer tool goes to Ninite. Ever wanted to install your favorite browser, mail client, music player, text editor, anti-virus, and other software in one click? Well, I have on numerous occasions. Ninite makes it painfully simple to install a handful of common programs in literally a single click. I use Ninite to configure new Windows installations and to update software already installed on customer computers.https://blog.marptech.com/2017/02/eliminating-virusesspywareadware-with.htmlWed, 15 Feb 2017 21:48:00 -0800sean@smarpo.com (Sean's Tech Consulting)https://blog.marptech.com/2017/02/eliminating-virusesspywareadware-with.htmlI’m going to continue on with the theme of tool-related posts and bring you one on removing viruses, pop-ups, spyware, malware, and all those other scary virus-related words. In this post, we’ll cover in what situations you should use Malwarebytes and how to get it up and running. When should I NOT use virus-removal software? To start off, yes, there are situations when you should NOT use virus removal software to attempt to disinfect your computer.https://blog.marptech.com/2017/02/using-ccleaner-part-3-tools.htmlFri, 03 Feb 2017 22:52:00 -0800sean@smarpo.com (Sean's Tech Consulting)https://blog.marptech.com/2017/02/using-ccleaner-part-3-tools.htmlWelcome to the third installment of the Using CCleaner series of blog posts instructing you how to use CCleaner (and what the many features actually do). This post will cover the Tools portion of CCleaner which includes Program Uninstalls, Managing Startup Programs, Browser Plugins, and a brief explanation of the the extra tools in CCleaner. As always, if you are unaware of what CCleaner is, I highly recommend you check it out.https://blog.marptech.com/2017/01/using-ccleaner-part-2.htmlSun, 29 Jan 2017 22:54:00 -0800sean@smarpo.com (Sean's Tech Consulting)https://blog.marptech.com/2017/01/using-ccleaner-part-2.htmlWelcome to the second iteration of Using CCleaner. In this section, I will explain how to use the Registry tab inside of CCleaner. This section will be much more sparse than the previous section because a lot of the information is overly technical. I encourage anyone truly concerned about what CCleaner is doing under the hood to check our their documentation which I will link to below. If you’ve never heard of CCleaner, it is a system optimization tool developed by Piriform.https://blog.marptech.com/2017/01/using-ccleaner-part-1.htmlMon, 23 Jan 2017 23:53:00 -0800sean@smarpo.com (Sean's Tech Consulting)https://blog.marptech.com/2017/01/using-ccleaner-part-1.htmlCCleaner is one of my favorite tools when I’m doing almost anything on a Windows-based system. Today I will be going through the first tab of CCleaner and explaining what it all does. This is intended to be a multi-part blog series where I explain the different features of CCleaner. Let me explain what CCleaner is real quick before I jump in. CCleaner is a system optimization tool created by Piriform.https://blog.marptech.com/2017/01/remove-windows-10-after-upgrading.htmlTue, 17 Jan 2017 00:46:00 -0800sean@smarpo.com (Sean's Tech Consulting)https://blog.marptech.com/2017/01/remove-windows-10-after-upgrading.htmlNot everyone is in-love with Windows 10, and even though we just showed you how to upgrade to Windows 10 for free, it may not be your cup-of-tea once you finished the upgrade. Luckily, Microsoft included a way for you to rollback to your previous Windows Operating System within the first 10-days of switching to Windows 10. So, let’s jump into it… Removing Windows 10 (After Upgrading) NOTE: This only works if you upgraded to Windows 10 in the last 10 days.https://blog.marptech.com/2017/01/upgrade-to-windows-10-for-free-2017.htmlMon, 16 Jan 2017 23:45:00 -0800sean@smarpo.com (Sean's Tech Consulting)https://blog.marptech.com/2017/01/upgrade-to-windows-10-for-free-2017.htmlWelcome to the new year of 2017! With the new year comes a wonderful surprise that Windows 10 is still FREE even though Microsoft wants you to think you need to purchase a copy. As long as you are running a valid copy of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, you can legally upgrade your Windows installation to Windows 10 for FREE. How can this be so? Well, Microsoft is still offering the free Windows 10 upgrade to users who use assistive technologies, but they do nothing to check that you actually use these features.