Specializing in Computer troubleshooting, spyware and virus removal, online consulting, online security , privacy concerns and freelance WordPress Webmaster services.
Are you having problems with your computers, or computer network, or a WordPress website?
WinCpr.com Computer Services, owned and operated by “Mark” Brisendine, I can help diagnose computer hardware failures and assist with replacing failed or failing components, or upgrading to larger hard drives or adding RAM. I can troubleshoot software problems, remove viruses and other malware, upgrade your out-dated software, install back-up solutions, assist you with new software acquisitions and troubleshoot networking problems. As a Freelance WordPress Webmaster, I can create, and/or secure your WordPress site, modernize and update your websites.
Computer Hardware Problems
The term “computer hardware” refers to disk, solid state and optical drives, chip sets, capacitors, resistors, motherboards, graphics, audio, wireless and network adapters, power supplies, the CPU, RAM modules and other internal components and sometimes external optical and backup drives that allow a computer to function, whether it is a desktop, laptop, all in one computer, tablet, or smart phone. Unfortunately, these components can fail over time from fatigue, leaking capacitors, power spikes or surges, or from heat buildup due to dust clogged ventilation screens, cooling fins and fans. When computer components go bad they usually need to be replaced, often with little or no warning.
Most common cause of computer slowdowns and hardware failures is heat build-up due to poor ventilation inside a computer case. Upon opening the cases of PCs that I have serviced, 90% have loads of dust and hair clogging the various vent holes, cooling heat sinks and fan blades. Computer cases are relatively easy to open on one side panel, where you can either carefully vacuum out dust and hair, or blow it out with a can of compressed air. Laptops always have vent holes on the case, often on the bottom. You can hold a vacuum cleaner hose over the vent screens and suck dust out without opening the entire case.
Many of my service calls involve replacing failing hard drives. They always seem to die at the worst possible time. If you keep your purchased music and videos, checks, invoices and expenses on your computer and the hard drive seizes up, you will lose everything on it. Prepare in advance for hard drive failures by creating “image” file backups of your entire hard drive, using Acronis True Image. It can store a snapshot file of everything on your C drive to another, less frequently accessed internal or external hard drive, or to DVDs, or online storage locations, and burn it back onto a fresh empty hard drive, if your current disk suddenly fails to spin. Using Acronis images to clone a working hard drive will save you countless hours that you would otherwise have to spend reinstalling the operating system and all of your applications, re-licensing and activating them, and updating your various programs to the current levels.
I personally use and Endorse Acronis True Image to make weekly, monthly and even total image’s of all my hard drives including backup images of the archived backups of my entire C drive’s and weekly/monthly backups of websites I update or maintain, saving them to an external drives.
Computer Software problems
While a physical computer is made up of hardware components, they cannot compute very much on their own, other than booting the device and activating the drives and input/output devices. In order to make the chips, modules and adapters do the things we associate with computers and smart devices, they require properly encoded instructions known as “software” (aka: programs, or apps) to interact with the hardware. As most of us already know, stuff sometimes goes wrong with operating systems and software programs that are commonly used in computers. Computer software problems are caused by programming instruction errors in applications (especially recently updated programs), or bad interactions between applications and the operating system (usually after an update to the operating system). Some of the best known computer security programs have toasted the computers they were installed on after receiving bad updates that lock up the system. In addition to coding mistakes, software problems can be caused by incomplete/failed upgrades, file corruption from improper sudden shutdowns, or viruses and other malware interfering with the operating system and security programs.
Problems in Windows computers caused by bad updates can often be reversed by running a system restore to a time before the problem manifested itself. Sometimes and most recently you require a more in-depth approach as Microsoft’s track record with windows 10 lately has been seriously flawed.
Computer Viruses and Malware
While there are many causes for erratic computer behavior, one of the most common causes of problems for computer owners comes from infections by spyware, viruses and various forms of what are commonly known as malware.
I have been fixing personal and business computers and setting up networking for over 15 years, and have seen and fought off many a computer virus.
Here are some symptoms of an infected computer.
- Is your computer crashing frequently, where it was working fine recently? It could be from a badly written piece of malware trying to take control of it.
- Your browser’s homepage, or search results been changed (hijacked) and you can’t reset it where you want.
- Your Windows desktop wallpaper or screensaver has been replaced with a warning box, claiming that your computer is infected and recommending that you download their solution to fix it.
- You constantly get popup, or pop under browser windows, with “spyware” scans, ads and distressing messages.
- When you click links to go to particular websites, or search results, you find your browser has landed on a page that says it’s scanning your computer.
- You see strange popup “security alerts,” in the bottom-right System Tray area, from programs you did not knowingly install, requiring payment for removal of the items it claims are present.
- Your software firewall repeatedly alerts you about suspicious incoming or outgoing traffic.
- Do you notice an unusually high amount of unexplained network or Internet activity being shown on your modem, or in the Local Area Connection or Wireless Networking icon in your system tray when you are not knowingly uploading or downloading anything? Does your computer become much less responsive, or do browser windows freeze up, when this activity occurs?
Sometimes the operating system needs to be reinstalled.
Despite advances in the virus/malware removal field of free and commercial security programs, some malware infections are so insidious that the operating system must be reinstalled to restore normal functionality.
Do you need the services of a WordPress Webmaster-website designer, or personal computer guru, but only on an as-needed, or temporary basis?
Contact Me to solve your computer troubleshooting, virus, backdoor and spyware removal, maintenance, upgrading, security and website development needs! And, be sure to read News Post’s for the latest news about program vulnerabilities, security threats in the wild, security programs and Windows updates and patches.
I have been troubleshooting Windows and Computers computers since 1985 MSDOS & Windows 1.0 or commonly refereed to as Windows NT back in the day. I had to learn due in part My first Desktop an IBM PC Jr. Was Networked to a International Tube Type HAM Radio acting as a RTTY MARS station handling ship-shore Radio to Telephone Communications.
More information on RTTY HAM RADIO can be found here.