Podnutz Daily #67 - Word Won't Start

Listen Here: pnd067.mp3



Microsoft Word would not start.
I give some background on MS Works & MS Word
Would hang at the splash screen.
No instance of it in the task manager.
Solution:
We removed the normal.dot template files
from the applications data folder.
Word now starts up fine.

Older Toshia laptop.
This customer ripped the screen off the hinges.
Have to take whole laptop apart to remove the hinges.
Priced hinges. Ebay had them for $70 with shipping.
Cust said it was too much. Don't blame him.
That is a lot for just a piece of metal.

I talk about the demand for these types of parts
and how a person could earn a living selling them
on Ebay like Steve D'Amico mentioned on the last PodNutz #23.

Dell Laptop:
Customer needed to replace the screen and keyboard
and decided he could get the parts cheaper than my quote.
I told him no problem. Purchase the parts and bring them in.
I will install them for $79.
Easy job.

Email from Mike in Maine:
Dell Optiplex GX240 had 9 noticeable bad capacitors
were revealed upon dusting out the PC.
Didn't want to buy a replacement mother board
if these caps tend to notoriously go bad.
(Mother board was made in 2002)
Purchased new capacitors from
MCM electronics.com for $1.09 each. Repair went well.

Tip:
Make sure you have good soldering skills for this type of job
because mother boards have multi-layer copper traces
and can be easily damaged if you do not know what you are doing.

I had one of these GX's and was looking for a system board for it.
There was a guy on eBay selling the ones he repaired the caps on.
He was selling them like crazy.
This information was stated right in the description.
9 caps takes a long time to do. Good job on the patience.

Email from Jeff:
Here is a suggested replacement for the MS accounting software
Windows and Mac supported by MYOB
Agrees that it was stupid of MS not to offer support with my multi-user issue.

Dad stayed up late and found the solution for getting the Multi-User to work in
Microsoft Office Accounting Professional 2008.
We just wanted to be able to share the information between two Vista machines.
The solution:
We HAD to have password protected user accounts in order to share.
Dad set passwords for both profiles and it works great!

Email from William:
Cool app mention UNetbootin
allows you to quickly boot ubuntu and mount local drives.

William also likes Billq for reminding him to pay bills.

Email from Mike From Maine:
"Case Fan Experiment"
There was a recent warning in your chat that stated if system fans were spun too fast by the leafblower would back-feed electricity into the motherboard.

Mike took this as a personal challenge.
You have to hear what he did
And what he learned.


Email from Hamrad:
He is using pidgin to log the uStream chat.
Lots of information comes through the chat that should be archived.
I am going to start recording the chat
and posting the log in the show note

Hamrad also wants to know more about my equipment
that I use to do the show.
I cover the equipment I use.

Email from Phishie:
A twisted testimonial -
Unmountable boot volume error message
and MS KB solutions did not work.
SpinRite fixed the issue!
(and the earth wobbles)

Curiouser and Curiouser:
How many hours did spinrite run?
Are you now backing up that drive?

No Rules (yet) for the leaf blower give-away!

Don't forget to click :
Yahoo Buzz icon at PodNutz Daily and leave a review of either Podnutz or PodnutzDaily in iTunes.
Support this show by spreading the word.

Live Call from Eric:
Yahoo Buzz vs digg
Does PodnutzDaily have digg presence?

Regarding the "Case Fan Experiment"
Be smart. Just don't chance it.

I announce I am going to be on Computer America
tonight 08.29.2008 with Carey Holzman and Mike Smith.

Missed the show?
Hour One - .mp3
Hour Two - .mp3

Get the jist:
Listen to learn about "The Great Tech Debate"

Live call from Corey:
Question for Computer America
Wants to know how to create his own factory partition.
Will Acronis 11 do that?
He is running a prev version.
But has bought Acronis 11 via
Computer America Show Notes
.. so he cannot take advantage of the give-aways tonight.

A request to have Corey post in the forums
regarding what he is currently doing.

Monday is a Holiday.
May or may not be a Daily.
Watch this site for details.

Podnutz Daily #66 - Microsoft Is Not My Friend

Listen Here: pnd066.mp3


Microsoft Office Accounting Professional 2008
.. has me seeing red regarding their 60 day trial


HP 510 Laptop:
This is the laptop that I erased/overwrote all of his data.
It still was not booting properly.
Would stick on the HP screen.
Replacing the processor solved the booting issue.
Now the wireless card would not find a signal.
Had to enable the wireless in the bios.

Dell Desktop with BSOD:
"IRQ not less or equal than"
Repalced RAM. Fixed.


No run box in Vista?
Hold down the Windows button on your keyboard
and hold down r to get the run box in Vista.

Email from Hamrad:
PC with video going out
if he connects an audio cable or a USB
Sounds like the motherboard is shorting out.


Email from Matt:
Matt suggests using a fireplace bellow
to clean out dusty computers.
No batteries, no extension cord and you control the flow of air.

Next email:
Looking for a program that will tell me the speed
a computer is running. Not CPU speed but system speed.
I want something like this to show system improvements
after a computer is cleaned and optimized.
Too many factors to test and there is no general speed.

I suggest using a stopwatch.
Looking for more suggestions.

Email from Lana:
Found a site for making clear desktop icons
(Carey's problem)
entity.cc

Email from Wendy:
Wendy tells Barbra to go-for-it regarding
introducing a new operating system like Vista to an elderly client.
Do not pre-judge.


NTLDR is compressed? (or Corrupt)
Here is the link my Dad found that fixed this problem
HP and Compaq PCs - Error: NTLDR is compressed

Email from Paul:
Customer has a Dell all-in-one 964 printer/fax ect
The time and date is never correct and this customer
needs this feature for record keeping purposes.

Is there a battery in this unit that might need replacing?
Let me know if you have any suggestions for Paul.

Email from Jason:
Jason suggests using (free) unlocker when Windows won't let you delete a file.

2 ways to back up an XP Profile:
Start/All Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Backup (XP Pro only)
or
Use Windows free SyncToy

New Contest! Details coming soon!
Win my Home Depot Leaf Blower
Homelite UT42100 7amp
2 speeds: 120mph or 150mph

Live call from Bob:
Bob wants feedback on ReImage
That he heard about on technibble

Bob mentions word-of-mouth has been keeping him busy.
I also share a story about a customer who was not happy.
Bob wants to know more about Google Ads.
I give Bob some tips and suggest he listens to
PodNutz #8 where I cover the topic more thoroughly.

Podnutz Daily #65 - BOOTCFG is a Great Tool

Listen Here: pnd065.mp3

Email from Josh:
He loved the #23 PodNutz mention
Regarding using tackle boxes for sorting your tool bag.
Tip:
He also shares his favorite backpack hardware to take to the job.

Please share YOUR unique tools with me!
Call / Send Mail

Email from hamrad:
CD vs Thumb Drive for building my tool set?
Where do you store YOUR clean up tools?

Grab your pencil: I rundown my software tools
USB enabled device.

Email from Matt:
He is not a fan of system restore and wants to know
how to schedule an image of a hard drive as backup.
Looking for help.

Email from Mark:
Removing Spyware Doctor due to system sluggishness?
Just remove its real-time protection under settings!

.... and I use a leaf blower with reverse suction!

Editorial comment:
(I am merely supplementing your show, Sir)
I appreciate the applause but keep him going.
Continue to throw the rope back!

Email from Matt:
roadkil.net

Shop News:

"unmountable boot volume"
and we tried fix/boot to later
give it up to recovery console:
bootcfg/repair/rewrite

Voicemail from Eric:
Eric throws out the love for CX shownotes.
Fear not, Steve, for it takes a village.

More on the downgrading Vista to XP.
( I just wanted to inform, btw)

Audio malware mystery solved?


.mp3 lessons from Mark:
Acronis Universal Restore
not free but this sleek program keeps resurfacing on tech chatter.

Learn how to test a Power Supply!

Email from AcidBurn:
Making BSOD rear it's ugly head
step-by-step-instruction to prevent the re-boot

Podnutz Daily #64 - Water in the Dell

Listen Here: pnd064.mp3

As promised:
Steve's Clean Up Routine

Dell Inspiron 1721:
Customer spilled a glass of water on it.

Did the right thing:
Pulled out the battery & AC Adapter
Held it upside down and shook out the water.
Used a hairdryer on it.
Did the wrong thing:
Powered on after only 3 hours.

These types of spills/issues
The laptop needs to be taken apart and dried properly
BEFORE you power it on.

It powered on for the customer
but certain keys on the keyboard would not work.
After taking it apart and finding/cleaning corrosion
Keyboard needs to be replaced. $30 on Ebay.

Customer tried to partition his desktop hard drive.
It crashed on him and would not boot.
Error: NTLDR is compressed
My Dad, Cook, found the fix for this.
He will email me the link and I will share it with you.

CitizenX might have found it while doing show notes:
NTLDR is compressed
Cook knows all about Google Search I presume!

More on the iMac power supply that needs replacing:
Instead of replacing the whole PS I replaced the four bad capacitors.
I had parts via mother boards I had lying around. Exact specifications.
Tedious work. Three hours. Still not tested.
Will test after the podcast.
In hindsight, I would have spent the money for a new power supply.

Voice mail from Barbra aka CitizenX:
She comments on the work I do
downgrading Vista to XP
and wondered if I warn the customers about
the lifespan of XP and how long MS will support it.

I answered I do not warn them.
They come in wanting this service
.. and I give it to them.

Cool News!
A fan of PodnutzDaily sent me a
battery-powered Black&Decker leaf blower!
THE ONE I WANTED!
The sender remains anonymous.
I have his full name but am not sure if he wants me to announce it.
THANK YOU!! That ROCKED!
It WILL be used in the shop!

Email from Kyle aka ChuckerNorris:
Tip on making a hard drive visible wirelessly.
Dealing with a laptop with no optical drive and usb 1.1
and trying to install Ubuntu.
I give Kyle some tips.

Email from Ricky:
Ricky throws down a thumb on extended warranties
.. that cover hardware only.
If your hard drive goes bad and Dell has to replace it
they do not load Windows, printers, ect.
They simply check to see that the HD is being recognized.
The non-savvy customer then has to find a shop to do the installing.
NOT worth the extra money.
PS: Try Malwarebytes.org all ready!!

Email from Simon:
His email sends along that link he mentioned last cast
that will supplement the drivers that DriverPacks misses.
You can get these third party drivers via Simons link

Email from Craig:
Talks about PageDefrag
I talk about what defragging your hard drive will and will not do.

Email from Kevin in Ireland:
Unknown audio in the background while accessing the internet via FireFox..
.. and it is not always family friendly.
I do not get it running the Opera browser.
Tip:
Try uninstalling and reinstalling FireFox.
Or better still run my cleaning routine to see if that removes the issue.

Email from Hanrad:
He wants to know how to back up a Windows profile.
There is no one-click app that I am aware of.
Backup the following:
Documents folder, internet bookmarks and Outlook files including both addresses and emails.

Email from Jack:
He wants to know how you find out if a BIOS update is available.
And how do you install it?
Bios updates covered in Podnutz #19

Live call from Eric:
Eric empathises with Alex who shared his oops stories and shares his.
He also mentions a caution while blowing out the system with a leaf blower.
Pay attention to the fans. Do NOT let them spin out of control.
This can damage the system board.

I talk more about customers trading in their computers.

Podnutz Daily #63 - I Bought One

Listen Here: pnd063.mp3

For those of you who listened to the audio:
Funny man Steve was "trying to remember" throughout the show
an announcement he had.
He was showing a leaf blower in the background.
You can watch the video here

Desktop getting the BSOD
Windows XP default setting is to reboot upon failure
(This is Window's solution to NO MORE Blue Screen Of Death)
I mentioned setting the computer to show the BSOD
Here is a screenshot tutorial
that explains how to see the BSOD for troubleshooting.

Ran checkdisk (not chkdsk/r) and it finally booted.
System has spyware and a boot.ini error
Didn't run bootcfg utility. Even though this is a great tool.
In the end, did a reinstall. System was beat.

Cool News:
Eric aka ElBurro in the forums has volunteered his time in my shop!
He wants to get more experience and may be popping in on the weekends.

Eric was working on this computer:
Wouldn't boot. Wouldn't power on.
No lights.

*I didn't make the mistake and tell the customer
it was the power supply this time. I have learned that lesson!*

Replaced the power supply and it booted
but not past the Windows flash screen.
No error. It just hung.
Eric was swapping RAM and found
one of the sticks was bad.
Replaced and it worked fine.
We then optimized the PC.

I give tips on getting into a working safe mode environment
... that I learned from my Dad.

Two Apples came in this weekend while Eric was here
This is funny because of this post he made to forums.
He did some work on a PowerBook G4

G5 20" iMac:
Power would come on for a split second and go out.
Three screws to open it up at the bottom of the screen.
No physical damage until we took out the power supply.
Power supply had some blown capacitors.
Thumbs Down:
Pricing the power supply online: $179 (insane)
We might try replacing the blown capacitors.
If not successful, customer will have to pay to replace.

PowerBook G4:
This laptop was left on all night.
It may have overheated.
The video comes on but it is a "plaid colored" image.
Hooked up a known-good monitor: same thing.
Looks like a bad "logic board" aka mother board.
Online pricing: $275 with shipping.

Another downgrade from Vista to XP
Hp DV6000 and once again driverpacks installed most of the drivers.
It was a nightmare finding the audio driver.

I would like to see a program that simplifies downgrading.
It will install all of the XP drivers I need.
On HP DV6000's it gets tough.

HP DV6000s have 100 sub-models
and all use different drivers.
Just wish they would make it easier.

Email from Ed:
Cleaning a system vs re-installing Windows
Ed gives his experience on the time it takes.
And hipped us all to a free firewall for Linux:
smoothwall.org
I state you have to gauge the trade-off of doing one or the other.

Email from Carey:
10 Things You Need To Know About
Air And Air Compressors
This will be posted in the forum

Voice Mail from Ricky:
Comments on Carey Holzman calling in.

Voice Mail from Simon:
Simon offers a plethora of information regarding Show #62
There is a difference between memtest 86 and memtest 86+
Simon likes MS Windows Diagnostic and explains why.

Email from Alex in Germany:
Alex shares his mistakes after hearing Steve talk about overwriting files.
And thanks Barbra for all the show notes ( TY Alex ! )

Email from Jeff:
Jeff has a strange power issue.
The computer would shut down at inconsistant times.
The power supply fan would keep running
and the hard drive and CD drive would continue to operate.
FYI: There is physical damage to the MB capacitors.

Email from Ray:
Ray uses Quicken for bill reminders and talks about the program.
My problem with Quicken is
I need to be able to access the info from several computers.
This is why I am using billq
Nice widgets!

We are using MS Accounting 2008 in the shop.
It's been working pretty good.

Announcement revealed:
I bought a $30 electric leaf blower at Home Depot
to blow out dust from PCs and save on canned air.
IT WORKS GREAT! Computers are clean as a whistle.
Two speeds. All dust gone.
Will do a video soon. You WILL be convinced.

Live call from iTalk:
He is 13 years old and has a podcast and a blog.
He wants to know how to obtain free products to review.
http://www.ustream.tv/italk
http://italkenterprises.wordpress.com/

Email from Ray:
Dell Inspiron 1520 with two memory slots
One is easy on the bottom
The other is under the keyboard.
Is this true? If so how do I access it?
Wife's computer and cannot mess it up.

I tell him Dells are easy to get under the keyboard.
... and give him tips.

Podnutz Daily #62 - The Leaf Blower May Just Win

Listen Here: pnd062.mp3


Infected laptop came into the shop.
After I cleaned the machine
I still had this Vista-looking pop up that said
the computer was infected.
It was a background image, a jpeg.
Changing the desktop image
solved the issue.
Tip:
You have to change the desktop image
AFTER you run your cleaning programs

HP DV6000 laptop downgrade to XP
DriverPacks took care of all of the drivers
except for the modem and maybe the SD card slot.
Also her battery wasn't charging.
The computer would recognize the battery was there
but the battery light would just blink and not charge.
Is it the circuitry in the motherboard?
Or is it the battery?
Tip:
Take the battery to Best Buy or Circuit City
and test it in one of the floor models there.
I also give tips on buying a battery.

Customer came in with a newer desktop
and an older desktop he wanted as a backup system.
I tried Acronis True Image to clone the image he wanted
and I tried to install it on the old.
This did not work because the mother boards were different
and required different drivers.
I explain what I did to get past this roadblock using Windows Repair.

Customer wanted a "simple" data transfer
from one machine to the other.
One machine was running Windows 2000
the other was running Vista.
There was several gigs of data to be transferred
and Windows 2000 does not recognize usb 2.0
I cover a few options on how to quickly transfer files.

Unhappy customer with machine with no power.
Symptoms occurred after a storm so I told him
it was probably just his power supply.
It would not be that expensive to repair.
But it turned out to be his mother board.
Tip:
I give tips on what to look for when troubleshooting
if it is the power supply or the mother board.

Norton 360 AND McAfee on the same system!
Removed McAfee easily but Norton would not remove.
Had to use the Norton Removal Tool which removes *everything* Norton

Voice Mail from Mark in Reno:
Mark gives his opinion on extended warranties purchased through chain stores.
They only cover hardware and not virus/spyware.
These warranties only cover a small percentage of common computer issues.

Voicemail from Cynthia (NewBritG):
Help for Joe using WPA security for his wireless.
If he wants help setting a strong password
he should try using Steve Gibson's Password Generator

Cynthia also comments on Ray's voicemail
and talks about her set up with two hard drives.
One is dedicated to Linux the other (larger) hard drive
is dedicated to both XP and Vista as a dual boot situation.

Cynthia also mentions that she has found
the CompaQ Presario hard drives tend to run hot.
She is working on one right now that boots very slow.
It takes about four minutes to get to the desktop.

My tips for Cynthia:
If heat is an issue 1st step is to dust out the inside.
Also is it the processor getting hot or the hard drive?
It may be both.
CompaQ's tend to have bad airflow through the case.

To speed up that slow boot up:
Go to add/remove programs and start removing programs
that are not used by the client.
Check the system tray for unnecessary start up programs
Also run msconfig both startup and services
and go through the programs eliminating what is not important
and googling the programs and services you are not sure of.

Email from AcidBurn:
He offers a work-in-progress solution to replacing CO2 cans.
He also has a Dell Dimension 4550 that will not boot.
Light on the MB comes on but no other lights.
Tested power supply.

This goes back to the problem I mentioned earlier in this show.
If the light comes on, it is not the power supply.

Email from Ed about that Windows reinstall
that kept giving me a BSOD regarding PnP:
Ed says check memory and offers other troubleshooting tips.


Email from Carey Holzman:
(Who started the whole leaf blower controversy)
Carey chimes in!
He says go to Walmart and buy the cheapest Black & Decker leaf blower they have.
He also mentions that he never uses the $99 air compressor
he has due to too issues with condensation and not portable.


Email from Roger:
I saw a sponsored link for XP AntiVirus
when searching for mother boards.
Roger also mentions a free antispyware program:
malwarebytes.org

Email from Lena:
Verizon connection that fades as well.
She was told that since she is in a manufactured home
it has too much metal to allow the connection.


Email from Steven:
Wants to purchase a laptop
and wants to run Linux.
Should he get a pre-installed laptop?
Or a laptop he would have to install Linux
What would save him the most money?
I give him my tips.


Live Call from Carey Holzman:
It had to happen!
Carey calls in to defend the leaf blower!
Watch for Carey's soon-to-be-released video using the leaf blower.
Carey's You Tube Channel .. he will prove that it does the job.

Carey wants to know:
For the love of all that is Holy:
How do you get transparent text for desktop icons?
Carey has tried everything.

I recommended he try Kellys Korner for this type of obscure fix.

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!
Mike Smith of Mike Tech Show and
Steve Cherubino of Podnutz and Podnutz Daily
Will BOTH be joining Carey Holzman LIVE on Computer America for both hours on 08.29!
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
This Friday, August 29th 2008. 10p-12a EST
Computer America has a live chat that compliments the show.
You can get to it from the Computer America homepage and click on the "interact" button.

Carey also announced:
FIVE copies of Acronis True Image 11 will be given away on this show!

Carey talks me into discussing my background image in uStream
.. and how I make the magic happen.

Podnutz Daily #61 - Love Those Laptop Screen Repairs

Listen Here: pnd061.mp3

Dell Inspiron Laptop running slow.
Did my full clean up procedure and the computer still sluggish.
The service host in task manager was maxing out the processor
with nothing visible running.
Installed SP3 and all Windows updates.
It solved the service host issue but now Windows Explorer won't run.
Windows Explorer includes:
Desktop Icons, Task Bar
and all the ways to explore the files on the PC.
Just wouldn't start.

Tried running from the run command line
sfc /scan now
(checks for all of the original Windows Files and checks for corruption)
This did not work.
Solution:
1. Rename your explorer.exe to explorer1.exe
2. Change the value "Explorer.exe" in regedit HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon to "Explorer1.exe"
3. Reboot

Broken Acer laptop screen
(I love replacing laptop screens! They are easy to do and in the
public eye there is a level of difficulty so people are willing to pay.)

Got a brand new screen from my Ebay guy in 2 days
Installed. Works great!
Tip:
Brand new screens come with a screen protector film
held with two pieces of masking tape.
I leave this protective film on the screen
as long as I can during the install to protect the screen.
To screw in the screen, it does have to be removed.

More on the laptop that was melting power cord plugs:
Took it apart and there was nothing physically wrong
so I assumed the mother board needed replacing.
Customer did not want to pay for a new mother board.
Turned into a data transfer job to an external HD he brought in.
This laptop still had value to me for parts or as a resale.
So I offered to wave the diagnostic and transfer fee for the laptop.
He agreed to trade it in towards his bill.

Acer 3680 14" laptop with Verizon Fios connectivity issues
regarless of how far away he was from the router.
Went on-site just to see what was happening.
He would get a connection, but it would drop.
He sent it back to Acer three times they replaced
the wireless card and a bunch of other components.
Talking with Verizon, they stated that Fios was not compatible
with that Acer computer.
I do not believe that. Makes no sense.
Maybe the MAC Address?
WIll install XP on it.
If ANYONE has heard of Verizon Fios not being compatible
with an acer computer let me know. I gotta hear this.

Yahoo Buzz button now on Podnutz Daily.
If you have a Yahoo account just click the Buzz buttonto Buzz it up.
This is Yahoo's version of Digg and could get the site some traffic.
Help spread the word about PodNutz! Buzz it up!

Email from Eric:
(More on the leaf blower controversy)
Eric feels that people are confused when I say leaf blower.
They probably think I am going to use a heavy duty leaf blower
that will blow out the dust and all of the components.

Eric uses a lightweight leaf blower
It is a tiny thing strong enough to blow dust but
not strong enough to do any damage.
Wouldn't really call it a leaf blower.
More like just a blower.
Go buy the stupid thing!

Email from Joe:
He wants to access a desktop hard drive from a laptop.
I have tried using the sharing tab.
and wants to ensure his wireless is secure.

Use the WPA encryption on the router and have a strong password.
Not a word in the dictionary. Use symbols, letters and numbers
Regarding access to the desktop drive
This is a Windows Networking issue
(It never seems to work for me! Hate it!)
First make sure the workgroup names are the same
on the desktop and the laptop. Reboot.
Make sure sharing is set on both of them.
Laptop need to be connected to the router (obviously)
Special instructions given for Vista.

Email from Ray:
Ray gives instructions on dual booting Ubuntu and Windows
Step-by-step-guide tested by Ray:
http://apcmag.com/how_to_dual_boot_windows_xp_and_linux_xp_installed_first.htm

Email from Murray in South Africa:
Murray shares a podcast covering Mint.com
I was considering Mint but it does not work with my bank.
He shares a link from The Web 2.0 Show that talks with
Aaron Patzer, the founder and CEO of Mint.

I decided to go with a bills reminder that is called
billsq.com
... because that was all I really need.
It has great cross-platform desktop widgets.

Email from Lana:
Lana wants to know how I record my calls.
She days they have good clarity.
I use an 8-channel mixer with my macbook and I use Skype to receive the calls that are recorded using Garage Band on my macmini.

Email from Mike (from his Blackberry):
(More on the leaf blower controversy)
Mike uses a portable compressor from Sears for about $99
He also gives a warning about using shop vacs in dry conditions.
This can cause static electricity which is damaging to components.

Voice Mail from Donald:
msconfig will not run on an emachine
to check what is running on start up.

Try running Dial-A-Fix
Also make sure you have all of Windows updates.
Also try running SuperAntiSpyware
because spyware like to turn these features off.

Live call from Syphon (Sean):
Hilarious -- he was nervous-- it is all good
Sean inquired about why not to buy an extended warranty.
We have a decent debate.
Boils down to a matter of preference.

Podnutz Daily #60 - The Listeners Take Over The Show

Listen Here: pnd060.mp3

DriverPacks has been assisting me with downgrades from Vista to XP
because it finds many of the drivers. I use Google for the rest.
Example:
HP DV6000 came with Vista and I installed XP
DriverPacks found all the drivers for XP except video and audio
Googled: dv6000 XP drivers video
Found needed drivers that way.

Computer would not power on:
Told the customer it was his power supply.
Insert foot-into-mouth
Turned out to be his motherboard.
He was not happy.
Remember:
If your motherboard is shot
At first glance it can APPEAR like a power supply problem.
Of course, the motherboard replacement costs more.
Hence, unhappy customer.

Email from Andrew:
Mikogo: An alternative to online meetings.

Email from Steve D'Amico:
Steve knows I like to save known-good laptop motherboards
and mount them most anywhere. It's a working computer system!
He sends this link:
Datamancer's Steampunk Laptop

Email from (Vshal aka ambience44):
Questions about knoppix and how to use it to fix problems.
I explain how I use knoppix to get to files that Windows cannot read.
Knoppix.net

Mark leaves his email as a Voice Mail:
(his email debuted in ep58 and was attempted in EP 59)
He deals with crazy Rootkit issues and offers the fixes
He also offers me some fitness tips as well!
Whew!


Voice Mail from Simon:
Simons says, "C'mon! Try the leaf blower, now."
Agrees with upgrading customers browsers from IE6 to IE7
Also: ensure SP3 for XP and SP1 for Vista
I remove all known vulnerabilities

CompaQ laptop:
Used to be used by a financial institution in the US
Has a Windows whole disk encryption software
(I could not decipher the name -- Pointfact? Pointfect?)
Customer does not have the encryption credentials
Knoppix does not work in this instance.
This computer was dog slow due to conflicting software
that runs in real time.
(PC Doctor is mentioned again with conflicts)
This was covered via Cynthia (NewBritGirl)in EP 59

Podnutz Daily #59 - A Pretty Solid Monday

Listen Here: pnd059.mp3

This first thing I want to talk about is Health!
I had a tough time after Friday's Podcast.
Too much time working and not enough exercise.

Voice Mail from NewBritGirl:
Spyware Doctor clashes with SuperAntispyware.
The two together froze her machine.

Tip:
If you have AVG8 and SuperAntiSpyware there is no need for Spyware Doctor.

Voice Mail from Randy:
Randy has info on the refillable air cans for cleaning PCs
Bad news.
He states they do not offer enough air pressure.


CompaQ Laptop
Customer brought in two power adapters with it.
The tips on both power adapters were fried.
The computer was melting the adapters.

Computer was caked with clumps of dust and hair.
Gave tips on cleaning a laptop.
Put back together and all fans were running on POST
but not after and the laptop was getting hot.

Desktops coming in running 256MB of RAM
I always recommend upgrading the memory to 512MB
512 is plenty for the average user.
If running McAfee or Norton you might need 1G RAM
I also give a tip on recycling sticks of RAM to meet these needs.


CompaQ Presario laptop about 4-5 yrs old
BSOD that states: page fault in non page area
This is a broad system error. Could be hardware or software related.
I give tips on troubleshooting this error.

Customers who are coming in running
IE6 .. I automatically upgrade them to IE7
because it is more secure.
Make sure you do an IE7 factory reset to remove all of the add-ons
How to reset IE7 to default

More on Mint security.
Doesn't work for my bank.
What I really need is just a reminder when to pay bills.
Enter: billq
Cross platform with widgets.
I am using it and upgraded to pro. Very useful.


Finishing Fridays email from Mark:
Many symptoms one of which is a virus alert message
next to the system clock
Mark gives all the fixes!!
Will be posted in the forums!

Email from Dennis:
Regarding the Toshiba laptop
that would not allow me to install Windows
BSOD at the same point right when Windows was loading.
Dennis had the same problem and will never forget!
He suggests replacing the memory.

Podnutz Daily #58 - A Little Scary Today

Listen Here: pnd058.mp3

Interesting job today.
Guy brought in XP Media Center computer
with a new video card and monitor.

Symptoms:
Windows booting -- just before it loaded the desktop
where the screen changes resolutions .. it goes out.
No video.

Attempted a Cure:
I uninstalled all the drivers for his video card
Downloaded the latest drivers for his new video card
ran them -- and got the same problem.
Video card: nvidia 8400 xfx
Still no fix
Send me an email or give me a buzz!

CompaQ V-series laptop about 3 yrs old
Upgrade to Vista
This is the computer that would not power off
because the updates kept running.

Dad worked on it and started it up in safe mode.
All of the updates installed in safe mode
BTW: We tried dial-a fix but it does not work with Vista
Also installed SP1 for Vista.
We had a wonky first reboot.
After that all consecutive reboots were successful.

Regarding Howard's Dell OptiPlex SX280
(The Philly lawyer who called in last show)
We installed his new mother board
Tip:
When replacing the mother board do not unscrew all the screws
on the mother board because it sits on a tray that takes one screw
to slide it out. Replace once you slide it out.

Clever way to apply thermal grease to the CPU
I hate getting this on my hands so I discovered
that if you use Scotch Tape over your fingers
it creates a flat surface to apply thermal grease to the CPU

Computer came in with Ares
Beware of computers with Ares and Limewire installed.
Usually riddled with spyware.
I remove these programs.

I hate Quicken and QuickBooks
Knowing this, I am looking for an online financial manager.
Like Mint or buxter.com (?)

My problem with these sites is they require your actual logins to your bank account
in order to pull the information on to a spreadsheet.
This seems unsafe to me.
Looking for feedback if anyone has used these types of services.
Email from Dan of New Britain:
Funny email from Dan with a follow up on how he fixed his Dell boot problem.

Email from Josh:
More on alternatives to the leaf blower
Josh says to try a dog blow dryer
Email from Tony in Canada:
I need to retrieve a printer driver from a PC.
What can I use?
Tony - Try using net-runna from PodnutzDaily #50
Email from Mark
Mark states dial-a-fix works to restore Desktop and Screensaver tabs.
I stated I tried dial-a-fix first and it did not work for me.

Mark goes on to mention weird symptoms he has found
(like virus alert next to your system clock plus MORE)
and how to fix them.
Mentioned:
.exe cure: UnHookExec.inf

....................

In the LIVE uStream:

Steve shows symptoms of overwork.
Calls the show due to light-headedness
Fans everywhere grow concerned.
GodSpeed, Steve.
Take a break. We will be here when you come back.

Podnutz Daily #57 - Got milk?

Listen Here: pnd057.mp3

Registry fix to allow desktop background
(when all images are grayed out)
Can be found here:
PC Hell

Customer spilled milk on an almost brand new Gateway
(One of those shiny red ones)
She thought she was doomed.
Also left the battery in.
Tip: If you spill something on your laptop
the first thing you want to do is power it off
and pull out the battery as quick as you can.

Do not turn it back on while there is still liquid in it.
Take it apart and dry all the components.
Or find someone who can do it for you.

Laptop turned on by itself the next morning and started going crazy.

I took the battery out and took the whole laptop apart.
Used a toothbrush to wipe off the gook/corrosion found on the circuit board.
You can also use contact cleaner. I used Purell today.
It dries really fast and removes sticky substances.

I put it back together but the keyboard was beyond repair.
This will be replaced.

Vista laptop continues to install updates.
Wouldn't shut down.
Tried installing SP1 since it wasn't installed.
No report on that yet.

Email from Jeff:
Jeff wants to know the Ebay seller that I buy my screens from.
DVDsuper999 always send me perfect screens.


Email from Steve:
I just started using Google Adwords and set a budget of $50 per month.
Can you give me any tips? Confused about the budget process.
I explain the Google AdWords and give advice direct from my experience.

Email from Tim:
Tim mentions finding me at TechPodcasts.com
Concern about air compressor made for mechanic or carpentry work
being used on delicate electronics. The pressure can be reduced but moisture
accumulates inside the compressor due to condensation in the tank.
Tip:
I would highly recommend using a filter in the airline to stop the moisture.

Email from Joe:
What are your thoughts on Windows XP Black?
(I have heard of it but I do not know anything about it.)

During your antispyware podcast you never mentioned
NOB32 what are your thoughts on this program?
(I've stayed away from paid AV since there are so many good free ones out there.)
AVG and Avast plus SuperAntiSpyware

Any advice for Joe please post in the forums or in the chat.


Email from Roger:
I just cleaned a PC the other day and ran into the same problem you had
with a blue desktop and the desktop properties being disabled.
Tip:
SuperAntiSpyware has a built-in utility that will fix
some of the common features of Windows that get disabled by spyware
(like task manager and control panel)
Just go under preferences in the main menu of SuperAntiSpyware
then click Repair and you will see the options.


Voicemail from CitizenX:
CitizenX chimes in with feedback on Podnutz Daily#56

Before I take live calls I remind listeners that as this podcast grows
it might become more difficult to get your call in.
Now is your opportunity!!

Live call from Steve:
Steve asks if I ever considered a datavac rather than a leaf blower.
(I don't want anything I have to plug in since I clean outside.)
Steve asks about a touch pad update and mentions you can buy a new touch pad.
I think I inverted the cable
and I mention that Steve is the master of tiny parts.

I also live up to my empty promises about the release of Podnutz #23
With Steve as a guest.

Tip from Steve:
R series ThinkPad has a function switch that can turn the monitor off.
Computer running really slow & HD was clicking: HD was not connected all the way.
Always check both connections. One to the HD, One to the MB.


Live call from Howard:
Howard came into my shop with a broken Dell OptiPlex
and we are replacing the Mother Board and Power Supply for him.

Howard mentions he is an attorney in Philly
and deals with small businesses.
Also wants to know when his system will be ready (chuckle)

Coolness Factor:
Howard offers his services to my listeners who want an opinion
on legal issues.
Howard Schwartz Rocks!

Podnutz Daily #56 - I used to like Toshiba Laptops!

Listen Here: pnd056.mp3

Podnutz #23 soon-to-be-released
Guest Steve D'Amico from Long Island, NY
SMDComputer.net


Another Toshiba laptop.
I think Toshiba laptops are going to be the death of me
The last two nightmare jobs were on Toshiba laptops.
Mother Board was fried with common symptoms.
Finally got the correct motherboard via Ebay
(Still trying to sell the incorrect one on Ebay)
The correct MotherBoard will not allow me
to plug anything into the USB port.
Computer just freezes.
Bad USB ports.
I sent it BACK to the seller
asking him to test the USB ports.
He sent me a new MB and everything is fine.
USB ports work so I hooked everything back up.

Here is the problem
I went to attach the ribbon for the touchpad
to the Mother Board and noticed one of the leads was questionable.
The touchpad does not function.
No touchpad on Knoppix either.
Even though I tested the ribbon after fixing it.
Either they sent me a bad touchpad controller
Or the ribbon I fixed (and tested) was
touching another lead and shorted out the touchpad controller.
(customer's been waiting 2 weeks)
Don't know who is at fault.
I have to buy another MB for this computer.

No moral: It just makes me upset.

Different problem found on a couple of computers:
Desktop on the computer is a blue screen that states
"Your computer has been infested with spyware. Please remove it."
It shows as a big rectangle in the middle of the screen.
It removes from properties your desktop & screensaver tab
... so you cannot get it off.
After running all of your cleaning tools this desktop
might still be there just as a graphic.

Via Google Kellys Korner had the fix
in the "tweaks" section of her site to bring back the desktop in properties.

Another issue/tip:
Some spyware and viruses like to turn off
Automatic Updates because they are all-knowing
and it might fill a security hole that they want open.
The way to circumvent that is to do a manual update
to get the most recent updates from Microsoft.
This will fix your automatic update problem
because it reinstalls your automatic update service.
Used this twice today.

Another issue/tip:
Cannot change desktop wallpaper in a specific user
Desktop tab IS there this time
but when you chose a graphic to make your desktop
It is non functional. It will not change.

You can save the data from the user profile
and remove the profile only to create a new profile for that user.
This is an easy fix for these types of problems.

Another issue/tip:
Customer just wants to recover data.
Fed-up with the computer.
Took out HD and connected externally via USB to benchsystem.
HD started clicking.
Decide to see if SpinRite would read it.
It would not.
This was the HD that went into the freezer. No go.
Customer is looking at foresnic recovery
But decided to trade in her system
that I can sell later after replacing the HD.

Email from Eric:
For the lsitener who had to PC and an XBox 360
and wanted to share the same wireless broadband line:
He was able to do the same thing with 2 Xbox 360s
and three computers on DSL so it is kosher.
But YEAH you all cannot be downloading at the same time.

Email from Roger:
Backgrond info: I had a Dell come in
that originally had XP but was upgraded to Vista
and I lost the ability to Ctrl+F11 to ghost XP from factory partition.
Rogers solution was to try running a program from
goodells.net
It worked great and I got the customer's computer
restored back to factory settings. TY Roger!

Email from Jason:
Wanted to comment on the show that mentions evernote.
Did you know Goolge has a program just like this
called Google Notebook
It also has a FireFox extension and no new passwords to remember!

William's email entitled "Lots of Stuff"
Was posted to the Podnutz Forums here:
podnutz.com/forums

Voice Mail from Mitch:
I was surfing and got prompted for that XP antivirus 2009.
After some configuration OPEN DNS saved me from the offer
once I opened the same site in Open DNS.
Open DNS

Podnutz Daily #55 - Am I Stressed Out?

Listen Here: pnd055.mp3

More on the Toshiba motherboard from hell

Still getting the BSOD
"Plug and Play has detected an error most likely caused by a faulty driver"
Always at the point "Set up is now starting Windows"

Today I took the MB out the laptop
Added CD drive, 1 stick of RAM, and hooked up the screen.
That was it. Ran it. No change.
Used my Driver Packs disk thinking maybe
the Toshiba Recovery disks are not loading the drivers for the SATA HD.
No change either with the HD in or with it out.
Last ditch effort: Decided to flash the BIOS.
Toshiba website had a BIOS update
AND I could burn it to a CD with their utility!
Ran the CD with the updated BIOS. No issues.
Put my Driver Packs CD in and started Windows set up again.
Got to the point where BSOD was showing up
but this time it said "Set Up cannot detect a HD"
At this point I KNEW that it was working.

Put everything back together.
Tightened all the screws..
Put in her setup disk again
... you guessed it ....
PNP BSOD again at the same spot.
Tried my Driver Pack disk again (since it worked before)
PNP BSOD again.
Going to either buy a new Mother Board
or run over it with my car in the parking lot.

This mystery is PHYSICALLY making me sick!
Ended up leaving the shop early due to stress.
Shop is getting slammed while I work on this Toshiba.

Meanwhile: Dad was rockin'.
He was rolling through the computers left and right
I was sitting there angry and he was cruisin'.
Didn't want to bring him down with my attitude.

A moment of perspective: I talk about how to handle the rough times.
Just do the best you can. Don't stress out.
Per Dad: It is not a life or death situation.

Voice Mail from Luke about the leaf blower:
(Decided to play it.)
"For the love of Mike! Don't buy a leaf blower!"
One gallon air compressor 5lbs or less.
(Steve cannot find one at 5lbs though)
So I am on the fence with the leaf blower.
You guys talked me out of it plus
it is $95 when all is said and done.

I will probably end up buying an air compressor and a refillable can
which is a great alternative trying to save money on canned air.
Harbor Freight Tools

Another Voice Mail from Luke:
He explains how to migrate your iTunes library from a Mac to PC or reverse.

Email from Al:
"I heard you are the one to ask from a number of fellow tech geeks.."
Al wants to know how to take a HD from one computer
and connect it via USB to another computer and look at the user files.
I give him, from memory, my "insane & roundabout" instructions to get it done.

Email from Brad:
I use a limited account on XP.
Is that better for web surfing?

I have never used a limited account
because I like having administrator privileges.
But I have heard that it IS safer because you do not
have the authority to install programs like spyware.

Brad also wants to know how to get more hits
on a local search. I direct him to EP 8 of Podnutz
for info on converting the hits that you are getting to business.
Podnutz #8

Email from Ashton:
Ashton offers a way to see Experts Exchange advice without paying.
If you Google a problem and Experts Exchange offers a solution
(and they usually do)
Just click the Google cached link at the bottom of the search result.
This will give you the cached page of the solution. Free.

I also add as a solution that my viewers mention if you scroll to the bottom of the page
you can also see the advice that they offer.

Special Thank You to Mike Smith of
The Mike Tech Show
For mentioning my podcast and sending so many great listeners my way.

Email from Craig:
Craig told me about the refillable can of air available at
Harbor Freight Tools and speedysupply.biz
Email from Moe:
"I learn more from your podcast than anywhere else on the net"
Dead Think Pad R51. When I power it on the fans spin but nothing else.
No video or HD activity.
CD will not eject.
I have tried swapping out both the HD and RAM. No changes.
I am thinking it is the Mother Board, but want some advice.

I advised Moe to check the seating of the wireless card.
I've had a Think Pad before where the wireless card
was not seated properly and was shorting out the MB.
Just pull out that wireless card and re-try the system before you buy that MB.
Moe goes on to say:
He had a computer that would not connect to the internet.
After several other ways of trouble shooting he found the problem.
Customer was using McAfee at the highest security setting.
This was blocking the internet connection.
Lowered the security setting. All is well.
Podnutz #23 soon-to-be-released
Guest Steve D'Amico from Long Island, NY SMDComputer.net

Podnutz Daily #54 - Getting Swamped at the Shop

Listen Here: pnd054.mp3

Swamped.
Word-of-mouth bringing them in
Back-To-School Business, too?
Must be. I have not changed advertising.

FOUR computers driving me nuts:

1. Toshiba Laptop with bad CD drive

Replaced CD drive. Since then, machine boots to the Toshiba
splash screen, I get a quick BSOD, then it will reboot.
(..thinking.. what did I do to it since I received it ..)

Loaded up Knoppix and recovered data off of the HD
System recovery next. We had the disks.
Got to the point where "Set up is now attempting to start Windows"
and received this error:
"Plug and Play has detected an error most likely cause by a faulty driver"
New HD - same problem, same spot.
Tried my Windows Disk. Same result.

( LIVE - lighbulb goes off ! )

I remember I did not try it with my disk with all the driver packs.
Hmm ... It might be a mass-storage device driver ...
Doesn't make much sense - recovery disks had same issue, but will try tomorrow.

Took out wireless card. Switched out the RAM
Also took out the MB and ran it bare-bones.
Same result with the Windows CD
Blue Screen at "Set up is now attempting to start Windows"
I need a Revelation! Something!
Possibly SATA drivers/controller ....


In chat:
Mitch: Try a new power brick
Prune: Try hardware diagnostic ultra/PC Doctor
(Not overheating because it happens in the exact same spot)
Capacitors look fine.

2. Computer with XP Antivirus 2008

Running normal clean up programs and it is going well...
SuperAntiSpyware as one of the final steps
BSOD as SuperAntiSpyware is running
(The IRQ is not less than equal one)
Windows reboots and BSOD again
BUT THE ERROR KEEPS CHANGING
Welcome to the BSOD screensaver ... YEAH!
Virus screensaver not sys internal.
SuperAntiSpyware detected the screensaver.
Confused the heck out of us for a while.

3. Dell Inspiron

System hour-glasses on
the start menu/taskbar/desktop icon
Cannot access anything

Ran dial-a-fix and windsockXP and Windows repair.


4. Steve admits to trying the HD in the freezer.
He has tried several ways of accessing data.
It was clickin'
Not recognized by SpinRite.
It is hosed, so it goes in the freezer as a last-ditch-effort.
(Double-bag it to prevent ice / condensation)

I am listening to my listeners!
I finally burned a copy of the Utimate Boot CD for Windows
Haven't had a chance to play with it, but ran it one time.
Was going to use it on the Toshiba
but cannot get Windows to load.

VoiceMail from Tommy
BTW Tommy, I did get your message about the leaf blower.
Tommy was adamant that I do not use the leaf blower
(which I won't play - grin)

I didn't find a rechargeable battery-powered leaf blower at Home Depot
(To save on canned air and not use a compressor)
$29 dollars for the blower
$30 for the battery
$35 for the battery charger
... so I bought more canned air.

VoiceMail from PaulDad from Jamaica:
He utilized shownotes and downloaded SmitFraudFix
Upon running he discovered SmitFraudFix was detected by AVG
as a potential threat.
(in the VM : oh BTW call me back, do not need to put it on the radio)
DOH!
(Steve decided to screen all VM and email for tomorrow' show)
This is nothing new. Just tell AVG that it is not harmful.
Might have something to do with "fraud" in the name.

Email from Bill:
: For a laugh :
Via PC Magazine
Texas Law requires all PC techs to have a Private Investigators license.
PCMag article

Podnutz Daily #53 - And The Winner Is...

Listen Here: pnd053.mp3

Don't get caught up in rituals when it comes to
cleaning and optimizing a pc because
you tend to forget the basics
*Like checking the available hard drive space*

Simple checks that effect performance should not be overlooked!

Tiny print on your screen?
In FireFox make sure the zoom feature is not set to zoom in.
Just set to default.
Also check the settings in VIEW > TEXT SIZE
This setting is available in every browser.
If the text is too small set it to a larger size.
Simple fix found in the settings.

Dell Dimension SFF
(Small Form Factor)
The motherboards overheat
because there is little room for air flow.
So when the fan that IS in there gets over clogged with dust
you experience problems.

This customer was getting a thermal error.
After opening the case, I found the heat sink on this video popped off.
This usually happens when the unit gets banged or dropped.
They do not pop off on their own.
Don't bother asking the user about it
unless you are wanting to have a bit of fun ...
(In case you did not know: USERS LIE)

Bottom Line on thermal errors:
Always look at heat sinks and/or fans.

Dell Desktop with hyper-threading traded in for a computer repair
I plan to resell it once I get it back to factory setting (XP)
(Customer loaded Vista on it)
Looking for help on getting it back to factory setting after Vista install.
Ctrl+F11 does not get me to the recovery partition.

More leaf blower news.
Hand-held, Battery-operated light leaf blower
to blow out computers.
I am trying Carey Holzman's suggestion this weekend!
If it doesn't work, you all can laugh in my face ....
Dad also has air compressor suggestion.

Email from Bill:
How to make two home PCs wireless
to access the broadband internet at the same time
and lets not forget the XBox 360 access.

Email from William:
Online billing for small businesses and freelancers
http://curdbee.com/

Email from Josh:
Data recovery program for overwritten files
Easy Recovery Pro
(no link)

Email from Ray:
Try Pandora Recovery via download.com
Pandora Recovery

Email from AMD Man:
What is the IRC info for uStream?
Server: chat1.ustream.tv
Room: podnutz-daily

William sends a big long email.
Subject: Lots of stuff
(Will be posted in the forums)
http://www.podnutz.com/forums/index.php

iPod Nano Giveaway!
I take off my hat and fill it with the entries and choose only ONE
(crazy-uncut hair moment in the video)
OH THE DRAMA

.. and the winner is Barbra aka CitizenX
of tanjents.com
I would never rigg a contest !

Skype Call from Joe:
Problems getting PC HelpWare working.
http://www.pchelpware.com/sc/index.html

Podnutz Daily #52 - Missed the 50th Episode Anniversary

Listen Here: pnd052.mp3

Thank you to all of you who submitted suggestions
for recovering data that has been overwritten.
I appreciate your effort.

Unfortunately, none of them worked
because I overwrote to the same sector.
Going to try Data Doctors after the show
as a last-ditch effort
http://www.datadoctors.com/

The customer was very understanding
and is not going to kill us over it.

Dell PowerJack Fix on an Inspiron 5150
(yes, these are the ones I hate)
Too complex and delicate.
Overheat like crazy
Heat sinks get clogged up so much.

Very proud!
Soddering magic fixed that jack
Re-soddered all the leads to the mother board.
But would not boot up.
Tried other power adapters and the original.
No change.

It was simply overheating.

I grabbed my shop vac with a thin tip
and an unused big-fat paint brush to loosen the dust.
Using the shop vac I blew out the clumps stuck in
the fins of the fan & the clumps inbetween the fan blades
and blew and sucked the dust out.
Still all that .. had to replace the system board.

Dad replaced two sytem boards today.
One was the system with fans cranking away with no video.
The other system was completely dead
needed a system board and a power supply.

iPod Nano contest:
Tomorrow is the day it is given away!

CitizenX won the trivia contest
5 extra points were awarded to Barbra!
The answer was 13 guests so far in the podnutz podcast.

Barbra has stepped up to do the show notes
for podnutzdaily and podnutz (weekly)

.. just to help me.
Seems she likes doing show notes!

Leaf blower heat:
When I find out the results, I will report.

VoiceMail by Mark in Reno:
Mark says to check the power supply
in the CompaQ computer that booted with high fans running.
In other news:
On Notice! 64 bit drivers

Voicemail from Simon Zerafa:
Heart went out with the overwritten data problem
http://www.data-recovery-software.net/ $179.99

Tip:
When you boot from the Ultimate Boot CD it DOES access the hard drive
BTW: the power supply is probaby dead.

Mike Tech Show Celebrates 200 Episodes!!
http://www.miketechshow.com

Podnutz Daily #51 - Today, I Have a Problem

Listen Here: pnd051.mp3

Yes, It is episode #51
*Rough Day*

Thank you for those of you who have entered the iPod Nano Contest.
I will be giving it away this Friday August 8th 2008
And I will reveal tomorrow who won the extra entries
for the trivia question from yesterday.

Only a few people who entered!
Email me that you got someone to subscribe to the show
mail@podnutzdaily.com

The landscapers dos program overwrote
his new data that he entered onto his other laptop.

I need HELP because I messed up BIG TIME today
(5 extra entries awarded towards the iPod Nano contest)
Please help me find a program that will recover data
even if it has been overwritten!

(No Skype calls tonight - left the Macbook at the shop)

Dell PowerJack repair:
(one of those power jacks that I hate)
Big tube of a middle pin and
the adapter itself is a thin tube itself that slides over the middle.
Ridiculously built.

Tip:
Sometimes when you replace that jack
sometimes the leads don't go through
the motherboard very far.
You have to make sure
you make a connection with your solder
with those leads onto the motherboard!
Use a layer of epoxy -- not a conductor.

Dad had a kick-butt-day repairing and going to the next.
Made up for my slack.

Email from Jeffery:
Computer after a storm no longer works.
When modem is removed the computer will POST
but Windows XP will not boot.
Very odd.
Booting with XP CD will also freeze.
Tried booting Ultimate Boot CD for Windows
but this also freezes.
Ran hard drive and memory tests. Both render OK.
Changed out memory, power supply and cmos battery
.. no change
Could the motherboard/cpu be damaged?

Tip: Run a bootable CD without the HD in the system
If it runs.. it is the hard drive.
If not it is the SytemBoard.

Colin emails about SpinRite:
He refers to Computer America Show with Scott Moulton as a host.
Scott Moulton stated that one of the downsides of SpinRite is that
it recovers data to the same failing hard drive
without the option to recover to a different drive.
(Computer America 2.26.2008 1st hour)

Email from Red:
I repair about 10 PCs a year and none of them
get blown out by a leaf blower!
Red recommends a compressor.

The leafblower I mentioned for the job was a very light
battery-powered leaf blower. Not the industrial.

Podnutz Daily #50 - Optiplex Power Cord

Listen Here: pnd050.mp3

Dell Computer
Slim design of Dell OptiPlex SX270 due to power supply within power cord.
Symptom: No power to the unit. Is it the cord or the motherboard?
Checked online for what the voltage out leads should be
Tested each lead of the power supply with the Volt Meter
Power supply tested much less or zero
Tip: Tested DC probably should have tested AC
New power supply did not solve the issue.

Compaq Desktop
Fans in high speed and no video.
Removed video card to engage the onboard video
Still no video. No POST

Tip: Strip everything you can off of the motherboard one at a time and by
process of elimination to see if the board acts the same
(swap out RAM, pull out pci modem; ect.)
Check for physical damage of blown capacitors on the board as well

EverNote (Web Version)
Cool feature: Character recognition within graphics
http://evernote.com/

iPod Nano Contest
Get someone to subscribe to the podcast by Friday August 8th!
5 Bonus points: Trivia Question released for more chances to win!

VoiceMail from Simon Zerafa:
(Simon offers LOTS of great help in the Forums)
http://www.podnutz.com/forums/
He calls with help for Dan in New Britian
who has a Dell that cannot find the boot device

Tips:
Change the cable from CS cable to a standard IDE cable
Bios may be confused
Find the latest version flash updates for the drives
Replace the CMOS battery

VoiceMail from Eric with update on Dell Laptop with malware/virus:
He decided not to run drive as slave to clean for fear of infecting his machine
Tried the Ultimate Boot CD for the first time instead.
http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/
It gives you tools to do anything you need! He loved it!

Email from William covers several topics

Skype:
Try using a static port
Use QOS feature on your router to prioritize Skype traffic.

Alternatives to canned air:
Use a ShopVac to suck out the chunks of dust
and reverse the flow to blow out the machine
Benefit: The air is filtered before it is released
Use a toothpick or pencil to stop a fan from spinning while you blow it out.
Tip: If you blow out the large chunks instead of vaccuming them
you save wear and tear on your filter. Use different sized hoses.

Flashing the BIOS
To flash the bios run flashcd.iso
http://www.bootdisk.com/plan30/flashcd.zip

How to handle co-workers wanting personal tesh support:
Inform them that it is a conflict of intrest with the comapny that you work for
and you are not to work on any systems of co-workers.
However, if they find you on their own via advertising or the web
Treat them as a new customer.

Email from John:
LogMeIn Free not secure for remote tech support??
I explain a little further why I felt LogMeIn was a security risk for this type of use.
http://www.logmein.com

Email from Ray:
How did your Dad use Knoppix to recover data /backup the hard drive?
I explain further why I use Knoppix and how I use it.
http://www.knoppix.net/

Twitter from Fostenics:
Free remote software Team Viewer
http://www.teamviewer.com/index.aspx

Email from Fishy:
Fishy uses a portable air compressor to blow out computers ($60-$80)
Can be noisey when charging but like having five cans of compressed air.
Tip: Set compressor at 35psi for a safe airflow

Skype Call from Joe:
Ease of backing up drivers using net-runna
http://www.net-runna.com/Products/netrunnaDriverBackup/tabid/247/Default.aspx
Easy to use! Backs up all of the drivers to a folder.
Roll them all in via device manager.

Podnutz Daily #49 - PCHelpWare is Doing the Job!

Listen Here: pnd049.mp3

PodNutz Episode #22 available on RSS will be up on site later tonight.

HP Pavilion: headphones were plugged into firewire port and computer goes "POOM!"
Symptoms: fans at high speed and no video (huge video card)
Cure: reseated the video card

Email tip from William:
New Free Remote Access Utility
PCHelpWare brought to you by the makers of UltraVNC Single-Click
Remote tech support tool with video tutorial
http://www.uvnc.com/pchelpware/download/

Tips:
Video does not work in FireFox (open in IE)
Do not use UPNP-not secure
Make sure your router has UPNP turned off
Set up an account with dyndns and use it the ipconfig field
http://www.dyndns.com/

THUMBS UP! Slick and I used it twice today!
Thank you William and UVNC guys!

Going through too much canned air?
Alternate ways of blowing out PCs:

Use a light battery-powered leaf blower
DO NOT use a full-sized leaf blower -
it will remove dust AND all of the components!
Tip: Focus on cleaning out the CPU fan and the fins of the heat sink

Sudden bad quality Skype calls related to Comcast throttling?

Email from Mark Cobb:
He mailed AVG a copyof the .exe for AntiVirus 2009
(This is a fake antivirus program that is a trojan)
Grisoft added it to their definition list and AVG8 now detects it!
Wonderful!

Email from CitizenX:
XP Antivirus pop ups also found on My Space

iPod Nano contest ends Friday, August 8th 2008
It will be loaded with every episode of Podnutz
(will be signed if requested)
To enter the giveaway:
Have someone subscribe to Podnutz or Podnutz Daily

Skype call from Dan from New Britian:
Dell Dimension 4600 3ghtz 3g Ram
HD problems reinstalling Windows
Drive has been formatted
Cannot find the boot device
Master/Slaved the cabel select drives
Boot sequence set to read from CD first
Universal Boot CD loaded - no change
New HD did not solve the issue

Tips:
Make sure the CD drives work
Restore defaults to the BIOS
Replace the cables
Episode 7 of Podnutz covers slipstreaming
http://www.podnutz.com/episode007.html

Tomorrow: Trivia Question for the iPod Nano for extra odds to win!

Saturday August 2 I took part in a live show
with Mike Smith from Mike Tech Show
You can listen to it at Mike's Site
http://www.miketechshow.com/2008/08/mike-tech-show-podcast-199-08-02-08.html