Podnutz Daily - Computer Repair Podcast - New Tips Every Day!

Podnutz Daily #110 - Sony Vaio Driving Me Crazy

2008-11-09T11:10:00.002-05:00

Listen Here:

pnd110.mp3

We forgot to format one of our flash drives
2 more computers got that bad AVG install
that effects Windows explorer from loading.

ThinkPad getting a fan malfunction error at the bios screen.
Customer brought in the computer
and a replacement fan that he installed
.. but he still kept getting the error.

A can of compressed air to the heat sink
fixed the problem with the old fan installed.
Tip:
How to safely clean a heat sink in a laptop
without using the whole can of air.
Tip from the customer:
Ever go into the FREE section on Craig's List?
Too good to be true?

More problems with (Beta) IE8:
Could not get the Dell drivers we needed using IE8
We were able to get them using Fire Fox.

The Great Tech Debate on hiatus until the new site is launched
I need help with Drupal!
I am having problems with the Views Module.
If anyone knows how to Theme Views in Drupal
please send me an email.

That Sony Vaio Laptop / Nightmare:
No power and troubleshot hardware
that lead to a motherboard replacement.
Still no power. Dead.
Processor?
Bought Core 2 Duo on Craig's List for $65
(The guy is down the street. No shipping.)

I give a few Craigs List tips and declare:
"50% of it is bull, 50% is good stuff."
Craigs Helper is mentioned in my book:
"How to Buy and Sell on Craig's List"

Nothing else to try??
My hard drive with 2 weeks worth of laptop videos died!
Attempting to recover the data I used Spinrite
Spinrite killed it and I put it in the freezer.
The freezer trick did not work. Go figure.

Email from Joe:
OpenDNS blog

Email from Jeff:
Eye strain due to undetectable backlight flickering?
DailyGizWiz mentioned Gunner computer glasses
on their November 4th Show.

Email from Ben (Nebben)
In a nice BIG font, Thanks!
More on Remobo for remote computing.
Microsoft PC Advisor will diagnose problems with your pc
Your "Chasing The Carrot" is really:
The Domino Effect/Chain Reaction/Butterfly Effect/Chaos Theory

Email from Ray:
Advice on my visual issues
(Ray is a licensed optician)
Glossy vs Matte may not be the problem
More advicce to get anti-reflective coating on the glasses
And Ray gives more tips on positioning.

Email from Mark:
Getting PCHelpware to work
Lots o' DNS stuff mentioned.
OpenDNS Updater Client Software

Email from Bob:
Do you use autopatcher?
AutoPatcher automates installation of updates

Email from Jeff:
Thor is doing a data recovery in a clean room.
Invite him back to do a Podnutz show on this.

Click Here to See Chat Log.

Click Here to See Chat Log.

Podnutz Daily #109 - IE8 Messed Up Comcast Mail

2008-11-05T22:40:00.001-05:00

Listen Here:

pnd109.mp3

New shop rule might not have been a good idea:
Install IE8 on all incoming computers.
Computer came back in after the update to (beta) IE8
because the customer was missing some of her
mail icons when looking at an open Comcast email.
An IE7 downgrade solved this problem so we are going to
hold off on updating all IE instances to Version 8.

My hard drive on my computer crashed today at the shop.
Bad news -- a lot of the laptop videos were on this hard drive
and I have not backed it up in a few weeks.
I am trying to recover using Spinrite. We will see how it goes.

Infected computer came in and Malwarebytes did the job
that SuperAntiSpyware could not.
Thank you to everyone who suggested this program to me
in past episodes of this show.
It destroyed all of the spyware on the machine.

Sony Vaio laptop driving me crazy:
No power. Nothing at all. Dead.
Went through my hardware troubleshooting.
Felt it was the motherboard
Core 2 duo/T7700 chip MB replacement $320
Vaio motherboards are rare and expensive.
Installed new motherboard. Still no power.

Voice Mail from Mike in NM:
Difficult to find a jump drive with a write-protect switch.
SD cards all have them and I tested the switch.
I used a SD to USB adapter to do this
You cannot write to them if read only is enabled.
Purposefully infecting an machine using VMWare.
Want to play with virtualization?
Download VMWare Player
About those easy fixes:
Do you tell the customer or do you justify the cost?

Email from Andrew?
Where can I buy an eco-friendly (green) computer?

Thors geek squad-like commercial

Also: thank you for all of the great emails
helping me with my eye strain ---
and I love that most of them were sent using a very large font.

Email from David:
Search revealed that glossy screens can produce eye strain
Advice on power jack solder job failure rate:
Use GOOD solder. I like Kester Solder.
He includes a funny story about a customer
who was having trouble connecting to a wireless network.
(She was lacking more than just the hardware.)

Email from ?
Learning a little about DNS operations goes a long way
in understanding how a computer communicates with the internet.
Open DNS Blog

Click Here to See Chat Log.

Podnutz Daily #108 - Chasing The Carrot

2008-11-05T22:27:00.002-05:00

Listen Here:

pnd108.mp3

Dell Inspiron Vista with 3G of RAM Dual Core
and customer could not get internet.
Vista has some decent wireless
repair/diagnostic utilities built in.
Trend Micro Anti Virus was running on the machine
Right clicking on the Trend Micro icon
revealed it was set to halt all internet traffic.
Reset IE7 back to factory default as well
(This does not get rid of favorites or anything
it just deactivates add-ons and other possible culprits
that may prevent you from getting online.

Follow-up on the AVG install issue:
Our flash drives were infected.
We formatted all of the drives and reinstalled our tools
We now have the latest version of everything.

Re-install vs Clean-up aka "Chasing the carrot"
At what point do you decide to reinstall?

The Winner of the Leaf Blower Contest is:
Scott Spencer!
His tech tale solved the mystery of the squeeking computer.
(All of the stories were great-it was a tough decision)

Voice Mail from Simon:
AVG issues effecting explorere.exe
could be due to the removal of spyware.
Using sysinternals autoruns/image hijacks tab
You may find spyware loading in front of explorer.exe
Flash drive corrupted with autoruns.inf?
You can run software from internet explorer address bar
or using the menu option File/Open

Voice Mail from William:
New remote access program Remobo
Freakin outstanding software! Cross platform.

Voice Mail from Mark in Reno:
Advice for the wireless customer who can connect to the internet in PA
but gets a BSOD in Washington DC
Problems connecting with PCHelpware?
This could be due to a changing ip address
Try using dyndns and dnsomatic (from open dns) together

Voice Mail from Brent:
Advice for eye strain
Get glasses with anti-reflective coating.

Email from Wendy:
Nvidea graphics cards (series 7 and 8) are overheating
and sometimes taking the motherboard with it.

Email from Andrew in NC:
Your podcast is NOT like watching paint dry!
The A+ class at New Horizons has been told about your show.
EveryZing will transcribe podcasts
SpaceMonger 1.4 and WinderStatvisually show hard drive

Email from Steve:
Testing a SeaGate drive using SeaTools
It says it supports firewire connected drives
but I had to mount it internally to get the software to work.

Email from Ben (Nebben):
Sony recalls battery packs in laptops

Email from Neil:
Where can I get a Windows 2000 Pro install disk?
I have the product key.

Email from Mike:
The ForceField podcast #27 covered
accepting credit cards as a form of payment.

Click Here to See Chat Log.

Podnutz Daily #107 - Lock Your Flash Drives

2008-11-03T23:36:00.001-05:00

Listen Here:

pnd107.mp3

Phillies Take The World Series!
(Excuse my hat)
Chase Utley's speech
from the parade sums up the spirit of Philadelphia

AVG install was crashing all my computers?
I think it might be compromised flash drives
Will format the flash drives and retry.

Tip:
If you are a tech and are going to be purchasing
flash drives to hold your utilities
PLEASE look for the READ ONLY switch on the drive.
This will PROTECT your drive from becoming infected
by inserting it into a infected machine.
This will "lock" it from infections.

Streak of bad luck at the shop
lots of returns coming in....
It's never been bad like this
Tip:
Never ever cut corners on your repairs
You *know* when it feel like a great repair.
It should always feel that way.
If it doesn't...
Go back in. The job is not complete.

Older 2001-2002 Compaq laptop
BSOD everytime the internet was connected
through ethernet it would blue screen.
"tcpip.sys" error
Ran WinsockXPfix
.. no changes
Moved tcpip.sys file from known-good-machine
to this machine and problem still not solved.
Uninstalled all network adapters
and let windows reload the drivers...
.. still no change.

The solution:
We ended up going straight to the REALTECH
manufacturer's website and getting the updated driver.
All good.

Hallmark e-card warning!
Do NOT open any Hallmark e-cards.
Customers have gotten hit with virus/spyware
..and pass this information on!!

Wifi issues depending upon the city:
In PA she is fine .. in DC she gets BSOD
After my clean up routine and wifi driver updates
.. she is still having this issue.

Story on one of the returns:
Lil Dell Inspiron laptop 12" screen
THREE TIMES I have fixed this power jack

Dilemma with the 24" HP glossy screen monitor:
I am getting headaches and I want to blame this screen
because the time matches up.

Leafblower contest winner on hold.
Forgives? See the beard? I am lazy!

Voice Mail from Gomem:
Gomem was on the Great Tech Debate!
Intermitten AVG issues as well
Windows 7 is looking like Vista & its eye candy

AVG alternative = Avira
Norton 2009 listening to the crowd? Slimmed down?

Voicemail from Bob:
Congratulations on the Phillies World Series WIN!
Hopes Steve does not have to wait another 25 years for a WIN

Steve takes credit for the win
because in Philly, the fans are a part of the team
and this is part of the reason Philly fans are crazy
I hope this helps you to understand.

Door2Door Geek:
The difference between and analog tv and a digital tv
(slightly inebriated driving back from a bachelor party)
STILL has podnutz on the brain & a certified GEEK
In case you needed an example:
He goes on to mention 1clickVNC and HAK5
logmein is pure gold as well

Email from Kins:
Looking for a power supply?
MicroCenter is selling a CoolMax 500W PS for $9.99 after rebate
FYI: A few CoolMax PS have failed on me
Maybe bad luck? But Zion never fails on me and they are cheap.

Email from Bobby:
PCMag Security Suite Tests
They also say that Norton 2009 is mean & lean
and Bobby agrees after loving the spam filter for email
and suggests I download the 15 day trial...

Email from OC:
Another cleaner mention ---
freedrweb.com/livecd
Dr Web live CD

Email from Nebben (Ben):
Acronis True Image 2009 is here

Email from Juan from TX:
Check out comodo for free internet security suite
(Best known for their firewall)

Email from Nick:
Dad says he never surfs in the gutters, yet
every couple of months I need to go over and remove
ugliness like trojans/spyware/malware
His Solution:
Install VMWare with Ubuntu and FireFox
and disable persistance so that nothing is saved.
No More Worries!

Click Here to See Chat Log.

No Shows For This Week

2008-10-29T18:28:00.002-04:00

There will be no shows this Wed (Oct 29), Thurs (Oct 30), and Fri (Oct 31). Shows will resume Monday Nov 3rd.

I have a few things/projects I need to finish, (one of which is the new Podnutz.com website) and need a bit of time to get everything caught up. Shows will resume next week at the normal time.

Thanks! -steve

Podnutz Daily #106 - AVG is Crashing Machines!

2008-10-28T21:53:00.002-04:00

Listen Here:

pnd106.mp3

Last show for this week:
HAVE to work on projects & need the time.

NBG reminder (via chat log)
Gem State Computers Malware Removal Guide

Installing AVG is crashing computers?
No Windows Explorer after install
What is up with that?
(Several chatters say yes. Same.)
Back to Avast for AV for customers.

Dell Inspiron generic BSOD:
chkdsk/r and fixboot handled.

Outlook Express with Comcast email
SMTP server should be set at 587
Outgoing:
smtp.comcast.net
Incoming:
mail.comcast.net

Gateway laptop & all files gone
We looked in the root directory
and found a folder called
Backup October 26 2008
Complete copy of her hard drive.
Turns out she did a non destructive sys recovery
and this threw all of her files in this folder
and reinstalls the operating system.

Voice Mail from Simon:
- All apologies for bowing out of The Great Tech Debate

(it's all good, Simon)
- Broadband modem on USB connection
(upgrade it to ethernet connection)
- Vista Home Basic w/ McAfee 1G RAM & No free memory
(uninstalling McAfee revealed 860MB available)

Email from Mike in NM:
- RestoreDisks.com
- Avast Bart disk
Antivirus boot disk from Avast (not free)
-Yahoo Groups: Computer Business
(great information & sign up for the digest)

Email from Mark in CA:
Feedback on Norton AV 2009
Base antivirus works quite well!
Not a hog and much sleeker!
+ Mark shares a tech repair story
(tarred & feathered computer)

Email from Jeffrey:
Windows 7 & at PDC
istreamplanet link
Windows 7 looks like Vista
.. was hoping for something more

Click Here to See Chat Log.

Podnutz Daily #105 - USB Ports Do The Strangest Things

2008-10-28T00:31:00.001-04:00

Listen Here:

pnd105.mp3

eMachines needs data off a computer that will not start:
First thing I do is get the data off
via IDE/SATA to USB cable
and copy the My Documents folder.
Once I did this the hard drive got flaky
Got data just in time.

To diagnose the computer:
Power Supply failed tests
Replaced power supply and got only fans
.. bad mother board.

Replaced mother board and the hard drive
This time would not power up.
Power supply good
replaced ram and processor.
Power button bad? No.
Shop tested the motherboard.. fine.

Solution:
After examining the front USB port was smashed in
and the leads inside were shorting out each other.
Be sure to check those USB ports and
if there is an issue remove the jumpers
connecting the usb to the mother board.

My Aching Eyes:
Recently bought a HP W2408 Vivid Color monitor
and my eyes started giving me trouble.
Turns out it was SO vivid it was like staring at the sun.
Brightness reset to 25% and still looks good.

Eye Doctor came in with a computer repair
and recommended Systane Ultra
for our dry-unblinking-computer-fixing eyes
Bought two bottles of it.

Looking for other remedies for eye strain.
Let me know if you have any other solutions.

D510 Dell laptop for sale on Craigs List for $30
Possible power jack problems but could have more issues.
He dropped it off at the shop for $50.
Will fix and resell for $299

The New Podnutz.com is coming .. hang in there.

Email from Mike:
The Force Field #26 podcast
Review of ReImage using limited free trial
via Bryce Whitty of Technibble.com (positive experience)
Also: Advice on learning soldering - vocation courses at local community colleges

Email from Ricardo:
DVR options
Neuros OSD
PopCorn Hour
Mythbuntu
Elisa

Email from David:
Sites accessible via ip address only
..again the solution offered is OpenDNS

Email from Ray:
Ray states when he finds good freeware he buys or donates
..and wants Steve to get a donation button up and running
(It is coming with the new Podnutz.com website)
Also: Vista vs XP .. Vista is smooth

Email from Jason:
Here Ya Go
Sites with Malware and viruses
(to infect a bench machine to learn how to clean)
offensivecomputing.net
malwaredatabase.net/blog
Jason also sent an attachment that I am afraid to open (LOL)
Mention:
Beware of Hallmark emails and Facebook virus.

Phillies might win tonight and I may not have utilities tomorrow.
Stay tuned for tomorrow's show.

Click Here to See Chat Log.

Podnutz Daily #104 - Emails and Voicemails

2008-10-24T22:05:00.002-04:00

Listen Here:

pnd104.mp3

Email from Ken in Florida:
Follow up on his suggestion for reselling Norman AV
to customers to make money.
He was not plugging Norman for personal gain
and goes on to explain why he felt we could benefit
Bottom line: We are in the business to make money.

Email from Andy:
22" 3D gaming LCD monitor

Email from Rolando:
How did you learn to repair and take apart laptops?
I want to open my own business and I need to learn.
Internet seraches and trial and error via force-fed.

Email from Nebben:
Tracking visited sites in IE:
documents and settings/user name/cookies
Open index.dat in notepad
Scrool down through the junk and you will
see the sites the user has been to
even AFTER the temporary internet files,
history and cookies have been deleted.
index.dat cannot be deleted by the user even in safe mode.

Voicemail from Joe in MI:
Help with DNS problem?
Open DNS - site will give you instructions.
They manage their servers better than Comcast or AT&T does.

Click Here to See Chat Log.

Podnutz Daily #103 - Some Business Tips

2008-10-24T01:22:00.002-04:00

Listen Here:

pnd103.mp3

Old Dell hard drive replacement/Windows reinstall
No ethernet jack in the back
so I assumed customer was still on dial up
since it had a modem.
For this reason I did not install AVG antivirus.

Customer did have a cable modem
just connected via USB - drivers are needed
Customer told me the modem drivers were not loaded.
For this reason I always keep disks for:
Comcast
AOL
PeoplePC
NetZero
Will load her modem drivers.

Tip:
Advice on packaging computers for shipping

Tip:
Keep the names of all of your customers
The shop will be using this list to create new business

Tip:
How to accept credit cards for your business
free using Pay Pal Buy Now button

Leaf blower contest:
Still looking for your interesting stories

Still working on the new Podnutz.com website
You can see it as I work on it at Steve Cherubino.com/main
The new site will have the donations/subscription link you have all been asking for.

Email from Mark:
How I infect my machine to learn how to clean
I am also looking for a site that covers infections/solutions
Try bleeping computer or castlecops.com for solutions

Email from AcidBurn:
Wollf 16- backdoor trojan conseals itself as Wininit.exe
Improve Windows Task Manager with Security Task Manager

Also:
Customer can only browse the internet
via the ip address of the site they want to go to.

Email from Freddie:
Soddering is scary to me
any tips tools to use
15w soldering iron at Radio shack
with replaceable tip and I use .032 solder
The laptop videos I am working on
will show in detail what I do.
Try doing a YouTube search on soldering.
Main tip:
Don't leave the iron ion a contact link too long
I use a technique called "tinning" to prevent this.

Email from Jeff:
How to diagnose a defective modem
Story from dsl reports att diagnostic page

Email from Ken in Forida:
Ken sent Steve the cordless leaf blower.

How to make money suggesting an antivirus via reselling
Try Norman antivirus.
$19 a cd from Norman and sell to your customers for $39
(Retail is $49 from Norman)
They can use one disk on three computers.
Ken has been using this AV for three years.
Great program. Sleek and gets the job done better than AVG.
Antivirus and antispyware. Great customer service, too.

Questions on soldering:
Check laptoprepair101.com

Click Here to See Chat Log.

Podnutz Daily #102 - Get Rid Of PC Protection Center 2008

2008-10-23T00:34:00.003-04:00

Listen Here:

pnd102.mp3

Malwarebytes killed PC Protection Center 2008

when SuperAntiSpyware could not.
Once Mawarebytes cleaned the machine, we updated SuperAntiSpyware
and it found even more infections on the machine.

You CANNOT install Windows SP3 on a machine
that does NOT have SP1.
We installed SP2 and then SP3.

MacBook with soda spill and sticky keys
She kept using it after the spill
Luckily she did not fry her motherboard.
Tip on replacing a MacBook keyboard:
You do NOT have to replace the whole top panel
with includes the touchpad.
You can just purchase/replace the keyboard.

He missed the cookies
Customer came back with in 24 hours
after complete reinstall of Windows
complaing that he has a virus
and did not want to be charged for the clean up.
Decided to check the broswer history
and found a few late night porn visits.
Took a screenshot of the evidence just in case.
Contacted the customer who agreed to pay a fee
for another clean up and suggested a stronger AV.

Voice mail from Teddie in Oregon:
Congrats on show 100 !
ThinkPad T61 with wireless/network connection problems
Could be the wireless card -- tried to get to it.
Posted the problem in PodNutz Forums
The card is under the keyboard.
Go to Lenovo and get documentation.

Email from Roger:
Installed PCHelpWare two weeks ago and likes it much better.
Offers some tips to Steve to get it working for him.

Revamping PodNutz using drupal
It will now reflect all of my podcast projects
.. should be up and running soon.

Email from Mitch:
Listener Bob recommended Team Viewer for remote access.
He also has used this to set up a NetGear router. Works great!

Email from Matt:
There is a Second Life SLURL that can
teleport your listeners directly to The Great tech Debate:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Podcaster%20Island/71/203/23

Email from Robin:
AVG not doing the trick with teens in the house?
Try Blink from eEye
Free for the first year.

Email from Jack:
Dell laptop with XP Media Center
cannot connect to the internet with FireFox or IE
He divuldges a huge list of what he has done to trouble shoot.
Please try WinSock XP Fix
Make sure the firewall is not blocking the internet
To troubleshoot hardware vs software
see if you can get online in Safe Mode with Networking.

Jack also has a website he is having difficulty keeping updated:
Computer Talk Audio Links
Any suggestions on keeping a site up-to-date?

Email from Mark:
More on OEM installs with Vista
Tip:
Tell Microsoft the motherboard died and this is not an upgrade.
He also tells how he got over his Mac phase.

Click Here to See Chat Log.

Podnutz Daily #101 - Can't Fix It? - Trade It In.

2008-10-20T22:41:00.004-04:00

Listen Here:

pnd101.mp3

Saturday's Great Tech Debate guests:
Nebben, Keith Albright & Goman
Audio still not available for both debates.
Working on revamping podnutz.com to showcase
all of the shows I am involved in and working on
.. but the audio will be available soon.

Podnutz #27 with Keith Albright is done
and will be posted once the new site is ready.

Sony Vaio 5+ yrs old & possibly dropped.
"Some lights DO come on"
Tested Power Supply .. fine
Computer did start up but no video
No video on external monitor.
Either video card or the motherboard.
Explained $300 for a replacement mother board.

I can do the diagnostic for them
and if they decide to pay for the repair, great.
If not, they can trade in that PC and not pay the diagnostic.
I can then either repair and resell the laptop
or part it out on ebay.

14 month old Sony Vaio bought for $1400 new
(oops just missed the warranty ...again)
This one had no power at all.
Checked the AC adapter
Troubleshot the power jack .. all good.
This customer will pay for a new motherboard.

Repeat customer with brand new hard drive
and brand new Windows install
came back in for virus that occurred
"on start up" .. according to his kids.
(I plan to pull up a browser history)

I recommend Norton or McAfee
over AVG for these types of internet sessions
where the teenagers are all over the net
because they tend to protect a little better.

My dad, Cook was cleaning a computer
with Windows repair and dial-a-fix ect, ...
The only thing that would not work was
an internet connection via IE
Solution:
Disabled HP printer software. Instant internet.

Web Alert
Commercial during this show stated Norton AV is getting faster
.. and I am hearing this repeated on several other tech podcasts
(getting curious about it.. may download and try it)

Email from Ray:
iTunes virus via iTunes update with QT?

Email from Neil:
Screenshot of The Great Tech Debate
from his vantage point watching the debate

Email from Danny in Second Life:
He complains about me not interacting in Second Life.

Email from Henry:
The new MacBooks have spill indicators inside!
Are you sure you didn’t spill anything in your MacBook?

Email from Dana:
Congrats on show 100
He wanted to know what happened that forced me to
screen my voicemails & will I tell the episode?

I played a message that at the end said,
"Don't play this voice mail message on the show"
So now I check them before playing.

Looking for more stories for the leaf blower give-away!
Send me your tech experience!

Email from Jeff:
Leaf blower story submission.
Backing up data back in the day
required a series of floppies & precious time.

Live call from Nebben:
He shares a story for the leaf blower contest.
Disgusting! (with a side of Turtle Soup)

Live Call from Bob:
Follow up comment on internet surfing
and the infections it can cause.
Malware is now spoofing AVG warnings?
Solution:
Vundo Fix
via
Team Viewer

Click Here to See Chat Log.

Podnutz Daily #100 - Yes, #100!

2008-10-17T01:12:00.002-04:00

Listen Here:

pnd100.mp3

Show #100 Milestone
I guess this means I am actually committed to this!

More on the thin Sony Vaio Notebook VGN-X505:
Power is there but no video
Obtained a $3 tri-winged security screwdriver to open it up.
I violated my rule #1 when opening this laptop.
If you have to force it. Stop. Or you will break it.
There is still a screw holding it in
or you are doing something wrong.
So you halt the maneuver and reconsider
what it is that you are doing wrong.
I BROKE THAT RULE
.. and cracked the case in three places
even though it took very little effort to crack it.

I fixed the power issue by cleaning the mother board.
I have let it run for a few hours to be sure.
I talk about what I found on the inside
and learned what made it so thin and light.

Email from Rod:
Changing the name of SuperAntiSpyware
will sometimes allow you to install it.

Email from Jeff:
More on reinstalls on OEM computers

Email from Tijs from the Netherlands:
More on reinstalling the OS and what disks will work

Voice Mail from Mark in Reno:
Computer would not boot so I took it off-site
It passes the bios screen then goes black.
BIOS had a password and I learned how to clear it.

Some of the critical Windows system files
had been overwritten with 0 kilobyte copies.
Replaced the files with known good ones
but I am still having issues with BSOD
as Windows finds other corrupted files.
Congrats on show #100 !!

Live call from Nebben:
Nebben gives a W00T for show 100
He is getting version number v.5657 on his installed SP3
on his volume pack OS but not the other OEM

This might indicate that Windows has started
utilizing a number system for OS versions much like Apple does.
It has been rumored that Windows 7 will embrace this.
The island of Fuji does not like the name Windows Fuji
.. so Windows 7 it is.

Live call from Mitch:
Congrats from a listener who has been here from day 1.
Representing the people in Staples and asked to leave.
Possible meet up at MicroCenter with Mitch?

Live call from Cynthia (NewBritG)
Another listener since day one congrats Steve
She learns something new everyday
and prints out the show notes for future reference
(Thank you, Cynthia! - Barbra aka CX)

She visited a MicroCenter and loves it.
She lives in CT and traveled to Boston
to check out the closest store to her.
She and her husband bought netbooks there
She got the Acer netbook with XP and loves it.
Will use it as her work pc for her new computer repair business.
The laptop videos will be ready for her 2009 venture.
Looking forward to show 500!

Live call from Eric:
Questions about PC that would not install SuperAntiSpyware
The Windows installer was corrupt so it was
not just SuperAntiSpyware that would not install.

Live call from Tomy:
Congrats and don't stop!
digital vs analog tv.. how can you tell?
How can you test this?

Email from kins:
Wanted to clarify that Simon was correct
regarding installing the OS via OEM.
He did not hear him correctly and got confused.

Click Here to See Chat Log.

Podnutz Daily #99 - The COA Debate Continues

2008-10-15T20:11:00.002-04:00

Listen Here:

pnd098.mp3

The new 13' MacBook introduced.
I am looking at MacPros to acquire on CraigsList
to improve the performance of Second Life for The Great Tech Debate.

Old PIII ThinkPad would not install Microsoft Office
XP with 64MB ram. No SP1 IE6F
It was a fresh install but it must have been an old one.

Desktop could not pull up task manager:
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/
http://wiki.lunarsoft.net/wiki/Dial-a-fix

Newer Dell Laptop dream job:
Customer just wanted a clean install
Ctrl+F11 does a factory recovery using Norton Ghost
All that is left to do is remove all of the crapware.

Very very infected PC came in:
Two new bad guys to add to a growing list -
AntiMalware 2009
Win AntiSpyware 2009
Unstable system frequent crashing, popups everywhere
Desktop wallpaper high-jacked, IE high-jacked

Steve's Cleanup Routine
The computer would not allow me to install SuperAntiSpyware
New class of malware is getting smarter.

More on the COA debate
With what install disks will the Product Key work
and can you use a disk from a different PC manufacturer

Voice Mail from Simon about COA:
If you have an OEM build machine
(HP, CompaQ, Dell)
They will have a COA sticker on the PC
You can use any OEM install disk on these computers
and use the Product Key (COA) on the machine.

The manufacturer's RESTORE cds are different
and usually cannot be used machine to machine
because these disks have a code on them
that checks the hardware for manufacturer specifics.
These disks also hold a generic installation CD key
that is specific to the mother board and will
pre-activate the operating system.

These restore cds are usually very out of date
so it is important to know you can use OEM cds
on the computers that come with these restore cds
and the COA Product Key on the PC will work.

Email from Sandros:
Fujitsu-Siemens Amilo D8830 laptop
will not power on and I have checked the power adapter.
How do I troubleshoot this issue?
Please determine if it is the mother board or the power jack.
and I give further tips on ruling one or the other out.

Email from Daniel:
Just started doing on-site work and I want to know
what rules to follow or how to handle the situation
when you find yourself romantically interested in one of the clients.
1, Get the buiness out of the way first & do a very good job.
2. Go for it.

Email from Walt:
ComboFix has a cool installation process
It installs several products automatically
then it runs scans and gives you a report

Email from Andrew:
After several years of fixing computers
I have noticed that every fall and spring are slow.
We all experience this.

Email from Mark:
More on offering customers a back up service
Get affiliated with mozy.com
No customer service responsibilities and make money by sending leads to them.

Email from Ben:
Comcatastrophe
Comcast Filled My House With Raw Sewage

Live call from Nebben:
He just had to share that Comcast story
because everybody hates Comcast.

Click Here to See Chat Log.

Podnutz Daily #98 - Vista Safe Mode Menu

2008-10-15T00:25:00.001-04:00

Listen Here:

pnd098.mp3

Vista laptop that wouldn't start
Started up in the shop
but was really buggy and slow.

This was a recent problem
so I did a system restore
going back two weeks.
Problem solved.

Hitting F8 in Vista gives you options
(possibly only with factory installs)
Repair My Computer
-system restore
-system recovery
-memory diagnostic test
-cmd prompt
-recover from a back up

CompaQ that was melting power adapters:
It was due to the slight loose connection.
The repair (discussed) solved the issue.
This was recorded for the laptop videos.

Windows is starting screen would transition to
Windows is logging off. Endless loop.
Windows repair?

Voice Mail from Tim in Savannah, GA:
Restoration CDs on OEM machines
Informative chat:
Scott Meuller on Computer America covering this very topic

Voice Mail from Nebben:
He does not blow out laptops from the back
out of fear of the dust landing on the mother board
and shorting it out. He removes the keyboard first.
Tri-winged bit is also available at Microcenter.

The cool thin computer came back today
with the same issue so I will pick up a tri-winged bit
security set at Microcenter. Thanks Ben!
(This thin laptop may make the laptop video after all!)

Email from Matt:
Is there a solid reason to run chckdsk on NTFS
after Windows crashes and you reboot?

Email from Ben:
Apple warns of faulty graphics processors in MacBook Pros
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377

Email from Rick:
Thank you for helping me get rid of the MS 2009 virus.
First virus I have had in years and your tips fixed it.

I need to replace the keyboard for a
Dell XPS M140 laptop
Where can I find a reliable source for this part?
Try here first:
Greetings_and_Computations by listener Rick

Email from Joe:
Free disk usage utilities for Windows and Macs
WinDirStat
Disk Inventory X

Email from Mike:
More information using JellyBeanKeyfinder

Email from Steve in WV:
Steve shares his best tech story for the leaf blower contest.
The server is smoking .. what do I do?

Email from Kins:
Kins shares his story for the leaf blower contest
Trying to get a Belkin driver for his wireless adapter
.... and the hilarity ensues!

Click Here to See Chat Log.

Podnutz Daily #97 - Overheating Power Jack

2008-10-14T01:17:00.002-04:00

Listen Here:

pnd097.mp3

Recap of The Great Tech Debate Ep1

CompaQ laptop was melting power adapters
A lead to the jack on the motherboard
seemed a little loose and could be the culprit
will do a repair to see if that fixes the problem.
CompaQ 14" motherboard in a 15" laptop with 2 adapters.

Dell laptop works great in Philly
but bluescreens when she takes it to DC
Ran my clean up routine on it
and will check the event viewer

Desktop with LSASS error at windows log in.
Chdsk/r always fixes that for me.

Voice Mail from Mike in NM:
What are your favorite/offbeat vendors for parts?
I use eBay for screens and obscure computer parts
for everything elseI go to local vendors Microcenter or IET

Voice Mail from Eric:
It is getting difficult to leave negative feedback on eBay.

Voice Mail from Simon:
Reliability and Liability
Please consider before offering off site back up to your customers
Jungle Disk

Email from Mike:
Mike shares his best story for the leaf blower contest.

Email from Bob:
Bob shares his tips for using DriverMax

Email from Joel in Florida:
Where do you buy your recovery disks for Xp and Vista?
I did not buy them I just acquired them along the way
and use the Product Keys that are physically on the machine.

Email from Jeff:
Jeff shares his best stories for the leaf blower contest
Mad-rage cursing customer, bad luck hard drives & 220 vs 110

Email from Scott:
Laptop will only boot error-free via the F12 Windows standard mode.
The natural start up produces many beeps and no video.
Tip:
You might have a key that is stuck on the keyboard.
Remove the keyboard and reboot to troubleshoot this.

Tip:
How to properly remove dust from fans
and what to watch for.

Click Here to See Chat Log.

Podnutz Daily #96 - Go Phils!

2008-10-10T21:45:00.004-04:00

Listen Here:

pnd096.mp3

Quick episode.
Phillies play tonight
and it is the playoffs.
'Nuff said.

Media Center HP with customer installed Vista Ultimate
hard drive crashed and we could not get the OS running.
We had to reinstall Vista but did not have the Product Key.
The Product Key on the computer was an XP Key
We used Magical Jellybean Keyfinder
to get the Product Key for Vista
via Ultimate Boot CD with Jellybean Key Finder on a flash drive.
Reinstalled Vista. Works great.

Dell Inspiron 1100 laptop came into remove viruses
customer wanted a clean sweep reinstall of Windows.
Half way through installation, it powers off.
Dead with both AC adapter and battery.
Died on my desk.
User never told us there were power problems.
Smells like a mother board issue
due to notorious over heating issues with these laptops.

Replaced two tips on power jacks
so the customers would not have to spend
$70-$80 on a new power adapter.

Dell B120 or B130 Inspiron
Battery in the computer would not start.
Battery out with AC adapter in, it would start.
Bad battery and bad AC adapter that did not charge battery.

I just remembered Jeff's tip when this happens:
Unplug the AC adapter
Remove the battery
Plug in the AC adapter
Power on the computer
Shut down
Put the battery back in
and plug the AC adapter back in
.. and it will work as normal.

I will try that!

Voice Mail from Paul:
FTP vs SSH to transfer data
(a rebuttal to Sherwin)

Voice Mail from William
The slim Sony required a tri-wing bit to open.

Also to change the Dell logo on the Toshiba laptop:
Use WinBubble to customize Vista.

... and he shares his story for the leaf blower.
WHA??? A motherboard in the dishwasher? It worked??

Click Here to See Chat Log.

Podnutz Daily #95 - Great Tech Debate This Sat

2008-10-09T22:35:00.001-04:00

Listen Here:

pnd095.mp3

The Great Tech Debate:
This Saturday 10.11.08 at 1pm
in virtual setting Second Life
I will record it in ustream.

Toshiba 17" laptop Vista machine:
Kids butchered the machine
and try as I might to clean
I had to reinstall Vista.
I had an OEM Dell Home Premium Vista disk
Wasn't sure it would work but tried it anyway.
Used the Product key on the bottom of the Toshiba
..and it took! Works great.
The Dell logo does show up in system properties though.

CompaQ laptop unusable after about an hour
would just freeze up and cut out.
Motherboard or video card after troubleshooting.
Replaced video card since video was flickering.
Seems to be okay after that replacement.

Kid brought in a 14 month old Gateway laptop:
Warranty was up after 12 months
Felt bad because his heat sink was clogged
and it fried the processor that fried the motherboard
It was completely dead.
Another smoker that did not take the time
to clean out the dust every few months.

It is slowing down at the shop
due to the economy?
People are getting scared listening to the news.

Voice Mail from Eric:
This is his 3rd submission for the leaf blower
Self-healing multi-function system:
The initial problem was no power.
Replaced parts and it still did not work.
Put all the original parts back in
and it somehow worked just fine.
Go figure.

Update on the super thin laptop that came in
Sony Vaio Notebook VGN-X505
It would not boot.
The screws to take it apart
(which I was very excited about doing)
required a three notch screwdriver that I did not have.

Steve talks about how he fixed it, people.
I am still confused by the bending

(listen to the show)

... guess this will not make the laptop videos after all.
This required tool to open it was not in my toolkit either.
I checked. Looking for one because I thought I had them all.
Still useful advice in the end when you consider what he faced.

Another Voice Mail from Eric:
Responds to Barbra aka CitizenX
regarding SuperAntiSpyware Pro
This program in its free version has helped us all out
and I agree with Steve that you have to support Nick
by buying the Pro Version .. contribute people!
It is a great program and deserves compensation.

Email from Neil:
He bought a second hand computer
to use as a bench PC for when he gets
up and running with computer repair.
Computer was acting funny
and he sends in a picture of brown gunk
on a few capacitors near the CPU.

Email from Mick:
Comments on eBay
I have lost money on eBay regardless of positive feedback
Resolution via eBay has never put my money back.
I now use a trusted credit card with protection
for those times I face a bad transaction.

I give Mick further advice on buying from eBay.

Live call from Gomen aka Mike:
Second Life podcast guru extraordinaire
Offers a Second Life loan to get Steve on a podcast based island.
And gives tips on getting in the podcast pickle island
pod mofia
Second Life Podcast

Gomen covers requirements for Second Life:
You will need a decent graphics card
and offers advice on sound for recording.

I ask about the public stage auditorium
found on Podcast Island .. can I use it?
Gomen says: You have to book a spot to use it.

Thank you for the great advice, Gomen!

Click Here to See Chat Log.

Podnutz Daily #94 - Watch Your Quotes

2008-10-08T22:36:00.002-04:00

Listen Here:

pnd094.mp3

Dell Inspiron 9000 laptop BRICK
(big, bulky and heavy)
Power buutton gives a flash on the screen
but no video and no bios screen.

Tip on free estimates:
If I have to take it apart to figure out
what is wrong with the machine,
the estimate will not be free.
I will charge for the diagnostic.

I give tips on figuring out
is it the video card, the processor or the mother board?
Solution:
It was the motherboard.

Be careful giving quotes let customers know
it can be subject to change:
eMachines desktop
Power supply or motherboard?
The LED light on the motherboard was lit
so I assumed it was getting power
and diagnosed a bad motherboard.

Turns out the mother board was bad
and the power supply
and the cd drive
and the hard drive
SeaTools Bootable CD hard drive diagnostic tool.

Email from Jack:
Another leaf blower submission
A great on-site horror story due to living conditions.

Email from Josh of CGrafiks.com
He is still listening and will send his story for the contest soon!

Email from Ben:
Another leaf blower submission
"Ubuntu & an adopted Grandmother"
Great story introducing ubuntu to the elderly
and old computer give-aways to those that need them
but cannot afford them with versions of Ubuntu installed.

Email from Sherwin:
He did his first laptop jack repair
when Sony would have charged $250.
Thanks to Tommy for the help!

Avoid WEP for your wireless router. Use WPA
Verizon FIOS (and DSL?) wireless access point insecure default WEP key
What is kismet ?

SSH vs FTP = SSH more secure

Using WAIK (Windows Automated Installation Kit)
build your own USB or CD based version of Vista

Get a 3D virtual desktop via DeskSpace

Cool news:
The Great Tech Debate is on for Saturday Oct 11, 2008 @1pm
First Episode!

Click Here to See Chat Log.

Podnutz Daily #93 - What? No Sound?

2008-10-08T22:17:00.002-04:00

Listen Here:

pnd093.mp3

eMachines laptop with fixed power jack
was still powering off after five minutes.
The replacement power adapter was not strong enough.
It was not supplying enough power and this is what
was causing the laptop to shut off.
Tip:
You HAVE to match the voltage in the power adapter
with the original to prevent these problems.
Solution:
Repaired the old power adapter.
Works fine.

Dell desktop with strange video problems
Random resolution changes, would go black
and restart / reboot.
Customer used this machine a lot for
recording and playing movies
so we were sure it was the video card.
There was physical damage on the video card.
The capacitors blow / pop on the video card
just like they do on the mother board
due to over heating / power surges
Solution:
Replaced the video card.

All day computer fix with a severely corrupt PC
Fix after fix after fix patching the system up
At the end of the day we realized what an endless cycle
this was turning into trying to get it clean.
We did a reinstall when even a Windows Repair didn't work.
Tip:
Know when to call it quits on a repair
regardless of how much time you have spent
trying to avoid a Windows reinstall.
Just reinstall. Stop wasting time.
Sometimes the virus and spyware win.
Tuck your tail and reinstall.

Thinnest computer ever to come into the shop
Came into the shop at the last minute today:
Sony Vaio Notebook VGN-X505
Power and hard drive activity, but no video.
I cannot wait to take this apart to see what's inside.
This will also be in the laptop videos.

Send me your experiences as a tech
to win the leafblower to clean out dust in PCs.
Giving it away on show 100 !!

Voice Mail from CitizenX:
Humanizing podcasts
Questions about the features found in SuperAntiSpyware Pro
Advice for Cheryl on her questionable hard drive.
Loud fans, Corey? Replace with quiet fans.
Thank you Steve for canning Google Lively for The Great Tech Debate.
Second Life it is!

(Technical difficulties end the show abruptly)

Click Here to See Chat Log.

Podnutz Daily #92 - To All You Guys Out There

2008-10-06T19:48:00.003-04:00

Listen Here:

pnd092.mp3

XP Desktop BSOD/Reboot
After you get to the Windows login screen.
Had to uncheck "Reboot on error"
to see the BSOD error message

1. Right click My Computer.
2. Choose Properties
3. Choose Advanced tab
4. Click Settings under Startup and Recovery
5. Uncheck Automatically Restart

BSOD error was the broad catch-all message:
Page fault in nonpaged area
Listen to the show for the fix.

More powerjack repairs video taped
for the soon-to-be-released laptop repair videos.

Dell Inspiron 9000 monstrosity laptop:
Upon powering on there would be a flicker on the screen
the computer would run for a few seconds then power off.
It is either the processor or the mother board.

Tech news:
I bought a new toy over the weekend
Acer Extensa 4420
I may hot-rod it and replace the processor myself.

Enter the contest to win my corded leaf blower to clean out PCs!
Send me your best experience as a tech.

Voice Mail from Eric:
Eric shares another tech story for the contest

Email from Ray:
Needs help with an eMachine power supply replacement.
You will have to listen to get the full solution/troubleshoot.

Email from Geraldo:
(No, not THAT Geraldo)
... shares his amazing/horror tech experience for the contest.
Sad story but a learning lesson that has made Geraldo a better tech.

Email from Cheryl:
Intermittent hard drive issues
Computer recently shut down and rebooted with beeps
(FYI:
Knoppix Live CD ran fine because it does not utilize the hd)
Ran MemTest and passed.
Ran Data Lifeguard Tools and passed.
Rebooted and all is running well, but the hard drive is humming now.

Email from Ray:
CrystalDiskInfo can be run from usb and is a hd diagnostic
Glary Utilities is an all-in-one utility

Email from Tom:
Questions on dual booting operating systems
How to I control the order of which operating system to boot?
How do I determine in the system which OS is the default?
How do I delete an option?
I say check the boot.ini file in Windows to edit the file.
I give steps how to get to this option.

The Great Tech Debate
"This is going to be ugly" Virtual Round Table discussion:
First episode this week.
Will be using SecondLife because it has voice chat capabilities.
Let's see if we can make this work.
Let me know if you want to take part!

To All You Guys Out There:
Further clarification on my vernacular ---
When I say "guys" I really mean guys & girls who are
watching and listening. This is just the way I talk.
I am not excluding anyone at all.

Live call from Cory:
Loud fan in a Intel Dell laptop when nothing is going on.
Fan programs? What can I do?
I give Corey some advice.
...and we g33k chat a bit.

Cory mentions:
HoopStick
Purchase cheap tech on the weekends

Steve counters with:
Woot
Daily great prices on tech while supplies last

Click Here to See Chat Log.