What to do if you cannot access your PC's Hard Drive?
If Windows fails to load and you cannot even access your hard drive, try booting from a DOS-bootable USB drive, that you should have already created, to establish whether or not the drive is actually working properly. If this works, you should be able to view the contents of your hard drive and even reinstall […]
Pesky Windows Sound Problems
There could be a number of reasons for a lack of sound from your Windows PC. First make sure you've plugged your speakers into your PC, have turned the speakers on and have turned up the volume. And make sure you actually have a soundcard installed - either a separate card in a PCI slot […]
Problems with your PC's DVD Drive not reading your disc
If you insert a DVD disc into your computers DVD drive and the light showing the disc is being read stubbornly stays on, that is probably as far as you will get, and the disc itself will not be read or actioned. The simplest explanation for a problem like this is that your DVD disc […]
Should you Defrag your PC's Hard Drive?
As long as your running Windows 7 or later the built-in Disk Defragmenter utility runs automatically at scheduled times, usually once per week. This happens by default, so chances are pretty good your PC's hard drive is already defragged. And by most accounts, the utility compares favourably with third-party alternatives, so don’t spend money on […]
Changing the size of Notepad if it now fills the monitors screen
Notepad is a simple text editor included in all versions of Windows. It is great for making notes and even preparing long documents. Sometimes the way we use this simple program can cause us problems. If you open Notepad and adjust its size to fill the monitor screen, the next time you open it defaults […]
How to know when your Solid State Drive could fail
The main difference between Hard Drives and Solid State Drives (SSD's) is this: The area of a hard drive that can hold data can be rewritten as many times as is needed, and will always be usable as long as the drive is functioning (until bad sectors begin to cause problems). This is not the […]
Vista User Profile Service Fails to Logon
Recently we had a Dell Laptop in for repair, running Windows Vista, that had a damaged user account that could not be accessed. This is a typical 'Vista User Profile Service' problem and there are certainly still plenty of posts across the Internet about this difficulty. It seems to occur when there are two or […]
How to spot if an email is a phishing attack?
One of the biggest problems in online security is the phishing email. So many unsuspecting people fall pray to this sort of attack that the incidence of phishing is actually on the increase. Phishing for financial gain is certainly on the rise and you could even be the next victim of this sort of phishing […]
The Danger of Rootkits
A rootkit is a collection of program tools that enable user-level access to a computer or a computer network. Typically, a hacker installs a rootkit on your computer after first obtaining user-level access, either by exploiting a known vulnerability or cracking your password. Once the rootkit is installed, it allows the attacker to mask its […]
How to deal with Ransomware Like Petya or WannaCry
The short answer is to do a combination of things such as perform a reliable backup, make sure your PC is protected and use automated removal tools if the worst happens. These things can be a solid defence against the growing menace of Ransomware. Ransomware does not sneak into your PC like ordinary malware does. […]