Tech Tips

Hey everyone, just a heads up in the event you're friends with us on Facebook or following us on Twitter, LinkedIn, etc… looks like Cox Internet is down in San Diego. If you are still having issues after tomorrow, give...

Recently, a client in Del Mar had an issue searching e-mails in Outlook 2011 on her MacBook Air. She recently purchased the MacBook Air and used Time Machine to transfer all her data, programs and settings to her new laptop.

As detailed in our last blog post about the WannaCry virus, the importance of an effective backup method is greater than ever. Whether you are hoping to back up your work files, or the media you have collected over the

I’m sure by now you’ve all heard about that virus attack, commonly referred as WannaCry or WannaCryptor, on the news and internet. It’s shut down hospitals, offices, and a lot more. They say it may be the largest cyber attack

When you get a second-hand computer from a friend, buy a name brand computer from a big box retailer, or you are looking to “refresh” one of your devices, you may be thinking about removing bloatware from its hard drive.

One of the most annoying problems anyone can get with their computer is when it just feels slow. Your first assumption is to say it’s a virus, but most of the time, that’s not the case. Maybe you’ve tried using

Malware is one of, if not the most common issue with computers “slowing down”. Many people mistake poor performance for a virus, when it’s actually easily removable malware/spyware/bloatware, etc. Before you try and take your computer in to a repair

We’ve had many, many customers in San Diego tell us the same story; “I was contacted by (or Googled) tech support and spoke to someone about problems on my computer. They asked to remote into my computer and then told

Ransomware We’ve all heard about it at this point, you open an email, and all of a sudden it seems, your important documents and files get hijacked, encrypted and unable to be opened. Ransomware is no joke, if you’re a

OSX: Transferring Data from Corrupted Libraries You turn on your mac, or at least you try to, and the worst happens. It’s dead Jim. Not a problem, transferring data on an Apple computer is really easy, especially if you’ve

Lots of times, the difference between keeping your internet accounts safe and having them hacked is a good password. Many of you have your passwords written on pieces of paper, or have them memorized only to later find that password.

Did you just reinstall Windows 7 after having enough of Windows 10? Can’t get it to update? It happens a lot. A fresh install of Windows 7 is met with a screen saying “searching for updates”, except the search doesn’t

Let’s face it, we spend a lot of time online. Be it purging e-mails, browsing videos of kittens, shopping for the latest cell phone, or coordinating social gatherings. The amount of time we spend online is speedily increasing, both increasing

The eclectic variations and indomitable evolutions of some 150 pocket monsters known as Pokémon first captured our attention in 1995. Pokémon Master-in-training Ash Ketchum introduced us to the electric yellow monster known as Pikachu and we’ve been hooked ever since. “I choose you,

In this modern day of computers and technology, the biggest gripe we hear from friends, family, and customers is the never ending struggle with remembering passwords. Whether it’s sticky notes on the computer screen, excel spreadsheets on the desktop, or that

Just this week, a client from downtown San Diego called us stating they recently upgraded to Windows 10 and didn’t like the way it worked… they missed Windows 7. They found out from a neighbor that you could revert back

Recently, a client in Hillcrest called us needing help with their “fileserver”, which turned out to be a Buffalo Linkstation Duo, a NAS (Network Attached Storage device)- this particular device had two hard drives in it. Typically, a two hard

The Problem Learning how to use a new version of windows can be frustrating. That is of course if it works properly. However, when simple Windows 10 features refuse to work, it may take you a step further and make

Windows 10’s first big update in November 2015 added a device-tracking feature. You can now enable GPS tracking and remotely locate a lost Windows 10 tablet or laptop just like you’d track a smartphone, tablet, or MacBook. Previously, this required

Microsoft released a new tool today designed to give Outlook users an easier way to schedule meetings. Called FindTime, the add-in is one of the more practical applications to be released from Microsoft Garage – the company’s internal R&D initiative

Microsoft has released patches for two critical security vulnerabilities that affect every supported version of Windows. The software giant released the patches Tuesday as part of its monthly release of security updates. All users running Windows Vista and

Microsoft has quietly updated its Windows Lifecycle Fact Sheet page, adding October 31, 2016 as the last date on which manufacturers can sell PCs with Windows 7 preinstalled. Normally, Microsoft’s policy is to set the end-of-sales date for a specific

Everybody is getting hacked left and right. Anthem lost 80 million records. The US government got hacked and lost personal data for millions, all the way down to fingerprint data. Now Experian, a credit bureau got hacked. So how can

Microsoft hasn’t exactly been endearing themselves to tech geeks everywhere lately, with all the privacy concerns and other issues. And now they are automatically downloading all of Windows 10 to your Windows 7 or 8 PC, whether you asked for

How much energy do your smartphone, laptop, and tablet chargers really use? Should you unplug them when you aren’t using them to save power and money? We measured exactly how much power a variety of common chargers use, and how

When you delete an app on your iPhone or iPad, you may notice that it gets installed again when you sync with iTunes on your PC. However, there’s a way to prevent apps from reinstalling on your iPhone or

Apple’s iCloud now allows you to undelete files you’ve deleted from iCloud Drive, restore recently deleted photos, and revert your contacts and calendars to a previous state. If you accidentally deleted something, you can get it back. The data may also

Hard drives are getting larger and larger, but somehow they always seem to fill up. This is even more true if you’re using a solid-state drive (SSD), which offers much less hard drive space than traditional mechanical hard drives. If

Microsoft made a first public preview of the suite — which runs on Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10 PCs and laptops — back in March of 2015. Testers had been working with private previews of the suite

Collaborating for free is always a plus, and now Dropbox is making that easier. The company is launching a new feature called Dropbox Teams, which makes it easier for people to use their personal accounts at work. The feature will...

Enterprise and BYOD users beware - upgrading to iOS 9 can break your ability to access VPNs. The symptoms are pretty straightforward - you upgrade to iOS 9 and are then you find that you are no longer able to...

“Siri, it's bedtime.” And with that, the Lutron Serena shades drop, the Schlage door lock bolts tight and the Philip Hue lights soften. This is Apple's vision for your future smart home, but it's not exactly in the future...

You probably know Google Hangouts as an app that pops up in the corner of a browser tab or on your smartphone, but it's possible to archive your messages in Gmail too—from here they can be searched, labelled and starred...

iOS 9 is arriving today. But what we saw on stage at Apple's World Wide Developer Conference this spring was more than just a yearly update to Apple's mobile OS. It's a glimpse at how Apple's operating systems are being...

The Google Chrome browser has received a lot of flak for its sluggish, battery-draining performance, but it seems like Google may have a remedy. Google announced Chrome 45, an update designed increase speed and save battery life, on Friday in...

We've all been there…scrambling because we sent an angry/pathetic/embarrassing email that they've instantly regretted, Gmail's experimental “Undo Send” feature has been a lifesaver. Now, it's becoming an official part of Gmail on the web. The feature lets you instantly retract an...

At last! Windows 10 has finally arrived and the upgrade is still rolling out to users around the globe. For those of you who are not familiar with Microsoft's latest flagship, there is a few hidden features that can help...

As a culture, and in business, we've become increasingly conscious of the positive impact of collaboration, group interaction and free exchange of information. And with the word “social” tied to many of the ways we now spend our time...

For the past few months we have been working hard to ready our first brick and mortar shop! As you can see from the picture below, just by changing our address on a few sites prompted new clients to stop...

Rather than attempting to trick you into visiting a malicious website, malvertising uses advertising networks to spread these malicious Flash objects and other bits of malicious code to other websites. Attackers upload malicious Flash objects and other bits of malicious code...

If you utilize Google Docs as much as we do, then you understand how great this feature is, and can be! The Mountain View nerds just announced a small set of upgrades to its cloud office software suite, and the...

Before, Nest's small profile and lower resolution meant you needed to be about three feet away to see what was on the screen. Now, Nest promises “across the room” viewing, so you don't have to squint to see what your...

Storing your files in the cloud has many advantages. You can view your files from any phone, tablet or computer that's connected to the Internet, and the cloud can also provide backup for files so they'll never disappear if your...

Great news for anyone that travels via U.S. airline companies! In-flight broadband provider Gogo's 2Ku technology has been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, opening the door for data speeds up to 70Mbps. The company plans to launch commercial services...

Comedian George Carlin has a routine in which he talks about how humans seem to spend their lives accumulating “stuff.” Once they've gathered enough stuff, they have to find places to store all of it. For some computer owners, finding enough...

If you're new to using Microsoft Excel, or an experienced user looking for a good visual reference, this handy cheat sheet covers eight helpful tricks for becoming a spreadsheet pro. While spreadsheet software is essential for jobs like accounting, it can...

“This is the biggest thing since New Coke.” That was the reaction of one of many who lined up for blocks, attended midnight madness promotions and shelled out $210 for a boxed copy of Windows 95 on August 24, 1995...

Everyone that despised the new use of the windows key introduced by Win 8 can rest easy in windows 10. Everything I appreciated about the charms launcher is now integrated back into an amazing start menu which feels very intuitive...

Although the names are silly, Android is serious business for Google. The software powers more than 80 percent of the world's smartphones, from manufacturers including Samsung, HTC and Motorola. The software is also a gateway for Google to get people to...

Google recently surprised everyone by launching a router with the help of its partner TP-LINK. The $199.99 OnHub router promises to do away with many of the issues you've likely experienced with your existing router: Wi-Fi slowing to a crawl,...

About a month has passed since Windows 10 launched and the early reviews are mostly positive. On one site, Komando.com, readers report everything from smooth sailing to minor annoyances to serious problems that made them go back to Windows 7...

After a few minutes, your computer will reboot and run the upgrade. When it finishes, you should find that Windows 10 is installed and, if you head to Settings > About, it shows as fully activated. Sweet! Note: We've only...

“Try repairing your disk permissions” is a standard Mac troubleshooting tip that's been going around forever. There are actually two different tools for repairing different types of disk permissions, and one of them is very hidden. Like with other operating systems,...

Unmistakably Office, designed for Mac The new versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote provide the best of both worlds for Mac users—the familiar Office experience paired with the best of Mac. https://blogs.office.com/2015/07/09/office-2016-for-mac-is-here/...

Unmistakably Office, designed for Mac The new versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote provide the best of both worlds for Mac users—the familiar Office experience paired with the best of Mac. https://blogs.office.com/2015/07/09/office-2016-for-mac-is-here/...

Migration is worth it! Windows Server 2003 support is ending July 14, 2015. What does end of support mean for you? After July 14, Microsoft will no longer issue security updates for any version of Windows Server 2003. If you...

The end is in sight! Windows 10 will be released on July 29 as a free download for anyone running Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 8.1; the free update will be available for a year. If you aren't eligible for the...

ShadowExplorer is especially useful because it cuts your effort by 99% making it easy to find backup copies of files that were encrypted by CryptoLocker and other ransomware/malware. Basically, by using this program, you have a chance to find and restore an unencrypted version of your...

Hey Parents! Camp Google is a free camp for kids, full of fun science activities and adventures led by experts. Everyone is welcome and you can jump in anytime. Camp starts July 13th! https://camp.withgoogle.com/...

It's inevitable… as you use your computer, you collect miscellaneous junk files from downloads, browsing the internet and installing programs. After a while, your free space on your hard drive get's smaller and smaller, until eventually your computer tells you...

One complication that has come up during our on-site calls is old printers that leave software behind in Windows, even when they're long gone. (It's like an old roommate, you keep finding old clothes in the laundry, their expired mustard in...

We've seen an increase in virus removal calls, recently. Some, you can just remove and things are fine, but others leave behind some things to manually fix. A common effect is creating a proxy setting to manually reroute your web...

San Diego iPeople: Make sure to run your virus scans on your Mac! MarketWatch: 800 million Apple devices threatened by 'WireLurker' malware. http://google.com/newsstand/s/CBIw6oqO3ho As always, give us a call if you have any questions!...

We do a lot of computer repair and IT consulting in Rancho Santa Fe, so thanks to RSFMagazine for featuring us! Check them out if you live in or around Rancho Santa Fe as well! Good stuff! http://www.rsfmagazine.com/san-diego-computer-help/...

A brand new home customer in Carmel Valley had a computer that couldn't boot. It didn't take long to realize that there was a problem with their hard drive, and that we should do our best to back up as much...

Both a regular Mission Valley business IT and Rancho Santa Fe computer repair customer had an issue where, after upgrading their computers, they couldn't scan to a network folder like they used to. They checked and rechecked their settings, and all seemed right. Both...

A customer in Rancho Santa Fe called us looking for some emergency computer repair last week. No matter how many times they tried, they couldn't log into their Windows 7 computer. They were sure the password was right and they...

First and foremost, here's the link to write a review about us if you've used our services before. It'd make us look good and we'd really appreciate it! Write A Review about San Diego Computer Help! If you...

Start Windows 8 in Safe Mode. Safe Mode essentially boots Windows with the bare minimum of programs, services, etc. and is used when removing viruses and troubleshooting startup problems. In previous versions of Windows, you would simply hold F8...

This is kind of a neat thing. Whether it's amazing, nice or creepy, Google makes it a point to give you a couple birthday easter eggs. I'm over a billion seconds old? Ouch! Thanks Google!

Share this. It's important. I've written about the super bad Cryptolocker virus once before, but feel the need to stress getting a backup system once again. Just saw a laptop infected with this nasty virus yesterday, and it's devastating. The...

Nearly everyone in San Diego knows that Adobe's Photoshop is the standard when it comes to photo editing. In the past, Adobe would sell photoshop for a few hundred bucks (which is still expensive) but as of late, all Adobe...

Have you ever wanted to copy something off a web page onto an e-mail, but when you paste it, it's all garbled? Or have you ever wanted to show someone what you're seeing, but don't know how? There are some...

As time goes on, optical drives are going the way of the Dodo. Less and less computers (laptops especially) are coming equipped with CD or DVD drives… physical media is going away almost completely. As a matter of fact, ...

A client in Del Mar was having issues with their home wireless network, and after fighting with it for months, decided they needed some expert computer advice, so they called us in for an onsite visit. After discussing their setup...

Windows users… there's a NASTY virus going around. This is about the time where you get lots of bogus FedEx & UPS "package tracking" e-mails. If you didn't order something, don't open in. If you did and there is an...