We get this one a lot. Like, a lot a lot, and there’s no easy answer. Sure, Apple, Hewlett Packard, and Dell, to name a few, all make computers. They have processors, RAM, non-volatile storage (hard drives), a case, a keyboard… you know. Computer stuff. But the similarities end the moment we stop drawing broad comparisons about the underlying machine stuff. Windows PCs vary significantly by manufacturer; Apple computers vary less, but offer less choice.
One fateful morning, our client woke their office computer from sleep and noticed something odd. All (or most) of their files were being treated like audio files, specifically .mp3 files. This client is using Windows 7, running Norton Internet Security, and does not keep a regular backup (vulnerable operating system, inadequate anti-virus, and no disaster recovery plan).
It’s official: Baltimore just got whammied with record amounts of snow, trapping many in their homes and prohibiting all but the most essential travel. While we rest in between bouts of frantic snow shoveling, let’s take some time to answer frequently asked questions about wintry tech and proffer up some advice to help you stay informed and well protected.
Hey Baltimore, it’s time once again to talk tech – this time Poindexter has prepared 16 useful tips to help you get the most out of your shiny new holiday gadgets and gizmos. Presented in no particular order, we’ll bust some myths, encourage some good practices, and try to help make your tech purchase the best it can be.
If you’d rather have an inexpensive, professional computer repair, Poindexter is always available to help. We serve the Hampden area, Baltimore, and have helped countless folks recover from internet fraud of all kinds. If you, a parent, or grand parent has been the victim of internet or tech support fraud, contact Poindexter for personal help from an industry professional. We’ll get this squared away for you, promise.
Are you fed up with your old, slow, buggy Android phone or tablet, but money is too tight to upgrade? Maybe you just want the freshest version of Android and are tired of waiting for your cell phone company to send an upgrade your way. Heck, maybe you just want your phone to be free of that annoying carrier software that you can’t uninstall. Let Poindexter breath new life into your Android phone with a custom rom.
Black Friday is coming! This is when all major companies band together and find the best ways to cut prices, costing them bazillions of dollars, selflessly passing the savings onto you, you savvy consumer you. This is capitalism’s worst nightmare and the Best Buys of the world would stop it if they only could.
Fear not! That hirsute, bespectacled nerd knocking on your door is not the rabid mountain hipster he appears to be! It’s just Poindexter struggling to grow a respectable beard for No Shave November. That’s not Magnum PI pulling up for your computer consultation. We totally forgive the confusion! What with the pastel button-up, steely gaze, and various sundry cables and hard drives, Poindexter is a dead ringer for Tom Selleck. We get that.
“The Cloud” is a fancy way of saying that your data is copied somewhere else using the Internet. Your computer calls up another nearby computer, they chat, and work together to make a copy of your stuff. Different companies have trademarked services that do this. Apple uses iCloud, Microsoft uses OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive), Google has Google Drive. There’s Drop Box, Carbonite, and countless others, even some based in Baltimore. But they all have that cloud part in common and pretty much work the same way.
We like to call that spinny ball the beachball of death. It tells you that your computer is thinking about something, pulling data from your hard drive, or both. No matter how powerful your Mac, you’re bound to see the beachball every now and again.