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What have previous customers had to say about ComputerHeads!' work?
What is a Computer Virus?
What have previous customers had to say about ComputerHeads!' work? Our previous customers have had a lot to say! Just take a look at our customer testimonials from many notable area businesses and residents. Depending on the issue you're having, more often the work is best done at our office where the proper equipment is nearby if needed. However, if common sense says that it is an issue that calls for a visit to your home/business, then a service call to your home/business is what we will do. The answer to that varies with computer issue to computer issue. For example, a Full System Tune Up or a Full System Rebuild may be done in as little as 2 business days, however we ask that you allow for 3-5 business days. We will give a more accurate estimation at the time your system is left in our care. ComputerHeads! requires all technicians to have a minimum CompTIA A+ and Microsoft MCP certification level. However, currently all ComputerHeads! techs have at least the much higher certification level of Microsoft MCSE certification. In the world of IT certifications, a CompTIA A+ certification is a commendable accomplishment, an MCSA certification is remarkable, and an MCSE certification absolutely extraordinary. ComputerHeads! is based in Frederick, MD. We regularly service Frederick County and Montgomery County Maryland. Occasionally we do venture into Carroll County, Howard County, and Washington County...if you're in one of those counties, please give us a call or email us. After your system has been left in our care, a diagnostic analysis will be performed. The charge for the diagnostic analysis is $45. Once a diagnosis has been determined,we will contact you with our findings and our recommended repair. If our recommended repair is approved by you to be completed, the diagnostic analysis fee will be waived. Payment in full is due when your system leaves our care. The payment can be in the form of cash, check, or credit card (via Paypal), or a Paypal payment. Payment can be made easily here. We accept cash, check, all major credit cards (via Paypal), and Paypal payments. Please contact us with questions. Make a payment. Absolutely. We have service plans available designed for smaller offices with as few as 1-5 employees/computer workstations, as well as service plans designed for offices more than 30 employees/computer workstations. For more information, click here!. This depends on many variables. Please contact us for more information. The short answer to this question is no. But feel free to ask. Websites take many, many hours (which become many weeks) to complete. Depending on our current business flow, you may catch us during a slow period when we have the time needed to commit to such a project.
A computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer without the permission or knowledge of the owner. The term "virus" is also commonly but erroneously used to refer to other types of malware, adware and spyware programs that do not have the reproductive ability. A true virus can only spread from one computer to another (in some form of executable code) when its host is taken to the target computer; for instance because a user sent it over a network or the Internet, or carried it on a removable medium such as a floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB drive. Viruses can increase their chances of spreading to other computers by infecting files on a network file system or a file system that is accessed by another computer. Viruses are sometimes confused with computer worms and Trojan horses, which are technically different. A worm can use security vulnerabilities to spread itself to other computers without needing to be transferred as part of a host, and a Trojan horse is a program that appears harmless but has a hidden agenda. Worms and Trojans, like viruses, may cause harm to either a computer system's hosted data, functional performance, or networking throughput, when they are executed. Some viruses and other malware have symptoms noticeable to the computer user, but most are surreptitious. This makes it hard for the average user to notice, find and disable and is why specialist anti-virus programs are now commonplace. Most personal computers are now connected to the Internet and to local area networks, facilitating the spread of malicious code. Today's viruses may also take advantage of network services such as the World Wide Web, e-mail, Instant Messaging and file sharing systems to spread, blurring the line between viruses and worms. Furthermore, some sources use an alternative terminology in which a virus is any form of self-replicating malware. Credit: Wikipedia. Spyware is computer software that is installed surreptitiously on a personal computer to intercept or take partial control over the user's interaction with the computer, without the user's informed consent. While the term spyware suggests software that secretly monitors the user's behavior, the functions of spyware extend well beyond simple monitoring. Spyware programs can collect various types of personal information, such as Internet surfing habits, sites that have been visited, but can also interfere with user control of the computer in other ways, such as installing additional software, and redirecting Web browser activity. Spyware is known to change computer settings, resulting in slow connection speeds, different home pages, and/or loss of Internet or functionality of other programs. In an attempt to increase the understanding of spyware, a more formal classification of its included software types is captured under the term privacy-invasive software. In response to the emergence of spyware, a small industry has sprung up dealing in anti-spyware software. Running anti-spyware software has become a widely recognized element of computer security best practices for Microsoft Windows desktop computers. A number of jurisdictions have passed anti-spyware laws, which usually target any software that is surreptitiously installed to control a user's computer. The US Federal Trade Commission has placed on the Internet a page of advice to consumers about how to lower the risk of spyware infection, including a list of "do's" and "don'ts". Credit: Wikipedia. The Trojan horse, also known as trojan, in the context of computing and software, describes a class of computer threats (malware) that appears to perform a desirable function but in fact performs undisclosed malicious functions that allow unauthorized access to the host machine, giving them the ability to save their files on the user's computer or even watch the user's screen and control the computer. Trojan Horses (not technically a virus) can be easily and unwillingly downloaded. For example, if a computer game is designed such that, when executed by the user, it opens a back door that allows a hacker to control the computer of the user, then the computer game is said to be a Trojan horse. However, if the computer game is legitimate, but was infected by a virus, then it is not a Trojan horse, regardless of what the virus may do when the game is executed. The term is derived from the classical story of the Trojan Horse. A program named "waterfalls.scr" serves as a simple example of a Trojan horse. The author claims it is a free waterfall screen saver. When running, it instead unloads hidden programs, scripts, or any number of commands without the user's knowledge or consent. Malicious trojan horse programs conceal and drop a malicious payload on an affected computer. Credit: Wikipedia. A computer worm is a self-replicating computer program. It uses a network to send copies of itself to other nodes (computers on the network) and it may do so without any user intervention. Unlike a virus, it does not need to attach itself to an existing program. Worms almost always cause at least some harm to the network, if only by consuming bandwidth, whereas viruses almost always corrupt or modify files on a targeted computer. Credit: Wikipedia. Malware, from the words malicious and software, is software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's informed consent. The expression is a general term used by computer professionals to mean a variety of forms of hostile, intrusive, or annoying software or program code. The term "computer virus" is sometimes used as a catch-all phrase to include all types of malware, including true viruses. Credit: Wikipedia. In computer programming, error codes are enumerated messages that correspond to faults in a specific software application. They are typically used to identify faulty hardware, software, or incorrect user input in programming languages that lack exception handling, although they are sometimes also be used in conjunction with exception handling. Error codes are not to be confused with return codes, although both are commonly used together in error handling. Some of the most severe error codes visible to users are the "Blue Screen of Death" codes provided by the Microsoft Windows operating systems. Credit: Wikipedia. In a nutshell: The truth is, it really doesn't matter, but here is the long answer... The truth is, if you use the "hibernate" feature of Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP (and previous versions including Windows 2000 and Windows Me), or even the "sleep" feature of most new Dell and other PC models, it really doesn't matter much. Even the good folks at Energy Star, a product-labeling program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, agree that you save almost as much energy as you do turning off your computer for the night (minus unplugging it). And you won't have to endure a lengthy "re-booting" process the next morning; your computer should "wake up" in 30 seconds or less. However, I may not change my habits. I like the security of having it off (though locking your system or logging off is just as secure), and I like the ability to shake the cobwebs from my system on a daily basis. I also like not having to worry about any issues that may result from a power outage. But, with every minute I spend booting up in the morning, I can see why someone would rather leave their machine on. All this being said, those at Energy Star (www.energystar.gov) still prefer that you turn your computer off at night for maximum energy savings. "We are all about energy savings, and when you shut off your computer at night, you save the most energy," says Craig Hershberg, program manager for office equipment and consumer electronics. "Every little bit helps. It all adds up." But Energy Star does support the practice of putting computers in "hibernate" or "sleep" mode. Most newer Dell desktop PCs, among other models, contain "sleep state" power-management programs that work similarly as "hibernate". Energy Star applauds companies such as Cisco Systems and Pitney Bowes that have made enabling computers to "hibernate/sleep" at night a company policy. (The organization issued press releases touting the dollar volumes in energy savings at each company.) Hershberg estimates that as many as 50% of U.S. users are enabling their PCs to "hibernate/sleep" at night, a percentage Energy Star hopes will continue to climb — even if the users are doing it for the wrong reasons. Many users simply don't like the 2-5 minutes it takes to re-boot a shut-off computer; they're more concerned about the re-boot time than saving energy. For that reason, and because the power-management features in Windows continue to be improved, "the trend is for fewer people to be shutting off their computers at night," he says." However, here are some consumer "myths" that are worth addressing: Turning your PC off uses more energy than leaving it on. Not true. The small surge of power you use when turning it on -- which varies per PC make and model -- is still much smaller than the amount you use in keeping it on for lengthy periods. Turning your PC on and off wears it out. Not true. A decade ago, there was something to this, but not today, say Hershberg and others. It used to be that PC hard disks did not automatically park their heads when shut off, and that frequent on/off cycling could damage the hard disks. Today's PCs are designed to handle 40,000 on/off cycles before a failure, and that's a number you likely won't reach during the computer's five-to-seven-year life span. Screen savers save energy. Not true. Screen savers, at a minimum, can use 42 watts; those with 3D graphics can use as much as 114.5 watts, according to Don McCall, a Dell product marketing manager who does power measurement studies for the PC manufacturer. "It's absolutely wrong thinking that a screen saver will save energy," he says. Your computer uses zero energy when "off". That's true only if it is unplugged. Otherwise, the PC utilizes "flea power," or about 2.3 watts, to maintain local-area network connectivity, among other things, McCall says. In "hibernate" mode, your PC uses the same 2.3 watts; in "sleep" mode, your PC uses about 3.1 watts. Monitors do use zero energy when turned off. Lab tests done by Dell show that a PC running Microsoft Office uses 42.7 watts, McCall says. If it runs continuously at that rate for 365 days, at 7 cents per kilowatt-hour, the power consumption costs would be $26.18 for the PC and $45.99 for a regular monitor, for a total of $72.17 for the workstation. Flat-panel monitors use less energy (22 watts when left on, 3.3 watts in "sleep" mode) than regular monitors (75 watts when left on, 5 watts in "sleep" mode), McCall says. So the same workstation with Microsoft Office running for a year would use $39.67 in power with a flat panel. Meanwhile, if a PC was kept in "sleep" mode for 20 hours, for every four hours "on," as Dell recommends, the annual energy costs per PC would total $16.17 with a regular monitor and $9.88 with a flat panel. Using "hibernate," the costs would be slightly cheaper. As I said, "sleep" mode is available on most newer Dell PCs, among other models, while "hibernate" is available to any user with Windows7 and previous versions from Windows 98 Second Edition on. (The feature was greatly improved for Windows 2000 and Windows Me, and further improved for Windows XP, which wakes faster from "hibernate" than any previous version). To enable "hibernate," simply go to your Control Panel, click on "power options," and set your PC to "hibernate" after a specified time (most recommend 30 minutes). If you are away from your PC a lot during the work day, you may want to set it to "hibernate" after 45 minutes to an hour, and set it to "standby" to 15 minutes. Under "standby," you'll be conserving power but you won't be saving your computer memory onto your hard disk, as you will with "hibernate". "Standby" is meant for shorter absences. Credit: Monte Enbysk at Microsoft Small Business Center. A motherboard is the central or primary printed circuit board comprising a complex electronic system, such as a modern personal computer. It is also known as a mainboard, or system board or, on Apple computers, a logic board, and is sometimes abbreviated casually as mobo. Most motherboards produced today are designed for so-called IBM-compatible computers, which hold over 90% of the global personal computer market today. A motherboard, like a backplane, provides the electrical connections by which the other components of the system communicate, but unlike a backplane also contains the central processing unit and other subsystems such as real time clock, and some peripheral interfaces. A typical desktop computer is built with the microprocessor, main memory, and other essential components on the motherboard. Other components such as external storage, controllers for video display and sound, and peripheral devices are typically attached to the motherboard via edge connectors and cables, although in modern computers it is increasingly common to integrate these "peripherals into the motherboard. Credit: Wikipedia. A central processing unit (CPU) or processor is an electronic circuit that can execute computer programs. This broad definition can easily be applied to many early computers that existed long before the term "CPU" ever came into widespread usage. The term itself and its initialism have been in use in the computer industry at least since the early 1960s (Weik 1961). The form, design and implementation of CPUs have changed dramatically since the earliest examples, but their fundamental operation has remained much the same. Credit: Wikipedia. Random access memory (usually known by its acronym, RAM) is a form of computer data storage. Today it takes the form of integrated circuits that allows the stored data to be accessed in any order (i.e., at random). The word random thus refers to the fact that any piece of data can be returned in a constant time, regardless of its physical location and whether or not it is related to the previous piece of data. This contrasts with storage mechanisms such as tapes, magnetic discs and optical discs, which rely on the physical movement of the recording medium or a reading head. In these devices, the movement takes longer than the data transfer, and the retrieval time varies depending on the physical location of the next item. The word RAM is mostly associated with volatile types of memory (such as DRAM memory modules), where the information is lost after the power is switched off. However, many other types of memory are RAM as well (i.e., Random Access Memory), including most types of ROM and a kind of flash memory called NOR-Flash. Credit: Wikipedia. A hard disk drive (HDD), commonly referred to as a hard drive, hard disk, or fixed disk drive, is a non-volatile storage device which stores digitally encoded data on rapidly rotating platters with magnetic surfaces. Strictly speaking, "drive" refers to a device distinct from its medium, such as a tape drive and its tape, or a floppy disk drive and its floppy disk. Early HDDs had removable media; however, an HDD today is typically a sealed unit (except for a filtered vent hole to equalize air pressure) with fixed media. Credit: Wikipedia. A solid-state drive (SSD) is a data storage device that uses solid-state memory to store persistent data. An SSD emulates a hard disk drive interface, thus easily replacing it in most applications. An SSD using SRAM or DRAM (instead of flash memory) is often called a RAM-drive. With no moving parts, solid-state drives are less fragile than hard disks and are also silent (unless a cooling fan is used); as there are no mechanical delays, they usually employ low access time and latency. SSDs have begun to appear in laptops, although as of 2009 they are substantially more expensive per unit of capacity than hard drives (US$500 for a 256 GB SSD, vs. US$50 for a similar size external USB HDD). Credit: Wikipedia. A USB flash drive consists of a NAND-type flash memory data storage device integrated with a USB (universal serial bus) interface. USB flash drives are typically removable and rewritable, much smaller than a floppy disk (1 to 4 inches or 2.5 to 10 cm), and most USB flash drives weigh less than an ounce (28g). Storage capacities typically range from 64 MB to 64 GB with steady improvements in size and price per gigabyte. Some allow 1 million write or erase cycles and have 10-year data retention, connected by USB 1.1 or USB 2.0. USB flash drives offer potential advantages over other portable storage devices, particularly the floppy disk. They have a more compact shape, operate faster, hold much more data, have a more durable design, and operate more reliably due to their lack of moving parts. Additionally, it has become increasingly common for computers to be sold without floppy disk drives. USB ports, on the other hand, appear on almost every current[update] mainstream PC and laptop. These types of drives use the USB mass storage standard, supported natively by modern operating systems such as Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and other Unix-like systems. USB drives with USB 2.0 support can also operate faster than an optical disc drive, while storing a larger amount of data in a much smaller space. Nothing actually moves in a flash drive: the term drive persists because computers read and write flash-drive data using the same system commands as for a mechanical disk drive, with the storage appearing to the computer operating system and user interface as just another drive. A flash drive consists of a small printed circuit board protected inside a plastic, metal, or rubberised case, robust enough for carrying with no additional protection—in a pocket or on a key chain, for example. The USB connector is protected by a removable cap or by retracting into the body of the drive, although it is not liable to be damaged if exposed. Most flash drives use a standard type-A USB connection allowing plugging into a port on a personal computer. Credit: Wikipedia. A firewall is an integrated collection of security measures designed to prevent unauthorized electronic access to a networked computer system. It is also a device or set of devices configured to permit, deny, encrypt, decrypt, or proxy all computer traffic between different security domains based upon a set of rules and other criteria. A system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network. Firewalls can be implemented in both hardware and software, or a combination of both. Firewalls are frequently used to prevent unauthorized Internet users from accessing private networks connected to the Internet, especially intranets. All messages entering or leaving the intranet pass through the firewall, which examines each message and blocks those that do not meet the specified security criteria. Credit: Wikipedia. Simply put, think of a firewall as a bouncer sitting at the doorway to your computer. That bouncer's job is to check ID of anyone coming in, only allowing those that belong there to come in, and keeping those that do not belong, out. An Internet Protocol (IP) address is a numerical identification (logical address) that is assigned to devices participating in a computer network utilizing the Internet Protocol for communication between its nodes. Although IP addresses are stored as binary numbers, they are usually displayed in human-readable notations, such as 208.77.188.166 (for IPv4), and 2001:db8:0:1234:0:567:1:1 (for IPv6). The role of the IP address has been characterized as follows: "A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. A route indicates how to get there." Credit: Wikipedia. Overclocking is the process of running a computer component at a higher clock rate (more clock cycles per second) than it was designed for or was specified by the manufacturer, usually practiced by personal computer enthusiasts seeking an increase in the performance of their computers. Some of them purchase low-end computer components which they then overclock to higher speeds, or overclock high-end components to attain levels of performance beyond the specified values. Others overclock outdated components to keep pace with new system requirements, rather than purchasing new hardware. Users who overclock their components mainly focus their efforts on processors, video cards, motherboard chipsets, and Random Access Memory (RAM). It is done through manipulating the CPU multiplier and the motherboard's front side bus (FSB) speed until a maximum stable operating frequency is reached. Credit: Wikipedia. RSS (abbreviation for Really Simple Syndication) is a family of Web feed formats used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries, news headlines, audio, and video—in a standardized format. An RSS document (which is called a "feed", "web feed", or "channel") includes full or summarized text, plus metadata such as publishing dates and authorship. Web feeds benefit publishers by letting them syndicate content automatically. They benefit readers who want to subscribe to timely updates from favored websites or to aggregate feeds from many sites into one place. RSS feeds can be read using software called an "RSS reader", "feed reader", or "aggregator", which can be web-based, desktop-based, mobile device or any computerized. Internet-connected device. A standardized XML file format allows the information to be published once and viewed by many different programs. The user subscribes to a feed by entering the feed's URI (often referred to informally as a "URL" (uniform resource locater), although technically, those two terms are not exactly synonymous) into the reader or by clicking an RSS icon in a browser that initiates the subscription process. The RSS reader checks the user's subscribed feeds regularly for new work, downloads any updates that it finds, and provides a user interface to monitor and read the feeds. RSS formats are specified using XML, a generic specification for the creation of data formats. Although RSS formats have evolved since March 1999, the RSS icon ("  ") first gained widespread use between 2005 and 2006. Credit: Wikipedia. |
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