NSU revamps website; favors tablets, smart phones
January 29, 2013
Data Management keeping up with the times
January 29, 2013
As society transitions from desktops and laptops to tablets and smart phones, one thing remains constant: Always back up your files.
“Be smart about saving your files,” said Joby Dion, owner of Uptown Computers in Houma. “Get another machine to plug your computer up to so that you avoid any data loss when backing up. Most new systems, like Windows 7 and Vista, have disk check abilities or Smart Status. Safe guards are built-in to tell you when your computer is not running properly so that you don’t lose any work. Early detection and self-monitoring also help.”
Dion has been into computer repair for 17 years and, luckily for those who don’t back up, Dion spends most of his time repairing cracked screens on iPods, iPhones and the iPad Touch.
“Lots of people drop laptops, step on them or forget they are in their backpacks, which typically happens to students,” Dion said. “We don’t even ask what happened anymore when people come in with cracked screens. Only if it’s really bad do we ask. We have heard all sorts of crazy stories.”
The cost of replacing a cracked screen runs about $150, which is about $25 cheaper than Dion’s most expensive service – cleaning out viruses.
“Most computer owners have some kind of virus protection, but some people have too many virus protection programs on their computers,” he said. “Viruses change on a daily basis, and the latest ones get into your computer, invite their friends in and wait a week or even a month to start wrecking your computer. Remember, nothing is free. Walmart is not giving away $500 gift cards. These sorts of things that you come across on the Internet may have viruses attached to them, and your anti-virus program is only as good as your last update.”
In the worst-case scenario, Dion said it is not worth trying to remove a virus from a customer’s computer, and the usual treatment for such an issue calls for backing up the client’s information, reformatting the hard drive and starting from scratch.
“Typically kids and older people are the ones who click on ‘free’ things on websites,” Dion said. “If you are sharing a computer with a child or older person, monitor what they are downloading and keep track of the downloads. Viruses are passed around freely. I’ve been repairing computers for a long time and have seen the Internet change. The people who create the viruses adapt the viruses to the changes, yet users are still falling for it.”
Staff at Uptown Computers work on all makes and models of computers, and Dion also spends a fair amount of time repairing computers with Windows start-up complications, startup errors or startup issues, power supply problems and dead laptop batteries.
“Lots of customers come in with computers that other people told them were dead, but they still work,” Dion added.
According to Dion, the next big thing in computer technology is a big move away from desktops and laptops to tablets and smartphones, which could have a huge impact on the way people shop with near-field technology.
“In the future, you will be able to pay for things at grocery stores and retailers using a smart phone,” he said. “Your phone will compare the costs of things you are buying that day to things you bought months before that day. Your whole shopping experience will be wrapped up in smart phone.”
Dion said the major technological advancement is still a ways away from being mainstream due to security issues that could allow others to access private information from another person’s phone.
For Hailey Vitrano, office manager at Micro Technology Services in Houma, the wave of the future in computer technology is the switch from hard drives with moving part to ones with no moving parts.
“Solid state hard drives, or SSDs for us techies, are all-digital hard drives,” Vitrano said. “Old hard drives worked like a record player, and all moving parts wear down eventually. The performance of these devices is incredible, and this new technology is even more important when it comes to laptops, which can suffer major damage (to the hard drive) if dropped.”
This device will also help computer users to further insure the safety of files that are backed up because of its durability.
“Always back up data on two different devices,” Vitrano said.
Recovering data from a hard drive that has not been backed up runs about $250 at Micro Technology Services, but mending a busted hard drive is not what keeps employees at the computer maintenance service the busiest.
“The most common problem we see is infections,” she said. “We see them all day, every day. Customers may come in for an entirely different issue, and we always scan the computer. We find all sorts of stuff.”
When it comes to keeping a computer free of infectious software, Vitrano recommend purchasing a good virus program instead of downloading free ones that are available on the Internet.
“Nothing free is great, and there are no good free antivirus programs,” Vitrano said. “Also keep track of spyware removal and be careful which sites you visit. Infections aren’t just coming from porn websites anymore, and don’t open email from someone you don’t know.”
In addition to hard drive repair and virus removal, Micro Technology Services replaces laptop screens for around $200 and motherboards from $100 to $300. Repairing electrical surge damage runs about $100 or less.
“Don’t just buy one of those strip extenders,” Vitarano said. “Get a good surge protector, not just for your computer, but for all your electronics. A good surge protector can save you thousands of dollars.”
Another way to protect a computer and other electronic devices from wear and tear is keep the ashtray as far away from the device as possible.
“Smoking around computers is very bad for the components inside the computer,” said Philip Wu of Great Southern Computers, which has locations in Houma and Thibodaux. “You are cutting the life of the computer in half if you smoke around it, especially laptops. Smoke gets in, dust gets stuck inside and the computer can’t cool itself.”
Like Dion and Vitrano, Wu agreed that backing up data is the most important part of computer maintenance.
“People keep music, family photos and work on their computers, and they often lose these things because they don’t back up,” Wu said. “They follow the advice of friends and end up losing these files instead of bringing the computer to a professional.”
Recovering data from a hard drive failure runs about $200, as does a screen replacement for a laptop and, for about $80, the Whole Nine Yards package will remove viruses and spyware and provide a tune up.
“Some people come in here with an old computer they want to fix, but sometimes they just need a new computer,” he said. “They keep it running for 10 to 15 years to postpone having to get acclimated to a new computer, and computer life expectancy these days is about 6 years. Most smart phones are better than older desktop computers. Laptops replaced desktops, now laptops are being replaced by smart phones and tablets.”
Joby Dion, owner of Uptown Computers in Houma, replaces the speaker on an Iphone. Staff at Uptown Computers work on all makes and models of computers, and Dion also spends a fair amount of time repairing computers with Windows start-up complications, startup errors or startup issues, power supply problems and dead laptop batteries.
