Time is Running Out for Windows 7 Users!

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Windows 7 EOL

The clock is ticking!

There is now less than one year left before Microsoft drops all support for Windows 7. After January 14th of next year, computers running Windows 7 will no longer receive security updates or support from Microsoft.

Computers still running Windows 7 after January 14th 2020 will become more vulnerable to malware infections and cyber attacks.

Fortunately it’s not all doom and gloom. Most computers still running Windows 7 are perfectly capable of running Windows 10, which will be both more secure, and have more features that many computer users find extremely useful.

Now would be the perfect time to get those computers up-to-date and more secure with Windows 10.

Call No Ware Computer Repair in Grand Junction to beat the rush and schedule your computer upgrade today!

The Blue Screen of Death

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BSOD
If you’ve spent any amount of time around a computer, odds are you’ve heard about the infamous “Blue Screen of Death.” Though if you’ve never experienced it yourself, you might not know what it actually is – and might not be prepared for if and when it happens to you.

The “Blue Screen of Death” can sometimes be referred to as “BSOD” or a “stop error”, and there are a wide variety of reasons as to why it might happen to your computer, but that doesn’t mean your device will never work again. It’s not irreparable, it only means that your computer encountered an error that required it to completely stop in its tracks.

While stop errors are more prevalent with older versions of Windows, it still occasionally pops up, though it’s pretty rare to find on newer versions like Windows 10. One major cause of a stop error is a malfunctioning memory, or a failing Hard Drive. If either of these components happen to be defective or not compatible with the rest of the system, it could result in a blue screen.

Overclocking the CPU or RAM could also cause a blue screen. Increasing the performance of your hardware components past their factory settings in general probably isn’t the best idea, as they can easily become overworked which could lead to some serious damage.

Though of course these stop errors aren’t only caused by hardware disruptions. Faulty or missing drivers mean that the device it belongs to, like your graphics card, can’t communicate with the rest of the computer. So software errors, and even computer viruses can lead to blue screens as well.

While the “Blue Screen of Death” definitely isn’t as terrifying as it looks or sounds, it’s still a serious problem to come across and can be especially stress inducing to those who work from home or haven’t backed up their data in a while. If you ever have the misfortune of coming across a stop error, give your friends at No Ware Computer Repair in Grand Junction a call, we can get your computer back up and running in no time!

5 Most Common Computer Problems

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Here at No Ware Computer Repair, we have to solve a lot of computer problems. While some complications are more puzzling than others, here’s a short list of the most common issues that are brought into our shop.

Computer spill

One of the most common problems we come across is the “hardware mishap.” Typically this includes spills or drops, laptop screens being broken, motherboards fried, and others of the like. Hardware mishaps are pretty common and can be expensive at times.

dirty computer

Another problem we see a lot of is the “slow computer.” Older devices have a tendency to fall victim to this particular annoyance because as they age they can build up dust and grime on the hardware, and the software itself can become clogged with useless files that do nothing but take up vital storage and leave a device in a miserably sluggish state. In a fast paced world, the last thing people want is a computer that runs at a snail’s pace.

viruses found

Viruses are the bane of a computer user’s existence. Not only do they knock a computer from NASCAR level speeds down to leisurely strolls in the park, they can also do some serious damage. From the mostly harmless popups that occasionally assault the user, to the dangerously malicious ransomware that could cost you thousands, viruses are unfortunately still a frequent occurrence.

data loss

Data loss is an extremely overlooked issue that people don’t usually think about until it happens to them personally. It could be due to a myriad of causes; theft, hardware mishap, software failure, and so much more. It’s the reason we highly recommend using a cloud to backup all of that highly important data you might have on your devices. It saves you a lot of time and money in the long run. Fortunately, even if you forget to back-up your data, there are experts who specialize in data recovery.

Blue Screen of Death

This final failure has been making a lot of us in the tech industry scratch our heads. It seems to be a little counter-intuitive, but many computer users have recently been having windows update problems. Whether it be the percentage simply stopping, graphics drivers failing, or operating system glitches, if you’re having a problem with any of the above, just know you are most certainly not alone.

Regardless of what problem your computer is having, No Ware Computer Repair in Grand Junction can have your device up and running in no time!

5 Reasons Why You Should Backup Your Data

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Backup
As often as we hear computer companies boast about the quality and efficiency of their products, it’s almost difficult to imagine anything going wrong. Sure, we see the warning signs and we know we should rationally be taking extra precautionary measures to ensure that nothing does go wrong – but more often than not, we simply push that thought to the side in favor of something more “important”.

The fact of the matter is that any day now you could lose all of the information stored on any of your computers or devices. Be it a liquid mishap, an internal shortage, or something completely unaccounted for, it can and does happen. Unfortunately that’s not always convincing enough in the argument of why you should backup your data though, so why else should you take the extra steps?

1. Accidents Happen

Computer Accident

Believe it or not, as much as we try to prevent them, accidents do happen, and they happen more often than we think they do. Maybe you forgot to save that paper before exiting, or maybe a program simply stopped working in general. Either way, backed up data is guaranteed to keep that data in safe from the occasional accident.

2. Theft

Computer Theft

Say you left your laptop in the library, or perhaps you fell asleep on the bus and your backpack was ransacked, while it’s not always easy to track that lost device, you can at the very least access your backed-up data if you’ve happened to save it on some sort of cloud storage. From there it only takes a few clicks to restore all of that data onto a new device, if you choose to invest in another one.

3. Hardware Failure

Computer Failure

Some malfunctions are completely out of your hands, they happen deep within the hardware itself and within an instant, all precautions you’ve taken aside, everything you had on your computer is lost completely. Unless of course, you had it backed up to begin with. Then it’s just a matter of getting a repair, or a new device.

4. Viruses, Malware, and Hackers

Data Ransom Note

Some problems you might face aren’t even technical errors, but malicious attack from hackers that aim to corrupt your data, steal it, or hold it for ransom. It’s easy to see why having safeguarded data is a good idea in that case.

5. Save Money on Potentially Expensive Data Recovery

Data Recovery

Regardless of what happens, if your data really means that much to you and you’ve somehow lost access to it, you can still take it into a computer repair shop and get the data recovered right off of the hard drive, but be warned that it can be a little expensive. With prices reaching upwards of hundreds of dollars, it’s not difficult to see the appeal in backing up your data.

When it comes to data backups, it’s always better to have it and not need it than it is to need it and not have it.

This is just a short list of why you should be backing your data up regularly. If you need advice on how to backup, or even need some lost data recovered, your friends at No Ware Computer Repair in Grand Junction are always happy to help.

Wanna Cry Ransomware

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Ransomware message

Last week a rather brutal piece of ransomware began making the rounds, impacting  nearly two hundred thousand computers; private computers used in homes, computers used in business environments, and even computers used by various government agencies around the world. [Read more…]

Everything you wanted to know about the computer virus, but were afraid to ask – Part 1

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Computer virus
They’re all over the news these days, those sneaky little germs that invade our computers. Just like a real germ that makes its home in our bodies, a virus’s main purpose is to make more of itself. Which can wreak havoc to our software, data, and/or bank accounts. Unlike most bugs that invade our bodies, a computer virus can’t be worked out of the system with a fistful of pills, some soup, and lots of sleep. [Read more…]

No Ware for your Small Business

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In the good ol’ days, keeping track of your small business was simple. Piles of paper scattered about the office, a couple of typewriters for document making, some pencils and ledgers to keep the books tidy, and a row of file cabinets along the south wall to keep it all safe and sound behind a door locked every night. [Read more…]

What to do with those old electronic devices.

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We have them sitting on shelves in our closets and in our garages. Stuffed in drawers and in boxes under the bed. Old computers, laptops, printers, cell phones, DVD players, TVs… The list of old electronics collecting dust in our homes goes on and on.

Did you know that these old devices can yield potentially useful materials that can help the both environment and our communities? [Read more…]

On the Importance of Planning Ahead

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We all want peace of mind.

We would like to know that things are going as they should be. If the unexpected “glitch” should occur, we like to think that there is someone that can take care of the problem for us so that we can get back to our busy lives. Better yet, we would love a way to keep these occasional “glitches” from happening in the first place, or at the very least we want a way to minimize their occurrence. Perhaps even a way to keep them from happening in the first place. [Read more…]