Skip to content

uninstall

Norton causes problems…blah,blah,blah

This is going to be a short one because I have to get to the digital photography user group soon. I just wanted everyone to know that I saw two computers with exactly the same problem today.

They were connected to the Internet, but couldn’t view the Internet. In other words, they could get windows updates and use programs like Yahoo! Messenger, but they couldn’t view web pages.

Here’s what I did to fix the problem:

1. Uninstalled Norton Antivirus

I then Installed AVG to make sure that their system was protected.

Both systems also perked up significantly after changing the antivirus.

Fact: Palm is better than Windows Mobile

I had the pleasure of setting up a new Windows Mobile powered cell phone/PDA today.

In the past, I have probably setup five similar devices and they have never gone smoothly. Today’s was the worst.

I have setup dozens of Palm powered devices and I have never had a major problem with setup that wasn’t hardware related.

As I setup the Windows Mobile device today I would go all the way through the install and then the device would attempt to sync with the computer for dates, addresses and notes. A Window would immediately pop up that said something like, "Can’t sync, reconnect the device and try again. If that doesn’t work use the ActiveSync troubleshooter."

Oops…I hate it when I make mistakes

I’m always the first to admit when I make a mistake, but damn I  hate making them! Especially when the mistakes affect a customer I’m working with at the time.

While uninstalling yet another copy of the bloated Norton Internet Security today, I ran into the Norton Password Manager. Unfortunately, some of my work (like anyone else involved in a business) becomes repetitive and robotic and that can lead to potential problems. I was getting "click happy" when I ran into this program (that I honestly had not seen anyone use yet) and before I thought to ask the customer if he used the program, I had already uninstalled the program. Fortunately, I saved the data, but the program was history…even System Restore couldn’t get it back and he didn’t have the CD for re-installation.

Security is Paramount

I’m posting from the road today as I sit waiting for my last customer. An earlier customer made a neat comment/observation. She said, "Geesh, I didn’t realize there was so much to setting up the security on a computer."

She had an expired version of Norton that we uninstalled. Then I loaded AVG Antivirus, Zone Alarm Firewall, and Windows Defender. Security setup seems time consuming and tedious during setup, but once installed properly it can work autonomously. The little extra time spent up front pays dividends down the road with decreased support calls and repair costs.

Dude, where’s my shotgun?

Rick pointed out to me tonight that I haven’t put up any shotgun articles for a few days. It was at that exact moment that I realized that I hadn’t written any shotgun articles for a few days.

I have some catching up to do so consider this article one of the most important articles I have written for several days.

When I fix a computer I try to always approach the computer and the situation as if it were my own. I work hard at using techniques that allow me to get the best job done in the least amount of time. I ask myself three questions to determine the approach that I want to take.

Use the Ethernet port for broadband

If you have broadband Internet and you had the company set it up for you, it is very likely they connected it using the USB cable instead of the Ethernet cable.

The Ethernet cable has an end on it that looks like a giant phone jack and it is the most reliable way to connect your computer to your broadband cable or DSL modem.

Scanners, printers, joysticks, mice, keyboards, and digital cameras are just a few of the dozens of devices that can be connected to your computer’s USB ports. Since this is the case, you must load drivers to get your computer to recognize your broadband modem when connecting through USB.

Nothing is by the book

There are two things that make the businesses Rick and I run different from running a computer shop or working as the IT guy in a big company.

1. We see dozens of computers each week and no two of them are the same in any way.

2. Rarely is anything done by the book.

Every person has their own preference for desktop wallpaper, word processing program, Windows version, printer, antivirus, digital camera, web browser, etc.

Don’t be embarrassed by simple problems

 

Yesterday I visited one of my favorite clients. She was having problems with her wireless keyboard. When I typed on the keyboard, nothing happened, unless we were typing in an area asking for a password. This was very similar to a problem someone called the show about last Saturday.

Her keyboard was wireless, as it turns out the little button that synchronizes the keyboard was stuck down. I pried it loose and – POOF! The keyboard worked.

Today I saw a similar problem. I received an emergency phone call from a client whose printer had stopped working a while ago, but now she needed to do some printing on a deadline.

Re-installing a problematic program

Sometimes a program that is giving you trouble will work better after reinstalling it. Here are some tips to help make that process a little easier and more successful.

  1. Uninstall the problematic program by using the Add/Remove programs applet in the Control Panel in Windows
  2. Restart your computer via Start–>Shutdown and restart; even if the computer doesn’t ask you to do so.
  3. After Windows reloads, shut down all extra utilities and programs
  4. Put in the installation disk and start the installation.
  5. The most important part of the tip: When the installation shows the ‘path’ or destination of the program (usually something like:  C:\Program Files\Intuit\Quicken), change something in that path to force the installation into a different directory than the original. I usually just delete the Program Files part or add a ‘2’ to the end of the path.
  6. Then proceed as normal with your installation and reboot the computer when finished

Tip within a Tip:  If you are using Windows XP, just shut down any running programs, RIGHT click and exit what utilities you can from the system tray, and disable your anti-virus in place of step 3.