Archive for February, 2010
Sunday, February 28th, 2010
Hey Everybody in Portland Computer Repair Land,
Sometimes I really love what I do. Yesterday we had an enormous number of computers to fix. So I rode my bike down to the shop at 5 AM to get started and to help out my technician who works a 6AM – 4PM shift. I had hoped to get out of there a bit early in exchange, but we were so completely slammed all day (Friday and Saturday have been two of our biggest days in shop history) that I ended out staying in the store until 8 PM last night.
And, of course, we already have several critical/must do emergencies that we’re going to be working to get through on Sunday….
Have a good day everybody,
-Zac
Happy Hamster Portland Computer Repair
Friday, February 26th, 2010
Hey Everybody in Portland Laptop Repair Land,
Here is a great post I’m re-posting from the consumerist about what to do if your laptop is ever stolen. I have interspersed my comments as well based on my experience -
7 Things you should do before and after your laptop is stolen
”
Considering that laptops are designed to be easily carried and stowed away — and considering just how much important personal and financial information is often stored on them — it’s no surprise that they’re such a target for thieves. But there are some simple things you should do now in case it’s stolen in the future.
Jake Guidry over at Chicagoist recently found himself the victim of laptop larceny and compiled this list of essential tips:
• Have Serial Number and Receipt On File — this will be necessary to prove you are the rightful owner.
– Also note that, in our experience, the police are not super strict about that. You would be surprised, though, how many people don’t even know the model of their own computer! You do need to be able to ID the machine somehow, so know at least the basic details.
• Backup Your Hard Drive — This goes for all computers. Everyone takes for granted just how much they rely on the stored bits and bytes… and just how quickly they can disappear.
– This point can not be overemphasized. Every month we do thousands of dollars in data recovery work that is completely preventable.
• Install Tracking Software — Guidry suggest LoJack, which will help authorities find your computer and (for Mac users) Orbicule, which turns on the iSight camera to record the thieves in action.
– Also keep in mind, while this is a cute idea, the odds are very, very low that you will get the police to care. Don’t rely on protection like this, it won’t help your laptop not get stolen, it just may help get it back.
And in the sad situation that your laptop is taken, here are some steps you should take to improve your odds of getting it back:
• File A Report With Your Laptop Manufacturer — This could be helpful if some unwitting recipient of your laptop attempts to get it repaired by the manufacturer. It’s worth a shot, right?
– Its not. They don’t care.
• File a Police Report — Make sure you have the serial number so they’ll know they’ve found your computer.
– True
• Call the Pawn Shops — Even if they haven’t bought your stolen computer off the thieves, they might remember someone trying to sell them one.
– Also useful.
• Check Online Marketplaces — Ebay and Craigslist are occasionally used to unload stolen goods. And you never know, sometimes you’ll actually find your stuff!”
–This is where you will find your computer 90% of the time. Most thieves, if they sell it locally, will do it on CL.”
The thing is, all of these tips are great, but really, just avoid having your computer stolen. This article does not mention how incredibly rare it is to get your computer back at all, no matter how hard you try or how many times you call the police. Don’t leave your laptop out in public places like coffee shops for even a minute, many are stolen when somebody goes to the bathroom and leaves it on their table. Don’t leave it in your backpack, or in your car. Don’t leave it out anyplace anybody can see it where you can’t, pretty much! And the bag counts, a laptop bag probably has a laptop in it, and is equally easily stolen.
Tips to get it back are nice, but first, don’t get it stolen!
Thanks,
-Zac
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
Hey Everybody in Vancouver Computer Repair Land,
We had today a fairly common call, that we like to call “the lament of the deal saver.” A former customer of ours called in because she could not print. We went on site to check on the situation, and found that her printer had been set up entirely incorrectly. At first we thought the user had set it up, but after she hemming and hawing, she admitted to having found a cheap computer repair ad on a phone pole and paying somebody else $25 to set it up. Apparently the gentlemen got it working enough to print a test page, grabbed his $25 and scooted. When printing didn’t work afterwards, he never returned our clients calls.
As a returning customer, we were suprised she had called out somebody else before us, but as she confessed, “well, he was cheaper and I wanted to save money!” Obviously in this situation, she actually lost money, and a lot of time. Had she just called us to begin with, she would’ve saved the $25 she spent on a clown, and also the 4 days of fruitless calls that he never returned.
We respect that people want a good deal for their money, and thats why we focus on providing an excellent value for every dollar you spend. We may not be the lowest hourly rate you can find, but our technicians are highly trained, carefully vetted, and as workers of a company, backed up by a serious warranty and serious service. When something goes wrong, a live human is waiting to help, not just an unreturned phone message. So the next time you’re looking for computer repair help, keep in mind that what you want isn’t cheap, its value, and Happy Hamster Computer Repair provides the best value for your dollar!
Thanks everybody,
-Zac
Saturday, February 20th, 2010
Hey Everybody in Portland Computer Repair Land,
There is a big bad new virus that came out yesterday of which you need to be aware. We have already seen 3 infections of it, and it is very, very nasty. This new virus infects your computer, and when you go to your bank, it re-directs you to a fake version of your bank homepage. It does not do any other damage, or affect your computer in any other way, so it can be very difficult to notice.
Here is how you can spot the virus -
1) If you try to log into your bank, and a page comes up asking you for any non-tradition information (PIN number, social security, etc) do not enter that information.
2) If you try to log into your bank and the website name changes from “chase.com” to some other name, like, “chase.asdfsdaf.com” then you have the virus.
Anti-virus scanners have not yet been updated to protect against this virus, so be very careful logging into your financial institutions! If you find yourself infected with this virus, bring it in as soon as possible for cleaning, somebody with your bank account information can do a lot of damage.
Thanks!
-Zac
Friday, February 19th, 2010
Hey Everybody in Portland Computer Repair Land,
We had an unfortunate incident in the shop yesterday. A woman called and explained that she had to get on a plane for a business trip, and her laptop power adapter just failed. She said she had a Dell, and asked if we had power chargers in stock. Luckily we did, and we told her to come on by.
She came in, we brought out a Dell power adapter, and she said, “wait, no, that doesn’t look right.” We asked if she brought the laptop with her so we could try it, but she had not. The thing is, Dell has used the same two power adapters for close to 10 years, so we knew this had to be the right one.
She then said, “look, I just need the power adapter for a DellHP laptop.” I looked at her sideways….Dell and HP are different companies, like Toyota and Ford, you can’t smash the names together like that. I asked her for the model, and she said, “I don’t know, but it says HP on it and its a Dell.” At this point I realized she had no idea that Dell and HP make different computers, and are, in fact entirely different companies.
We spent 10 minutes online looking up laptop pictures until she found hers – a HP computer.
She then got very upset that we did not have the adapter in stock for her HP, saying over and over again that she had called to ask about getting her power adapter. We explained that she called for a Dell adapter, which we have, not an HP adapter, which we do not.
She left in a huff, without ever quite understanding, I don’t think, that Dell and HP are different companies.
Sad all around, going on a trip without your laptop can be a real pain!
Best,
-Zac
Thursday, February 18th, 2010
Hey Everybody in Portland Computer Repair Land,
Our small business portfolio grew rapidly over the last two months as we have begun to focus more heavily on recruiting them into the fold. Small businesses bring a lot of advantages to the table, including a greater consistency of work, and more training opportunities for my staff to learn some of the most cutting edge technology out there.
However, our website simply can not handle the number of small businesses we now support. We have 40 of our small businesses listed on our small business, page, and another 30 or so that we can’t even fit on the page. So, in the coming weeks we will be re-designing the small business section of our website to clarify what we can do for small businesses, and to bring in some case studies about how we have helped our small business computer repair customers meet their goals.
Have a good day everybody!
-Zac
Monday, February 15th, 2010
Hey Everybody in Portland Business Computer Repair Land,
Every once in awhile you hear a story about somebody choking, and a doctor in the restaurant saves their life. Well, I am happy to report that the same thing happens with computers. Nikita Kozlov, one of the longest serving hamsters, ate out last week at a local restaurant. While there, he could see the staff frantically hovering around their computer screen, and he asked a waitress for the scoop. She told him that they had switched internet service providers earlier in the day, and now nothing on the network worked! They couldn’t access the internet, or connect the various computers in the restaurant to one another. A modern restaurant really relies on its computers, they send orders to the bar and kitchen, make sure the staff keeps the bills up to date, etc, so having the system down can be a major hassle.
Luckily our intrepid Hamster jumped into action. Nikita offered to take a look at the situation, and he was able to simply and easily resolve the problem with his network troubleshooting skills. It seems that the new ISP had not set up the new modem correctly. Once Nikita resolved that issue, the network came back online. The restaurant gave him his meal on the house as a reward.
So, the next time you’re in restaurant with computer trouble, don’t be surprised if somebody panics and yells out, “is there a Hamster in the house?” followed by one of our expert technicians springing into action.
Have a good night everybody!
-Zac
Friday, February 5th, 2010
Hey Everybody in Portland Computer Repair Land,
This is a sad post. Some scam artist recently posted a fake review in my name for another company here in town, Computer Lift. I want to make it very clear that I know Geoff and the staff of Computer Lift personally, and I have always found them to be talented and dedicated technicians. They do a good job, and do it very well. Were they not so friendly, I would consider them my chief competition in town, but such is our relationship that we almost consider them allies more than competitors. Two companies that both focus on doing amazing computer repair work at a fair price for their customers.
We have reported this fraud to the approapriate authorities, and I hope they will act soon. Until then, know that the negative review on Geoff’s account, and several of the negative reviews on my own account are fraud.
Have a good night,
-Zac (the real one)
