Liax Computer Repair - McAllen, TX

Dell Service Tag

Posted on July 27th, 2007

svcetaggif If you own a DELL computer and needs repair or missing drivers, you can access the DELL website and enter the serial number printed on the white sticker on the bottom or rear side of your computer. The sticker is called DELL service tag and it is required to check the status of your warranty or current system configuration.
Dell Service Tag direct link – Click Here

This service only works for DELL computers.

How to use Google Search

Posted on January 17th, 2007

Google is more than a search engine, it is a set of tools to find almost anything on the web, right now there are over 25 billion websites indexed in Google, this means that if you are looking for something, you are going to need some serious help.

I use Google daily, it is like the Swiss Army knife of the web, it has many helpful features that are not obvious or listed on the main page, but they work. These features allow you to get better search results and reduce the amount of spam sites, therefore saving you time and hassle.

Basic Google Tips
If you followed my recommendation to make Google your homepage, that is a good start, once you start using these basic commands no one will stop you, I could say that 99% of the time I find exactly what I am looking for, using Google, too bad I can’t use Google to find my missing car keys.
1. Think keywords.
If you are looking for someone to fix your bathroom sink you will not go to the phone directory and look for bathroom sinks, you usually will think of the solution, a plumber. The same principle applies here easier, if you type:

2.- Remove excess. Use hyphen.
I was looking the other day for nano technology, I was being lazy and just typed the word nano, I got the first 5 pages full of nano ipod offers and reviews, I added the word technology but the iPod is technology, the trick here is to remove the keyword you don’t want shown, like this:

3.- Be specific. Use quotes.
If you want to search for pages that contain a specific string of words you can do this by using quotes, like this:

4.- Look in one place.
If you are looking for data in a site without a search engine, you can use Google to search any indexed site, by using keyword site:www.domain.com

These basic commands have helped me to search better in Google and other search engines, start using them and you will see how fast and accurate you become to find stuff on the net.

Explore Google
Like I said, Google is a set of tools, searching is just one of those tools, I will add more tips later for now you have plenty of homework.

Domain owners beware.

Posted on January 9th, 2007

If you own a domain name chances are, your mailing information is already in the hands of a few companies (when you register a domain, that information it becomes public domain) some send offers to buy cheap mailing supplies, credit card offers or “official” looking documents.

A friend called me a few weeks ago asking me about an invoice he received about his domain registration, or what he thought it was a expiration notice, after reading the document it was clear that it was just a mail offer, just like the ones you get with “Guaranteed Credit Approval” or “Refinance your home”.

They are good at making documents that look official and some people even get scared of getting charged for services they didn’t order in the first place.

Beware of fake system messages

Posted on December 27th, 2006

Thousands of users per day fall in this trap. Messages that appear to be legitimate and display information about your system, the user clicks on it and it gets infected by a malicious program, most of the time these messages are designed to look like part of your operating system and trick the user into thinking that by clicking on it the fake problem will be eradicated. The problem begins when the user clicks on it.

Not to long ago I cleaned a computer, deleted old files, junk and optimized space. The system was running better than ever. Today I get a call from the same user explaining the situation and it was something like this.

“I was reading an article and a message appeared saying that my system had instability issues and asked me if I wanted to fix them, I clicked NO and then the computer crashed and now it’s slow and I get pop-up ads all the time”

After a few clicks it was obvious that the computer had one or more viruses.

The culprit? This little message.

The user was a victim of fake online ads or fake warning messages; They appear to be legitimate, but no matter where you click, they still pose a threat to your system by installing malicious software.
How do they work?

As soon as you click on ‘YES’ or ‘NO’, a virus gets installed in your system and starts calling ads from a remote server and your computer gets slower everyday and you get ads as soon as you boot up. What happened here is a typical case of clicking before looking, fake ads look official, they are meant to grab your attention and to deceive you.

What to do…
The easiest way to prevent any program from being installed is to ignore them, if you must close them, always choose the red x located in the upper right corner of the window.

SAMPLE: Free Laptop #1

SYSTEM STATUS: Your Urgent Attention is Required.
“You have been chosen to receive a FREE laptop PC. This exclusive offer is only available online. Limited time only. FREE shipping and handling! To claim your FREE laptop PC click Next button. Hurry before time runs out! See Details.”

SAMPLE: Free Laptop #2

CONGRATULATIONS
“Your banner ID# 12098223 qualified for our FREE* hourly prize. Please click “Next” to accept your new Laptop ! *Participation required FREE LAPTOP”

SAMPLE: Infected computer (read message below the message has a typo)