Bolster Small Business Services by Delivering Server Support

NEW YORK, Sept 17, 2008 -- iYogi, a next generation remote technical support company, announced today the expansion of their small business services to include support for Microsoft Windows 2003 Server, enabling business owners to efficiently maintain their network without maintaining an IT department.

With more than 50,000 customers worldwide, iYogi offers support for more than 72 software applications and peripheral devices and offers specific service packages uniquely geared for small businesses, starting at $119.99 per computer/per year.

"There are currently 2.4 million small businesses in the United States that have server-based LANs," said Merle Sandler, research manager in the SMB program at IDC. "Solving networking -- related problems can be an area of concern for small businesses, which often lack adequate IT resources."

Windows Server 2003 is a multipurpose operating system capable of handling a diverse set of server roles. iYogi provides the following features and support options:

* Active Directory
* Group Policies
* Rights Management
* Network set-up
* File and print server
* Internet based services
* Virtual Private Network
* Rights Management Services
* Terminal server
* Remote Access Services

Customers can select from the following pricing plans, paying a flat rate per incident or purchasing an annual subscription.

Single Incident $ 180

One Year, Unlimited Access To Technical Support $ 1999.99

"iYogi leverages India's 20 years of experience in providing excellent technical support to customers across the globe," said President of iYogi, Vishal Dhar.

"We have expanded our personal off shoring model to deliver an incredible experience at a revolutionary price. Our support services for Microsoft Windows 2003 Server are provided by Microsoft Certified professionals with years of experience supporting Microsoft's products. They have a passion for helping small business and enterprise customers develop the potential of their technology investments."

iYogi's Remote Service for Windows 2003 Server along with all of iYogi's services is available to customers in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom. With a resolution rate of 86% and customer satisfaction rating of 93%, iYogi provides customers with an inexpensive and consistent option for their technical support needs.

ABOUT iYOGI

Headquartered in Gurgaon, India with offices in New York, NY, iYogi provides personalized computer support for small business and home office users. iYogi offers 24/7 phone and online assistance for technologies we use every day and supports products from a wide range of vendors. Utilizing proprietary technology, iMantra, and a superior Microsoft certified team, iYogi delivers higher resolution benchmarks and service levels than competing services. For more information and a detailed list of supported technologies.

Visit us at : www.iyogibusiness.com


Contact Details:

Company Name : iYogi Technical Services Pvt Ltd

Address : iYogi Inc.

12, Desbrosses Street, 3rd Floor

New York, NY 10013

Toll Free No. : 1-800-237-3901

Work Number : 1-212-229-0901

Fax Number : 1-888-867-2715

E-Mail : awadhesh.singh@iyogi.net


iYogi, announced expansion of their services to include support for Microsoft Windows 2003 Server

Google sees new browser displacing desktop software

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California (Reuters) - Google Inc is challenging Microsoft Corp with its own Web browser that lets users run many applications that once worked only when installed on local PCs, executives said on Tuesday.

Google introduced a public trial version of its new browser software, Chrome, which is designed to hasndle not just text and graphic, but more complex computer programs.

Chrome, available in 43 languages in 100 countries at www.google.com/chrome, has been designed to download software and Web pages faster than existing browsers. It even allows users to keep working when one of its windows crashes.

This represents Google's long-anticipated head-on attack on Microsoft and its Internet Explorer, which has three-quarters of the Web-browsing market. Google has backed Mozilla Corp's Firefox browser, which holds about 18 percent of the market.

Google engineers and executives call Chrome a "fresh take on the browser," a 15-year-old technology that is supplanting 25-year-old desktop software as the basic way users interact with computers.

"You actually spend more time in your browser than you do in your car," said Brian Rakowski, group product manager for Google's browser project.

Chrome was seen by analysts as partly a defensive move due to Google's fear that the recently upgraded Internet Explorer 8 (IE 8) could be used to lock out Google. Google's core business of Web search and related advertising depends on browsers.

A Microsoft executive said IE 8 gives users control over how and where they navigate, improves their day-to-day browsing experience, and keeps people safe from new security threats. "Microsoft understands that Web browsing is crucially important for hundreds of millions of people, which is why we invest in Internet Explorer so heavily," Dean Hachamovitch, general manager of Internet Explorer, said in a statement.

CHALLENGE TO MICROSOFT WINDOWS SUPPORT ?

Google co-founder Sergey Brin said Chrome was designed to address the shift to using software from within a Web browser rather than as locally installed computer applications running inside Microsoft Windows or some other operating system.

"I think operating systems are kind of an old way to think of the world," Brin told a group of reporters after the news conference at Google's Mountain View, California headquarters. "They have become kind of bulky, they have to do lots and lots of different (legacy) things."

Google believes any task done in a standalone desktop computer application can be delivered via the Web and Chrome is its bet that software applications can be run via a browser.

"We (Web users) want a very lightweight, fast engine for running applications," Brin said.

"The kind of things you want to have running standalone (on a computer) are shrinking," he said, adding that he still edits photos on his computer rather than using a Web program.

GOOGLE BORROWS FROM APPLE, FIREFOX

Chrome borrows liberally from other browsers running open-source software code, including Apple Inc and Firefox, and company officials said they planned to fully share Chrome code with other developers. "We have borrowed good ideas from others," Google Vice President of Product Management Sindar Pichai said. "Our goal here was to bring our point of view, but do it in a very open way."

Because Chrome relies on Apple's open-source WebKit software for rendering Web pages, it can run any application that runs on Apple's Safari Web browser, Pichai said.

"If you are a webmaster, and your site works in Apple Safari then it will work very well in Google Chrome," he said.

Greg Sterling, a Web analyst with Sterling Market Intelligence, said Google's entry into the browser market has echoes of the bruising "browser wars" of the late 1990s, when Microsoft crushed Web pioneer Netscape Communications.

But while the competition between Microsoft and Google is likely to produce many improvements for consumers, the likely fallout from the battle will be other browser makers that have only recently begun to pry market share away from Microsoft.

Sterling said Firefox could become a victim of "friendly fire" from Google as many of its users are the same early adopters who are most likely to switch and try a new browser.

"Firefox has softened up and paved the way for Google. Without Firefox, Chrome would not be possible," Sterling said.

Brin said Google planned to continue to work closely with Mozilla, whose primary financial backing has come from Google in recent years. He said he hoped to see future versions of Chrome and Firefox become more unified over time.

Chrome organizes information into tabbed pages. Web programs can be launched in their own dedicated windows.Among Chrome's features is a special privacy mode that lets users create an "incognito" window where "nothing that occurs in that window is ever logged on your computer," according to a Google promotional guide and there are services for troubleshooting tnternet explorer problems

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iYogi Announces Launch of Monitoring and Performance Tool For SMBs

iYogi – a leading provider of technical support services with horizons in the US, UK, Canada and Australia – today announced the launch of its exclusive server monitoring tools for small businesses. The new product offers integrated technology solutions to surmount the users’ unique IT support requirements thereby enabling them to derive and share information, data, enable network performance analysis, and security trends critical to plan and mana ge their set of servers – 24x7.

Uday Challu, iYogi’s CEO commented, “Holding a significant niche for itself in the computer support industry, iYogi has always known to be on the forefront of adapting breakthrough technology to exceed customer service expectations. This time we have developed a tool offering value-add functionality which will help small business customers maximize the business outcomes of IT.”

iYogi’s monitoring tool provides real time observation and monitoring solutions to ensure more robust and reliable IT support and infrastructure for small buinesses. Small Business owners also get a comprehensive assesment of their IT environment to meet technology needs with the scalability for future growth and create preventative measures based on quick analysis of network device alerts, pre-failure indicators, performance benchmark and security issues.

The new Monitoring and performance tool will provide small business with the opportunity to test all technical and non-technical aspects of their servers and help them to strengthen overall IT infrastructure. The array of services will include: Patch Management, Security Auditing, Site Inventory, Real Time Alerting Script Based Management, and Rights Management Services for all critical server issues.

“Irrespective of the business being small or large, when the consumer chooses iYogi, he leverages the potential of an elite taskforce of Microsoft Certified System Engineers and Cisco Certified Network Associates, ready to service their critical assets, using the most advanced network asset tracking and Performance monitoring”, adds Challu.

Another factor where the Company aims to distinguish itself from its competitors is product pricing. Embracing the concept of service quality, iYogi offers competitively priced technical support services at no-haggle, low prices.

As for its small business support, the Company has integrated its exclusive Monitoring and Alerting Services under one price umbrella of just $480 annually. per server i.e. $49.99 per month. The price is certainly hard to find anywhere else.

For more information on iYogi Small Business Support, visit http://www.iyogibusiness.com/

Contact Details:
Company Name: iYogi Technical Services Pvt Ltd
Address: iYogi Inc.
12 Desbrosses Street
3rd Floor
New York, NY 10013
Toll Free no:1-800-237-3901
Work Number: 1-212-229-0901
Fax Number: 1-888-867-2715
E-Mail: awadhesh.singh@iyogi.net

iYogi Secures $9.5M in Series B Funding Led by SAP Ventures, With Follow-on Investment from Canaan Partners and SVB India Capital Partners

iYogi Secures $9.5M in Series B Funding Led by SAP Ventures, With Follow-on Investment from Canaan Partners and SVB India Capital Partners
iYogi, a Direct-to-Consumer and Small Business Technical Support Provider, Paves the Way for Personal Offshoring to Become India’s Next Success Story

New York, 24 July, 2008: Personal Offshoring, which is driving the next wave of India’s outsourcing success story, got a huge boost today when iYogi - a remote technical support provider from India - raised $ 9.5 million in Series B financing from SAP Ventures, a division of SAP AG, Canaan Partners and SVB India Capital Partners, a venture fund affiliate of Silicon Valley Bank.

iYogi (www.iyogi.net) delivers technical support services directly to consumers and small businesses and is the first, global, technical support brand based out of India. The company offers its customers an unlimited, annual service subscription for $119.99 per desktop that includes support for a wide range of technologies, including PC hardware Microsoft Windows operating system, software applications, peripherals and multifunctional devices.

“Personal Offshoring has created new investment opportunities in India with incredible growth potential,” said Doug Higgins, partner at SAP Ventures. “It is very exciting to see companies like iYogi challenging the traditional enterprise-focused offshore-service delivery model by creating a consumer-focused, direct-to-customer personal offshore model. iYogi is one of the fastest-growing companies in this market segment, and we look forward to working with them to create India’s next success story.”

“Our focus on the customer experience has helped us achieve a 93 percent satisfaction rate across more than 50,000 customers,” said Uday Challu, CEO of iYogi. “We are delighted to have the support of three terrific investors as we increase our market share and continue to provide the best technical support experience possible for our customers.”

iYogi will use the funds to fuel its expansion into 12 new regions, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, and to increase its delivery of new services including PC recovery, anti-virus/spyware, data back-up and PC optimization.

“As consumer technologies grow in sophistication, consumers will be seeking the kind of home IT support services – including remote services offered by companies such as iYogi – to help them solve their most complex problems,” said Kurt Scherf, vice president and principal analyst, Parks Associates. “In primary research, we found more than one-third of consumers are willing to pay for competent and professional remote support services, and 60% express a strong interest in software solutions – what we refer to as ‘PC Dashboards’ – that automate many basic PC performance enhancement and troubleshooting features, solving many PC-related problems before they even are noticed by end-users.”

iYogi had previously raised $3.1 million in Series A financing from Canaan Partners and SVB in April of last year. “iYogi is one of the most promising investments for Canaan Partners,” said Alok Mittal, managing director of India at Canaan Partners. “Third-party, vendor-independent technical support is an exciting new service category, witnessing explosive growth. Customers are looking beyond the traditional vendor-provided support to remote channels for better problem resolution, faster service, and greater overall satisfaction. iYogi has created an incredible value proposition and price offering for its customers that is hard to beat.”

”Several next generation outsourcing companies from India are delivering a range of personal offshoring services for individuals and small businesses in the U.S. including online tutoring, tax preparation, remote executive assistance and research services,” said Suresh Shanmugham, managing director of SVB India Capital Partners, a venture fund affiliate of Silicon Valley Bank. “iYogi has leveraged the technical skills available in India along with process expertise to scale as a global technical support provider for millions faced with increasingly complex technology”.

About SAP Ventures
SAP Ventures invests in innovative and disruptive software and services companies globally. We pursue opportunities across all stages for outstanding financial return. Our goal is to bring substantial benefit to all parties by facilitating interaction between portfolio companies and SAP and its ecosystem of customers and partners. SAP Ventures has a successful track record of building industry-leading companies by partnering with outstanding entrepreneurs and top-tier venture capital firms since 1996. For more information, visit www.sapventures.com.

About Canaan Partners

Canaan Partners is a global venture capital firm specializing in early-stage information technology and life sciences companies. Founded in 1987, Canaan Partners has $2.4 billion capital under management and has invested in more than 240 companies, completed 63 mergers and acquisitions, and brought over 50 companies public. The firm catalyzes the development of innovative mobile, Internet, CleanTech, networking, semiconductor, enterprise software and services, biotechnology and medical technologies to build next-generation market leaders. Canaan was an early investor in Acme Packet (APKT), Aperto Networks, BharatMatrimony.com, Blurb, DoubleClick (DCLK), ID Analytics, Match.com and SuccessFactors, along with dozens of other market-leading companies. Canaan is headquartered in Menlo Park, California and also has offices in Connecticut, India and Israel. For more information visit: www.canaan.com.

SVB India Capital Partners Fund and Silicon Valley Bank

SVB India Capital Partners Fund is a $54 million equity fund that is focused on Indian companies and co-invests across industries and stages with top-tier venture capital firms. Silicon Valley Bank is the premier commercial bank for emerging, growth and mature companies in the technology, life science, private equity and premium wine industries. Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., the company serves clients around the world through 27 U.S. offices and five international operations. Silicon Valley Bank is a member of global financial services firm SVB Financial Group, with SVB Analytics, SVB Capital, SVB Global and SVB Private Client Services. More information on the company can be found at www.svb.com.

About iYogi

iYogi is the first direct-to-consumer and small business technical support service from India. Providing an annual unlimited subscription to technical support for $119.99 per year, iYogi now boasts more than 50,000 customers. The company employs 450 professionals servicing customers in the U.S., U.K., Canada fast expanding to 12 new geographies across the globe. iYogi’s resolution rate of 87 percent and customer satisfaction rate of 93 percent are amongst the highest published benchmarks in the industry. For further information, please visit www.iyogi.net.

SAP and all SAP logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries. All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “predict,” “should” and “will” and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.

The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. iYogi shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

SAP and all SAP logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries.
All other product and service names mentioned are the trademarks of their respective companies.

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “predict,” “should” and “will” and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.



Contact:


Company Name:
iYogi Technical Services Pvt Ltd

Address:
iYogi Inc.
12 Desbrosses Street
3rd Floor
New York, NY 10013

Toll Free no: 1-800-237-3901

Work Number: 1-212-229-0901

F ax Number: 1-888-867-2715

Remote computer help for Registry Error Diagnosis 7.1

Remote Computer Help Registry Error Diagnosis 7.1

Protect your PC form crashes by regularly using Registry Error Diagnosis, it completes diagnosis in 3 simple steps. Registry Error Diagnosis will scan your PC for improper registry structure in 20 seconds, in most of the cases it will catch all errors present.

Remote Computer Help Security Protector 5.4

If your remote computer help or Internet feels slower than usual, Auslogics might have a remedy--its award winning Auslogics BoostSpeed. Run the program on a weekly basis to clean up disks and the registry, fix errors, and tune up the one-size-fits-all Windows settings to your particular computer configuration. Not only will this accelerate your PC speed and increase the speed of you internet, but it will also reduce computer startup and shutdown time, and tweak Windows to its top performance.

Remote Computer Temp File Cleaner 3.0

This handy little utility quickly targets and eliminates temporary files accumulated by Windows on any drive. Scans all accessible user accounts, deletes temporary Internet files, deletes cookies, deletes browser history, deletes recent files, deletes windows temp folders, deletes windows prefetch, deletes windows update uninstall files, empties Recycle Bin, and more! All removal options can be easily configured from the settings page. The process is not stopped by locked files, and will reset permissions if necessary. Counters total up # of files deleted and space freed, and a full list of deleted files is provided. There is no need to install, there is a single executable that can be run from anywhere! A detailed help file describes all of the folder being cleaned, and how to configure the various options.

CrossLoop

CrossLoop is an easy to use utility that enables you to share your desktop screen with a remote computer help. Unlike most other remote computer help tools, CrossLoop is focused on ease-of-use for non-technical users. A simple interface allows you to start a sharing session with a friend who also has CrossLoop installed. For security reasons, the program uses 128-bit encryption and generates a random 12-digit key, that you must transmit to the person (by email, phone, instant message or similar means) before they can connect your computer. Once you have started the server and your friend has entered the key, you will receive a request, allowing you to share your screen and control your desktop.

FlashGet 1.9

FlashGet is specifically designed to address two of the biggest problems when downloading files: Speed and management of downloaded files. If you've ever waited forever for your files to download from a slow connection, or been cut off mid-way through a download. FlashGet supports HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, BT, MMS, MMST, RTSP, ed2k protocol. Optimized the multi-thread dispatching, capability of disc read/ write when downloading; fixed the bug in certain situation that it has no traffic in Drop Zone.

source: dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\06\30\story_30-6-2008_pg6_10

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Administer a remote computer, site or computer server

Only recently we were asked to discuss portable applications live on BBC radio. When we mentioned FTP clients as a tool that you could take on the road and use to administer your remote computer help website, a few people asked what an FTP client was about and why they’d even need to use FTP to access the Internet.

An FTP client can be useful for both uploading and downloading files. For instance, find an FTP server, download a large file (Linux distro or a service pack as ideal example) and, if the download fails, you can resume from the last position using an FTP client. With your web browser, you often have to start the download again from scratch.

If you have a homepage, server or simply want to backup files to a remote computer location, an FTP client is essential. You can often synchronise files between the local and remote help site, so you can quickly make sure the files are updated on both sides.

WinSCP is an open-source FTP client that enables you to login to your remote server, website or other location and then synchronise your files. It also ships in a portable version, so store all your site and FTP passwords, then use WinSCP on the road to access your server, remote computer help or other site, without leaving a trace on the host machine.

There are many Benefits of Remote Computer Support which you can avail.

source : business.pcauthority.com.au/download/winscp-414.aspx

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Two arrested for child porn in two days

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA - Two men get arrested for child porn in two days and another man gets sentenced to 40 years in prison.

Many law enforcement groups now have cyber crime divisions, but tips leading to arrests often come from outside the department.

One of these arrests came about after a woman received a used remote technical support services . Another came from a remote computer help repair company.

"My reaction was I was sick to my stomach. It is just a horrible thing to see to even contemplate," Jon Levin, owner of remote computer help Help USA said.

It's only happened once in the ten-year history of his company.

"My technician, Mike, comes into my office and says, 'Jon, come here. You've got to see this,' and as we're watching this thing scroll through we're seeing all kinds of names that we know just are not right."

A routine virus scan turned up 194 pornographic images and videos of children between the ages of four and 14 on a remote computer help owned by Scott Ward, 27, of Golden Gate Estates.

Ward received a 40 year prison sentence this week.

"I have children of my own. I mean, granted, they're older, but at one time they were little kids and the thought of anybody doing to my children would provoke a violent reaction in me," Levin said.

Investigators say people who get caught with child pornography are usually one step away from acting out against a child.

"That's why we're actively trying to do this stuff. We don't want them to take that next step," Scott Rapisarda, with the Collier County Sheriff's Office, said.

And that's why investigator enlist help from everyone to pursue these predators.

"remote computer repair places, we still get those consistently because they have access to the whole hard drive," Rapisarda said.

"There is a paper trail, a digital paper trail on this," Levin said.

remote computer help USA has a strict privacy policy against going though a client's personal files, but the routine virus scan found the porn. Now a days there is also remote computer help at hand for pensioners

source : winknews.com/news/local/22837244.html

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Shop brings 'more mothering' approach to remote computer help

That Computer Chick has seen it all — and fixed it — at her two Marietta repair shops. And she doesn't make a peep about how you could possibly have gotten yourself into this predicament.

Linda Pereira, That Chick herself, said many of her male customers have admitted bringing their computers to her because she's a woman.

"They're intimidated by the men because the men talk over their heads," she said.

Pereira, 43, has five women on staff, That's her son, Andy, who's leaving in a few months for college.

"We're more mothering," Pereira said. "When you come in, we sympathize with your problem instead of being like, 'You idiot.' I think they just want somebody to kind of hold their hand and not make them feel bad."

After all, the company slogan is: "Because you shouldn't hate your remote computer help."

Pereira's clientele is evenly split between men and women. Her staff works on residential and small business computers and iPods, usually handling three to 10 per day.

Jack McKinney, 77, of Kennesaw, has been relying on That computer hep and support chick since she went into business in 2003.

"She hasn't let me down yet," he said.

McKinney drops in when he's getting a haircut nearby just to chat and ask questions — free of charge.

"I wish I had a problem because I wish I could go there to get it fixed," he said. "They make it such a pleasure."

Customers enter a welcoming environment where the walls are alligator green, the same color as Pereira's kitchen at home.

"It's very soothing," she said.

The lighting is kept low and the floors are wooden, adding to the homey feel. The counter is metal, and Pereira encourages folks to plop their computers there instead of putting the hardware on the floor, as some shops insist. She knows it can be hard to bend down to pick stuff up.

If kids have to wait a while with their parents, they're given a bad hard drive and a screwdriver.

"If the kids didn't get it all the way apart and they're sad they have to leave, she'll let the kids borrow the screwdriver and take it home," said Kimberly Austin, a senior technician.

That Computer Chick expects customers to return the favor and be nice, too.

If they're rude, they run the risk of being assessed a $50 meanie fee. Pereira hasn't charged "the attitude adjustment" fee yet, but has called people and asked them to apologize to her staff. She's kicked some of them out, too.

"I've kicked out more women than men," she said with a laugh. "Some of them will apologize, and others will just decide not to come back, and we're OK with that, too."

That Computer Chick promotes its family-oriented services, and will help with content filters for children.

If people want to know what their spouses have been up to, Pereira said, "I will give them all the data and I sit down with them privately. "

She works with counseling agencies to refer spouses with addiction problems.

The company also has a donation program, refurbishing cast-off equipment from customers and giving it to people in need.

In Katrina's aftermath Pereira and one of her two daughters drove to New Orleans with five complete systems.

"When people call and ask me, 'Do you have something really cheap? I always ask them, 'Are you having a difficult time? Are you struggling?' I say, 'I can't sell you one, but I'll give you one.'

"That's because my customers donated the equipment. If you donate equipment, I'll donate my time."

Pereira requires her staff to have a volunteer background in the community. She said they make the best employees. She has hired both men and women but has a strict "no nerd" policy.

"You can tell a major nerd," she said, "and I have fired many, many a major nerd."

So, how does a nerd get fired? "They start messing with my equipment and that's when I'm done," Pereira said, laughing.

Whatever their gender, Pereira's staff does what they call "that chick thing," customizing computers without any bells and whistles.

For example, they put your data back where you left it, "instead putting it in some bizarre folder," Pereira said.

But they do take out the bugs — sometimes literally.

Pereira's staff has found spiders and cockroaches — dead and alive — inside computers.

And that's not all they discover.

Betsy Collins, 19, who is working her way up to junior tech, recalls the sluyrping noise a keboard made when Pereira removed it from a laptop.

A man had forgotten to mention that his wife had spilled a milkshake on it.

"The milkshake had actually melted onto the motherboard and then it fried the computer," Collins said. That Computer Chick's most amazing discovery? How about 122,000 pieces of spyware in a woman's computer? And Pereira would have found more if the power hadn't gone out in the shop.

"She just had kids," Pereira said, "and kids will go on everything. They don't have anything in their brain saying, 'Oh, I shouldn't go on that Web site.' "

She gave the customer a copy of "Cheep Tips" to avoid the same problem.

The guidelines are so good they've cut down on some repeat business, but Pereira makes up for it with referrals.

And that chick thing applies across the motherboard.

Austin remembers working on a new hard drive one day. "Then 'puff!' this cloud of smoke came out of the computer," she said.

What color was it? Pink, of course.

Spyware everywhere

The computer terms "trojan" and "spyware," often don't register with customers. So, she explains that each one is like having a fire in your house.

"You wonder, 'Why can't I sit on the couch?' Because the couch is on fire. When people use these antispyware support services common among computer enthusiasts to actually remove these viruses , all they're doing is putting water on the fire and putting it out. So, now, you just have a charred couch."

So, does Linda Pereira take out the couch and put a new couch in?

"I can't," she said. "I have to rebuild the whole house.

http://www.foxriverantiques.com

Source: ajc.com/business/content/business/stories/2008/06/27/that_computer_chick.html

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The failed promise of tech services

There is a horrible truth in the online vista tech services world that Ephraim Schwartz presents: The promise of technology suckers us into a trap that the technology itself can never deliver on.

"Technology -- whether it is a Diatomaceous Earth pool filter, a series of AT&T cell towers, or an enterprise application -- these things were never really designed to be perfect," Schwartz explains in"

As such, selling the promise of service on the promise of technology is tricky business, Schwartz asserts. After all, "with each promise, accountability for customer frustration grows."

Fed up with enterprise-class windows vista support and help services ? Still paying support contracts that don't bring you any value? Talkback below.

Source: weblog.infoworld.com/daily/archives/2008/06/the_failed_prom.html

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Exploring computer help Software: Performance Management

One of the greatest challenges in running a modern business is dealing with the huge volume of data that computers today are capable of gathering and somehow making sense of it all. Thanks to Performance Management, this is now much easier than it used to be.

One of the greatest challenges in running a modern business is dealing with the huge volume of data that computers today are capable of gathering and somehow making sense of it all.

Executives need an easy way to look at the piles of data and find quick answers to their questions, such as how the sales department performed this week compared to the same week last year. But beyond just reading the numbers (which are called metrics), the executive will likely want to ask something that requires analysis, such as: If sales are down, what was different that caused sales to decrease and what can we do to change it? And further, forecasting comes in: What happens if we change this one aspect of our business; will sales increase or decrease?

For years people have hoped to have the remote computer help them make important business decisions, but until the past few years, remote computer help weren’t really that capable. We had spreadsheets that could do some basic analyses, but that was about it. Today, however, we’ve finally reached a point where computers are powerful enough that they can do some serious, hardcore analysis for us. And that’s where Performance Management software comes in.

Several venders today offer performance management software. In general, they’re large systems that aren’t the easiest to install and maintain, but they can be well worth it when put to good use. Imagine the savings when you can simply ask the remote technical support services what the current situation is, what caused the situation, and, if it’s a bad situation, what can be done to change it.

If you explore performance management software, you might quickly become overwhelmed at the options. Individual vendors have several different computer software solutions and it’s hard to follow what’s what and what exactly you need.

Typically you’ll want to bring in an outside consultant for a brief period to help you decide which software best fits your needs or simply to get a reliable computer help services.

Oracle has a very large suite of products, called Oracle Business Intelligence, which they call an “end-to-end” solution. They include software in the Business Intelligence category, which includes the data-gathering and analysis aspects, as well as Performance Management software that helps you determine how your business is performing. And, of course, being Oracle, they also have database and data warehousing software that fits right into their solution. (Note that much of the Business Intelligence software was previously owned by a company called Hyperion, which Oracle recently acquired. Now a day there are computer help available every where.

Source : midmarket.eweek.com/c/a/News/Exploring-Software-Performance-Management/

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Dell Computer Victims Encouraged to Complain Online

NY AG Cuomo Urges Consumers Victimized By Dell’s Deceptive Business Practices To File Complaints Online to get online computer help; Follows Court Decision Requiring Dell to Pay Restitution and Penalties for Negligent Customer Service, False Advertising, and

NEW YORK, NY (May 28, 2008) - New York Attorney General Cuomo today urged customers who were victimized by Dell’s deceptive and negligent business practices to file complaints at a website devoted exclusively to addressing consumer issues with Dell.

This action follows a court decision that Dell and its affiliate Dell Financial Services, LP (“DFS”) will have to provide restitution to its customers and forfeit unlawfully earned profits to the state for engaging in fraud, false advertising and failing to provide consumers with promised services.

The Attorney General’s Office is collecting consumer complaints in order to assist the court in accurately determining how much restitution Dell and DFS owe customers. The court is planning to hold further proceedings later this year on the issue of restitution and the amount of profits Dell unlawfully earned that must be forfeited to the State.

The court decision affirmed claims brought by the Attorney General, based on hundreds of consumer complaints, that Dell fails to provide adequate technical support, leaves consumers who call the Dell helpline on hold for hours and pressures consumers to disassemble their own computers to avoid providing promised "onsite" repairs. The court also found that Dell and DFS engaged in abusive debt collection practices, misled consumers about the financing terms for which they had qualified and failed to provide consumers with promised rebates.

Attorney General Cuomo said, “Huge companies like Dell cannot continue to walk all over their customers and get away with it. All consumers who were left on hold for hours, promised “onsite” repair service only to be pressured to take apart their computers themselves, and subjected to numerous other negligent and abusive practices should register their complaints at our website so we can ensure the Dell is held accountable for its failed promises.”

Yesterday’s decision by the Albany County Supreme Court resulted from one of the first cases brought by Attorney General Cuomo in 2007.

Justice Joseph C. Teresi said in his decision, “Dell has engaged in repeated misleading, deceptive and unlawful business conduct, including false and deceptive advertising of financing promotions and the terms of warranties, fraudulent, misleading and deceptive practices in credit financing and failure to provide warranty service and rebates.”

According to the decision, Dell failed to provide consumers with the benefits and services to which they were entitled by:

• Repeatedly failing to provide timely onsite repair to consumers who purchased service contracts promising “onsite” and expedited service;

• Pressuring consumers, including those who purchased service contracts promising “onsite” repair, to remove the external cover of their computer and remove, reinstall, and manipulate hardware components;

• Discouraging consumers from seeking reliability and technical support; those who called Dell’s toll free number were subjected to long wait times, repeated transfers, and frequent disconnections; and

• Failing to provide rebates that were promised to consumers.

This case was handled by Assistant Attorney General Amy Schallop of the Consumer Frauds and Protection Bureau, under the supervision of Mark Fleischer, Deputy Bureau Chief of the Consumer Frauds and Protection Bureau, and Joy Feigenbaum, Chief of the Consumer Frauds and Protection Bureau.

Source: New York Attorney General

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From Computer Parts to How-To Advice, the Web Is a Fix-It Essential

For those who would like to fix their own computers, there are a number of online resources that can help guide you through the process. Here is a list of some of them:

How-to videos and more

YouTube has a number of videos that take viewers through the assembly and replacement of various parts.

Also, check the online computer help forums at computer manufacturers’ sites for user support groups. Computer geeks love to help others.

Windows PC help

The Laptop Repair Workbook offers flow charts and specific information on how to repair various components.

Laptop Repairs offers free illustrated instructions on how to repair a variety of problems, including L.C.D.’s. The site also links to some official computer repair services outsourcing manuals.

AGParts is a large supplier of disk drives, screens, motherboards and other components for Acer, and other machines.

Macintosh help

and iFixit both sell new and used parts. Both also offer free how-to diagrams and guides for taking apart laptops, iPhones and iPods.

MacFixIt ( can read a daily compendium of Macintosh problems and solutions free. For $25 a year, they can search the site’s extensive archives on hardware and software repair

source : http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/15/technology/personaltech/15basicsside.html?em&ex=1210996800&en=1685ef2aca3cfedb&ei=5087%0A

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How to Increase the Memory Size of Your Server Computer

The task of upgrading a server’s memory can be very similar to that of a desktop computer but it can also be very different. Neal Nelson, president of Neal Nelson & Associates, explains.

In some ways, a computer is like a car because there are some changes and repairs that owners can perform on their own. Increasing the size of a computer's RAM may be one of these changes. The following six steps will explain how to increase the memory size of your server computer.

CAUTION: By attempting the steps described in this procedure, you may ruin your computer. Pushing too hard, or in the wrong place, can crack the computer's motherboard. A small spark of static electricity can burn out critical computer circuits. Installing a memory module "backwards" can cause short circuits. An improperly "seated" module can prevent the computer from booting when it is powered up. So be careful and good luck.

Step 1: Determine the Current Size of the Computer's Memory

For computers running Windows, Microsoft provides a program called Task Manager that provides a quick display of the system's status. Run this program by clicking the right mouse button while the mouse pointer is positioned on the task bar (which is normally at the bottom of the screen). Then select "Task Manager".

Next, click on the "Performance" tab. Make a notation of the number listed for "Physical Memory (K)—Total". For computers running Linux, log in as "root" and type the command "cat /proc/meminfo," then note the value for "MemTotal".

Step 2: Locate the Memory Modules in the Computer

Power down the computer and unplug the computer's power cord. Open up the computer case and locate the computer's memory modules. Most computers have DIMMs (dual in-line memory modules) that fit into DIMM sockets. Look for the DIMMs. Then note how many DIMMs are currently installed, and how many empty sockets remain with no DIMMs installed.

Below is a photo of two DIMMs and two empty DIMM sockets. Most servers with 1U and 2U chassis will have the memory module sockets on the main motherboard. But 4U, 6U and "blade" servers may have memory riser cards or other boards that are designed specifically for memory modules. You might have to search a bit inside these servers to find the memory modules and empty sockets.



Step 3: Plan Your Upgrade

In order to plan your upgrade, you must determine a number of things. Consider the total size of the computer's currently installed memory, the number of DIMMs currently installed, the number of empty DIMM sockets, and the desired increase in memory size. DIMMs are often installed in pairs. Consider adding two 512MB DIMMs if you wish to increase the computer's total memory size by 1GB. You may have to remove some currently installed DIMMs in order to free up slots for the new memory modules you wish to install.

You must also determine exactly what type of memory you need. Types of memory include SDRAM, DDR, DDR2, DDR3, FB-DDR, Registered, Unregistered, parity, non-parity, ECC, non-ECC, 2.2-volt, 1.8-volt and 1.5-volt. There are also a variety of speed grades such as 512, 667, 800, PC-3200, PC-4800 and PC-6400. If you buy the wrong type of memory, the computer may not boot, or you might even "burn out" some components.

Many computer and motherboard manufacturers have copies of manuals online that will provide the specifications for the memory modules which are compatible with the computer. These manuals should also contain notes about any requirements to install memory modules in pairs or in alternating banks.

Step 4: Obtain the New Memory Modules

DIMMs are available from a number of sources. These include the companies that built the computer such as Hewlett-Packard or Dell, retailers such as Best Buy, online merchants such as Dalco Electronics or Newegg, auction sites such as eBay or Craigslist, and special memory Web sites. The safest option is to purchase the new memory from the company that originally built the computer.

Another safe and usually less expensive option is to buy your memory from www.crucial.com. I generally recommend Crucial to someone who is new to upgrading memory. Cruical has an excellent online system to you find the right memory module. They show the detailed technical specifications for the recommended memory, provide instructions on how to install the memory, offer free shipping, and have a 30-day, money-back compatibility guarantee.

Step 5: Install the New Memory Modules

The installation procedure can be completed in the following steps:

1. Be sure the computer is powered off and the power cord is unplugged.

2. Position the computer chassis so that you will be able to press the DIMM into the socket with straight-down, firm and even pressure. I like to lay the chassis down flat on a strong table or on the floor, so that I can lean over the chassis when I press straight down.

3. Wear an anti-static wrist strap or touch the chassis frequently to drain static electricity.

4. Flip open the retaining clips at each end of the DIMM socket.

5. Orient the DIMM properly. The notch on the DIMM should be aligned with the corresponding bump in the socket.

6. Press the DIMM into the socket by pressing with one thumb at each end of the DIMM. There will often be a "click-click" sound as the DIMM seats down into the socket and the retaining clips snap into position. But be careful. If you press too lightly or unevenly, the DIMM will not "seat" correctly. It will not make proper electrical contact. And if you press too hard, you can ruin the motherboard by cracking it. The photo below illustrates this step.



Step 6: Test for Proper Operation

Next you should test to see if everything is operating correctly. Connect the computer power cord and boot the machine. Repeat Step 1 to check that the new memory size agrees with your expectations. You might also want to run a thorough diagnostic test of the computer's memory. There are some low-cost and free test programs available from www.memtest86.com and www.memtest.org. Consider executing the test for many hours (such as overnight).

Step 7: Possible Problems

If there is a problem during the upgrade, the computer may display a smaller-than-expected memory size, or it may not boot at all. Check very carefully to see if the DIMMs are properly seated in the sockets. You might also need to check that you have not accidentally bumped some other card (such as the computer's video card) so that it is no longer properly seated in its slot.

Try removing the new DIMMs and booting with the original memory configuration. Consider contacting the company that sold you the memory. They might have a support center that could help you solve the problem. If all else fails, it would be time to call in professional help.

Source : eweek.com/c/a/Knowledge-Center/How-to-Increase-the-Memory-Size-of-Your-Server-Computer/