How to fix or repair a Mac Hard Drive (HDD)

Suspect your Hard Disk is in need of Repair? 5 Tell-Tale Signs your Hard Disk Drive (HDD) is failing and needs replacing ASAP 1. Slowing Down Computer, Frequent Freezes, Spinning Wheel of Death (SWOD) These are very unspecific signs that can be caused by a million different things. However, regardless of what the issue behind these symptoms is, it is recommended that you immediately make a backup and get your Computer, PC or laptop checked by The IT Guys (WA) or another suitable professional. 2. Your PC, Computer, Mac or HDD starts to make strange grinding, clicking  and thrashing noises? That could mean your drive is beyond repair. If you’re hearing strange noises then act very quickly—you probably don’t have much time. 3. Corrupted Data You start to find files that fail to open and are corrupted even though they saved without errors or if files suddenly disappear. 4. Accumulation Of Bad Sectors Bad sectors are areas of the hard drive that do not maintain data integrity. They are automatically masked by the operating system and thus hard to identify, especially if large amounts of the disk are currently in use. If you actually run into bad sectors, however, that certainly is a bad sign 5. If your HDD is older than 5 years… it is on its way out …read more If your Mac, Windows PC or Laptop is 5 years or older, the hard disk drive has a 50% chance of total or partial failure at any moment. We recommend replacing a HDD after 4 years. See …How old is my Mac? How do I test the Disk Drive (HDD or SSD) on my Mac? There is a built-in OSx Utility on every Mac that can easily test and in some cases even repair hard disk problems. Follow these steps Click on Finder > Applications and scroll down to “Utilities” and expand click on the icon to expand the selection. ..and select “Disk Utility” This utility gives details of the installed disk drives and also has a “First Aid” option that attempts to repair any “minor” disk problems. If it finds and major issues or cannot run or hangs, this indicates the HDD Needs Replacing. Selecting “First Aid” now asks permission to “Run” the program. Click on “Run” Press “Continue” the “First-Aid” Process starts. If all is well a Green tick of approval will be seen. Click the “Done” button If the utility finds any problems, it will report them and attempt to fix them. See these articles on Apple Support Site, https://support.apple.com/kb/PH25413  If your Disk Drive has major problems, you may get a report like the following If you have any problems and do not have a recent Time-Machine backup of your data , try and get a backup before taking the computer to an Apple Technical Support professional.   :jk:

Gift Voucher for Computer Technician Home Visit

Gift Voucher for Computer Technician Home Visit We all have a relative or friend that needs a little IT/Computer help from time to time, or just wants to talk about downloading music, digitising photos, watching iView on the iPad, getting rid of SPAM emails etc. etc. Well thats what WE are here for. For $100 we will send them a voucher that they can use any time in the next twelve months for a home visit and a 30 minute consultation Terms and Conditions Site visit to be carried out during standard business hours, namely Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (excluding public holidays) Site visit of up to 30 minutes on site is included. Time over 30 minutes maybe chargeable in 15 minute blocks at $33 per block. Service available to Perth’s Western Suburbs, within 15 klms of Subiaco and specifically: Churchlands, City Beach, Claremont, Como, Coolbinia, Cottesloe, Crawley, Daglish, Dalkeith, Dianella, Doubleview, East Perth, Floreat, Glendalough, Herdsman, Highgate, Inglewood, Jolimont, Joondanna, Karrakatta, Kings Park, Leederville, Maylands, Morley, Mosman Park, Mount Claremont, Mount Hawthorn, Mt Lawley, Nedlands, North Fremantle, North Perth, Northbridge, Osborne Park, Peppermint Grove, Perth CBD, Scarborough, Shenton Park, South Perth, Subiaco, Swanbourne, Tuart Hill, Victoria Park, Victoria Park (East), Wembley, Wembley Downs, West Leederville, West Perth, Woodlands. Travel time to other suburbs can be quoted separately by calling the office and obtaining a quote. Any hardware or software requiring supplying, replacement or repair will be chargeable in addition. Vouchers valid to end December 2018.   :jk:

Macbook Water Damage Repairs

Macbook liquid damage, water spillage to Macbook, Macbook Pro, Macbook Air? We can help.   Spilling or immersing an electronic device of any kind in ANY form of liquid is probably the worse thing you can do in terms of damaging it. We may not be able to repair macbook liquid damage but we can recover your data and provide an insurance report. THE GOOD NEWS – You probably wont lose your data and programs as long as you get the device to us quickly. Bring with you an External Hard Drive or you can purchase one from us for $99 and we will copy the data off your device, you can at least then access your data from another computer and we can help you reinstall that data to a new one. THE BAD NEWS – Even if you do manage to dry the computer out (lots of hints here) , it is very unlikely you will ever fully recover the macbook liquid damage If you can get it going, facts are that you have reduced the computers life by years. There is no escaping the onset of corrosion of the motherboard. If you are lucky, It may give you 1 month, 6 months, 1 year or more of worry free operation. So if you get the chance to replace it under your insurance, we would recommend you do so ASAP or plan on a new computer ASAP. If the Macbook is a current model (under 5 years old), the best price for replacing parts will be from an Apple Store but be aware that they may not recover your data. Make sure you ask about this as Apple “expect” you to have a current backup of your data on a drive or in the cloud. Non-Current Macbooks can only be repaired using second-hand parts and we do not recommend it as the parts have no guarantee and are as expensive as purchasing a new machine. Repairs and Upgrades of Other Mac Computers The IT Guys also repair and upgrade all Apple Mac Computers, including iMac Repairs, iMac Upgrades, Macbook Repairs, Macbook Upgrades, Macbook Pro Repairs, Macbook Pro Upgrades, Macbook Air Repairs, Macbook Air Upgrades and Mac Mini Repairs and Mac Mini Upgrades. We can also offer a Macbook Battery Replacement Service. Purchasing New Computer and Transferring programs and data Quite often we may advise our clients that their computer will be cheaper to replace, rather than repair and we may offer you a choice of replacement equipment. We do not sell new Apple equipment but will guide you in the choices available and where they can be purchased. However, we can assist you with the setup, transfer of data and programs from your old computer to the new one. :jk:

Mac Mini Repairs – Apple Mac Mini Repairs

Mac Mini Repairs required in Perth? Is your Mac Mini not starting or behaving poorly? The IT Guys specialise in repairing all Apple Mac Mini in Perth and Western Australia, with all repairs carried out by Apple Certified Technicians. We do not repair iPhones,  iPads, iPods or iWatches but can assist you with setting them up (configuration), re-installing, updating, connecting to iCloud etc. If your Apple Mac Mini is slow, non-responsive, not starting or is not behaving or performing as it once we may be able to fix that problem In all cases we cannot do anything or quote prices until we have ‘Tested & Assessed’ your device in our workshop. You will need to bring or deliver your device to our workshop at :address: between :opening-hours: No appointment is necessary. Please note a :assess-fee: non-refundable ‘Test & Assess’ fee will need to be paid on leaving your device with us. We need to have your device for a minimum of 3 business day to complete a thorough ‘Test & Assess’ process. Upon completion of our ‘Test & Assess’ we will contact you and inform you of our findings. If we assess the repair will take longer than 30 minutes and may involve new hardware or software, we will quote you on the costs and request your permission to proceed. If we can repair within 30 minutes, or you decide not to proceed with a repair, or we cannot repair the device, there will be no more to pay, and you can collect your device during our business hours. We may be able to make an onsite visit to your home or business; however, an additional “Call-Out” charge applies for travelling time to you and back to our workshop, plus the :assess-fee: ‘Test & Assess’ fee. We highly recommend bringing your Computer equipment to our office or posting it to us, as this will save you time and money. Purchasing New Computer and Transferring programs and data Quite often we may advise our clients that their Apple Mac Mini will be cheaper to replace, rather than repair. We do not sell new Apple equipment but will guide you in the choices available and from where they can be purchased. However, we can assist you with the setup, transfer of data and programs from your old Mac to the new one. Common Apple Hardware Issues Common Apple hardware problems that we encounter include: Hard-Drive (HDD) drive issues – (especially if over 3 years old) HDD’s can be replaced or can be upgraded to a Solid-State-Drive (SSD) for more speed and reliability and a 5 year warranty. Prices start around $167 If you see an image such as the above and the Mac does does not progress, start or go away, it is most likely a Hard-Drive (HDD) ,OS (Operating System) or Mother-Board issue. The only way to be certain is to bring the computer to us for “Test & Assess” purposes. How to Fix Apple’s Spinning-Wheel-Of Death (SWOD) If you are experiencing, the Mac Spinning Wheel of Death (SWOD)? AKA “Spinning rainbow pinwheel” , “Spinning ball”, “Spinning wheel”, “Spinning beach ball” (as shown above) this can be due to a number of issues, click here for likely causes and some solutions RAM (Memory) issues RAM or Memory can be replaced or upgraded to 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB or even more depending on the model. As long as your computer has a minimum of 4GB (ideally 8GB) this should not slow your computer down unless you are working with graphically intense programs such as image or video editors. Power Supply (PSU) Issues The power supply component of the computer can fail due to age, or after a power surge or lightening strike. This is often evident when no lights, fan or flickering occur when trying to turn the device on. Motherboard Issues If the mother-board (main circuitry board) or processor have failed they can be replaced by Apple if under 5 years old.  Otherwise we advise the computer will be uneconomical to repair. Second hand motherboards from overseas (USD 400 – 500) are available, but these are “refurbished” boards by non-apple suppliers and there is no guarantee that they will work initially or after a few months, so we recommend NOT replacing a failed motherboard but purchasing a new computer. Common Apple Operating System Issues Many common type of Mac Repairs are problems associated with the Operating System  (OSx or MacOS) which may have become corrupted, infected with a computer virus or malware, an OS updating issues or even suffering from the-blue-screen-of-death or kernel-panic. A very common Mac issue happens when upgrading the Apple Operating System (OSx) to a newer version such as MacOS High Sierra , Mojave or Catalina If you see an image such as this (above) and it does not progress or go away, the OSx upgrade has not been successful and will need to be re installed completely. It could be as simple as not having enough RAM for the latest OSx or your older computer may not be compatible with the latest OSx. Upgrading the OS on an old HDD can be enough to make the HDD fail. Only by bringing in the computer for Testing & Assessing (see above) can the issue be properly diagnosed and repaired   We fix any of the following Macintosh operating systems from  Mac OS X v10.0 (Cheetah), Mac OS X v10.1 (Puma), Mac OS X v10.2 (Jaguar), Mac OS X v10.3 (Panther), Mac OS X v10.4 (Tiger), Mac OS X v10.5 (Leopard), Mac OS X v10.6 (Snow Leopard), Mac OS X v10.7 (Lion), OS X v10.8 (Mountain Lion), OS X v10.9 (Mavericks), OS X v10.10 (Yosemite), OS X El Capitan, MacOS Sierra, MacOS (High-Sierra) ,MacOS v10.14 (Mojave), MacOS v10.15 (Catalina) Repairs and Upgrades of Other Mac Computers All work is carried out by Apple Trained and Authorised Technicians. If your Mac Mini is less than 3 years old, then we recommend taking your computer to an Apple Store or an Authorised Apple Repair Company and see if it can be replaced under warranty. The IT Guys also repair and upgrade all Apple Mac Computers, including iMac Repairs, […]

MacBook Air Repairs – Apple MacBook Air Repairs

MacBook Air Repairs required in Perth? Is your MacBook Air not starting or behaving poorly? The IT Guys specialise in repairing all Apple Computers including Macbook Air in Perth and Western Australia, with all repairs carried out by Apple Certified Technicians. We do not repair iPhones,  iPads, iPods or iWatches but can assist you with setting them up (configuration), re-installing, updating, connecting to iCloud etc. If your Apple Macbook Air is slow, non-responsive, not starting or is not behaving or performing as it once we may be able to fix that problem In all cases we cannot do anything or quote prices until we have ‘Tested & Assessed’ your device in our workshop. You will need to bring or deliver your device to our workshop at :address: between :opening-hours: No appointment is necessary. Please note a :assess-fee: non-refundable ‘Test & Assess’ fee will need to be paid on leaving your device with us. We need to have your device for a minimum of 1 business day to complete a thorough ‘Test & Assess’ process. Upon completion of our ‘Test & Assess’ we will contact you and inform you of our findings. If we assess the repair will take longer than 30 minutes and may involve new hardware or software, we will quote you on the costs and request your permission to proceed. If we can repair within 30 minutes, or you decide not to proceed with a repair, or we cannot repair the device, there will be no more to pay, and you can collect your device during our business hours. We may be able to make an onsite visit to your home or business; however, an additional “Call-Out” charge applies for travelling time to you and back to our workshop, plus the :assess-fee: ‘Test & Assess’ fee. We highly recommend bringing your Computer equipment to our office or posting it to us, as this will save you time and money. Purchasing New Computer and Transferring programs and data Quite often we may advise our clients that their Apple Macbook will be cheaper to replace, rather than repair. We do not sell new Apple equipment but will guide you in the choices available and from where they can be purchased. However, we can assist you with the setup, transfer of data and programs from your old Mac to the new one. Common Apple Hardware Issues Common Apple hardware problems that we encounter include: Hard-Drive (HDD) drive issues – (especially if over 3 years old) HDD’s can be replaced or can be upgraded to a Solid-State-Drive (SSD) for more speed and reliability and a 5 year warranty. Prices start around $300.   If you see an image such as the above and the Mac does does not progress, start or go away, it is most likely a Hard-Drive (HDD) ,OS (Operating System) or Mother-Board issue. The only way to be certain is to bring the computer to us for “Test & Assess” purposes. How to Fix Apple’s Spinning-Wheel-Of Death (SWOD) If you are experiencing, the Mac Spinning Wheel of Death (SWOD)? AKA “Spinning rainbow pinwheel” , “Spinning ball”, “Spinning wheel”, “Spinning beach ball” (as shown above) this can be due to a number of issues, click here for likely causes and some solutions RAM (Memory) issues RAM or Memory can be replaced or upgraded to 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB or even more depending on the model. As long as your computer has a minimum of 4GB (ideally 8GB) this should not slow your computer down unless you are working with graphically intense programs such as image or video editors. Power Supply (PSU) Issues The power supply component of the computer can fail due to age, or after a power surge or lightening strike. This is often evident when no lights, fan or flickering occur when trying to turn the device on. The PSU on Macbook’s are built into the mother-board and require a full motherboard replacement which is not usually an economic solution. Graphics Card (GPU) Issues Lines on the screen can indicate a failed GPU. These can be replaced by Apple if under 5 years old by Apple. The GPU on Macbook’s are built into the mother-board and require a full motherboard replacement which is not usually an economic solution. Motherboard Issues If the mother-board (main circuitry board) or processor have failed they can be replaced by Apple if under 5 years old.  Otherwise we advise the computer will be uneconomical to repair. Second hand motherboards from overseas (USD 400 – 500) are available, but these are “refurbished” boards by non-apple suppliers and there is no guarantee that they will work initially or after a few months, so we recommend NOT replacing a failed motherboard but purchasing a new computer. LCD Screen Issues These can be replaced by Apple if under 3 years old or we can source second-hand parts, usually from overseas for older models. However, second hand parts come without warranty. On Apple Macbooks it is not simply a matter of replacing the LCD, the whole top-case needs to be replaced and this can often be expensive. Email your serial number to helpdesk@itguyswa.com.au for a quote. Macbook Power Issues Apple MagSafe Power Pack’s should be replaced with genuine parts from Apple here. We do not supply these. Macbook Battery Issues The IT Guys offer a Macbook Battery Replacement service for Macbooks’, Macbook Pro and Macbook Air depending on the model number (Non-Retina Macbooks) Our batteries and workmanship are guaranteed for 12 months and work is carried out by Apple trained and authorised Technicians. If your Macbook is less than 3 years old, then we recommend taking your computer to an Apple Store or an Apple Authorised Repairer and see if it can be replaced under warranty. For replacement batteries for non-retina models over 3 years old. Click here. Batteries for Retina models are difficult to install as the whole bottom case needs to be replaced as the batteries are glued to the case. Removing these glued batteries is dangerous and can lead to them catching fire. […]

iMac Repairs – Apple iMac Repairs

iMac Repairs required in Perth? Is your iMac running very slow, not starting or behaving  poorly?   The IT Guys specialise in iMac Repairs in Perth and Western Australia, with all repairs carried out by Apple Certified Technicians. We do not repair iPhones,  iPads, iPods or iWatches but can assist you with setting them up (configuration), re-installing, updating, connecting to iCloud etc. If your Apple iMac is slow, non-responsive, not starting or is not behaving or performing as it once we may be able to fix that problem In all cases we cannot do anything or quote prices until we have ‘Tested & Assessed’ your device in our workshop. You will need to bring or deliver your device to our workshop at :address: between :opening-hours: No appointment is necessary. Please note a :assess-fee: non-refundable ‘Test & Assess’ fee will need to be paid on leaving your device with us. We need to have your device for a minimum of 3 business day to complete a thorough ‘Test & Assess’ process. Upon completion of our ‘Test & Assess’ we will contact you and inform you of our findings. If we assess the repair will take longer than 30 minutes and may involve new hardware or software, we will quote you on the costs and request your permission to proceed. If we can repair within 30 minutes, or you decide not to proceed with a repair, or we cannot repair the device, there will be no more to pay, and you can collect your device during our business hours. We may be able to make an onsite visit to your home or business; however, an additional “Call-Out” charge applies for travelling time to you and back to our workshop, plus the :assess-fee: ‘Test & Assess’ fee. We highly recommend bringing your Computer equipment to our office or posting it to us, as this will save you time and money. Purchasing New Computer and Transferring programs and data Quite often we may advise our clients that their Apple iMac will be cheaper to replace, rather than repair. We do not sell new Apple equipment but will guide you in the choices available and from where they can be purchased. However, we can assist you with the setup, transfer of data and programs from your old Mac to the new one. Common Apple Hardware Issues Common Apple hardware problems that we encounter include: Hard-Drive (HDD) drive issues – (especially if over 3 years old) HDD’s can be replaced or can be upgraded to a Solid-State-Drive (SSD) for more speed and reliability and a 3 or 5 year warranty. If you see an image such as the above and the Mac does does not progress, start or go away, it is most likely a Hard-Drive (HDD) ,OS (Operating System) or Mother-Board issue. The only way to be certain is to bring the computer to us for “Test & Assess” purposes. How to Fix Apple’s Spinning-Wheel-Of Death (SWOD) If you are experiencing, the Mac Spinning Wheel of Death (SWOD)? AKA “Spinning rainbow pinwheel” , “Spinning ball”, “Spinning wheel”, “Spinning beach ball” (as shown above) this can be due to a number of issues, click here for likely causes and some solutions RAM (Memory) issues RAM or Memory can be replaced or upgraded to 8GB, 16GB, 32GB or even more depending on the model. As long as your computer has a minimum of 8GB (ideally 16GB) this should not slow your computer down unless you are working with graphically intense programs such as image or video editors. Power Supply (PSU) Issues The power supply component of the computer can fail due to age, or after a power surge or lightening strike. This is often evident when no lights, fan or flickering occur when trying to turn the device on. The PSU can be replaced on iMacs under 5 years old by Apple. Older models have to be fixed with second-hand parts, usually from overseas. However, second hand parts come without warranty and may last a few days or continue to work for years. The PSU on Macbook’s are built into the mother-board and require a full motherboard replacement which is not usually an economic solution. Graphics Card (GPU) Issues Lines on the screen can indicate a failed GPU. These can be replaced by Apple if under 5 years old by Apple. Older iMac models have to be fixed with second-hand parts, usually from overseas. However, second hand parts come without warranty and may last a few days or continue to work for years. The GPU on Macbook’s are built into the mother-board and require a full motherboard replacement which is not usually an economic solution. Motherboard Issues If the mother-board (main circuitry board) or processor have failed they can be replaced by Apple if under 5 years old.  Otherwise we advise the computer will be uneconomical to repair. Second hand motherboards from overseas (USD 400 – 500) are available, but these are “refurbished” boards by non-apple suppliers and there is no guarantee that they will work initially or after a few months, so we recommend NOT replacing a failed motherboard but purchasing a new computer. LCD Screen Issues These can be replaced by Apple if under 3 years old or we can source second-hand parts, usually from overseas for older models. However, second hand parts come without warranty. Common Apple Operating System Issues Many common type of Mac Repairs are problems associated with the Operating System  (OSx or MacOS) which may have become corrupted, infected with a computer virus or malware, an OS updating issues or even suffering from the-blue-screen-of-death or kernel-panic. A very common Mac issue happens when upgrading the Apple Operating System (OSx) to a newer version such as MacOS High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina or Big Sur If you see an image such as this (above) and it does not progress or go away, the OSx upgrade has not been successful and will need to be re installed completely. It could be as simple as not having enough RAM for the latest OSx or your older computer […]

Computer Upgrades

Want to speed up your PC or Mac? Computer Hardware upgrades available on all PCs and Macs. The IT Guys specialise in Windows PC, Windows Laptop and Mac Upgrades and Repairs on all Apple Computers (Macintosh, Macbook, Macbook Pro, Macbook Air, Mac Mini or iMac) across Perth. Desktop PC’s and Servers running Microsoft Windows can have most hardware (parts) upgraded including the Motherboard, CPU, Graphics Card, RAM and HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or a super-fast SSD (Solid State Drive) Windows Laptops, Notebooks and MacBooks are the most difficult to upgrade with the only possible upgrades limited to the RAM or the HDD/SSD. To find out if or how much your Computer can be upgraded, you firstly need to consult the manufacturers website, locate your model and the page will inform on what can and cannot be upgraded. Once you have this information, send us the link and we can give you a written quote on the cost of upgrading. Sometime the cost of upgrading is often more expensive than buying a new computer and our technicians will advise you if this is the case. If you decide to purchase a new computer, bring it to us and we can migrate the data and programs such as Microsoft Office (2007 and upwards) to your new purchase. :e-mail: or call us on :phone: and speak to one of our friendly technicians See Also PC Upgrades – Windows PC Upgrades Laptop Upgrades – Windows Laptop Upgrades iMac Upgrades – Apple iMac Upgrades Macbook Air Upgrades – Apple Macintosh Upgrades Macbook Upgrades – Apple Macbook and Macbook Pro Upgrades :jk:  

Hard Disk Repair and Data Recovery Service

Hard Disk Repair and Data Recovery Service PC/Mac Perth   If you have had a Computer Hardware failure and your PC or Mac’s Hard Disk Drive (HDD) has failed (“crashed“) the problem maybe severe but may still be recoverable. Often the Hard Disk Drive (HDD) will give early signs of failure before dying completely. The earlier you act once these sign occur, the higher the chance of NOT losing any data and it not costing too much to fix. If you wait until there is a complete disk failure or you keep using your computer, then chances of recovery are much slimmer and the cost to attempt so will be much higher. 5 Tell-Tale Signs your Hard Disk Drive (HDD) is failing and needs replacing ASAP Slowing Down Computer, Frequent Freezes, Blue Screen Of Death These are very unspecific signs that can be caused by a million different things. However, regardless of what the issue behind these symptoms is, it is recommended that you immediately make a backup and get your Computer, PC or laptop checked by The IT Guys (WA) or another suitable professional. Your PC, Computer, Mac or HDD starts to make strange grinding, clicking  and thrashing noises? That could mean your drive is beyond repair. If you’re hearing strange noises then act very quickly—you probably don’t have much time. Corrupted Data You start to find files that fail to open and are corrupted even though they saved without errors or if files suddenly disappear. Accumulation Of Bad Sectors Bad sectors are areas of the hard drive that do not maintain data integrity. They are automatically masked by the operating system and thus hard to identify, especially if large amounts of the disk are currently in use. If you actually run into bad sectors, however, that certainly is a bad sign If your HDD is older than 5 years… it is on its way out …read more If your Mac, Windows PC or Laptop is 5 years or older, the hard disk drive has a 50% chance of total or partial failure at any moment. We recommend replacing a HDD after 4 years. See …How old is my Mac? However, destruction by impact, water or fire or theft of a PC or Laptop may not be recoverable and can be economically and emotionally traumatic Computer Software (Microsoft Office etc) Operating Systems (OS) and Computer Hardware (PCs, Laptops, Macs, Printers, monitors etc) are easily replaced. Data is NOT. We have all become far too reliant on storing our favorite music, photos, address books, emails, appointments, bank statements, accounts etc on electronic devices such as PC’s Laptops, USB Flash Drives, External Hard Disk Drives (HDD) iPads and iPhones without ensuring we have an up-to-date copy or “backup” that we can turn to should something happen to those electronic devices. If you accidentally deleted something from your PC. Computer, Mac, USB or Mobile Device, the chances are that it has simply become inaccessible rather than lost and we will be able to help and recover the data using our Data Recovery tools and techniques. Data recovery starts from :1hr: and can take 1 to 3 days.  To commence any examination we require a none refundable inspection and testing fee of :assess-fee: (inc GST) in advance which includes hardware testing and virus scanning and a detailed report including repair or replacement cost. We will contact you and discuss our findings with you before we carry out any repairs or replace any parts. If you decide not to go ahead with the repairs you will have no more to pay. Our technicians can also travel to your premises to carry out examination and testing which may result in the equipment requiring further examination at our workshop. In this case travel time to and from site will be chargeable. We highly recommend bringing your data device to our office if possible as this will save you time and money. Prices for onsite services can be found here :jk:

Quickest ways to speed up your Computer PC or Laptop

How to quickly speed up your Computer PC or Laptop and Internet browsing experience. In July 2014 we issued our post entitled TOP 12 WAYS TO SPEED UP YOUR COMPUTER PC OR LAPTOP this article updates that post and takes into consideration the Windows 10 release and our many other recent articles such as HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR INTERNET SPEED Why do you think your Computer is running slow? Speed is a relative thing. Those of you using a computer 20 years ago think anything today is lightening fast but if you are a teenage or 20-something gamer playing the latest release online games you probably have quite different perceptions as to what is slow and what is fast in a computing sense. What is your perception of slow-speed based on? Maybe one or more of the following: a) Is it the time it takes your PC or Laptop to start and fire up the Operating System? b) Is it due to a “lag” in the opening or processing of documents or spreadsheets? c) Is it due to the slow processing of data records in a database d) is it the speed of downloading files, browsing web pages or streaming videos and movies?   How to reduce the time it takes your PC or Laptop to start and fire up the Operating System? Reduce the number of programs that “run-on-startup”   When installing new programs there is often a little tick box that is selected by default which says “Run on startup“. Before you know it, you have 10 programs trying to start when you switch your computer on or reboot and all greedily trying to load first by using the computers memory or CPU. This can slow your computer down considerably. Some of the worst offenders of this are Skype and Chat clients such as Yahoo Messanger, Sharepoint, Google Drive, Lync, AOL chat etc etc By stopping these programs from loading on startup (In Skype goto Tools – Options – General Settings and “un-tick”, “Start Skype when I start Windows”) your computer will start much quicker. Assuming you have done this for Skype and your various chat clients but your computer is still taking an age to start, then you need to look a little deeper into what is happening. When your computer is starting up hit “Ctrl-Alt-Delete” buttons all at the same time and then select “Start Task Manager” The Task Manager shows you all the applications and processes being run by your computer at that very moment. You will see the amount of CPU Usage going up and down …on startup this can be very high but once settled down should be running at less than 50%. This will vary depending on how much memory or RAM your computer has. Computers with 1GB of RAM will have a higher work rate than those with 4 or 8GB of RAM. Make sure you have the tick box selected show processes from all users then click on the CPU and Memory column descriptors to reorder the list in terms of CPU usage and Memory Usage. If you notice a program running that you do not recognise, does not appear to be associated with Microsoft, your computer’s manufacturer, anti-virus products etc… then take a note of the item and google-it as I did with the image name igfxsrvc.exe which I was not familiar with so I google it. From the results I am confident it is harmless. If you find a process you suspect of beig a virus or malware…simply highlight that process and click on “End Process” if this appears to fix your problems you now need to figure out what is causing that process to run as the next time you restart your computer the process will again be activated automatically. Check and Cleanup your Startup processes A simple tool for removing unwanted start-up processes can be found in the FREE CCleaner utility. Use this utility to identify start up processes, disable them and then uninstall them using the tools-> uninstall feature. Add more Memory (RAM) The quickest and easiest way to increase the speed of your computers start-up and performance generally is to increase the amount of RAM memory it has. There are still many PC’s and Laptops out there with only 1GB of RAM. This was fine for Windows XP but if you are Running Windows Vista, 7 or 8 then you need a minimum 2GB memory and ideally 4GB or 8GB (but you may not have enough memory slots or your computer to accommodate this extra RAM) … check the specification of your computer online before buying or installing the extra memory.   Add a bigger and faster disk drive When your existing Hard Disk storage is 90% or more full, your computer slows down because it often uses a portion of your disk drive to increase its RAM. The increase in manufacturing and Hard Drive technology also means that conventional drives are becoming faster each year. As each year goes by the chances of your disk drive failing increase, especially after 6 years (see “how often should I replace my Hard Disk Drive”) and as they are relatively inexpensive, upgrading your HDD annually is a good way to clean up your data and speed up your PC. To super-charge the speed of your PC or Laptop consider buying a solid-state hard drive (SDD). These have no moving parts and are completely electronic. Although smaller in capacity they are extremely fast, especially if a program does a lot of disk access (such as a database) Clean your Computer A PC, Computer or Laptop uses power and as a result generates heat. Every PC has 1,2 or 3 fans in the case designed to keep the components cool and working optimally. Like a car….. if the radiator blows…. so does the engine, but before it blows it can simply slow down the computer. Checking the outlets or opening up the box could reveal a dust-infected-horror-story. See our article about giving your […]

Why you are wasting your money using Mobile Computer Geeks to remove Computer Viruses

Do not believe Mobile Computer Technicians that visit you at your home and claim to remove viruses in an hour or two. You can do the same as them for by downloading a FREE copy of Malwarebytes. There are no quick-fixes when it comes to computer virus removal By bring your infected computer, PC or Laptop to our Subiaco repair center we will save you up to 50% compared to the average call-out mobile Geek Computer Technician who will charge a minimum of $150 and not do a thorough job. For a THOROUGH virus check and removal we need to have your computer for 4 to 24 hours and we will use two or three programs including a RESCUE DISK … that removes dangerous viruses such as Trojan’s by scanning every file on your PC using a non-windows operating system such as Ubuntu. The IT Guys (WA) use a unique in-house 12 step process that as well as removing viruses, checks and updates browsers, operating systems, browser add-ons, browser toolbars, anti-virus programs, anti-spyware programs, search-engines, non-essential programs, PUPs, Registry entries, Short-cuts and emails. Thorough Virus removal can take between 4 to 24 hours to run the scans but we only charge 1 or 2 hours of a technicians time. Only by using such techniques can we guarantee that 100% of computer viruses have been removed. This is why we need you to bring your PC, Macintosh or Laptop to our office as the process cannot be done properly with a brief home-visit. There are many programs for download both FREE and PAID that claim to get rid of 100% of all know viruses. DO NOT BELIEVE THAT CLAIM . Most of them actually give you MORE viruses. The ONLY reputable Anti-virus makers are AVG, McAfee, Symantec, Norton’s, Avira, Trend, Kaspersky but none of these programs will remove a virus …… they merely detect a computer virus before they activate. One of the few programs that does remove Malware and Viruses is called MalwareBytes but even that will not remove 100% of all viruses but is excellent at removing Spyware and Adware. If you suspect your PC has become infected with a virus, please contact us     Remember that prevention is always better than cure. We can advise you on easy, inexpensive ways of protecting your PC. Give us a call today for some free advice.   Please review our recent blog posts related to Virus removal Is an anti-virus program essential? Australian Federal Police virus scam How to remove 99% of computer viruses, malware and adware for FREE Why pay for AntiVirus software when you can legally use it for FREE Top 6 checks to make sure your computer is protected from Viruses and Malware Antivirus Security Pro is a SCAM – Here is how to remove it. Computer Ransom Lockout – new twist to Microsoft Support telephone scam If you get a phone call from Microsoft – It is a SCAM… this is what to expect How to remove the “dosearches” search virus  How to remove the “Snap-Do” search virus Antivirus Security Pro is a SCAM – Here is how to remove it. :jk:

Top 12 ways to speed up your Computer PC or Laptop

Our Top 12 ways to speed up your Computer PC or Laptop and Internet browsing experience. If you don’t feel confident in doing any of this yourself, bring it to us or we can come to you. You can contact us on 08 6365 5603 1) Reduce the number of programs that “run-on-startup” When installing new programs there is often a little tick box that is selected by default which says “Run on startup“. Before you know it, you have 10 programs trying to start when you switch your computer on or reboot and all greedily trying to load first by using the computers memory or CPU. This can slow your computer down considerably. Some of the worst offenders of this are Skype and Chat clients such as Yahoo Messanger, Sharepoint, Google Drive, Lync, AOL chat etc etc By stopping these programs from loading on startup (In Skype goto Tools – Options – General Settings and “un-tick”, “Start Skype when I start Windows”) your computer will start much quicker. Assuming you have done this for Skype and your various chat clients but your computer is still taking an age to start, then you need to look a little deeper into what is happening. When your computer is starting up hit “Ctrl-Alt-Delete” buttons all at the same time and then select “Start Task Manager” The Task Manager shows you all the applications and processes being run by your computer at that very moment. You will see the amount of CPU Usage going up and down …on startup this can be very high but once settled down should be running at less than 50%. This will vary depending on how much memory or RAM your computer has. Computers with 1GB of RAM will have a higher work rate than those with 4 or 8GB of RAM. Make sure you have the tick box selected show processes from all users then click on the CPU and Memory column descriptors to reorder the list in terms of CPU usage and Memory Usage. If you notice a program running that you do not recognise, does not appear to be associated with Microsoft, your computer’s manufacturer, anti-virus products etc… then take a note of the item and google-it as I did with the image name igfxsrvc.exe which I was not familiar with so I google it. From the results I am confident it is harmless. If you find a process you suspect of beig a virus or malware…simply highlight that process and click on “End Process” if this appears to fix your problems you now need to figure out what is causing that process to run as the next time you restart your computer the process will again be activated automatically. Check and Cleanup your Startup processes A simple tool for removing unwanted start-up processes can be found in the FREE CCleaner utility. Use this utility to identify start up processes, disable them and then uninstall them using the tools-> uninstall feature. 2) Add more Memory (RAM) The quickest and easiest way to increase the speed of your computers start-up and performance generally is to increase the amount of RAM memory it has. There are still many PC’s and Laptops out there with only 1GB of RAM. This was fine for Windows XP but if you are Running Windows Vista, 7 or 8 then you need a minimum 2GB memory and ideally 4GB or 8GB (but you may not have enough memory slots or your computer to accommodate this extra RAM) … check the specification of your computer online before buying or installing the extra memory.   3) Add a bigger and faster disk drive When your existing Hard Disk storage is 90% or more full, your computer slows down because it often uses a portion of your disk drive to increase its RAM. The increase in manufacturing and Hard Drive technology also means that conventional drives are becoming faster each year. As each year goes by the chances of your disk drive failing increase, especially after 6 years (see “how often should I replace my Hard Disk Drive”) and as they are relatively inexpensive, upgrading your HDD annually is a good way to clean up your data and speed up your PC. To super-charge the speed of your PC or Laptop consider buying a solid-state hard drive (SDD). These have no moving parts and are completely electronic. Although smaller in capacity they are extremely fast, especially if a program does a lot of disk access (such as a database)   4) Clean your Computer A PC, Computer or Laptop uses power and as a result generates heat. Every PC has 1,2 or 3 fans in the case designed to keep the components cool and working optimally. Like a car….. if the radiator blows…. so does the engine, but before it blows it can simply slow down the computer. Checking the outlets or opening up the box could reveal a dust-infected-horror-story. See our article about giving your computer a spring clean 5) Scan your computer for Viruses If your computer or laptop has suddenly become slow, unresponsive, cannot access the internet etc… then the chances are you have become infected with a Computer Virus, Malware or Spyware. We specialise in removing these nasties but if you wish to try and do so yourself, see our article called “How to remove 99% of computer viruses, malware and adware for FREE” 7) Remove unnecessary browser “Add-Ons” Too many “toolbars” or “add-ons” as well as spoiling your browsing experiences will also slow down your internet browsing and may flood you with unwanted advertising etc. See the following articles about removing unwanted browsers toolbars, add-ons and resetting your search engine defaults.   How to remove unwanted “Add-ons” and Toolbars from Google Chrome How to remove unwanted “Add-ons” and Toolbars from Mozilla Firefox How to remove unwanted “Add-ons” and Toolbars from Internet Explorer How to reset your search engine back to Google or Bing   8) Reinstall or Repair your Operating System (OS) […]

Cracked Laptop Screen Repairs

Replacing Damaged or Cracked Laptop or Notebook Screens Our technicians are skilled in Cracked Laptop Screen Repairs but will not be able to complete the repair until a replacement part has been sourced and priced. Most parts are not readily available in Perth and will have to be sourced from the Eastern States or from Overseas. Apple iMac, Apple Macbook Screen Repairs Repairing an Apple LCD screen is usually an expensive option and it is often a cheaper option to purchase a new computer. This is because the whole top-shell of the MacBook needs to be replaced. The IT Guys, can source second-hand/refurbished parts, usually from overseas for older models. However, second hand parts come without warranty. On All Apple Macbooks it is not simply a matter of replacing the LCD, the whole top-case needs to be replaced and this can often be expensive. For an indicative price email your serial number to :email: for a quote. Microsoft Surface Screen Repairs Sorry but we cannot help here. All surface repairs are ONLY carried out only by Microsoft in Sydney. Windows Laptop/Notebook Screen Repairs If your windows laptop screen is damaged or cracked please email us at :email: with your model and serial number and the Laptop/Notebook make and model and we will send you a written quotation by email. If you wish to go ahead with the repair, please contact us and give us the go-ahead to source and purchase the part you will need to pay for the part in advance. Once the screen has arrived at our workshop we will give you a call and ask you to bring in the damaged article. Simple screen replacements can often be done within the hour (depending on how busy the workshop is) :jk:

Laptop Repairs

Laptop or Notebook not starting or behaving strangely? If your Laptop or Notebook is not starting or is not behaving or performing as it once did you may have a problem and a repair maybe needed. Call us and speak to one of our technicians and they will be able to tell you if it your problem is a simple fix that can be handled yourself or fixed by us remotely or something that will need our technicians to examine further at our office workshop or at your premises. If you bring your Laptop or Notebook to our office and we need to carry out testing, internal examination or detailed investigation, we will requires a none refundable charge of :assess-fee: in advance which includes hardware testing and virus scanning and a detailed report including repair or replacement cost. We will contact you and discuss our findings with you before we carry out any repairs or replace any parts. If you decide not to go ahead with the repairs you will have no more to pay. Our technicians can also travel to your premises to carry out examination and testing which may result in the equipment requiring further examination at our workshop. In this case travel time to and from site will be chargeable. We highly recommend bringing your Computer equipment to our office if possible as this will save you time and money Quite often we may advise our clients that their Laptop will be cheaper to replace, rather than repair and we may offer you a choice of replacement equipment. Items such as Laptop Batteries, Laptop screens and Laptop Keyboards are relatively cheap to replace but may have to be ordered from interstate or overseas. Depending on the cost of the item, we may require payment in advance to order in such parts. Laptop Software or Operating System (OS) Issues The most common type of Laptop Repairs are problems with the Operating System  (OS) such as Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Apple OS etc which may have become corrupted, infected with a computer virus or malware, an OS updating issues or even suffering from the-blue-screen-of-death. Laptop Hardware Issues The Laptop problem could be related to the internal electronic components such as the Power Supply, Hard Disk Drive (HDD), Memory (RAM) or the internal Motherboard or CPU sometimes even peripheral devices attached to your computer such as printers, scanners, keyboard, mouse etc. These are all collectively known as Computer Hardware or simply “hardware“. The IT Guys specialise in all Laptop Repairs  and Laptop Software or both. On many occasions your issues could well be a combination of both of the above. Replacing Damaged  Laptop or Notebook Hardware Laptops and Notebooks by their very nature are susceptible to being dropped or stood on or having liquids spilt over them. This often requires replacement of the damaged items such as a Broken or Cracked Laptop Screen or a Laptop keyboard replacement. Our technicians are skilled in all such repairs but will not be able to complete the repair until a replacement part has been sourced or priced. Parts are not readily available in Perth, so most parts will have to be sourced from the Eastern States or from Overseas, requiring between 3 to 21 days for delivery of the part. Many problems can be fixed yourself, here are some self-help guides to common problems in Hints and Tips section. :jk:

Services

IT Services Computer Repairs & Upgrades We repair and upgrade all computer and IT equipment from Windows Desktops, Laptops, and Apple Mac, Macbook, Printers, Scanners, Screens, Keyboards etc. We also remove computer viruses and fix or replace Hard Disk Drives (HDD) and Solid State Drives (SSD) including data recovery See Services Computer Help & Support We offer in-home computer and network troubleshooting, repairs and callouts for residential customers, remote-support and in-house training and advise from our workshop. We welcome walk-in customers with no appointment necessary during normal business hours See Services Home Networking We offer Home Network, Home Internet/NBN troubleshooting, Home Music Systems repairs/installs, Wi-Fi troubleshooting, Smart Home Wiring and Wireless (Wi-Fi) solutions plus Family Zone family-friendly internet filtering systems See Services Business Support Looking for Business IT Support and Solutions? We service our business clients through our sister company “Hybrid ICT”. Please contact Hybrid ICT by clicking on this link. See Services Microsoft We are Microsoft Silver Partners and offer Microsoft product advise, repairs and troubleshooting on: Microsoft Office (365, 2019/16/13), Email/Outlook Setup, Purchase, Repairs, Microsoft Windows (Win10, Win7): Upgrades, Setup, Purchase, Repairs and Microsoft Surface, Purchase, Setup. See Services Apple We are an Apple Authorised Reseller and Apple Consultants Network member offering Apple product advise, training, support, setup and solutions on: Apple Mac/iMac, Mac OS, iOS, iPhone, iPad and all Apple iOS/Mac OS software including: Office for Mac, Entourage, Apple Mail, iCloud, iTunes, Photos, Bootcamp, Parallels etc. See Services Get In Contact With US CONTACT US Latest Blog Posts