White Flag Computing

Various problems, diagnostics and repairs done in the shop:
https://yelp.com/portfolio_project/N50Omcx9v-Nqy9xHjbTULQ/-/8HHBVcDGyOV23aJUhMgzHg?hl=en_US

If you've had your desktop (tower) PC for more than a year, or if it's in a particularly dusty location, or you have a dog or cats, the fans, vents, heat sinks and power supply are likely clogged with dust and dirt. Desktop PCs constantly suck air in through the front, and vent it out the back or top, so this dust and dirt buildup is inevitable.

This will cause your computer to run hotter, which can cause premature component wear, and actually slow it down, since higher temperatures can cause the CPU (the main processor) to throttle down to avoid heat damage.

Most towers are easily opened on one side to inspect and clean them out. You can use 'canned air', or even better, pick up an electric duster like the ones made by Metrovac / DataVac. We don't recommend using a vacuum cleaner, as it's easy to damage motherboard components, either by physically bumping them, or by static electricity that can be generated by the vacuum cleaner itself.

It's best to do this outside, which of course means unplugging the tower and moving it. And you want to wear eye protection, and we also recommend wearing a mask to avoid breathing in the dust (we all have plenty of those lying around these days).

That said, if this sounds like too much work, or you're apprehensive about disconnecting and moving everything, we'd be happy to come out and perform the service for you, and do a diagnostic checkup on your computer while we're there.

Either way, your PC will thank you with better more reliable performance!

With the new school year underway, if anyone local is looking for an inexpensive Windows desktop / All-In-One PC for a young student, I have several refurbished models for sale - HP, Dell and more, running either Windows 8.1 or 10. Post here, send me a private message, or email me [email protected] for more information.

No shortage of Windows Update "bricked" PCs in the shop lately, thanks to FORCED UPDATES on the part of Microsoft. But at least today I got a good laugh out of a blue screen error message on a customer's PC: "CRITICAL PROCESS DIED". That's brilliant! Give the guy who wrote that a raise!

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at White Flag Computing.

https://www.fastcompany.com/3057344/80004005-why-error-messages-are-still-so-indecipherable

80004005: Why Error Messages Are Still So *&%$#! Indecipherable Don’t feel bad if you’re stumped by an obscure code. There’s a good chance the engineers are too.

https://www.wired.com/2017/06/poes-law-troll-cultures-central-rule/?mbid=nl_6617_p2&CNDID=32305218

Can’t Take a Joke? That’s Just Poe’s Law, 2017’s Most Important Internet Phenomenon That's not hate speech, it's you being thin-skinned and missing the irony, snowflake!

A day troubleshooting Windows problems makes me long for my first computer - the Atari 800XL...

https://www.wired.com/2017/05/google-rattles-tech-world-new-ai-chip/?mbid=nl_51717_p1&CNDID=32305218

Google Rattles the Tech World With a New AI Chip for All Google will soon launch a cloud computing service that offers exclusive access to a new kind of artificial-intelligence chip designed by its own engineers.

Feel like your Internet connection is too slow? Try using a 56K modem today and compare... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17zfz017s9A

Using a 56k Modem in 2017! | Nostalgia Nerd Remember the warming sounds of internet dial-up? Trying to get through to your internet provider, without an engaged tone. Trying to get a decent connection ...