[nfbcs] Power Supply, and Computer Expense Upkeep
charleseblack
charleseblack at att.net
Thu Jul 7 17:10:23 UTC 2016
All:
Equipment on any system can fail. The power supply can fail because of
Hard disk of fans not spinning right
Overheating due to system fan failure
Electronic shocks from the case
Smoke
Note: you could just get the power supply replaced.
Hard Disks can fail. Reasons are:
Bumping the computer
Heads moving around on the platters can fail to move
Heat
Slow reads
Note: the best idea is to get regular backups so you do not lose much data.
Fan problems can kill many things. Fans can stop working because of
overheating or dust buildup.
Note: It is a good idea to clean your fans every six months.
There are routine tasks that should be performed. Devices can fail, data can
become corrupt. It is a matter of time. As stated earlier, system backups
are essential for data preservation. It doesn't matter what type of computer
you have, it will fail if the situation is right.
Bruce, James. (2012, July 18). Every Computer Dies in The End. Retrieved
from http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/computer-dies-learn-parts-fail/ on
07/07/2016
Charles E. Black, Security+ certified
charleseblack at att.net
(803) 463-0040
-----Original Message-----
From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Nicole Torcolini
via nfbcs
Sent: Thursday, July 7, 2016 11:55 AM
To: 'NFB in Computer Science Mailing List' <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Nicole Torcolini <ntorcolini at wavecable.com>
Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Power Supply, and Computer Expense Upkeep
Out of curiosity, do you have an antivirus on any of your computers, and, if
so, which one? Also, is backing up files really that hard? Unless you are
having a lot of hardware problems, I find it hard to believe that $252 per
year per computer is that good of a deal. I have Geek Squad subscriptions on
mine that cover hardware problems, which is much more reasonable. I do not
remember the price, but I am 99% sure that it is no more than $100 per year.
Nicole
-----Original Message-----
From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Peter Donahue via
nfbcs
Sent: Wednesday, July 06, 2016 9:31 PM
To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List
Cc: Peter Donahue
Subject: [nfbcs] Power Supply, and Computer Expense Upkeep
Good evening again Bryan and everyone,
Although the gentleman who tried restarting the computer after the
proper shut-down may not have tested the power supply when I called Computer
NERDZ this morning they told me that they confirmed that the power supply
was failing when they got it to the shop. By the way although it's spelled
Computer NERDZ the name of that company is pronounced "Computer Nerds."
Their Website URL is:
http://www.nerdz.com/and they have offices in Austin and San Antonio.
They have serviced computers for a number of blind people in these
areas and are very familiar with screen access technology. Unlike many other
computer repair services Computer NERDZ will service your machine onsite and
if necessary will take it to their repair facility to complete extensive
repairs and servicing such as replacing a power supply. Upon successful
completion of the work they will return your unit to you and will set it up
and be sure all is in working order.
Their pricing is not bad and they offer a discount for their customers with
disabilities.
I'm not sure if other computer repair companies are offering Managed
Services Program (MSP.) Given the trouble we've had with Mary's computer we
enrolled it in their "Proactive Care" program. They regularly monitor the
system for hardware failures as well as scan for viruses and other threats.
They will alert the user if potential hardware or other volnurabilities are
found so action can be taken to prevent potential disasters. The Proactive
Care Program also includes file and program backup and restoration should a
computer need to be wiped and rebuilt from the ground up or if one needs to
replace lost data.
Since we've had so many problems with that machine breaking down we
decided to get Proactive Care coverage on it to hopefully keep it out of the
shop. We bought it in 2011. It has been to the shop four times for various
repairs including replacement of the hard drive last year.
Considering that this is a Dell Computer it strikes me odd that we should be
having so much trouble keeping it in ship shape. You feel the heat when you
know you have other pressing matters to deal with and all of your funds are
going to keep your technology running and up-to-date.
The monthly charge for Computer NERDZ'S Proactive Care Plan is $21.00 per
computer. We'll let you know how this works out. You may want to check with
your computer repair service to see if they offer a similar plan. They have
higher level managed care plans but they're a little much for our budget for
now. It's great to know that Managed Service Plans are available to
individuals and businesses to help keep their technology in top performance.
Sprint has us covered in the iDevice department where MSP is concerned.
Peter Donahue
Bryan Schulz via nfbcs wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Yep and I bet the tech confirmed it in 30 seconds with his power
> supply pod tester.
> Bryan
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Peter
> Donahue via nfbcs
> Sent: Wednesday, July 06, 2016 9:44 PM
> To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List
> Cc: Peter Donahue
> Subject: [nfbcs] Nas Drive Issue, and Failing Power Supply
>
> Good evening Steve and everyone,
>
> A technician from "Computer NERDZ" came yesterday to address
> this issue and some other concern's with Mary's computer. It turns out
> that Buffalo Technology has a feature on its NAS products that is an
> equivalent to the "Recycle Bin" in Windows. Buffalo calls this feature
> a "Trash Box" where files and folders deleted from the NAS drive are
> held until it is emptied. It took the system about 30 minutes to empty
> the contents of the trash box. Now that drive has lots of space and
> Windows recognizes it as such. The only thing I need to figure out is
> how to access it using the keyboard and JAWS so I can take out the
> trash regularly. I'll need to consult the Buffalo user manual for this
> product. Their tech support is next to nonexistent.
>
> Recall that I mentioned that Mary's computer failed to power up
> when it was turned on? I asked the technician to investigate this too.
> The same thing happened when the technician powered down the machine
> and tried to turn it back on. He took it back to the shop so it could
> be investigated further. Our hunch was right. That machine had a
> failing power supply. They expect to perform the power supply
> transplant in the next day or two as they had to order one from Dell
> in Austin. We're hoping to have Mary's computer back by the weekend.
> Once the new power supply is installed and the machine is in ship
> shape I won't need to worry about Mary having problems with it when I
> go to North Carolina in two weeks.
>
> We hope everyone enjoyed the national convention and that you
> all had a safe trip home.
>
> Peter Donahue
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Steve Jacobson via nfbcs wrote:
>> Peter,
>>
>> You have likely already thought of this, but check your drive lists
>> carefully to be certain that your drive isn't mapped to multiple
>> drive leters.
>>
>> Best regards,
>>
>> Steve Jacobson
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Peter
>> Donahue
> via
>> nfbcs
>> Sent: Monday, July 04, 2016 12:22 AM
>> To: nfbcs at nfbnet.org
>> Cc: Peter Donahue <pdonahue2 at satx.rr.com>
>> Subject: [nfbcs] Nas Drive Issue
>>
>> Hello everyone,
>>
>>
>>
>> I have anissue with Windows thinking that my NAS
>> drive is full when it isn't. According to what I'm seeing in
>> "Computer" I'm being told that the NAS drive only contains 123MB of
>> free disk space when in
> fact
>> it has over 100 GB free. I've tried rebooting the computer several
>> times
> and
>> deleted files and folders I no longer need. This does not change the
> amount
>> of free space on that drive available for storage. What should I do
>> to address this issue so Windows 7 reports the correct amount of free
>> space
> for
>> storage. Your help will be very much appreciated.
>>
>>
>>
>> Peter Donahue
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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