Laptop computers commonly heat up a little in normal operation. Electronic components, including large capacity batteries, become warm in use. Your laptop should never become too hot to handle though.

When a laptop turns hot to the touch or starts to sound like a jet engine, it’s likely beginning to overheat. [Read more…]

New Computers For Sale-Carl’s Computer CareShopping for a New Computer?
It’s a decision that comes with equal doses of excitement and overwhelm: getting a new computer! Unlike popping out to the shops for a new toaster, choosing the right computer comes with so many questions, [Read more…]

Why Do Computers Break?

Broken Computer
Broken ComputerWhy Do Computers Break?
We know computers always break at the worst possible time, but what exactly prompts that failure? When computers break, it’s easy to think it was something you did since you were using it at the time, but while your online gaming frenzy might cause a temporary crash, normal user actions are rarely the cause of a broken computer.

Physical Damage

Accidents happen, but they don’t always mean you need to buy a new computer. As an electrical item, liquid spills are a big problem. This could be anywhere from a spill on the keyboard, going overboard with the screen cleaning spray or even a flood that reaches the computer. Laptop users need to be especially careful when choosing their work surface, as cafes and kitchen tables often have small puddles left behind. If you’re lucky and the liquid didn’t fry the circuits, ongoing corrosion is still likely, as is stickiness to gum up the internal parts. Similarly, a dropped computer isn’t going to be happy, nor is one that’s been knocked around. Even a light thump of frustration can cause loose cables, disconnections and internal damage.

Age

Computer parts have an expected lifetime, especially moving parts like fans or mechanical hard drives. Some computers can run 24/7 for up to a decade, while others can be barely used but fail within warranty. When age is the issue there are usually early warning signs like extra noise or slowing down, but the actual ‘break’ generally happens when you go to turn the computer on, perhaps after a crash or overnight – either it makes a valiant effort before giving up, or nothing happens at all. Sometimes lasting age is the luck of the draw with how it was manufactured, and quality does play a big part in how long it can keep churning.

Power Surges

We like to think electricity is a constant stream that never varies, but computers are particularly sensitive to both surges (too much electricity) and brownouts (not enough electricity). You might notice the lights dimming or flickering during a brownout, or glowing just a tad too strong during a surge. These variations never last long, and they’re not something you can control unless it’s just your house (it’s worth checking with your neighbors), but they can easily break your computer. A surge protector can guard against mild increases in voltage, but brownouts and strong surges will still cause damage.

Heat

Overheating is a big contributor to premature computer death. Some computer parts run hot and need plenty of cooling to keep them working. You might not feel it from the outside, but internal components can rapidly build up heat that needs to go somewhere. When your airflow vents get blocked with dust or pet hair, the temperature continues to increase until components literally bake themselves to failure. At set temperatures, the computer will automatically switch off to try and cool down, however the more often this happens and the higher the temps, the more likely your computer is to die.

Hard Drive Failure

Your data is stored on a hard drive, and if you’ve got a mechanical hard drive (most people do), it works a bit like a record player with a spinning ‘platter’ and a needle that reads it. Small bumps, liquid, age, surges and overheating can all trigger hard drive failure. Along with making your computer unusable, hard drive failure means your data is also lost. While sudden breakage might leave you surprised, take note of any strange noises or repeated crashes and back up your data in advance.

Like a car, your computer needs to be serviced. We can check your computer both physically and its software to make its running right and will keep on working for you. Don’t wait until it’s too late! Give us a call at (225) 315-3498. Or you can simply click here to send us a message. Let us help you out before your computer breaks! You can also click here to see a list of all our services.

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Computer Repair Gonzales Louisiana

Computer Repair Gonzales Louisiana
Computer Repair Gonzales Louisiana! If you are looking for the best computer repair company in Gonzales Louisiana and other nearby areas of Prairieville, Baton Rouge, St. Amant, Denham Springs, and Walker, consider Carl’s Computer Care your first choice! We offer fast, friendly, and affordable computer repair service. Huge parts stock. Same day service. Onsite repair and service available!
Click here to see all of our services.
Listed below are just a few of the Computer Repair Gonzales Louisiana services that we offer:
Computer Repair Gonzales Louisiana

Computer Repair
Laptop Repair
Virus Removal
Hard Drive Crash
Data Backup
Data Recovery
Network Installation
Laptop Screen Replacement
Computer Training
PC Repair
Computer Parts
Hard drive Replacement
iPhone Repair
iPhone Screen

Any type of service or repair that is computer, phone, or technology related, chances are, we can help! We are the Computer Repair Gonzales Louisiana experts! Come visit us at our St. Amant store, or call us to schedule an appointment for onsite service at your home, office, or business. Click here to contact us! Or, if you prefer calling, you can reach us at 225-315-3498.

Our employees and technicians offer the friendliest service around. We don’t just want your business this one time; We want to earn your trust and establish a long-term business relationship going forward. Over the years, we’ve worked very hard to build up a strong reputation with our clients and in the community. But don’t just take our word for it! Click here to ready the numerous reviews from all of our happy clients! We pride ourselves on our hundreds of 5-star reviews.

Need service at your home or office? We can help! We offer affordable onsite rates. Or, if remote support is what you need, we can help with that, too. Call us at 225-315-3498 for more info, or click here to contact us!

Check us out on Facebook!

Computer Repair Baton Rouge Louisiana

Computer Repair Baton Rouge Louisiana
Computer Repair Baton Rouge Louisiana! If you are looking for the best computer repair company in Baton Rouge Louisiana and the surrounding areas of Gonzales, Prairieville, St. Amant, Denham Springs, and Walker, consider Carl’s Computer Care your first choice! Fast, friendly, and affordable computer repair service. Complete repair center. Huge parts stock. Same day service. We offer onsite repair and service!
Click here to see all of our services.
Listed below are just a few of the Computer Repair Baton Rouge services that we offer:
Computer Repair Baton Rouge Louisiana

Computer Repair
Laptop Repair
Virus Removal
Hard Drive Crash
Data Backup
Data Recovery
Network Installation
Laptop Screen Replacement
Computer Training
PC Repair
Computer Parts
Hard drive Replacement
iPhone Repair
iPhone Screen

This is just a short list of the many services we offer! Any type of service or repair that is computer, phone, or technology related, chances are, we can help! We are the Computer Repair Baton Rouge Louisiana experts! Come visit us at our St. Amant store, or call us to schedule an appointment for onsite service at your home, office, or business. Click here to contact us! Or, if you prefer calling, you can reach us at 225-315-3498.

Our employees and technicians offer the friendliest service around. We don’t just want your business this one time; We want to earn your trust and establish a long-term business relationship going forward. Over the years, we’ve worked very hard to build up a strong reputation with our clients and in the community. But don’t just take our word for it! Click here to ready the numerous reviews from all of our happy clients!

Need service at your home or office? We can help! We offer affordable onsite rates. Or, if remote support is what you need, we can help with that, too. Call us at 225-315-3498 for more info, or click here to contact us!

Check us out on Facebook!

How to Survive A Hard Drive Crash: What You Can Do Today

Computer Hard Drive Crash
How to Survive A Hard Drive Crash: What You Can Do Today
Computer Hard Drive CrashThere’s been a massive digitization of the population, which despite keeping everyone entertained and connected, comes with one gaping flaw – a hard drive crash could wipe out your data in an instant. Nobody’s immune, even grandparents routinely rock the latest smartphones and post on Facebook. Nearly all schoolwork is done on computers or tablets, ebook sales far outstrip their paper cousins, and photo printing is a rarity. Unless there’s a physical requirement like putting a photo into a frame, all our data is staying digital. People’s entire lives, their memories, and work are on personal hard drives, yet a large majority of households have no backups.

If you’ve ever lost your data or had your computer stolen, you know the panic and rage that follows…turning the house upside down, hoping desperately to find that USB stick that maybe your data was copied to, once upon a time…before collapsing onto the couch as it sinks in: there’s nothing left.

While hopefully your hard drive is still in good shape, surprise failures do happen. The mechanics don’t last forever, and even brand-new drives can be blitzed by a power surge. Theft is always a risk, as is user error like deleting files accidentally, or even getting hit by a nasty virus that destroys or holds your files for ransom. That last one is tricky. Most households are using apps like Dropbox, iCloud or OneDrive as their backup, thinking if their hard drive crashes or gets stolen, they’ll just download the files from there. Unfortunately, those very handy apps are no help if you’ve been hit with ransomware. Almost instantly as the malware encrypts your local files until you pay up, those sync apps upload the infected versions – for your convenience. Older, safe versions of the files no longer exist, because these apps are designed to give a constant mirror of your drive, not a backup.

Stop for a moment and think about what you’d lose right now if your hard drive failed. What’s on there? Household management files like tax info, warranties you’ve scanned in, photos of your children or grandchildren, videos of first steps and school plays, maybe even your wedding video? While some losses are merely inconvenient, like recreating your budget or rebuilding your recipe collection, other losses are heartbreaking. It’s not a feeling we’d wish on anyone!

What You Can Do

Backing up at home used to be something only tech geeks did, but like everything cool, it’s gone mainstream. We recommend a 3-2-1 approach: 3 copies of your data, with 2 local at your home and 1 offsite.

Typically, this means keeping your regular hard drive where your data is now, one copy of precious files on a backup USB drive, and one that automatically uploads to the secure cloud as you add new files. That way, the USB drive protects your data if your computer dies, and the cloud copy protects you if something happens to the computer and your USB drive, like fire, flood or theft. It’s a good idea to make sure you unplug that backup USB drive afterwards and pop it into a drawer, as connected devices can easily become infected during an attack or stolen during a break-in.

Two of these methods require you to actually pay attention, which is where many households struggle. It’s a rare home where someone takes the time to sit down each week and carefully run a backup. Not that it’s tricky, but unless you’re one of those cool geeks it’s pretty boring and not a high priority after a long day! That’s why we recommend a cloud backup solution or letting us take care of it remotely.

You’ll be able to retrieve files at will, without having to roll back your entire drive, and know your solution has caught even the smallest file change without you needing to flag or mark it in any way. Even better, because it’s in the cloud, you can access your secure backup from anywhere. Left a work file at home? No problem, it’s in your cloud backup. On vacation and need to check a detail or show off a photo? No problem, it’s in your cloud backup. We’re able to get you set up with the perfect backup solution that meets your needs, both now and in case of emergency.

If you’re ready to protect your data before you lose it, give us a call at (225) 315-3498, or you can simply click here to send us a message. We will be glad to talk with you and discuss keeping your data safe and secure!

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Twitter Passwords Exposed: Change Yours Right Now

Twitter Password Hack, Credit: Rizhka Nazar/ShutterstockTwitter announced today (May 3) that it had accidentally “unmasked” user’s Twitter passwords by storing them unencrypted in an internal log file.
The company didn’t say how many user accounts were involved or how long the possible exposure lasted. But the company did say it had fixed the mistake and that there was no evidence the Twitter passwords were ever accessed without authorization, or that there was any kind of data breach.

How long the “unmasking” lasted is crucial. If it was one day, you probably needn’t worry about changing your password. If it was six months, you should consider it, just as a precaution. If the passwords lay exposed for 10 years, then you definitely need to. But as of now, Twitter isn’t saying.

MORE: Here’s the One Gmail Setting You Should Activate Now

The least you should do is to turn on Twitter’s two-factor authentication option, or “login verification,” if you haven’t already. Click or tap your Twitter icon on the website or mobile app and select “Settings and Privacy” from the resulting menu. Select “Login verification” under Security on the website, or Account > Security on the mobile app, and follow the directions to set up two-factor authentication.

The website also gives you the option to “require personal information to reset your password,” such as by providing an email address or a phone number, and you should choose that option.

“We recently found a bug that stored passwords unmasked in an internal log,” stated a tweet from the official Twitter Support account at 4:04 pm EDT Thursday. “We fixed the bug and have no indication of a breach or misuse by anyone. As a precaution, consider changing your password on all services where you’ve used this password.”

A linked blog posting explained that Twitter normally “hashes” passwords using the Bcrypt hashing algorithm, which is very strong and has never been compromised to our knowledge.

Hashes are a form of one-way encryption — input of any length results in a seemingly irreversible jumble of letters and numbers. Most online services keep hashes of user passwords instead of the passwords themselves. When you log in, whatever you enter in the password field is quickly run through the same hashing algorithm and then compared to your hashed password on file.

MORE: Essential Tips to Avoid Getting Hacked

“Due to a bug, passwords were written to an internal log before completing the hashing process,” the blog posting states. “We found this error ourselves, removed the passwords, and are implementing plans to prevent this bug from happening again.”

The posting goes on to say that users should change their passwords on Twitter and anywhere else they’d use their Twitter passwords, and that the replacement password should be strong and unique. It also recommends using a password manager.

Again, we don’t know how long the file with the plaintext passwords existed, so we have no idea how much risk you run if you don’t change your password. The fact that Twitter suggests you do could indicate that the risk is serious — or that the company is simply covering its butt. But changing your Twitter password probably couldn’t hurt.

From:
https://www.tomsguide.com/us/twitter-password-woes,news-27135.html

Need help? Carl’s Computer Care can help make sure you are safe and secure. Contact us today or give us a call at (225) 315-3498