Frequently Asked Questions

• What's the best setup for a hot-swappable RAID system?
• My previous MS operating system (Windows XP) could be set to “Remember each folder’s view settings.” How can I get Windows7 to do the same thing?
• I recently upgraded my laptop computer from an Acer to a much faster HP. But it's already slowing down. What could be causing this? - Larry in Sparks
• I foolishly bought anti-virus protection from a company that proceeded to bombard me over the next year with upgrade solicitation spam. Then I got an email from an investigator asking me if I wanted to join a class action lawsuit against the company. I just want to protect my computer. I hate Norton Anti Virus. What free options are out there that you would recommend?
• How do I protect my cell phone voicemail from being hacked?
• I had a USB Audio Device installed on my computer (call it USB1). I was installing another USB audio interface (call it USB2). I did not want to route signal through USB1, so after selecting USB2 as the default, I “Disabled” USB1. However, now I want USB1 back but it is gone from the “Playback Devices” window. (I guess “Disable” means “delete” to some.) The drivers are all still installed and working properly, according to the “Device Manager.” How do I get it to show up again under the “Playback Devices” so that I can reselect it as the “Default” device? - Oli in Reno
• If you're running Windows Vista and you would like to upgrade to Windows 7, should you just buy a new computer or replace the operating system? How much work does this entail? Should I get a professional to do it? Is there an easy way to find out if all my software that I'm running on Windows Vista will work with Windows 7. Are there any things that I must know before taking on the task? - Grae in Reno

What's the best setup for a hot-swappable RAID system?

For the most part this type of question would apply to system admins and not so much the everyday user. But just as well, living in the information age, a quick Google search results in a very elegant answer. “If you’re interested in using hot-swapping in a RAID configuration, your best option is to use RAID Level 1 architecture, also know as “disk mirroring.” With RAID 1, all of the server data is mirrored onto multiple disks. This removes a single fail point so that a disk malfunction will essentially have no effect on the system if the proper fail-over software is in place and operating correctly.” Hope this helps!.

My previous MS operating system (Windows XP) could be set to “Remember each folder’s view settings.” How can I get Windows7 to do the same thing?

Sorry bro, Windows 7 does not have the option “Remember each folder’s view settings” in the folder option in Windows Explorer like older versions of windows did. This is a bummer for people using multiple monitors as you can no longer control the size or position of the opening window. If this is a problem for you I suggest that you check out a utility called ShellFolderFox. It is a free Windows 7 program that allows you to remember the settings of individual windows. There are rumors of this option coming back with Windows 8, but that is yet to be seen. Hope this answered your question.

I recently upgraded my laptop computer from an Acer to a much faster HP. But it's already slowing down. What could be causing this? - Larry in Sparks

There are many reasons that your new HP is slowing down. Because your laptop is newer, i'm going to say that bloatware is your problem. Bloatware is software that is already installed on your computer when you buy it. It has two purposes, to track your internet usage, and to sell you stuff - it's useless. If you click on Start --> Control Panel --> Programs and Features, you will see a plethora of programs starting with the letters HP, such as: HPUpdate, and HPTotal Care Advisor, HP Customer Service Enhancements,etc. These HP programs are hogging your system resources. By right-clicking on the program you will be prompted to uninstall the program which will free up some speed on your PC. Furthermore, any programs in the list with the words "update, toolbar, or participation," can be safely uninstalled. Hope this helped.

I foolishly bought anti-virus protection from a company that proceeded to bombard me over the next year with upgrade solicitation spam. Then I got an email from an investigator asking me if I wanted to join a class action lawsuit against the company. I just want to protect my computer. I hate Norton Anti Virus. What free options are out there that you would recommend?

I'm sorry to hear about your bad anti-virus experience. There are many programs out there fighting for your money and it is hard to make an educated decision on which anti-virus to use. What you have is called rogue anti-virus software. It was a scam from the beginning. First it makes you think that your PC is infected with numerous viruses, then it tricks you into paying for it, and even after you pay for it, it does no good, just bombards you with ads and kills the performance of your PC. It is fraud. Our philosophy at RenoComputerFix is to go free. Every PC that leaves our shop wether as a sale or as a repair, leaves with Avast Free Anti-virus software installed. We chose to go with Avast because it is what we use on our own computers. Avast runs only one process and is not a resource hog as some other big name Anti-virus softwares are, and best of all it is COMPLETELY FREE! You can download it from www.avast.com/free-antivirus-download.

How do I protect my cell phone voicemail from being hacked?

I'm sorry to hear that someone is trying to get into your voicemail. It must be hard being a celebrity. Nobody cares about my voicemail so I dont have this problem. But, if they did I would start by putting a passcode lock on my phone. Most smartphones offer this type of security. Secondly, I would put a strong password on my voicemail box, and NOT TELL ANYBODY FOR ANY REASON. Third, I would advise my friends, co-workers to use code-speak when leaving voicemail, and lastly I would tell my mistress to stop leaving sexy messages on my phone.

I had a USB Audio Device installed on my computer (call it USB1). I was installing another USB audio interface (call it USB2). I did not want to route signal through USB1, so after selecting USB2 as the default, I “Disabled” USB1. However, now I want USB1 back but it is gone from the “Playback Devices” window. (I guess “Disable” means “delete” to some.) The drivers are all still installed and working properly, according to the “Device Manager.” How do I get it to show up again under the “Playback Devices” so that I can reselect it as the “Default” device? - Oli in Reno

Audio devices can be tricky sometimes. By disabling it you did not actually delete it, just made it disappear. Go to Control Panel -->Hardware and sound --> Sound --> Manage Audio Devices. Open the playback tab and right-click on the blank space under the list of devices. Check the box that says "show disabled devices." Your disabled device should now be visible and you should be able to enable it. I hope that this solved your problem. Please do not hesitate to call us for any questions.

If you're running Windows Vista and you would like to upgrade to Windows 7, should you just buy a new computer or replace the operating system? How much work does this entail? Should I get a professional to do it? Is there an easy way to find out if all my software that I'm running on Windows Vista will work with Windows 7. Are there any things that I must know before taking on the task? - Grae in Reno

Great question Grae! Because Windows Vista is so portly rated by users, many people believe that going to Windows 7 will solve all of their problems. Truth is Vista is not always the problem. Many laptops purchased at stores like Best Buy or Wal-Mart came with a plethora of bloatware (extra software, trials and such) pre-installed This pre-installed software hogs your system resources and slows down your PC, if you think that this could be your problem, a clean installation of Vista and some fine tuning is a good solution. If you're objective is to install or upgrade to Windows 7, the price of a Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade disk from Microsoft is $119, and full non-upgrade version is $199. An upgrade must be started from within an existing Windows insulation, so if your computer does not boot, you will need to purchase the full version. The upgrading process is not too difficult and can be completed by anyone with basic commuter knowledge. Performing a clean install of the full version is slightly more compacted ad should be installed by a professional (like me.) If you need to check software compatibility before the transition, do a Google search for "(your software here) system requirements." I hope that I answered your question thoroughly.