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Practice Installing Windows Using a Simulator

April 6th, 2008 | 3 Comments | Posted in Windows

Windows IconFor most computer techs, installing Windows seems pretty straight forward. That’s because, if you are like me, then you have probably done it a thousand times. However, for those just getting into IT, this may not be the case. If you have no experience with installing Windows then you can now familiarize yourself with this process by using the free Windows XP Setup Simulator. More »

Create a Batch File to Easily Refresh Network Settings

March 23rd, 2008 | 14 Comments | Posted in How To, Networking, Windows

Program IconIf you are an emerging computer tech and you haven’t already become accustom to using the ipconfig command, you soon will.  This command is most commonly used at the DOS prompt to see a computer’s current IP configuration.  Using this command with three different switches also allows you to refresh a computer’s network settings which can be very useful when troubleshooting network issues.  In the following tutorial, I would like to show you how you can create a batch file that will run this command along with its switches to quickly refresh a computer’s network settings. More »

9 Tips to Help You Become a Computer Technician

March 14th, 2008 | 11 Comments | Posted in Tips

Getting your first job as an entry level computer technician can be difficult.  This is especially true for someone with no experience.  The job market for computer techs is very crowded and there are lots of new people trying to get in.  Before you decide to enter the market yourself, you need to gain a competitive edge.  In this article, I would like to share with you 9 tips that will help you gain some experience and set yourself apart from the crowd. More »

10 Best Bargain Hunting Sites for Finding Tech Deals

March 2nd, 2008 | 11 Comments | Posted in Deals

Keyboard Icon Many new tech deals appear on the web daily. Finding them, however, can be a daunting task. Lucky for you there are sites dedicated to this very purpose. I would like to share with you, in my opinion, 10 of the best bargain hunting sites to use when searching for tech deals. More »

How to Find Drivers for Unknown Devices in Device Manager

February 16th, 2008 | 6 Comments | Posted in Hardware, How To, Tools, Windows

Unknown Device IconYesterday I reinstalled Windows on a laptop for one of our users at work. When the installation was complete, I popped in the driver CD to begin the process of installing the drivers that Windows didn’t install. For some reason the CD only contained two of the eight drivers that I needed. Normally, tracking down the right driver can be a huge annoyance, especially when your devices are showing up with generic names like PCI Device, Video Controller, System Device, or Unknown Device. But with the help of a little utility, I was able to find all of the drivers that I needed saving me lots of time and frustration. More »

How to Become a Certified Mac OS X Leopard Technician

February 9th, 2008 | 2 Comments | Posted in Apple/Mac/OSX, Certifications, How To

OS X Leopard IconApple certifications are some of the fastest growing certifications in the industry and becoming an Apple certified tech is a great way to make your resume stand out from the crowd. With the release of Leopard, Apple has been updating their certification program to support their new operating system. I would like explain these newly updated certifications and show you what is required for each one so you can be on your way to becoming a certified Mac OS X Leopard technician. More »

10 Great Tech Tools That Boot from a CD

February 3rd, 2008 | 41 Comments | Posted in Tools

CD Icon When working on a computer, certain tasks can be made much easier by using tools that boot from a CD. Some of these tasks include restoring files from a computer with a corrupt operating system, testing hardware, reseting a lost password, or partitioning a hard drive. I would like to share with you 10 great bootable tools that will do all of these things and much more. More »

How to Manually Download and Install Windows Updates

January 21st, 2008 | 24 Comments | Posted in How To, Windows

Updates Icon Recently I was faced with a situation where I had an automatic update that wouldn’t install. To try and troubleshoot this issue, I needed a way to download the update so I could install it manually. Since Microsoft doesn’t offer such an option, I had to look elsewhere for help. Luckily, there is a program that was created to do just this. More »

35 Portable Applications that Every Tech Needs

January 6th, 2008 | 22 Comments | Posted in Flash Drive, Software, Tools

USB Icon Over a year ago I wrote an article called 18 Portable Apps Every Tech Needs. Since then a lot has changed. I have compiled a new, more exhaustive list of 35 portable applications specifically for techs. All of these apps run directly from your USB flash drive and require no installation. More »

How to Create a Windows Offline Update CD

January 1st, 2008 | 9 Comments | Posted in How To, Windows

CD Icon Creating an offline update CD is a great way to update a Windows computer without having to connect it to the Internet and risk the chance of it being compromised. It is also a great way to update a computer that either has no Internet connection or is still connected to the Internet through dial-up. Since Microsoft offers no easy way of doing this other than ordering one of their update CD, I would like to show you how to create one yourself. More »