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Windows 10 Upgrade

Retail support for Windows 7 is ending in January 2020. This means that your Windows 7 computer will no longer receive security updates from Microsoft. It does not mean that your computer will stop functioning in January. So if you want to keep using your computer just as you are then there is nothing for you to do.

Windows 10 on Old hardware

However, there may be advantages to upgrading Windows systems, Windows 7 and older. No payment to Microsoft is required to upgrade if you are upgrading a system with a valid Windows license. With very old Windows OSs you might run into incompatibilities with modern websites and software. If you are willing to deal with slow performance, upgrading can allow an old computer to surf modern websites. The laptop pictured originally had Windows Vista (circa ’06 – ’09) installed and it accepted Windows 10 quite well even though it does run slowly.

Before doing the upgrade there are some caveats, the first being that since we are working with old hardware the customer has to accept the possibility that hardware failure could occur at any time after a successful upgrade. The second is that the upgrade might fail due to incompatible drivers, etc. In this instance I would quit the installation, reinstall with the original OS, and return it to the customer. For almost all computers running Windows 7 the upgrade is encouraged and can happen smoothly. For older computers (Windows XP/Vista) I would ask the customer to name a specific task that they can’t do now. So that a successful upgrade could be tested and verified.

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Going to the Repair Store?

Desktop PC sitting in the passenger seat of vehicle

Call the Repair store to You!

Next time you are having computer problems before you pack the computer into the car contact me first. I offer free preliminary troubleshooting by phone. I work exclusively on-site at your home or business. During the time that the computer is being driven across town, vibration and the risk of dropping the computer can cause greater harm than your original problem. A technician at the computer store is also limited to troubleshooting a computer as a standalone object.

If you are having trouble printing are you going to pack the computer and the printer and all of the cables to the store? You don’t have to do that! With any problem that involves more than one device it’s always better to leave everything in place as it is and allow me to see the problem in exactly the same way that you the customer see it.

Tracking down an intermittent problem is a classic example. Your Internet goes through periods of being unreliable. You first call your service provider and they swear that the service coming into your house is 100% working. Then you take the computer to a friend’s house and it works fine over there too. It can be worse than catching a ghost! I have the capability of verifying every component from your ISP’s modem through the cables you use (or WiFi) to the router and to your computer.

See you soon!

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Patched

These are a couple of brand new homemade ethernet cables. It is the kind of cable you use to connect a computer to a router. I used one cable out of my truck stock and left it with a customer when I was connecting their printer, so I made a couple more.

Ethernet patch cable
Ethernet cable made to order

If you are having problems with your Internet, could it be a bad cable? Call me to have the cable tested and know for sure. Maybe you have a damaged wall jack? I can fix that too!

Ethernet Wall jack