Many software developers and others in the Technology industry have known the positive effects that a dual monitor setup provides. Now, the lower price points of LCD monitors and better operating system support has allowed consumers to easily add an extra monitor (or two!) to their existing computer setup.

Whether you are a student, home user, or a business owner, a dual monitor setup benefits every type of computer user. For students, they will be able to have their word processor maximized and open on one monitor to write a paper while having a web browser open with research topics open on the other. This allows the student to save time and become more efficient by eliminating the need to switch between windows and possibly lose track of where they were in either document. This scenario holds true for other users as well, keeping email clients, web browsers, and other frequently used applications open AND visible at the same time, allowing you to quickly switch between them.

A dual monitor setup is available if you work on a laptop or desktop. An additional monitor can be added to anyone’s current setup. A 19- or 20-inch flat-screen LCD monitor is available for less than $200 at your local electronics store.

Call E-Geniuses today to setup an appointment to maximize your computer efficiency and install a dual monitor setup. For more information regarding this or any other computer related issue, feel free to contact an E-Geniuses Technician at (877) My-Genius or email info@e-geniuses.com.

Lately we’ve been seeing a lot of people being infected by rogue (fake) antivirus and anti-spyware programs. The virus is stored on a website, perhaps even a trusted website, that’s been hacked. A window that looks like an authentic Windows warning message appears saying that the computer is infected. The purpose of the fake warning message is to scare the user into clicking “Yes” to every window that pops up claiming to fix the “virus problem.” Clicking “Yes” actually downloads the virus. Do not download the file. If you already have, delete it immediately.

Above: Picture of a Rogue Virus acting as an Antivirus Warning Message.

If you see a similar warning message to the one above, close the browser completely. If you have a Monthly Maintenance Plan with E-Geniuses, you should call to have a technician scan your computer for infections. We will then examine the suspect website and have it reported if necessary.

The are many variants of the same malware. Some common names are Power Antivirus 2009, Antivir64, Internet Antivirus, PowerAntiSpy, AntivirusDoc, XP or Vista Antivirus 2008, and Antispyware XP 2008.

If you’ve been infected, we have found a few programs that work well. One of the programs is called Malwarebytes. It’s free to download. For more security, we recommend that you purchase the full version for around $25. The full version of Malwarebytes can monitor and prevent rogue programs from being installed. Installation and configuration is available at no cost to Monthly Maintenance and Personal Technician clients.

We will keep you posted in our newsletter, The E-Geniuses Insider, and our blog so you’ll know which programs work best for the most current infections. As you know, the people programming these viruses change them to circumvent preventive measures. Just make sure that you have an E-Genius on your side to stay a step ahead of them. If you have anymore questions about Virus and Spyware Removal, visit www.E-Geniuses.com.

WOT, Web of Trust, is an online community for reputation rating that lets Internet users share their knowledge of websites, helping you stay in control when surfing the Web. Besides its users, WOT uses hundreds of trusted sources such as phishing site listings to keep you protected against rapidly spreading online threats.

As you search with Google, you will see a tiny icon next to the Web link: green to go, yellow to slow down, red to stop. You can easily customize the protection level to your way of surfing the Web. WOT has information on 19 million websites. WOT ratings are shown also on Yahoo!, Gmail, Wikipedia, and other sites. No registration is required.

Memory is added to the computer, look like computer chips, and are called RAM, Random Access Memory. The more memory installed on the computer, the more concurrent tasks your computer can run simultaneously without slowing down too much. In order to future-proof this article, I will not state specific amounts of RAM, but it is safe to say that this is one of the most cost-effective ways to make the computer respond faster. If your computer is fast when you first start it up, but slows down after you start opening up programs, you probably need more ram. I will explain why more memory/RAM will make the computer snappier, it has to do with the next section on hard drives.

Hard drive “space” or “disk space” is often confused with memory. It can be confusing because they are both measured in terms of bits, bytes, kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, terabytes etc. The difference is that hard drives are made of disks that spin (think record player, cd player,) at an extremely fast rate. Although they can access data quickly, they are slow in comparison to the access speed of RAM which have no moving parts. When a computer does not have enough RAM, the computer resort to using the hard drive as “virtual RAM”. This slows down the computer because it is no longer using RAM, but instead the mechanical hard drive. This may even cause the computer to lock up. Hard drives are made for permanent storage, not temporary storage. If you plan on storing lots of music, movies, pictures and documents, you want to get more hard drive storage space.

The CPU, is the central processing unit. When computers say “Intel Inside” or AMD, it’s referring to the maker of the CPU. It is no longer true that the higher the Megahertz/Gigahertz the better because some processors are more effective even when it has a lower clock speed. Multiple core CPU’s actually have a few processors on the same chip. The question is which one is right for you? Typically, you will need a more powerful processor when you are using your computer for intensive applications such as video editing, music editing, photo editing and gaming. If you plan on just using your computer for basic computing, then you don’t need the extra power. Just keep in mind that what might be the top of the line now might be the budget line in a few years and what might be budget line now might be obsolete then. I think it is a good idea to invest in a higher end computer now if you plan on keeping it for a few years. I can only recommend the lower end computers to those with really tight budgets.

As far as graphics cards, it used to be true that you only needed a powerful card if you were gaming. Now operating systems are requiring more graphics processing power to process the system’s transparent windows and motion effects. Also, if you’re interested in playing HD content, you will need a better graphics card. Again, if you’re a hardcore gamer, you will want to get the best video card you can afford; for basic computing, just get what operating system requires.

Pandora radio is the personalized internet radio service that helps you find new music based on your old and current favorites. Easily create custom web radio stations, and listen to full songs for free and without commercial interruptions.

For starters, just visit www.pandora.com and fill in an artist and/or song that you enjoy listening to. Pandora will analyze aspects of the song (up to 400 attributes!) and play songs that consist of similar musical qualities. To customize your radio station further, Pandora allows you to assign a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" which it will take into account for future music selections, thus creating a truly custom radio station for you.

Now imagine streaming your custom radio stations in addition to the music library you already have all throughout your home. E-Geniuses can configure your home stereo and wireless network with Logitech’s Squeezebox player to stream the music through your speakers. With the Squeezebox, internet music streaming services are even available when your computer is turned off.

Joel’s Testimonial

Guido’s Testimonial for E-Geniuses Computer Services and Repairs

Xenia’s Testimonial for E-Geniuses Personal Technician Service

Computer Repair in Brentwood - E-Geniuses Client Testimonial

Client Testimonials for Computer Repair Services in Covina

We have totally redesigned the E-Geniuses website. We’ve added a new Client Services section where you will find our Newsletters, Client Feedback, Polls and Surveys and Online Payment. We also have a new Live Help feature and a "schedule an appointment" form.

Our news area will keep you up-to-date with the latest and greatest in technology, computer hardware and software and other tech toys we think you’ll find useful. Here you will find our most recent newsletters as well as ones that have been archived. You will also find video tutorials there as well. You can even comment on each article and it will show up on our website for the entire world to see.

The client feedback area allows you to write testimonials about your experiences with E-Geniuses. We will post your testimonials in the testimonials area of E-Geniuses.com! If you send in a video or audio testimonial, we can post that on the website as well.

The polls and surveys area is self-explanatory. We want to let you know that we value your opinions; we’re listening, taking notes and applying the best ideas.

The online payment area will allow you to pay online using your credit card, ATM, or PayPal account.

We’ve also added a live help button which will enable you to chat with a live technician and even see a live video stream of the technician!

We are constantly making changes, adding client uploaded content, and creating free tutorials. Check back regularly and offer some feedback. We would like to hear from you.

For more information regarding this or any other computer related issue, feel free to contact an E-Geniuses Technician at (877) My-Genius or email info@e-geniuses.com.

May maintenance days will be Friday the 16th to Sunday the 31st between the hours of 8 PM-1 AM.

If there is a specific date or time that you prefer, let us know ahead of time by calling (877) My-Genius or sending an email to info@e-geniuses.com as soon as possible.

If no special request is made we will perform the updates when your computer is online. If your computer is not online during the times and dates specified we will not be able to do the maintenance for the month.

Monthly maintenance charges for clients paying by check or cash are $22.00. Clients that use a credit card and make payments through PayPal will receive a discounted rate of $20.00. Clients that pre-pay for 6 months or more receive the discounted rate of $19.00 a month.

Your computer will not receive May’s maintenance if payments for any previous months have not been received. For any questions or concerns regarding Monthly Maintenance or to set up credit card payments through PayPal call (877) My-Genius.

Our service areas generally cover the cities in the Los Angeles County Area, LA Metro Cities and surrounding areas. If you are unsure, please call (877) My-Genius or (877) 694-3648 to verify that our technicians can service your area.

What You Will Need

Both of these tutorials require that you have Picasa installed on your PC and a Gmail account. If you do not yet have an account with Gmail or have Picasa installed, you can get them here:

Get a Free Gmail Account

Download Picasa for Free

Transferring Pictures from Your Digital Camera to Picasa

1. Plug in USB Cable from your camera to your computer.
2. Turn on the camera
3. When Windows detects the camera, a window will come up saying “camera connected, Select the program to launch for this application.” Choose Picasa 2 and click OK.
4. Wait for Picasa to open. You will notice pictures starting to appear on the screen. Wait for the transfer to finish. From here you can choose which pictures you would like to transfer, but for now, choose Import All to transfer all of the pictures.
5. You will be asked to “enter a folder name for these photos.” Write something descriptive so that you can refer back to the set of pictures in the future.
6. Near the bottom of the screen, you will see “After copying, do this with my camera or card.” Make sure that Safe delete is selected. This tells the camera to only delete files from the camera after they are transferred to the computer. Then click Finish.
7. You will be asked to Confirm Remove, to confirm the deletion of the pictures from your camera after they are transferred. Click Yes.
8. All of the pictures have now been transferred to your computer via Picasa.

How to Email Photos Via Picasa and Gmail

1. If Picasa is not yet open, go ahead and run the program.
2. Find the group of pictures you want to send photos from.
3. Hold Control (CTRL) and click once on each picture you want to include in the email. You will notice the selected pictures will have a blue border around it. IF YOU RELEASE (CTRL) AND CLICK ON A PICTURE, IT WILL DESELECT ALL OF THE OTHER PICTURES!
4. After you’ve chosen all of the pictures you want to send, release the (CTRL) and click on the button on the bottom of the window to Email.
5. Choose Gmail.
6. Type in your Username and Password, then click Sign In.
7. Now type the email addresses of the people you would like to send the pictures to. You can do this by starting to type their name. If you’ve sent or received email to them before or they are in your addressbook, Gmail will automatically give you a list of email addresees.
8. After you are finished adding the addressees, type a subject and some written text like you would with a regular email.
9. Click Send.
10. That’s it. You’ve sent pictures via email.

“I meant to do a top 10 list, but I had too much to say and it became 11. Oh well, hope you like it. Please comment and add some suggestions of your own.” -Joey

When you’re shopping around for computer services in the Los Angeles Area, or anywhere for that matter, here are a few things to keep in mind to ensure that you get the best possible computer service and support.

Quick List: 1) Don’t just go for the “cheapest”. 2) Can you talk to a live person right away? 3) Are they professional? 4) Check to what their website looks like. 5) Read their testimonials. 6) Do they recommend reinstallation of the Operating System as a first resort? 7) Do they let you know exactly what is involved with each service? 8 ) Make sure they backup first and can migrate your data. 9) Do they charge per service or per hour? 10) Trust your gut instinct. 11) Ask to see if they offer maintenance plans.

1) Don’t always go for the cheapest quote. Not all services are the same. With computer services you usually get exactly what you pay for. That doesn’t mean you should pay the highest price out there, it just means that you shouldn’t be cheap when it comes to your priceless data and computer security. There is a reason why companies charge a decent amount for their services, it takes time and experience to get the job done correctly. If you don’t want to spend money, call your nephew or neighbor. Just hope they can do it right. You can also learn to do it yourself if you are trying to save money. Just realize that it does take time to do things right. That costs money. Understand that you have to pay for good service.

2) If you can get a hold of a person quickly the first time you call, you will more than likely be able to get a hold of them again in the future. If they don’t answer their phone and it goes to voicemail, they had better return the call in a timely manner. If they don’t answer or don’t get back to you, it might give a hint to their level of customer service. I wonder how responsive they’ll be when you call because your computer is still having the same problem they supposedly fixed. Hmmm.

3) How does the company answer the phone? Do they answer in a professional manner? Do they just answer with Hello? If they answer by saying their business name first, you know that they are a serious business and not just a one-man-show answering their cellphone. You need a company you can rely on. Computer service is something that is needed on an on-going basis. One-man-shows are dangerous because you can’t rely on them all of the time. They can only be at one place at one time…unless they don’t have any clients which may be yet another hint as to their level of service. Pay close attention to whether the person on the other end of the line is paying close attention to your questions and statements or whether they are just trying to “sell” you. Test them to see if they understand what you’ve asked for.

4) What does their website look like? You’re looking for a computer service company. If they are up on technology, they should have a decent looking website. If they have a shabby looking website, they might be one man show with a small budget or a company that doesn’t understand the importance of a website and company image. Either way, stay away from them and go with a company that “looks and feels” professional. If they’ve spent some time and money on their website, then they are serious about their business. That’s important.

5) Read their customer testimonials on their website and on independent sites. Search the company name in Google and Yahoo. Search for the company in Yellowpages.com and Superpages.com. What do past clients have to say about the company? Negative feedback or no feedback? Watch out. Go with a company with a proven track record with their clients. Make sure the testimonials are written by real people and not employees of the company. You can usually tell because real testimonials will sound and feel different than ones that are made up. If all of their testimonials sound the same, they’re probably fake.

6) Reinstalling your Operating System should be the last resort. Most good computer service technicians can remove almost any virus and repair most problems. There are some cases when reformatting and reinstalling makes sense, just not in most. It makes sense to reinstall when time is an issue; virus and spyware removal, repairing specific system files, and resolving software conflicts can take up to 3 to 5 hours to complete. If time is of the essence, it makes sense to reinstall. If it costs less to reinstall the operating system than to resolve your specific problem, then it might be a good idea. Just make sure you know what else is involved. See number 3. Find a company that understands that reinstallation is a last resort technique. This goes back to number 1. Most companies that charge a fair rate, will be willing to take the extra time to do things correctly by not reinstalling as a first resort.

7) If the technician does have to reinstall the operating system, you should understand that EVERYTHING will be deleted. If you have important data, you need to make sure that they migrate the data first, reinstall the operating system, then migrate the data back.

8 ) Make sure that when they migrate the data from an old operating system to a new one, that they integrate the data with the programs by importing the data. Your data file for your addressbook, email, and favorites are useless unless you can see the data in the program they are meant to run in.

9) Pay close attention to the company’s pricing method. I think that companies that charge only for solutions, per-job basis, are generally better than companies that charge per hour. Companies that charge per-job have to be confident that they can get the job done or else they don’t get paid for the service. When a computer service company charges per service, then they can take the time to ensure that the job is done correctly without feeling rushed. If the company charges per hour, make sure you get an estimate up front and make sure they stick to their quote. Find out if they have a guarantee in case they are working on the problem for a few hours and cannot solve the problem you called for. You don’t want to get stuck with a $400 bill and still have the same problem. Try to find a company that only charges after they fix your problem. (Side note: make sure you understand how much the company charges just to send out a technician to diagnose your problem.) Find out how long their work is guaranteed for.

10) Noticed that I’ve mention “feel” or “feelings” a couple of times. That is because I really believe that your gut instinct and your first impressions are usually pretty accurate. Having a technician service your computer system or network on-site requires trust. Trust must have a solid foundation which starts the moment you start the communication with the company. Do you feel that this company is trust-worthy? Backup your “feeling” with some factual information by searching their website, checking the BBB and reading testimonials and you will have enough ammo to make a good decision.

11) Ask to see if they offer maintenance plans. Companies name their plans differently. I have heard the plans called monthly maintenance plans, service plans, support contracts and personal technician plans. GeekSquad offers Black Tie Service for Laptops. Try to find a company that offers plans with no long term contracts. You don’t want to get stuck with a bad company. The reason I recommend companies that offer these services is because it shows that they are interested in maintaining their clients’ computers and not just looking for the one time fix. They are interested in a long-term relationship with their clients. These plans can keep overall costs down because they can prevent problems from happening in the first place. Clients who purchase these maintenance plans often get special benefits such as priority service and services at discounted rates.

Check the Computer Repair Directory for local listings near you: http://www.pcrepairdirectory.com