News

When my computer crashed, not only did I realize how new to Los Angeles I was, but how crippled I am without a computer.  As a graduate student at USC, my computer is more or less another part of my body, which is why I was so thankful for the help that I received from E-Geniuses.  Being new to the city, I looked on the Internet for computer support that was close to campus and E-Geniuses popped up.  Through their user-friendly website, I was able to contact and be responded to within hours.  The next day, I took my broken computer in to E-Geniuses, which was within biking distance from USC.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that the stereotype of computer support guys (i.e. Geek Squad) was not true.  The two people I spoke with were personable, patient, and highly professional.  The atmosphere and customer care were such that I felt comfortable and welcomed while my computer was being attended to.  I will definitely be going back to E-Geniuses with any computer problems in the future.

~Jeff

A previous client in Pacific Palisades called for computer repair. The computer service call was about a PC that was having issues running Internet Explorer 7. I had worked on his 2 other computers previously, but not on this particular machine. When I scanned the computer, I found that it had many high threat viruses such as trojans, malware and specifically Vundo. Due to the nature of the viruses, there was potential risk in removing the viruses because in doing so, it could damage some system files. That is exactly what happened. Apparently, I was getting an error message regarding 2 files in the system32 folder; icm3232.dll and gdi3232.dll not being valid Windows images.

The first step was to try to repair the XP Home installation using a Windows CD. The repair was rather slow since the computer was an older model Sony Vaio PCV-RX670. During the installation, numerous error messages came up regarding the icm3232.dll and gdi3232.dll files. Another error message was titled grpconv.exe - Bad Image and mmc.exe - Bad Image, regsvr32.exe, logagent.exe, unregmp2.exe, cmd.exe - bad image, unloadm.exe, migrate.exe, wmpenc.exe, drmupgds.exe.

After the repair, the computer was still running a bit funny. It would freeze up and not boot properly intermittently. After consulting with the client, we decided a data migration and reinstallation of the operating system would be the best solution. The client said to go ahead and take the computer back to our office and bring it back when it was finished.

I copied about 40 GB of data from three user accounts making sure to save everything including their documents, pictures, movies, music and favorites. It took a long time to copy so it was good that it didn’t have to be done on-site. I then scanned all of the files I was going to migrate to ensure I wasn’t also migrating the virus.

I reinstalled Windows XP, installed all of the drivers necessary, installed the security applications for them, installed the software they requested; (Microsoft Office, iTunes, Rhapsody, Mozilla Firefox, Picasa and some other extras). Then I migrated the data from their old system to the newly installed system and proceeded to migrate their iTunes library and other data into programs. We want the computing experience to be as seamless as possible for the client.

After talking to the client, we decided that it would be a good idea to also upgrade the RAM and install a backup drive. I installed the memory and the internal hard drive. I also used a backup program to automatically image their entire system in case of a hard drive crash. I also setup an online backup for their important data. The online backup was setup to backup nightly in case something happened to the entire computer; the client could just re-download their files.

The computer was ready to go after only 1 day at the shop. The client said that they would be busy and that they would rather me bring it in the next day. I returned the computer and the client seemed very happy with the results. I had to reinstall their printer and re-setup their Internet, but I was only there for another 20 minutes max. It was a fun experience for me. I was glad that the client was satisfied. They ended up also signing up for a Maintenance Plan with us to ensure that problems like this would be prevented in the future. Smart move on their part.

Today I received a call from a client who needed computer service in Fontana. The problem is that we do not currently provide on-site service to the city of Fontana because it is outside of our coverage area. It is too far to drive.

Even though we couldn’t provide on-site service, I listened to the client while she described the problem so that I could at least point her in the right direction and maybe find a local repair shop that could help her solve the problem. After listening, I found that I could possibly fix the computer remotely without having to go there. It all depended on whether she could get online or not.

I walked her through restarting the computer in Safe Mode, going online and downloading the E-Geniuses Help Desk Utility. After she downloaded the application she was able to connect her office computer to my desktop.

I noticed that the startup was setup to go to a corrupt installation of Windows XP. I changed the startup to go to the proper version, scanned the hard drive for errors, and scanned for viruses, spyware and malware.

After I finished, the computer booted up properly. She was very happy that she was only charged $119 instead of the $300 that Geek Squad quoted her to fix the problem. I was glad to be able to solve the problem and save them money!

Here’s her testimonial:

“I would like to thank E-Geniuses for their help over the phone.  They were fast and knew exactly what they were doing.  Fantastic service!!” - Shannon, California Customs and Classics.

New Malware Notice

Fake Rogue Anti-Virus & Anti-Spyware in Action

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.

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.

“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

Hard Drive Data Recovery


E-Geniuses Data Recovery - How to Recover Data from a Hard Drive

Here are the 3 basic types of hard drive “crashes” and how to recover data in these scenarios.:

1) File structure is incorrect (usually caused by improper shutdown or disconnecting the drive while it is being written to. Usual fix involves running a scandisk or chkdsk. Scan can take a few hours at most depending on the settings.

2) Unreadable data caused by bits being de-magnetized. Can be resolved by running programs which “re-magnetize” the bits. This is common on laptops that get jarred or dropped mildly. Bad sectors that aren’t physically damaged can be recovered. Software used: HDD Regenerator or SpinRite. Scans can take days.

3) Hardware failure. Sometimes the disk/platter gets scratched, the arm stops working (head crash), or the on-board chip gets fried. All of these repairs require a specialty recovery service. Anytime the hard drive needs to be opened, a clean room (dust-free room) is required. Time to recover data depends on the company. Turn around times is a few weeks.

To better serve our customers, E-Geniuses is pleased to introduce a new and innovative service called "E-Geniuses Live Help”. Through this new service, you will be able to see your Technician through a live video stream as he works on your computer issues. It’s free and easy, log on today to try it.

Technicians will be streaming live video Monday through Friday’s from the hours of 12 PM to 4 PM to answer all of your computer questions and help to schedule an appointment. Simply log onto E-Geniuses.com/livehelp or visit E-Geniuses.com and click the “Live Help” icon. Click “Play” to see the live video feed. To ask questions, type your questions in the convenient chat box located below the video. Otherwise, call (877) My-Genius (694-3648) to speak with the Technician. We are providing this service free of charge.

There are a multitude of computer habits that people have inherited that makes their usage less efficient. Here are three common mistakes that E-Geniuses can help you solve in order to increase your productivity.

1. Sending large photo attachments through email.

• Often times we like to share our photos with others through email yet these attachments are usually too large and result in frustration for both the sender and recipient.
• One suggestion is to utilize a program that will automatically resize and optimize these photos for you to make it easier to send to others. Two programs that we suggest are Picasa and Microsoft Office Picture Manager.
• Please note that when these photos are resized and optimized, they are not of print quality, only on-screen viewing.

2. Installing too many programs that startup with the computer.

• Although you may have many programs installed on your computer, they don’t all have to run when you start your computer, especially if you don’t use them every time you use your computer.

3. Having too many icons, programs and files on the desktop.

• The desktop of your computer is meant to be a temporary
work area. Once you are done using those particular documents, the files should be moved away into a folder off of the desktop. This will not only clean up your desktop, but also help you find things faster later.
• A clean virtual desktop on your computer is similar to that of the daily work area you use. The neater and more organized it is, the more productive you will be.

As a supplemental service to your Monthly Maintenance or Personal Technician Plan, E-Geniuses is now offering telephone and remote support with an exclusive discount only available to clients on monthly plans. This service covers anything unrelated to virus and spyware removal/prevention or software updates because this is already included in your Monthly Maintenance and Personal Technician Plans. Pricing for Phone and Remote Support is $30 per half hour with a half hour minimum. Non-Monthly Maintenance Clients receive this service at $50 per half hour with a half hour minimum. For Personal Technician clients that exceed their monthly hour allocation, the cost is $25 per half hour.