Computer Repair in Studio City

Finally a good computer repair near Studio City! I have been to places such as Geek Squad, etc aka “waste of time+money”. Let me tell you, I was impressed by the knowledge of the technicians here at E-Geniuses. Too much “know how” that it was somewhat scary! haha Anyway, I brought my laptop in because it just would not turn on. I had no idea what was wrong w/ it. So I googled computer repair near me in Studio City and called in for live help. Fantastic service as I was set up to come in asap since it was an emergency on my part! I have to say I was in and out of their shop w/ my laptop working in under 15 minutes. Wow! I decided to set up a Monthly Maintenance Plan, which was extremely helpful and saved me money in the long run. I am now a BIG FAN of E-Geniuses!!!

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Lastpass Password Manager

Everyone I know has had a problem remembering a password for a website. It is good to have different passwords for different websites for security purposes, but it can quickly become a hassle to try to remember which passwords to use. That’s where LastPass comes in handy. LastPass is an addon that works for the most popular browsers; Firefox, Internet Explorer, Chrome and Safari.

With LastPass, your passwords are stored online using secure encryption which means that it is the same level of security as your online banking. Having it stored online offers a few advantages over storing your passwords locally on your computer. First of all, LastPass will allow you to access your “Password Vault” using one password which means you only have to remember one password! (Don’t forget that one though.)

Another advantage to using LastPass is that you can setup LastPass on multiple computers so that it can automatically fill in your passwords to websites on any of your computers. When you login to a new website using a never-before-used username and password, LastPass will ask whether you want to store the password. If you say yes, LastPass will synchronize the new password across your multiple computers.

LastPass will also allow you to have multiple username and passwords for websites. This comes in handy if you have multiple Gmail accounts for example.

You can download LastPass here.

After you download and install LastPass, you will go through a setup wizard that will walk you through step-by-step. You should import your passwords currently saved on locally on your computer. Setup LastPass on all of the computers you want synchronized.

Forget the days when you had to create a list of all of your passwords. Now all you have to remember is one.

If you have any questions, make sure to give us a call at (877) 694-3648 or visit us at www.E-Geniuses.com.

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Here is a very common question we get asked by our clients. “Is it better to turn the computer off at night or is it better to keep it on?” We will answer this frequently asked question. We will also discuss power-saving modes such as standby and hibernate.

Some people seem to think that if you keep your computer on overnight, that somehow malicious “hackers” will try to infiltrate your system. The fact is that if your computer is riddled with viruses and spyware, the hackers can access your computer any time it is on, even if you’re using it! Having  good anti-virus, anti-spyware and anti-malware programs is essential. If you have these scheduled to scan your computer at night, when you aren’t using it, then it is actually beneficial to keep your computer running at night.

The problem with keeping the computer on has less to do with security and more to do with power consumption and lifespan. It costs money to keep the computer and monitor on. Keeping your computer on also lowers the lifespan of your computer. Monitors lose brightness over time when kept on for extended periods of time. Hard drives and fans begin to fail eventually. Your electric bills will start to go up.

So what’s the solution? The answer is in setting your computer’s power options to suit your usage.

First you should make sure that your monitor is set to turn off when it isn’t in use for a set period of time. The steps are different depending on the version of Windows you are running, but basically you will want to go to the control panel, look for your power options, then change how long it takes before the monitor goes to sleep when the mouse or keyboard isn’t being used. Two and a half hours is safe if you plan to watch movies often and for most people 30 minutes is more than enough time to keep the screen “awake”.

Another important setting is the standby and hibernate options. These are modes where the computer seems to be turned off, but is actually on but in a low-power state. Here are some basic differences between stanby,  hibernate and a full shutdown/startup:

Standby: fastest to startup and shutdown, consumes the most power, aside from being completely on of course. (Important when running on laptop battery power)

Hibernate: takes longer to shutdown and startup than standby-mode but faster than from a full shutdown, consumes less power than standby but more power than a full shutdown.

Full Shutdown/Startup: takes longest to shutdown and startup, consumes the least amount of power when off.

I like to set my computer to standby after about 2 hours, but the optimal setting varies from user to user. It all depends on when you prefer for your computer to “sleep”.

I don’t like waiting  for my computer to boot up. I usually want to just briefly look at a website or check my emails, something that will take 1 or 2 minutes. It wouldn’t make sense for me to wait two minutes to do something that only takes two minutes. Sometimes I will restart my computer when it is acting up. Standby or hibernate won’t fix those issues. The only time I do a full shutdown is when I am transporting my desktop computer or when I am putting my laptop away for a long period of time and don’t want the battery to drain. Any other time, I am using standby mode. I don’t use hibernate because it just does not seem that much faster than doing the full restart and does not offer the benefits of the full restart (clearing the ram to make the computer run more efficiently.)

So should you keep your computer running at night? Probably not. Should you turn it completely off? Not unless you like waiting for the computer to bootup. Should you put it in a lower power state? Yes. Standby works the best in most situations.

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E-Geniuses is continuing its steady growth and has opened a new location in the “Media Capital of the World”, Burbank, California. They’re currently in a soft launch phase and are making preparations for their official grand opening in December of 2009. Although the main office has moved to its new home on the corner of Burbank Boulevard and Florence Avenue, they still maintain an off-hours drop-off and pick-up location in Downtown Los Angeles and will continue to serve all of Southern California with their on-site computer repair technicians. During this transition, E-Geniuses is continuing to operate fully, both on-site and at the Burbank storefront.

Moving from a strictly office location in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles to a full blown storefront location has brought many perks to current and future E-Geniuses clients. The newest Burbank computer repair storefront is situated in a small shopping center that is anchored by E-Geniuses’ neighbor, Andre’s Cafe. While they wait for their computer to be serviced, clients can grab a bite to eat at the family owned and operated cafe that serves affordable American and Thai cuisine until 3 PM everyday. Additional highlights are a private and free parking lot, a comfortable and technologically equipped media waiting room with WiFi access and refreshments.

The expanded location will also serve to hold seminars and workshops, held by E-Geniuses owner, Joey Mariano. Topics will range from computers, new technology, and training sessions to website development and design for small businesses. Mariano, who grew up in Burbank, felt that relocating the central headquarters of his company was a natural move. “I grew up in Burbank and I have always admired the city and its traditional way of life. Burbank has a great community and this is my way of giving back. With E-Geniuses, I want to provide the residents not only computer repair in Burbank but additional services that will fulfill all of their technological needs. I want to provide a different type of computer service that goes beyond just computer repair.” Clients both new and old can continue to expect the same great customer service and quick turnaround times that they’ve become accustomed to from E-Geniuses.

With this new move, they’ll also be providing local repair individuals with the opportunity to become part of the E-Geniuses team. As a team member, they’ll be equipped with a personal workstation with an ample work area, fiber optic high-speed Internet and the use of all common area facilities such as the media waiting room. All of this is in addition to all of the added benefits of being part of the E-Geniuses team.

For more information, feel free to contact the office through their website at e-geniuses.com or by calling (877) My-Genius. Your newest stop for computer repair in Burbank is located at 2718 W. Burbank Boulevard, Burbank, California 91505. Proposed hours for the storefront will be 9 AM to 6 PM, Monday through Friday, 10 AM to 5 PM on Saturdays and by appointment on Sundays.

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Repairs in Burbank

Virus and Spyware Removal in Burbank

Reinstallation of Operating System in Burbank

New Computer Setup in Burbank

Upgrades in Burbank

Memory Installation in Burbank

Hard Drive Installation in Burbank

CD/DVD/CD-RW/DVD-RW Installation in Burbank

Internal/External Device Installation in Burbank

Data Migration in Burbank

Wireless Networking in Burbank

Preventive Maintenance in Burbank

Optimization in Burbank

Personal Technician Service in Burbank

Monthly Maintenance Plan in Burbank

Drive Imaging in Burbank

Other Services in Burbank

Tutoring in Burbank

Telecommuting in Burbank

All prices subject to change. Call for services not listed. i.e. Software Installation, Motherboard Installation, Screen Replacement.

A $49 service fee is applied to each on-site service for travel and diagnosis. Hardware is not included in any of these services.

E-Geniuses does not assume liability for data corruption or loss at any time. Customer must backup data prior to service call. E-Geniuses is not a reseller of computers, parts or accessories. Returns for all products purchased and installed for clients is the responsibility of the client and the reseller of that product. E-Geniuses is only responsible for the delivery and installation of that product. Parts can only be returned to the reseller if within the seller’s return policy. Charges for the visit and reinstallation will be incurred by the client. If a part is found defective during the initial installation the E-Geniuses will only charge for the extra visit, but not for the additional installation. E-Geniuses assumes no responsibility for the products purchased on the client’s behalf.

*Any additional visits are $49 per visit and each additional hour is also $49.

**Payment options for Monthly Maintenance Plans include: $19 a month if pre-paid for 6 or more months; $20 a month if paid monthly through PayPal; $25 a month if paid monthly through check or money order. Avast home an optional install.

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Could you tell the difference between your anti-virus program and malicious website attempting to install viruses into your computer?

Real (Windows Security Center)

Fake (Antivirus 2008)

Studies show that cybercrooks have a 3.4% success-rate infecting users’ computers. Chances are high that you will eventually come across an infected website. It would definitely be a good idea to make sure that you can spot the good security suites from the rogues.

Tip #1

The first thing you should do is find out which antivirus you are actually using. Remember the name of the program and what the application windows and interface look like. You should do the same for your antispyware and firewall applications as well. You will therefore be able recognize when a hacked site is attempting to lure you into a trap using scare tactics. Here’s an example of a rogue antivirus program using the scare tactic, “found infections, now buy me or else!”

Fake “Virus Detection”

Tip #2

Use Firefox and the Web of Trust addon. The main reason we recommend Firefox to our clients is because of the wide variety of addons available for it. When setting up a new computer, one of the first things I install is Firefox and the Web of Trust (WOT) addon. WOT shows you ratings for websites before you even click on them.

Let’s say you do a Google search for an anti-virus program. From my experience using WOT, I have found that at least one of the links on the page will receive a bad rating from WOT. Here’s one of the links WOT shows as having a poor reputation when searching for “anti-virus” in Google.

Notice the red warning circle next to the link.

What this means is that other WOT users have checked the site out and have found it to be unsafe. WOT even allows you to see other peoples’ comments about the site. You can rate sites and comment as well. In fact, the WOT community relies on users like you and I.

Here’s what you will see if you enter a site that WOT users have deemed as having a poor reputation.

Of course, websites are constantly being infected so there may be some newly infected sites that have not yet been detected by the WOT community. In these cases, you will need another layer of protection.

Tip #3

Malwarebytes, The Best Free Anti-Malware Program That You Really Should Buy.

Malwarebytes is a free program that has excellent detection rates. It is able to find and remove viruses, spyware and malware that many security suites cannot. It is maintained by a small group that regularly browses forums looking for infection trends and stopping them early. Like I said, the program does an excellent job of removing viruses, but for $24.95 for a lifetime subscription, the full version can actually prevent threats from infecting your computer. Prevention is really the key to safe browsing. (Buy Full Malwarebytes by Clicking Here.)

So lets just suppose you visit a website that was just infected a few hours ago. Since it has just been newly infected, the WOT community has not yet rated the site negatively in order to warn you. So you go to the site and a window comes up saying that your computer is being scanned for viruses and that it is infected with numerous trojan viruses. Assuming you didn’t follow Tip # 1 and cannot differentiate between the rogue anti-virus and your real anti-virus, you download the “fix”. Many times, I have found that Malwarebytes will actually block the download based on the IP address of the website. If it doesn’t, it will detect that the file you’ve downloaded is malicious once you try to install it. Malwarebytes will block these attempts by the virus to infect your computer.

Malwarebytes detecting and removing infections.

Summary

1) Familiarize yourself with your security programs and what they actually look like.

2) Use WOT, Web of Trust addon for Firefox so that you know whether links are safe or not.

3) Use Malwarebytes to prevent malware from infecting your PC.

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