A website with relevant and rich content is often the best way to generate sales — Google doesn’t mind it either. Our team at Net Works, Inc. can help your business by creating quality content for your website. This can be in the form of on-going blog posts, social media distribution, press releases, news feeds, home page content refreshes, and more!

If you’d rather be in control of your content, we provide consultation services to make sure you are making the correct decisions.

Images Are Good not Evil

Images are often frowned upon by web designers, but as the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. Our team can help embed more content behind existing images on your site, or create content behind images on a new project.

Flash is Evil

It’s best to not use Flash if you’re trying to market to the widest audience possible. Flash content and text is not search engine friendly, and it often keeps your from achieving the rank you deserve.

Daytona Beach Computer Repair

Sometimes we ask ourselves what did I do to make my computer run so slow? And the answer is not always that simple. It could have been an email attachment you downloaded or a website that had malicious code embedded within it. Sometimes the best way to handle these issues are to prevent them from happening to begin with.

By using the following tips we hope you notice an improvement on your system.

Browsers

Having an updated web browser is key to making sure your computer does not become vulnerable to old viruses. We recommend using a browser like Internet Explorer 9, or Google Chrome. Both of these browsers utilize the latest in web standards, and are very secure. Our favorite is Chrome, and we strongly recommend you start using it too!

Updates

Whether you have a Mac or PC, updates are always going to be there. Updates are not there to be a pain, rather they are there to help you. When your system asks you to install an update — let it. Updates can prevent you from having to repair your computer, which is something that takes much longer than a simple update.

Uninstall

Uninstall programs that are of no use to you. By eliminating unneeded programs, you free up space, memory, and improve the speed of your computer. Your computer could be running slow because of all of the programs you have installed, especially if many of them are required to start-up when Windows starts. If you have a problem uninstalling a program, you might have other serious issues.

Don’t Do It

No matter how tempting it seems, don’t install programs that seems “shady”. This includes smiley face applications, emoticons, and whatever else that appears to be “friendly”. Programs like these carry nasty trojans, viruses, worms, and a slew of other problems that you don’t want to be a part of. If you want your computer to run faster, definitely don’t install programs like these.

Let Us Take A Look

If you get stumped and your computer is still running poorly — give us a call at 386-248-0000. Our staff is specially trained to deal with all types of computer problems, and we repair computers on the hardware and software level. Sometimes you can do more damage than good if you’ve got more than one major problem. We have proprietary tools that will diagnose which bug you have. After the diagnoses we can determine exactly what needs to be done in order to repair your computer. Our goal is to repair your computer the best and safest way. Our prices severely beat the Geek Squad, and we go that extra distance to make sure you tell others.

Connect Your Television to the Internet

Roku 2

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One of the most popular ways to stream movies on your existing television is through the Roku set-top-box. It was recently updated to version 2, and now starts at an all-time low of $49.99. The Roku was one of the first set-top-boxes that enabled you to stream movies through Netflix without a computer, and it was also one of the first to allow the installation of different apps. It has since grown to become one of the most affordable ways to stream movies through your TV. HD lovers will be glad to know that the new $49.99 box supports 720p, while the $79 and $99 models support 1080p. The $99 box includes a full version of Angry Birds that you control with the Roku’s new motion controller. Currently, Roku is offering an Angry Birds limited edition box that normally sells for $119.99 — at $99.99.

Boxee and Boxee Box

jpegIf its apps you’re after, Boxee is a great choice. The company started out by offering a free open-source version of their software, which enables you to turn your PC or MAC into a movie streaming box. The setup costs you nothing, and is easy to do. All you need is a computer with a video out connected to your television and you’re almost ready to start using Boxee.

Boxee Box on the other hand is a standalone solution that is very similar to the Roku. The Boxee Box will run you $179.99, which is a bit higher than some of the other offerings. It lacks motion support within the controller, however, it sports a full QWERTY keyboard located on the backside of the remote. The Boxee Box supports 1080p, hundreds of apps (Netflix, Amazon VOD), and includes an HDMI cable in the box.

Google TV

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The Google TV platform was introduced in 2010, and has since lost much of the hype it started with. However, things have recently changed as Google updated the software to fix many of the issues people were complaining about. Google TV is different than the other options mentioned above, because it can link to your existing cable or satellite box. Once setup, the user can search for TV shows, movies, etc using both your existing television provider or the internet.

With the recent software update, Google enabled the ability to install apps from the Market, which means that Android users will more than likely fall in love.

Our suggestion is to purchase the Logitech Revue Google TV box. Logitech recently lowered the price of this box to $99.99 from $249.99 because of poor sales. Now that the box has been updated we really feel that it’s a steal. It comes outfitted with a full-size QWERTY keyboard and a built-in touch pad. Google TV supports all the major apps like Netflix, Pandora, CNN Money, Fox News, and a whole slew of games. If you have a geek in the family, he or she will truly love this set-top-box.

Apple TV

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Last and certainly not least we have the Apple TV box, which is the most common choice for those that already own a Mac or iPhone. The system is tightly integrated with iTunes, which means you’ll be buying most of your movies and TV shows a la carte — unlike Roku, Google TV, and Boxee. While the box supports apps like Netflix, it does cost more to watch the premium content. That being said, Apple does offer newer content that you can’t find on the other boxes.

The latest version of Apple TV will cost you $99, and it’s compatible with iCloud. If you’ve spent money buying music in iTunes you will love the syncing capabilities within iCloud. It’s also worth mentioning that the Apple TV box and remote reflect the quality you’d expect from an Apple product.

Wrap-Up

We have four affordable ways to enjoy internet television. It’s up to you to decide which one will make the cut. Netflix is available on every box mentioned, if that is your primary concern, and only one of them starts at a price that is above $99.

  • Consider turning an old PC into a Boxee system for free if you’re strapped for cash.
  • Consider the Apple TV if you’re not worried about buying individual shows/movies.
  • The true Geeks will love the Google TV because of Android, full-size keyboard, and the search abilities.
  • And we recommend the Roku for the everyday person that wants a great box to stream movies with.

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August 20, 2010

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Remote backup has advantages over traditional backup methods:

  • The most important aspect of backing up is that backups are stored in a different location from the original data. Traditional backup requires manually taking the backup media offsite.
  • Remote backup does not require user intervention. The user does not have to change tapes, label CDs or perform other manual steps.
  • Unlimited data retention.
  • Backups are automatic.
  • The correct files are backed up. Ordinary backup software is often installed with a list of files to be backed up. This set of files usually represents the state of the system when the software was installed, and often misses critical files, like files that get added later.
  • Some remote backup services will work continuously, backing up files as they are changed.
  • Most remote backup services will maintain a list of versions of your files.
  • Most remote backup services will use a 128 – 448 bit encryption to send data over unsecured links (ie internet)
  • A few remote backup services can reduce backup by only transmitting changed binary data bits

A slow, annoying, and frustrating computer can make daily computing tasks difficult at best.  The reasons can be very broad, but they often point to some very specific reasons that we see regularly.  Failing to address a slow computer can result in hundreds of hours spent toiling with the computer “spinning it’s wheels.”  Get that resolved sooner rather than later and get your tasks done with less stress.

Aging hardware is increasingly becoming a problem as software speeds up, software and websites demand more from your computer, and multitasking is increasingly becoming the norm for our daily lives.  It is a new decade and we see computers from eight or more years ago that are more expensive to maintain in the long term than they are to replace.  They are often 3 major operating system versions behind today and have failing hard drives, insufficient hardware specifications, and there is generally very little that can be done to bring them up to par.  If your computer is 5 years or older, you may want to consider upgrading rather than spending to get it fixed.

Malware, viruses, and bloatware are all major contributing factors to PCs slowing down.  At least 80% of all of the machines we see are experiencing slow down due to some malware that has infected the machine.  There are many tools out there that will assist in getting rid of these problems, but keep in mind that some software disguises itself as protection for your computer when in actuality it is just trying to steal your credit card number.  Some software we recommend includes Malwarebytes and CC Cleaner – both are free and assist with getting you in the right direction.  Consider having a computer repair company diagnose and fix this issue if you’re not sure whether you are infected.  Also consider using Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox as your browser of choice instead of Internet Explorer – the alternatives have far less of a chance of making your computer get infected.

Memory is one resource that can be upgraded to higher amount very easily (it involves adding a physical stick of memory inside of the machine).  Often low cost computers lack sufficient memory for the high demand of today’s Internet and operating systems.  Without getting into the details, the premise is that if your computer can keep more on it’s mind at once, the better it is at computing what your programs ask.  The low cost of upgrading memory is very negligible compared to the instant benefits that it provides.

Whatever your issue, we can get you working at your speed rather than being at the mercy of your computer’s slowness.  Call us at 386-248-0000, visit us at our office, or on the Contact Us page and mention this article to receive a free diagnosis on why your computer is being slow.

Being stuck without any Internet connection and scrambling to get that email sent out in time is one of the worst positions to be in for most people.  We have all been there with thoughts racing through our minds (mostly frustration) and wires in our hands trying to see if it’s “our problem” or “the ISP‘s problem.”  While sometimes our Internet provider is to blame, sometimes bad weather, power issues, and physical conditions contribute to networking equipment breaking down and failing.  Finding the equipment failing is the key to solving problems with Internet downtime.

Begin by checking the modem to see which lights are lit – often a device provided by your ISP (hooks up to a cable connection, fiber, T1, or telephone line).

  • No lights may indicate the modem isn’t getting power or has suffered a hardware failure.  Checking the connections and call your Internet provider if you cannot get it to turn on.
  • If you have an “Internet” (or “Cable”, etc.) light lit, you may have another device at fault, especially if your “PC,” “LAN,” or “Send/Receive” are not lit.
  • If your Internet light is not lit but your other lights are lit (such as “PC” or “LAN”) your Internet provider may be out.  Not much to do about this situation but call them.
  • If everything is lit and appears OK, you may have a problem with another piece of equipment or you may need to reboot the modem (unplug and plug it back in).

Next we have the router (which often distributes your connection to multiple machines or via wireless) to check and inspect.

  • No lights indicates the router isn’t getting power or is dead.  Consider plugging in a single computer to the modem temporarily until you can get a replacement router. Net Works provides router replacement and installation if you need assistance.
  • If your “WAN” light is not lit, check to ensure the cable connecting the modem to the router is in the right jack (marked or colored differently) and try a different cable if possible.
  • If none of the “Ethernet” or “LAN (1/2/3/4)” ports are lit, the cable between the router and computer may be unplugged on either end or may need replaced.
  • If everything is lit and appears OK, try rebooting the router as sometimes they experience intermittent issues (regular problems indicate a hardware issue – the router should be replaced in that case).

Lastly we have the computer itself, which is probably the most difficult to troubleshoot of all.

  • Try restarting – does it complain about a cable being unplugged?  If so, check the connection to your router.
  • If you are on wireless, check to ensure you have the right wireless settings saved by clicking on the icon in your task tray (bottom-right).
  • In some situations, plugging the computer directly into the modem (instead of the router) may resolve the issue temporarily.  You may also try a new jack on the router (as long as it is not the solo “WAN” port).

If all else fails and your Internet provider says things look good on their end, we highly recommend calling a local networking and computer repair company to service your issue.  Often a missed deadline costs more than a service call and will let you keep your sanity.  Net Works, Inc. has been in business for over ten years and has been servicing Daytona Beach, Port Orange, Ormond Beach, and the greater Volusia county area’s need for an experienced networking and computer repair company. We can be reached locally at 386-248-0000, toll-free at 866-590-7233, and via email at info@daytonanetworks.com (or just use the Contact Us page).

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