Computerware Blog

Is your computer taking longer to boot up then you remember it taking back when it was new? One reason may be due to unneeded applications opening up automatically every time you power on your PC. These extra apps can also slow down the overall performance of your PC. We will show you how to disable these speed bumps.

There are several practices that you can do in order to keep your PC safe from computer viruses. Not visiting shady websites and keeping your antivirus program up-to-date are proven best practices; although, sometimes these practices are not enough. Sometimes hackers will find vulnerabilities in a trusted application and take advantage of them, this happened recently to Java.

A well-used PC may not run as fast as it used to. There are dozens of procedures you can try that will speed up a slow computer. Some procedures, like tinkering with the hardware or reinstalling your OS, can be intrusive and a lot of work. Before trying something drastic, you may first want to try these three simple actions to boost PC performance.

The Internet is a fast-changing, practically organic entity, and you can think of your web browser as the window to the Internet. These days, most people use one of the three most popular browsers; Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Internet Explorer. The later of which comes installed on every PC.

A help desk that offers 24/7 remote support is a service that is easy to take for granted, primarily because most of the calls received are related to computer issues, and when PCs are properly maintained, issues are minimized. When computer problems do crop up, the help desk will be there for you and prove its value in your hour of greatest need.

Here are four of the most valuable features of Computerware's 24/7 remote help desk.

24/7, More than a Number
Our technicians are literally standing by around the clock, prepared to take your call. If it is the weekend and you are burning the midnight oil on a project, and your PC goes kaput, then you do not have to panic because you know that you have a team ready, willing, and capable to resolve your issue right then and there. We get these late night calls regularly and find it quite gratifying to play the role of hero by talking people through their late night IT crises.

Remote Support
There is a huge difference between a hotline that gives advice and a remote support service. When calling a help hotline you will have someone walk you through what to do, which can prove difficult if you are already frustrated due to a malfunctioning computer. With remote support, we have the ability to control your PC from our end, run diagnostics, and troubleshoot problems with best practices. This will leave you with the luxury of sitting back and relaxing while we do the heavy lifting.

Skilled Technicians
We have experienced level I & II technicians that are battle-tested and have likely dealt with your issue before. You might be at the end of your wits trying to fix your PC, but if you call one of our techs for help, then they will remotely take care of your issue from their end with a few clicks and restore both your PC and your sanity. In fact, our technicians are so good that 90% of non-break fix issues are resolved by the end of the call.

Friendly Technicians
It is also important to point out that our help desk technicians are based in America. We are intentional about this because we understand the value of communication. We understand that problems are resolved quicker and customer experience is improved if needs can be communicated on the first attempt. We also understand the value of talking with a real person. In fact, 90% of calls are answered by a flesh and blood human being within 180 seconds, this makes for a much more pleasant experience than having to navigate an endless maze of automated menus.

Making ourselves available 24/7 to take care of technology issues is just one example of how Computerware goes out of our way to provide you with outstanding customer service. To find out more about 24/7 remote help desk support service, call us at (703) 821-8200. We will take the time to learn about the unique needs of your business and set you up with a single, low-cost flat-rate per-user plan that won't change no matter how much you call for help.

In today's digital office, it seems odd that fax machines still have a home; yet there they sit, collecting dust and still churning out the occasional fax. One would assume that e-mail would have dethroned the fax machine a long time ago, and while e-mail is popular, fax machines still hold a place in the modern office.

In 2012, the popularity of smartphones skyrocketed to a 46% ownership rate for American adults according to Pew Research. In 2013, worldwide sales of smartphones and tablets are projected to hit a record 1.2 billion. Both of these figures would increase if other mobile devices like laptops and notebooks were also taken into account. This growing trend is great news for retailers, and even better news for thieves who specialize in ripping off unattended mobile devices. Unfortunately, this crime rate is also increasing; more than 2 million laptops are swiped every year according to laptop security company LoJack.

If you are enjoying the newly redesigned Windows 8, then you are going to love the new Microsoft Office 365. Scheduled for release during Q1 of 2013, your favorite Office applications have been overhauled with cloud computing services, touch screen capabilities, and much more. We will highlight a few of these new features by looking at Outlook 2013.

You are bound to make mistakes when using your computer, many of these mistakes are no big deal, just hit the undo button. Not every task has an undo button, for example, there are no take backs if you hit Reply All to an e-mail that contains sensitive information, and the aftermath from such a slip up can be costly.

Public speaking can be difficult, and with some people it can be even more difficult to sit through. With technology like PowerPoint and projectors, technology has really helped make public speaking easy to do and even tolerable to sit through. Here are some new presentations tools that will help take your next speech to the next level.

Your staff is a fine-tuned team that can crack any problem. You watch them destroy challenges every day, all while staying within budget. It only seems natural to assign one of your bright employees to repair a broken computer; sure they can figure it out, but factor in all the time spent on the issue and all of your savings may vanish.

"The Internet? Is that thing still around?" -Homer J. Simpson. Not only is the internet still around, but it grows exponentially every year. Internet giant Google exemplifies this, growing from a start up in a garage in 1998, to dozens of data centers around the world today. Each data center stores massive amounts of data that make up what we call the internet.

Sit back in your chair and take a look around your business. Your employees are helping customers from all over the Northern Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC region and beyond. Your mailbox is full of letters and packages from all around the globe, and your presence on the world wide web is literally connecting you all over the world. The complex coordination of people and resources you see in front of you is called logistics.

Exercise is at the top of most people's New Year's Eve resolution list, but for many tech heads, number two on the list may be spending less time on the internet. To help you achieve this internetless goal, there is an app called Freedom that will help you to control your internet browsing time so that you can be more productive.

If you are a veteran of the many different editions of Microsoft's Windows operating systems, and you are having a difficult time adjusting to the new tile interface of Windows 8, then we have for you a free download for a classic toolbar that can be used with Windows 8. This will essentially make everything right again with a single button.

(To the tune of: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year)

It's the most wonderful tech of the year
With smartphones a ringing
And music a streaming and caches are clear
It's the most wonderful tech of the year

2013 is looking to be another exciting year for the IT industry, starting off with the release of Microsoft Office 365 in the first quarter. On the heels of Windows 8, Office 365 looks like it will benefit from similar upgrades that will incorporate cloud services and touch screen capabilities. We will preview four of these features by looking at Excel 2013.

If you have ever experienced data loss, then you have likely had this same expression on your face. Drew Carey had an entire workday erased due to a system error. Drew was saving his work directly to his laptop, without additional backups in place Drew's data was vulnerable to a hard drive failure, or even a computer crash.

We are counting down to 2013, but before we close the books on 2012, let us take a painful-yet-entertaining look back at the top 5 technology fails from 2012. Hopefully, history will not repeat itself and the tech industry will learn from its 2012 flops and have less missteps in 2013--yeah right!

Mobile devices are handy, but the need to pack a USB cable or wall charger takes away from the mobile experience. Cords do not fit well in pockets, and often require a carry-on bag, yet everybody carries a wallet. ChargeCard is a new product that has condensed an iPhone USB cable into a credit card shaped portable solution.