My Way of giving back to the community...Need Computer help? post here!

[GerardoG]

Hi there! I need help!!! Let me explain my issue. We just switched to fiber optic modem (model is I-240-WR), and all of our computers and toys are Mac (laptops, desktops, iPads, etc.). After the change, the reception in certain areas is pretty bad, and the idea of running ethernet wires to add second routers/repeaters is out of the question (big mess to do so through brick and concrete).

I tried Airport Express but somehow I get a system issue that does not allow it to hook up to the existing WiFi and expand range, so one of my brothers suggesting adding a high gain antenna. I googled the concept and came with tons of models, brands, 'gains' (?), dB (?)....

What can/should I do?

Thank ou in advance.

[FNFZ4]

Hi

The easiest solution to your problem is called a wireless range extender.

Netgear Universal Dual Band WiFi Range Extender (WN2500RP)

I have used this one many times and is effective.

[GerardoG]

Thank you. Where can i get it?

[GerardoG]

One question: why current airport might not be 'extending'?

[Silvio Mosiello]

Thanks so much for this thread man! I dont have any questions now but I will in time! I am currently a proud owner of a BMW now and love it!

[FNFZ4]

Originally Posted by GerardoG

Thank you. Where can i get it?

bestbuy is the best place it get it or newegg. it can be bought through any IT store like Frys.

Originally Posted by GerardoG

One question: why current airport might not be 'extending'?

I cant say. it could be because of the frequency or the channels are in correct

[GerardoG]

Dear Alfred:

In reference to your post on my current issue; I followed your advice and bought a Netgear extender and it works GREAT! My problem was solved, setup takes seconds and all your coverage needs are satisfied!

I just wanted to THANK YOU for your suggestion!!!!

[NYC6]

Thanks for the offer Alfred, I'll take you up on it.
I know barely anything about these witchery machines. Posting on a forum is about the extend of my knowledge. We got netflix streaming about a year ago and needed a wireless router to make the connection to a tv in the master bedroom. Had a friend install it on my PC. After a month or so we found it wasnt worth it as most of the stuff was garbage and we went with the netflix CD offering instead.
My friend and I have since had a falling out and dont know anyone nearby to ask how to do remove the belkin router because it often disconnects me from the web, Im also conserned about security. I hear it can be penetrated more easily with wireless.
If its easy for you would it be possible for you to explain it to me to remove this thing and get it back to before I would appreciate your help. Thanks.

2010 BMW 135i owner.

[bicismith]

is there any device that will wirelessly send/receive a video signal to a monitor elsewhere in the same room?

I'm trying to avoid running a thick and long DVI cable from my HTPC (home theater computer) to a separate monitor.

it doesn't need to be anything fancy and i don't have the monitor yet. would probably get a 19" or so widescreen lcd

[FNFZ4]

Originally Posted by GerardoG

Dear Alfred:

In reference to your post on my current issue; I followed your advice and bought a Netgear extender and it works GREAT! My problem was solved, setup takes seconds and all your coverage needs are satisfied!

I just wanted to THANK YOU for your suggestion!!!!

Glad I was able to help.

Originally Posted by NYC6

Thanks for the offer Alfred, I'll take you up on it.
I know barely anything about these witchery machines. Posting on a forum is about the extend of my knowledge. We got netflix streaming about a year ago and needed a wireless router to make the connection to a tv in the master bedroom. Had a friend install it on my PC. After a month or so we found it wasnt worth it as most of the stuff was garbage and we went with the netflix CD offering instead.
My friend and I have since had a falling out and dont know anyone nearby to ask how to do remove the belkin router because it often disconnects me from the web, Im also conserned about security. I hear it can be penetrated more easily with wireless.
If its easy for you would it be possible for you to explain it to me to remove this thing and get it back to before I would appreciate your help. Thanks.

2010 BMW 135i owner.

Well it depends. you dont want wireless but do you have other equipment that would rely on it like mobile phones, Ipads laptops etc.... I do not have a clear knowledge of your home setup. Im guessing there is a DSL or cable modem and he is sharing the internet from that device via the belkin router.

Originally Posted by bicismith

is there any device that will wirelessly send/receive a video signal to a monitor elsewhere in the same room?

I'm trying to avoid running a thick and long DVI cable from my HTPC (home theater computer) to a separate monitor.

it doesn't need to be anything fancy and i don't have the monitor yet. would probably get a 19" or so widescreen lcd

apple has this technology. its called air play.

[Painter]

So Alfred what do you think the problem is here???
I was watching a movie on my computer and suddenly it just died, now I cant even reboot it?!?! No lifesigns at all !!

[FNFZ4]

Wow. That looks like the 24pin burned. Im on my iphone and cant really see clearly but looks like youre out of luck my friend. The board is also damaged. You will have to replace the motherboard and powersupply. Thats going to be expensive about 150 bucks. You can try and find the board on ebay. I was succesful at sourcing out parts there before.

[Painter]

Originally Posted by FNFZ4

Wow. That looks like the 24pin burned. Im on my iphone and cant really see clearly but looks like youre out of luck my friend. The board is also damaged. You will have to replace the motherboard and powersupply. Thats going to be expensive about 150 bucks. You can try and find the board on ebay. I was succesful at sourcing out parts there before.

yeah something did burn up in there!!
I plugged in a "reserv" psu and It held for 8 straight hours before it went down... So I guess I need to buy a new psu and motherboard !!
$150 will not be enough... That 1250w OCZ psu that fried cost me $400 and the motherboard another $300 ..
Well I guess I'll be heading to the computershop tomorrow !!

[Cru Jones]

Hey Alfred. Great thread! I am not very computer savvy, but, it does seem like you've been helping to resolve some hi-tech issues.

My question is a little embarrassing.....I've got a netbook running Windows 7. It has a USB port but does not have CD/DVD drive. In a moment of frustration the other day (four year old wouldn't stop entering my easy password), I changed my password. Made it really tough so that the four year old couldn't log in whenever she wants. But, of course, I've now forgotten the password.

Is there anything I can do besides wiping everything clean, reinstalling and starting over?

Thank you.....

[wantonebad]

Originally Posted by Cru Jones

Hey Alfred. Great thread! I am not very computer savvy, but, it does seem like you've been helping to resolve some hi-tech issues.

My question is a little embarrassing.....I've got a netbook running Windows 7. It has a USB port but does not have CD/DVD drive. In a moment of frustration the other day (four year old wouldn't stop entering my easy password), I changed my password. Made it really tough so that the four year old couldn't log in whenever she wants. But, of course, I've now forgotten the password.

Is there anything I can do besides wiping everything clean, reinstalling and starting over?

Thank you.....

I believe you can use a thumbdrive in place of a CD to create a reset disk. You can also use third party software. I'm sure Alfred will have additional ideas, here's one website with some step-by-steps

RESET-PASSWORD

[FNFZ4]

Im guessing its the win7 starter edition since its on a netbook.

There is a third-party software that we use to take out forgotten passwords. Best thing to do if you dont want to wipe everything is to bring it to a repair facility. I could help you but im reluctant into teaching people how to hack passwords in an online fora.

Sorry cant be of much help in this case.

The windows recovery cd or recovery flash drive can only be made inside the windows environment after authentication.

[FNFZ4]

1250 watts psu seems excessive unless you have a crazy setup with several raids, lights, etc.... $400 for a PSU is too much imho. $300 motherboard? Whats that an abit?

[Cru Jones]

Originally Posted by wantonebad

I believe you can use a thumbdrive in place of a CD to create a reset disk. You can also use third party software. I'm sure Alfred will have additional ideas, here's one website with some step-by-steps

RESET-PASSWORD

thanks for the link.

as confirmed by alfred below (*i think*), a CD or USB key can only help if i had created a password back up before getting locked out.

Originally Posted by FNFZ4

Im guessing its the win7 starter edition since its on a netbook.

There is a third-party software that we use to take out forgotten passwords. Best thing to do if you dont want to wipe everything is to bring it to a repair facility. I could help you but im reluctant into teaching people how to hack passwords in an online fora.

Sorry cant be of much help in this case.

The windows recovery cd or recovery flash drive can only be made inside the windows environment after authentication.

thanks, i understand why it's a bit tricky to give good advice here. you were right, the netbook came with a windows 7 starter edition.

i will either try to find a repair shop or, since there wasn't much yet on the netbook, just take it as a lesson and wipe 'er clean.

thank you for your response.

[wantonebad]

Originally Posted by Cru Jones

thanks for the link.

as confirmed by alfred below (*i think*), a CD or USB key can only help if i had created a password back up before getting locked out.

Quite right Cru, sorry I misunderstood, good luck with your repair.

[Painter]

Originally Posted by FNFZ4

1250 watts psu seems excessive unless you have a crazy setup with several raids, lights, etc.... $400 for a PSU is too much imho. $300 motherboard? Whats that an abit?

Yeah I have alot of stuff in there.. 5x ssd, sli gtx580 graphic cards and so on.. Asus motherboards cost $300 here in Sweden... Sweden is expensive

[FNFZ4]

I wish you the best Brother! Try Acronis only backup. its 250Gigs for like $50 bucks a year. Better than Carbonite IMHO

[FNFZ4]

Wow.... That does hurt.

[slvrbulletv6]

Hi Alfred! I'm looking to purchase an external HD to back up my Mac Book Pro (via Time Machine) etc. Any recommendations on certain good quality external HDs / deals for these holiday times?

(I'm not in much of a hurry but I want to grab one at a deal if there are any now, cyber monday, christmas, post christmas NYE sales etc.)

[Grissom]

I recently purchased a G-Tech G Drive, and could not be more pleased.....they are available from the Apple Store and mine will price match up to a difference of 10%. Might be some Black Friday deals out there.....just make sure you know what models you are comparing...some have USB3 connectivity, others USB2 and Firewire....Until Alfred comes along with his recommendations.

Good luck!

[FNFZ4]

Originally Posted by slvrbulletv6

Hi Alfred! I'm looking to purchase an external HD to back up my Mac Book Pro (via Time Machine) etc. Any recommendations on certain good quality external HDs / deals for these holiday times?

(I'm not in much of a hurry but I want to grab one at a deal if there are any now, cyber monday, christmas, post christmas NYE sales etc.)

Good Quality external drives dont come cheap.There are some questions one may ask himself when purchasing a backup drive. ask yourself these...

1.) What form factor do I want it to be? 3.5 inch or 2.5 inch. Most 3.5 inch comes with an external power supply meaning it has an AC adapter included. All 2.5 form factors are powered via USB. I would personally recommend a 2.5 form factor because its more versatile and more portable.

2.) What size or capacity do I need? The bigger the capacity the better. but if your hard drive is only 160Gigs, it does not make any sense to shell out the extra bucks for a 3TB HDD. The General rule of thumb for backups is size of HDD x 3. Meaning if you have a HDD capacity of 160GB then a 500GB would suffice for backups.

3.) I am a huge Seagate fan. in my 14 years in the industry, I have not seen many of them fail! I have seen more Hitatchi drives fail in my lifetime than any other drive. I would go with Seagate.

as for the deals this coming black friday:

Wal-Mart Toshiba 1TB Portable Hard Drive $59.00 is the best deal!

you might also want to get an Emerson TV for $148... I bought the same TV last year for $198 and its a great TV!!!

[slvrbulletv6]

Originally Posted by FNFZ4

Good Quality external drives dont come cheap.There are some questions one may ask himself when purchasing a backup drive. ask yourself these...

1.) What form factor do I want it to be? 3.5 inch or 2.5 inch. Most 3.5 inch comes with an external power supply meaning it has an AC adapter included. All 2.5 form factors are powered via USB. I would personally recommend a 2.5 form factor because its more versatile and more portable.

2.) What size or capacity do I need? The bigger the capacity the better. but if your hard drive is only 160Gigs, it does not make any sense to shell out the extra bucks for a 3TB HDD. The General rule of thumb for backups is size of HDD x 3. Meaning if you have a HDD capacity of 160GB then a 500GB would suffice for backups.

3.) I am a huge Seagate fan. in my 14 years in the industry, I have not seen many of them fail! I have seen more Hitatchi drives fail in my lifetime than any other drive. I would go with Seagate.

as for the deals this coming black friday:

Wal-Mart Toshiba 1TB Portable Hard Drive $59.00 is the best deal!

you might also want to get an Emerson TV for $148... I bought the same TV last year for $198 and its a great TV!!!

Thanks for the response. I'm willing to pay for quality, but if I can pay less than retail, the better of course...but any way I can get it around $100? My macbook pro is 500 gig, so I want to back that up; according to you, ideally I would need a 1.5 Tetrabytes HD 2.5 Seagate?

[Trewth]

Have a an older HP in the kids room and holds three drives. The D: factory image drive says is full at 10 gigs. So should I be doing anything? Plenty of room in the other 250gig drive but this is a recovery drive and wondering if it is what is slowing the computer down?

[FNFZ4]

Originally Posted by Trewth

Have a an older HP in the kids room and holds three drives. The D: factory image drive says is full at 10 gigs. So should I be doing anything? Plenty of room in the other 250gig drive but this is a recovery drive and wondering if it is what is slowing the computer down?

No dont do anything to that drive. that holds the factory image when you need to restore to factory settings. it will always say full.

[FNFZ4]

Yes the General rule is X3. but you also have to take in consideration the type of backup you are doing. how much data do you have? youll be safe with 1T with a max of 2T. Id go 1T if the data does not exceed 400 gigs

[masterserg]

Hey Alfred,

Speaking of backups ... what's your thought on cloud services such as Carbonite? More specifically, do you know if it can be used with something like Truecrypt?

Thanks for the thread! Good stuff!

Serg