Windows 7 Upgrade:
Right now Windows Vista users can upgrade to Windows 7 trial and evaluation version. The full version of Windows 7 will not be coming out October 22, 2009. Jim (a computer repair friend of mine) installed this new operating system on my newer, HP computer. All the drivers now work where they did not with Vista. With Vista the printer, camera, voice recorder and other devices stopped functioning. Somehow the operating system became corrupted and many functions ceased to work and this was shortly after a reinstall. This may have been partially due to negligence on my part by not running paid anti-virus protection. Now with Windows 7, even in its beta format, Jim brought my computer back to life and it runs great. Jim did the job in a timely and professional manner. When Jim did the new install no personal data was lost, though he did save the data files on a back up hard drive first, and reinstalled them when finished. Make sure to save all your program disks that you add to the computer, along with any codes, emails related to additional software and disks that came with the computer. I just did a reinstall on Windows XP and the customer had his original XP disk which saved a truckload of money.The work Jim did was the most professional work I have ever received for computers. He first carefully and professionally went through the Vista operating system. After finding the Vista operating system was too corrupted, not to mention improperly installed from a prior reinstall done by a local computer repair shop, (Geeks on Wheels) Jim suggested upgrading to Windows 7. Windows 7 is now running on my HP and it is doing better than it has ever performed. The drivers and other software programs had to be reinstalled since the hard drive was reformatted which takes a little time however, everything runs better than my computer has ever run before. Since the upgrade I have seen immediate improvements. The full value of the monitor’s graphics are finally recognized as the screen comes to fully to life with new graphics. Colors are enhanced and I notice a crisper cleaner sound through the sound card. Windows 7 is not fully complete and I suspect there will be several improvements soon such as an improved intranet explorer and the lack of a media player that plays DVD’s and CD’s. I can already see immediate improvements as far as boot up time and program installs, uninstalls, and ease of use. I have not had any trouble learning the new operating system nor have I had many problems with compatibility errors that could not be fixed. All in all I have no regrets to upgrading my system. I have seen several online media players that can be downloaded however I still haven’t selected one to download yet. As far as intranet’s explorer, I only seem to be able to open one window at a time however I found a way around it by clicking the “Google” button on the bottom left, next to the program button. With the Google button I click it and a small search button comes up. I then type in “msn.com” the name of my regular homepage and when it comes up I have another window open and I can resume work. So far I have not encountered any other suspicious operating problems. My computer is a desktop and seems to run just fine with Windows 7. The speed is good with my duo-core and 3 gigs of ram. I am not sure if it takes up more or less space on the hard drive, I am thinking less but I don't know for sure. All I know is I like it and it works good. Also it is easier to create new folders in different file groups, which is something it seems like Vista sort of forgot, along with the brains... Drawbacks to beta version of Windows 7:
Though Windows 7 beta testing software has been taken offline and no longer available for free, still it may be installed if one made a disk to install it and you have the codes. The beta version does not play CD’s or DVD’s, since it came with no media player, and I noticed the updating has ceased. The main other drawback is that you will need to purchase a paid program sometime about mid 2010 or your computer will cease to function until you get a licensed copy of Windows 7.XP Reinstall:
On one of the computers I work on Jim did an XP reinstall. The operating system had become extremely corrupt due to several unhealed non-quarantined viruses and outdated anti-virus protection. Jim reinstalled XP on that computer and now it runs great. Jim was able to get all the hardware and devices running well and knew exactly what he was doing when he worked on the XP machine. One final word about Jim he is not just a computer technician he is a computer genius and a miracle worker when it comes to these machines. I did notice that some of the viruses seemed to come through the computer even after a reinstall was made. Another computer I ran iolo’s professional system mechanic in a wipe mode doing a seven times military spec wipe. When I reinstalled XP, several days later, the computer did not even have a trace of a virus. Sometimes in worst cases you really have to get mean with these machines to get them repaired…Computer Repair:
Though I do not want to spend a lot of time on computer repair if it helps pay the bills and keeps this ministry alive I will do it. I can handle most computer repair jobs and what I can’t I send to Jim S. my computer specialist who like I say does excellent work. I do excellent work as well though not as quick however quite thorough. I know enough about computers to know when I have met my match and that is when I go through Jim who charges more but he also has more expertise and can fix any and every computer related problem. If you are in Redding give Jim S. a call if you are serious and need work done. Don't call Jim for tech support and only if you live in the Redding area. Please email me if you are in the Redding area and I will give you his contact details: Please state, "need computer repair." 
