Think you have a virus? Scan online Free!

There are several companies that allow you to scan your computer for free, and remove any viruses found. These are great for second opinions, that is if you think your virus protection is not working correctly and especially if you don't have any at all. You can find a list of some free scanners on my web site under internet resouces and here is a few more.

http://www.bitdefender.com/


http://www.commandondemand.com/


https://www.webimmune.net/default.asp


http://www.trendsecure.com/portal/en-US/


http://www.pandasecurity.com/activescan/index/?track=1&Lang=en-US&IdPais=63


http://www.pcpitstop.com/default.asp

For those of you that are interested in more detail on viruses/worms and such, this is one of the most informative web sites I have ever found http://www.infosyssec.org/

So check them out. If you having trouble booting into windows to run one of the scans, boot to safe mode with networking, by pressing the F8 key repeatively when you fist turn on your computer. This will allow you to bypass alot of files and still be able to get on the internet to run a few scans.

Good Luck

Computer Gal

Free PC Disposal Service at our Brooksville Florida Location

Computer Gal's is proud to announce our new computer disposal service at our Brooksville Florida location . There are laws regarding the proper disposal of computers and laptops. Computers contain dangerous chemicals such as arsenic, nickel, lithium, cadmium, chromium and mercury. Some of the plastics used in computers is PVC which is one of the most environmentally unfriendly plastics around. We realize there is a need for a drop off location in the Brooksville Florida area, and since we must properly dispose of our customers computers anyway, we might as well help out some folks by taking theirs too. Occasionly we can even salvage an old computer to give to a child to help them do their homework So, please feel free to drop off or we will pic up your old computers dead or alive between the hours of 10:00 am - 5:00 pm. Please call the shop before hand just to make sure someone is there at 352-505-2467

Thanks again to all our loyal readers!

Computer Gal

Watch Free TV on your PC Anytime with AnyTV

You know that somewhere on this big open web that you should be able to watch some free tv don't ya? The problem is where. How many times have you went to a web site thinking that you could watch a little tvola, just to find out that you just infected your computer with thirteen variations of viruses and worms. I have found just the place for you that you can not only watch tv, but listen to the radio, or watch video channels from around the world. All it takes is 3 simple steps to be on your way. First get in your car, drive 250 miles to the nearest cell tower and ...NO....just a little computer gal humor there, what's that laugh that Mork from Ork used to do......

Here is the real list of what to do....

1. First time you launch AnyTv, you'll be prompted to download the channel list, click yes to allow, as we need that (right). Click close when it is finished downloading, takes 60-120 seconds. Ok now you got the list in front of you, so...
2. If you would rather not scroll through the hundreds of foeign-language channels, from ALL OVER THE WORLD, click the "All Countries" drop down menu and select the locations that you do want to check out. Now there are a few U.S. Regions, so go threw the list so you don't miss anything.
3. Step 3, is the easiest one, pick the channel, and click the play button, ok, now let me repeat that one, choose the channel, and click PLAY, ooopps, there goes my Mork from Ork laugh again......


Ok, you can get the player in a couple places, the author's site
http://www.anytvplayer.com/download.html
Where you will click on the AnyTv FREE to download, or you can download it from PC World, where they have a nice little article about it as well, it can be found here

As always I hope I have enlighted you in someway, or at least given you something new to do with your computer. If you find any of my tips helpful or you are just a nice person, we have alittle donation button on the home page found at www.computer-gal.com, so if you could throw Computer Gal a buck or two, I promise to post more often .....No but really, I want to try that thing where everyone in the world donates one dollar to see if I can become a millionaire (oh shutup Mork)....

Till Later your favorite computer lady

Computer Gal

Free Full Featured Office Suite ~ IBM's Lotus Symphony

Well Gang,

As we all know I am a Microsoft partner and proud of it. I prefer that you purchase your office suites from me since I am a partner. As a partner I can save you alot of money and usually can throw in bonus gifts or software. I do understand that hey, times are tough and sometimes you need a office like program and don't have the ole cashola. Well, we all know that we have the great program open office which is easily downloaded or for the dial up users out there, I can download, burn you a copy and mail it to you, all for $5.00. Now we have another alternative.

IBM is offering a free copy of Lotus Symphony Beta 4 free for the download. Lotus Symphony was voted office productivity software product of the year for 2008 by Datamation Magazine's Readers! So, what do you have to lose? The same price applies for this product if you need us to download and copy to a cd for you. For $5.00 we will even pay the first class shipping for all US orders.

To download yourself click here or to have us create and mail to you

If you have any questions, as always please feel free to email us at suppot@computer-gal.com

Have a Great day!!

Computer Gal

INSTALLING A HUSBAND (too funny not to post)

I normally don't read the joke chain letters that people pass back and forth to one another, for the obvious reasons :)

But, this was just too funny. I very good friend of mine Peggy, who is more like my adopted mother sent me this one, and since it has to do with technology (tongue in cheek), I had to post.

Ok, so women, you will know what I mean here, and men, I'm sorry, but I am a woman and well......

INSTALLING A HUSBAND
Dear Tech Support,

Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slow down in overall system performance, particularly in the flower and jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0. In addition, Husband 1.0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5, and then installed undesirable programs such as NASCAR 6.0, NFL 5.1 and Golf Clubs 4.1. Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system. Please note that I have tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail. What can I do?

Signed,
Desperate.

DEAR DESPERATE,
First, keep in mind, Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while Husband 1.0 is an operating system. Please enter command: ithoughtyoulovedme.html and try to download Tears 6.2 and do not forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update. If that application works as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5. However, remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0 or Beer 6.1. Please note that Beer 6. 1 is a very bad program that will download the Farting and Snoring Loudly Beta. Whatever you do, DO NOT under any circumstances install Mother-In-Law 1.0 (it runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources.) In addition, please do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0-program. These are unsupported applications and will crash Husband 1.0. In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance. We recommend Cooking 3.0 and Hot Lingerie 7.7. Good Luck Ba be!

Tech Support

Thanks again Peggy for the technical humor..

Computer Gal

Live Virus Information Feeds

Do you want to check out all the live virus information feeds all in one place? If so, here you go

http://www.wugnet.com/virusfeed.asp

Here you will find the feeds of all the big players, such as symantec, trend micros, panda and norton.

Curious for more information on those nasty critters?

http://go.compuserve.com/viruscentral

Check out this site, for more feeds and links to other useful sites.

Don't forget that we also have a list of free antivirus / firewall program downloads, and links to web sites that you can scan your computer free immediately online on Computer Gal's!

http://www.computer-gal.com/resource.htm

I'll check back later, as I have a lot of great tips to catch everyone up on, so check back soon!

Computer Gal....

Great News!! Computer Gal's is Now a Dell Partner

What does this mean? SAVINGS for all our customers! We are now able to order direct at a huge savings for our customers! We will be adding more information in the next couple days, including new products already configured for you, or links to email / call us for quotes for custom systems.

Computer Gal

Free Xerox Color Printer

Since Computer Gal's is a Value Added Reseller, we are able to offer many promotions to our customers.

Xerox is offering free printers to businesses that print at least 500 pages per month.
What is the catch, well, really there is not one at all. The only thing they ask is that you buy the ink/toner that you need for the printer from them at a discount of 30% off.

The economy is bad, and large businesses realize that, and in order to move out stock, they will offer promotions like this (rarely). This is one of the best promotions I have seen, so please consider this offer if you are in need of a color printer.

Please contact us at support@computer-gal.com for more information on how to receive a free printer, and the specs on the four models currently available.

Until later

Computer Gal!

Computer Gal's Microsoft Small Business PC Campaign

I am so excited to inform our customers about the new Small Business Campaign.

What is the Small Business PC Campaign?
The Small Business PC Campaign seeks to provide small business owners with the “complete PC”— Windows® Vista Ultimate with Service Pack 1, Microsoft® Office Small Business 2007, Windows® Small Business Server 2003 R2, and Windows Live™ OneCare™. To help small business get everything done easier, the “complete PC” provides them the software to: 1) work more efficiently 2) backup and better protect data 3) market and sell 4) stay more connected 5) and keep network reliable and security-enhanced.

What is the Promotion?

Windows Vista Ultimate Rewards
Windows Vista
Ultimate with SP1
$50 Ultimate Rewards check
Big Easy Offer – Rebate ($)
Office Small Business 2007
$40 Rebate
Office Professional 2007
$50 Rebate
Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 Standard
$95 Rebate

Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 Premium
$215 Rebate

Buy Local Offer – FREE Hardware
Windows Vista Ultimate with Service Pack 1
LapLink PCMover
Maxtor™ OneTouch™ 4 Mini 80GB HD
D-Link GamerLounge Wireless 108G Gaming Router
D-Link Wireless Pocket Router/AP
Epson® Ultra Hi-Definition R280 Photo Printer
Office Small Business 2007
LapLink Everywhere Connection Suite
Epson Stylus CX8400 All-in-One Printer
D-Link's Multifunction Print Server

Windows Live OneCare
Epson Stylus CX8400 All-in-One Printer

Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 Standard
Palm Treo 700w/x or Treo 750 Smartphone

Windows Small Business Server 2003 R2 Premium
Palm Treo 700w/x or Treo 750 Smartphone


How does Windows Vista Ultimate Reward work?
When customers purchase a PC preinstalled with qualifying Windows Vista Ultimate between April 1, 2008 and June 30, 2008, they are eligible to receive a $50 Windows Vista Ultimate Rewards check, made payable to the local PC builder from whom they’d purchased PCs. The $50 Windows Vista Ultimate Rewards check can be used to purchase any goods or services from the local PC builder with the exception of Microsoft software and hardware.

How does the Big Easy offer work with respect to Small Business PC Campaign?
Customers purchase qualifying products between February 1 and June 27, 2008. Customers can then redeem offers at http://offers.localpcbuilder.com/redeem until July 31, 2008. Microsoft will send the customers subsidy checks they can use toward qualified purchases from the partner of their choice. (Note: Checks must be used within 90 days of the issue date.)

How does the Buy Local 4.5 offer work with respect to Small Business PC Campaign?
Customers purchase qualified Microsoft products between January 1 and June 27, 2008 from a local PC builder within the United States. They will receive a free hardware product that corresponds with purchased Microsoft® software. Customers then need to validate the software purchased by following the instructions on the redemption page. (NOTE: Redemption must take place within 30 days of purchase.)

Getting it done just got easier. Microsoft small business PC— Windows® Vista Ultimate with Service Pack 1, Microsoft® Office Small Business 2007, Windows® Small Business Server 2003 R2, and Windows Live™ OneCare™—allows your people to:
Work more efficiently. Save time by finding and organizing information quickly and by
automating PC maintenance tasks.
Backup and better protect data. Protect valuable business data with scheduled data backup; provide virus and malware protection without outside technical support.
Market and sell. Manage customer information from one place; create professional documents and marketing materials in-house.
Stay more connected. Easily connect, communicate, and network with people and information anywhere.
Keep network reliable and security-enhanced. Protect your business and network from unauthorized users, threats and data loss.

This is a incredible deal for our customers allowing them to save some of their technolgoy budget dollars.

Please contact us for more information, including our graphical brochure detailing the benefits available for qualifying purchases.
support@computer-gal.com


hurry...times running out..
Computer Gal

AOC 19' Wide LCD Monitor On Sale Now

Great News,

As you know Computer Gal's has partnered up with many distributors in order to offer our customers great savings on a variety of products, including Microsoft and IBM. We have recently partnered with AOC in order to offer you savings on Monitors, LCD & CRT, as well as TV's. This weeks saving is on their 19 inch wide LCD, model # G19LWK.

Here is the description.

There is more to see with Envision’s G19LWK 19” widescreen desktop monitor. Maximize your view and productivity with its slim bezel design, which enables multi-display setups. Ideal for industry professionals; view applications side by side, eliminating the need to toggle between applications, and view more columns when working with tables or spreadsheets. It has 5ms response time for crystal-clear display of fast-moving objects and 300 cd/m2 brightness for superb image clarity. Enhance your viewing pleasure by watching DVDs from your computer in their natural wide-screen format.

Characteristics:

Resolution: 1440 x 900 RGB Analog & DVI-D Input Brightness: 300 cd/m2 Contrast Ratio: 800:1 Response Time: 5ms Built-in Stereo Speakers Anti-glare Treatment

Applications:

Whether you’re a top industry professional or just want the best price/performance in a monitor, the G19LWK is the solution.

This monitor is on sale now for $199.99 plus shipping!

Please email us at support@computer-gal.com for more information!

Sherry
www.computer-gal.com
www.computer-gals.net

Windows Vista SP1 & Device Drivers

I received this month's Microsoft Hardware newsletter and thought it might help some of you out there, so I am pasting it below in full.

Notice about Drivers and Windows Vista SP1

As the broad availability of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) approaches, it is important to review how to build quality device drivers that are deployable based on device installation requirements and best practices for Windows Vista (see Device Installation Rules for Windows Vista and Building Deployable Device Driver Packages). Windows Vista SP1 includes substantial improvements to the core operating system, components, driver stacks, and some inbox drivers. These improvements increase stability, robustness, and performance, enhance security, and include key changes to inbox drivers. As you are probably aware, our testing has revealed a few instances in which driver reinstallations result in unforeseen side-effects for some devices. In those instances, a manual reinstallation of the driver may be required after a Windows Vista SP1 installation. Because we do not want users to have a negative device experience, Because we do not want users to have a negative device experience, Windows Update will recognize PCs with problematic drivers and postpone offering SP1 to those PCs while we work with our partner ecosystem to mitigate these problems. For more detailed information, please review the following technical guidance and next steps. Based on the device installation requirements and best practices for Windows Vista, the Windows Vista SP1 update servicing process conducts an INF-based reinstallation of drivers that have dependencies on updated Windows Vista SP1 inbox drivers. This reinstallation helps to ensure a higher success rate for Windows Vista SP1 installation. Any software that is installed without using an INF-such as a Setup application or Windows Installer-remains unchanged, but the device itself is reinstalled by using an INF. The result is similar to using Device Manager to reinstall the device driver. If our testing identified problems during development, we contacted the appropriate partners to investigate the problems and provide fixes. Although we understand that as valued partners you have engaged in testing and have addressed driver problems that you discovered throughout the Windows Vista SP1 development cycle, we request your help now to mitigate any potential impact to end users who upgrade to Windows Vista SP1 by doing the following: Compare the behavior of your device before and after a Windows Vista SP1 update by doing the following:1. Perform a clean installation of the released version of Windows Vista.2. Install all Windows Vista critical and important updates from Windows Update.3. Confirm your device and driver functionality before the Windows Vista SP1 update, including making changes to the default device configuration.4.

To configure your PC to download Windows Vista SP1 over Windows Update, run the following commands at an elevated command prompt:. reg
deleteHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\VistaSp1 /f
> NUL 2>&1. reg deleteHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\VistaSP1 /f > NUL 2>&1. reg addHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\WindowsUpdate\VistaSp1 /v Beta1 /t REG_SZ /d dcf99ef8-d784-414e-b411-81a910d2761d /f5.

Install Windows Vista SP1 from Windows Update.6. Confirm that your device and driver functionality and configuration have not changed after the Windows Vista SP1 update. Review your completed Windows Vista SP1 update installation test efforts and results by:. Assessing your test results for any driver-specific update problems that require our attention.. Focusing on any problems that could result in the potential for a negative device experience after installing Windows Vista SP1. For example, look for changes in device behavior or configuration. Take the following steps for any devices or drivers that exhibit problems after a Windows Vista SP1 update:. Focus on drivers that could be problematic in servicing as a result of an installation that is based on an INF.. Be aware that drivers that require an end-user action or co-installation application may have specific problems with Windows Vista SP1. Ensure that your driver complies with all recommended guidance for Windows Vista driver development described on the WHDC Driver Installation page. Help remedy device or driver problems by doing the following:. If you identify a problem, contact your IHV/OEM technical account manager. They will assist you to resolve the problem through an updated driver and temporarily suspended automatic update.. If you do not have an IHV/OEM technical account manager, see Microsoft Help and Support to submit a request for support. All requests that result in a bug will be fully refunded. We thank you for your hard work on Windows Vista SP1 and value your continued partnership with Microsoft.

Edition forMarch 11, 2008
In This Issue:

From the Editor

Notice about Drivers and Windows Vista SP1
Tools and Links for Developers
Windows Driver Developer Kits, Tools, and Programs
•
Debugging Tools v.6.8.4.0 (October 2007)
•
Windows Driver Kit and Windows Logo Kit
•
WDK Documentation (monthly updates)
•
Windows Symbols (January 2008)
•
Logo Point (Windows Logo Program requirements and news)
•
WDK Documentation in 7 Languages: Try the Beta
Developing Drivers with Windows Driver Foundation
Buy the Book
WDF Resources on WHDC Web
Hardware and Driver Developer Community
•
XML Paper Specification (XPS) Developers Forum
•
Blogs, Newsgroups, and Video on WHDC
•
Notes from Windows Development Teams
The Microsoft Hardware Newsletter provides manufacturers and developers the latest technical details for how to succeed with the Windows platform. Register now, if you're not already receiving the Microsoft Hardware Newsletter. To cancel your subscription to this newsletter, reply to this message with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the Subject line. You can also unsubscribe at the Microsoft.com Web site. You can manage all your Microsoft.com communication preferences at this site.Legal Information.This newsletter was sent by the Microsoft Corporation1 Microsoft WayRedmond, Washington, USA98052

Computer Gal's

This Week's Hot Deals Tuesday, March 25, 2008




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Free Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Preview

Want to try out Microsoft's new SQL Server 2008 without downloading or installing anything. Well you can. All from the new online beta web site. You can use real data to test it out. Check it out here WWW.SQLSERVERBETA.COM

Time to close ebay store, I've had enough!

Well folks, I think it is time to begin the transition of closing our ebay store. eBay is really to much of a loss these days to continue as a viable option in our business plan. This month is another great example of how backwards their system is. I was on a two week vacation that ended this week. I returned back to the world of internet only to find out that I have a new bad feedback, three paypal claims and all my paypal funds are froze. Why, you ask, well because I was on vacation and could not answer my emails. Well, you are thinking I must not have posted my out of town status since folks and ebay are automatically assuming I am choosing them out of over 1,000 transaction to not send their merchandise too. Wrong, posted on each and every listing and on the front page of my ebay store. Matter of fact here is the note, do you think the font is to small?

Hello, Thank you for shopping at Computer Gal's as your business is appreciated! Just a note to let you know that the shop is closed for vacation until Mach 16th 2008. You may still view and purchase your item and it will be shipped just as soon as we re-open . Thank You again for shopping and remember to check the store for any additional items you may need as we love to combine shipping.

I used ebay's vacation tool to notify ebay too. Well, none of the above worked I guess. I got plenty of emails calling me a few choice words such as crook & theif and also got plenty of lawsuit threats too. Now I'm sure you are thinking these people must have ordered pretty expensive items to get so upset. Well is .99 cents expensive? Unfortunately for me, I had no internet use while out, so I could not email my customers and ask them if they noticed the banner across the listing when they ordered their item so they assumed the worse, and started the hate the ebay seller campaign. Well here comes the fun part. Paypal claims are filed and paypal freezes my account so now my funds are held up including the postage paid by my new customers. Fortunately for my customers I have enough in savings to cover the postage for the two weeks worth of orders & counting, while my funds are held up for about thirty days. Now lets assume I did not have any savings for a moment. Paypal's/ebay's tactic of holding the funds of all my orders including new orders while they investigate, does not make a lot of sense. If I did not have any savings like alot of ebay sellers I would not be able to ship any products for possibly up to 30 days. How many unhappy customers would that be for the average powerseller?

I called paypal and they said wow how terrible, your right, but....can't do anything about it. You are a victim of the ebay/paypal automatic we are keeping all your money scheme.

What kills me is, if my package had not arrived when I thought it should have, I would have immediately referred back to the listing to exam the shipping terms, and then would have probably noticed that the poor seller was just on vacation. The scary thing is a couple customers did notice, but were still mad that I did not drive back 500 miles to mail them their .99 cent game once they placed their order. I mean I should have right......I mean who am I to take a vacation.

Oh and to top it all off, my neighbor is telling everyone he is more knowledgeable in computer repair because he thinks he hacked my computer network since he copied a smiley face from my website....Hey neighbor copying a image from the internet is not hacking. You aren't even accessing my business network/files at all. Oh well, like they say, the truth is often stranger then fiction.

How to setup your computer for remote connection in XP

Want to be able to connect to your computer while your on the road, or even while your in the other room? XP has a really cool feature called Remote Desktop.

Remote Desktop, included with Windows XP Professional, enables you to connect to your computer across the Internet from virtually any computer, Pocket PC, or Smartphone. Once connected, Remote Desktop gives you mouse and keyboard control over your computer while showing you everything that's happening on the screen. With Remote Desktop, you can leave your computer at the office without losing access to your files, applications, and e-mail.

You need three things to create a remote location:

You need three things to create a remote location:

1.	Microsoft Windows XP Professional must be installed on the computer containing the files and programs that you want to access from a remote computer. The computer must also be part of a corporate network in which Remote Desktop connections are permitted. This computer is known as the host.
2.	The remote computer must be running Windows 95 or later. This computer must also have the Remote Desktop Connection client software installed. The remote computer is known as the client.
3.	Both computers must be connected to the Internet through a VPN connection. Note: If you're not connecting to the host computer through a VPN, you'll need to use the actual IP address of the host computer instead of the computer name.

To set up the Remote Desktop, start with the host computer, which in this example is your work computer.

Verify that you are signed in as the administrator. Start Control Panel, Performance and Maintenance Click System Click the remote tab, and then allow users to connect remotely to this computer, then Ok You will then want to make sure you have the firewall setup to allow this exception So, back to control panel and then security center Under manage securityl settings, click for firewall Make sure the Don't allow exceptions box is not checked Click the exception tab, and verify the remote desktop is checked, click ok and now this computer is ready to act as a host. You only need to write down the computer a name, so the client computer can indicate the computer name it wants to connect to. To do this In Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance, click System, and then click the Computer Name tab. Write down the full computer name, and then click OK. Close the control panel, and leave this computer on. Connect your remote computer to the host computer To connect your home computer, which is the client (or remote) computer to your work (or host) computer, follow these steps: 1. On your home computer, click Start, point to All Programs, and then point to Accessories. 2. In the Accessories menu, point to Communications, and then click Remote Desktop Connection. 3. In the Computer box, type the computer name of your host computer, which you wrote down earlier. 4. Click Connect and enter your logon name and password (if required)

The Remote Desktop window opens, and you see the desktop settings, files, and programs that are on your host computer, which in this example is your work computer. Your host computer remains locked, and nobody can access it without a password. In addition, no one will be able to see the work you are doing remotely.

To end your Remote Desktop session:

1.	Click Start, and then click Log Off at the bottom of the Start menu.
2.	When prompted, click Log Off.

There you have it, for more information and images check out Microsoft's help page for the full and complete instructions located here

Good Luck!

Computer Gal

Free Maxtor onetouch 4 mini 80gb Hard Drive

Computer Gal's Microsoft Small Business Promotion

Buy a new PC and get an Epson all in one printer AND a D Link Multifunction Print Server!
Computer Gal's is a Microsoft Partner, which allows us to offer our customers many great promotions including this one.
email us today at support@computer-gal.com for more information on how we can help your company save money and earn free products!

Paypal and Ebay Hell

Well,

The most unbelievable has just happened.

I received an order from a customer on ebay totalling $534.00. The customer paid for her purchase with paypal using HER credit card. I shipped the package and she received and signed for, all is well, right? Wrong. After the customer already received her order, paypal placed a hold on the funds as they say there is a problem. Well, the customer is adamant that she used her credit card to pay for the transaction and she placed an order on ebay express, not paypal, so she is confused as to my requests for her to assist me in clearing this up, by calling paypal. Customer still confused after about 10 days and does not call paypal, but contacts ebay and they tell her, what...... all is well you paid for the order, don't worry. Well, lo and behold this morning paypal released the hold only to refund the buyer the full $534.00, even though she still has the product. So now, I am out $500.00, and she has her money back in full and the product that COST ME over $400.00. I file a complaint with trust and safety about the whole mess and they email me and the customer stating that I requested a feedback withdrawl?!!! I immediately contact them and ask them why must they confuse the customer any more by requesting a feedback withdrawl, when I did not ask for that, nor have we even left feedback for eachother yet. I get a nice little canned email saying that for $29.95 I can speak to a real person that understands english, other wise for free, err this is what you get. If there is anyone out there in cyberspace that may know what I can do about this situation, please email me!

Oh well, until later guys....

Computer Gal

Reminder that Computer Gal's offers Microsoft Financing

Just as reminder that Computer Gal's is a Microsoft Partner which allows us to offer our customers flexible payment options. With Microsoft Financing, Microsoft Partners are able to offer financing for their complete IT solution including Microsoft software, Partner services, third-party software, and hardware. Take advantage of these benefits by allowing Computer Gal's to assist your business in all your technology needs.

Microsoft Financing provides a single financing resource for all of your IT needs. Unlike traditional financing, Microsoft Financing will finance 100 percent of eligible Microsoft, third-party and ISV software; partner services; and hardware…with no hidden costs.

Please contact support at support@computer-gal.com for more information on how we can help you and your business improve your technology needs!

Some really great Freebies!

Some of the best software out there is available for Free!! I have listed a few favorites below and also a link to PC Worlds list of 100 favorites. There is really no need to spend any money at all on software with all the opensource and freeware available to us. We are all guilty including myself on sticking with the name brands when hey the generics will do just fine.

GIMP a free photo editing program is just as good as photoshop, and how much is photoshop?????? Gimp was created by two Berkeley students more than 10 years ago and it is available for almost any operating system. You can do the basics such as crop, color correction, re-sizing plus the advanced stuff like retouching, painting, layering and EVEN animation support. To download your free copy of Gimp simply click here http://www.gimp.org/

OpenOffice is almost identical to Microsoft office. It has all the same applications, like word, excel and even opens word documents. Openoffice also works with PDF files. Again Openoffice is free and is available for just about all operating systems. You can download and read more about it here http://www.openoffice.org/

Avast has a great internet security suite that includes a firewall, antivirus, anti-spam and malware. My favorite tool of Avast is the boot scan, Avast will scan and clean your computer in DOS mode which many trojans will hide. Avast has a professional version and a free home version. After downloading just register for free key and you are good for one year. You can download avast here http://www.avast.com/

Ccleaner is one of my favorite free utilities. I can not imaging living without this program! I run this tool just about every single day as it cleans all the crap that my computer will pick up on the internet while surfing, downloading and shopping. This utility even cleans out temp files, empty's your recycle bin and gets rid of some virus and trojans. It is super easy to use and just takes a moment to speed up your computer. You can download ccleaner here http://www.filehippo.com/download_ccleaner

This is just a small list of a few of my favorites but you can find a list of 100 here at PC World.

I also have a internet resource page on my web site with a few of my favorites listed at http://www.computer-gal.com/resource.htm
This page has a lot of great tools for repairing a virus infested computer. You can scan your computer online for free and download some of the tools listed above to keep it clean.

Do you have a favorite? If so let me know and I will provide a link.....

Thanks again to my readers/customers and Oh Happy New Year!!!

Computer Gal

Post I received regarding a SVCHOST.EXE Problem

Our two home machines (XP-home and XP-pro) both start a SVCHOST task that uses 100% of the CPU from startup until the task is canceled. I applied HotFix KB927891 on top of SP/2 with no effect - I also stopped MS Automatic updates - no effect.Canceling the looping SVCHOST has no adverse effect I can see. I ran AVG free virus scan, no problems.Any idea where I look next?Thank you.


December 9, 2007 9:27:00 AM EST
Blogging with Computer Gal said...
Hi,Sounds as though you have a bug that has attached itself to the svchost.exe. As you know by now it is one of the most annoying as it pretty much brings your computer to a stand still, and is dangerous to your pc running it at 100%.I would recommend restarting your computer in safe mode, by hitting the F8 key upon reboot. You should receive the safemode boot screen and choose the option of safe mode with networking.Connect to the internet and scan your pc with one of the free online scans such as bitdefender found here http://www.bitdefender.com
then I would download cleaner which is a wonderful free utility that cleans your pc of alot of the crap downloaded while on the internet, cleaner is available from file hippo here http://www.filehippo.com/download_ccleaner I would then uninstall AVG and try Avast. I have had much better luck with Avast keeping a pc safe than AVG lately. You can find Avast and all the other mentioned utilities on my web site on the resource page here http://www.computer-gal.com/resource.htm After doing the above simply reboot normal and your problem should be solved :)Good Luck and let me know how it goes...Computer Gal
December 14, 2007 9:03:00 PM EST

Holiday Deals by Parallels for Mac

Computer Gal's has partnered with many companies in order to bring a number of great deals to our customers. Parallel is now offering Computer Gal's customers the following great offers!






Don't delay
Offers valid November 19th through December 27th, 2007.

Computer Gal's
http://www.computer-gal.com/

Device Drivers, what are they and how to update

Device drivers can be a nightmare. Have you ever reinstalled your operating system and afterwards realized none of your components were working? The reason being is that all hardware must have a compatible software or at least a particular file called a driver, that lets windows know what type of hardware you have. This file enables the hardware such as sound, modems, network cards and even your video to work properly. The easiest way to check to see if there is any conflicts or other problems after installing is to enter the control panel, then system and then click to open device manager. Once open you will see a list of all hardware installed on your compluter. Normally any issues are expanded in their category with an explanation point or red x. Sometimes you can click on the problem item and delete it and upon rebooting windows will find the correct file and install correctly. If this does not solve the problem you will need to locate the software that you received when you purchased the computer or the component and re-install. If you can't find the software, there are a few places you can look on the web.

In many cases, devices such as printers, graphics adapters, sound cards, network devices, USB peripherals, mainboards, storage devices, and so on, will be supported natively by newer versions of the Windows operating system and may be found using the searchable Microsoft Update Catalog.

At the end of this article I have also listed links to the most common manufacturer's updated drivers available for download.

Microsoft also has a device driver kit that may help found here

There is also a website I use quite frequently titled driverguide.com. This site is a database of drivers uploaded by users such as yourself that contains hard to find drivers that has saved me many of times. The link is www.driverguide.com and requires a free registration to use.

Notebook and desktop computers
Company name
Web site for drivers
ABS
http://www.abs.com/support/index.asp
Acer
http://global.acer.com/support/download.htm
Apple
http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/
Compaq*
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/static_software_select?cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&
Dell*
http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/index.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen
E-machines
http://www.emachines.com/support/
Fujitsu
http://www.fujitsu.com/global/support/
Gateway
http://support.gateway.com/support/drivers/dlcenter.asp
HP*
http://www.hp.com/country/us/en/support.html
IBM*
http://www.ibm.com/products/finder/us/finders?pg=ddfinder&trac=SU1
Lenovo
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/document.do?sitestyle=lenovo&lndocid=HOME-LENOVO
NEC/Packard Bell
http://nec.com/cgi-bin/support/support.cgi?cat=download
Toshiba
http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/tais/su/su_sc_modSel.jsp
Samsung
http://www.samsung.com/support/index.asp
Sony
http://esupport.sony.com/perl/select-system.pl?DIRECTOR=DRIVER&ref=http%3A//www.sony.com/index.php
Graphics cards
Company name
Web site for drivers
3Dlabs
http://www.3dlabs.com/support/drivers/
ARM
http://www.arm.com/support/downloads/index.html
ATI
https://support.ati.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=894&task=knowledge&folderID=27
Intel
http://www.intel.com/support/index.htm?iid=home+hdr_nav1_support
Matrox
http://www.matrox.com/mga/support/drivers/home.cfm
Nvidia
http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp
SIS
http://www.sis.com/download/
VIA Technologies (S3)
http://www.viaarena.com/default.aspx?PageID=2
XGI Technology
http://www.xgitech.com/sd/sd_download.asp
Network devices (wired and wireless)
Company name
Web site for drivers
3Com*
http://www.3com.com/products/en_US/downloadsindex.jsp
Cisco
http://www.cisco.com/public/sw-center/
D-Link
http://support.dlink.com/downloads/
Linksys
http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?c=L_Content_C1&childpagename=US%2FLayout&cid=1115416835852&pagename=Linksys%2FCommon%2FVisitorWrapper
Lucent
https://support.lucent.com/portal/productIndex.do
Netgear
http://kbserver.netgear.com/downloads_support.asp
Nortel
http://www130.nortelnetworks.com/go/main.jsp
Third Party Keyboards, Mice and other Input Devices
Company name
Web site for drivers
APC*
http://www.apcc.com/tools/download/index.cfm?isocountrycode=US&tsk=
Cherry
http://support.cherry.de/english/new_download.asp
Keytronic
http://www.keytronic.com/home/keyboards/support/drivers.html
Logitech*
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/downloads/finder/US/EN,CRID=270
Microsoft Mouse and Keyboards
http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/Download.mspx
Targus*
http://www.targus.com/us/support_downloads.asp
Printers
Company name
Web site for drivers
Avery
http://www.avery.com/us/software/index.jsp?wtloc=ftr
Brother
http://www.brother.com/E-ftp/softwin.html
Canon*
http://www.usa.canon.com/opd/controller?act=OPDDownloadDropDownAct
Dell*
http://support.dell.com/support/downloads/index.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen
Epson
http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/support/SupportIndex.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes
HP*
http://www.hp.com/country/us/en/support.html
Kodak
http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=2/3/10/7895&pq-locale=en_US
KonicaMinolta
http://konicaminolta.com/support/index.html
Lexmark
http://www.lexmark.com/lexmark/sequentialem/home/0,6959,204816596_652569478_0_en,00.html
Okidata
http://www.okidata.com/mkt/html/nf/Drivers.html
Samsung
http://www.samsung.com/support/productsupport/download/index.aspx
Xerox*
http://www.support.xerox.com/go/prodselect.asp?Xlang=en_US&metrics=HDR
* If you are outside the US, you may need to select a different country to get the correct driver in your language

Ok, well I hope this helps some of you get your computer working perfectly, or well, working anyways...........

until later.........


Computer Gal
www.computer-gal.com
www.computer-gals.net

Who is Computer Gal?

Good Morning everyone,

It's been awhile since I posted the who, what and where's of Computer Gal's. Computer Gal's is owned by Sherry Benson and located in Central Florida. Computer GAl's has several web locations as we serve two customer bases. Our consumers will find links and product information at www.computer-gal.com and our business partners will find information that caters more to their business at www.computer-gals.net.

Both sites are really under construction and since we are in the technology field, they probably always be as technology changes daily. Computer Gal's also has an ebay store located at http://stores.ebay.com/Computer-GAL. We will be adding a secure shopping cart / checkout system to both our websites for easier product purchasing by the first quarter of next year. eBay fee's have raised to such a high rate it is difficult to keep our prices as low as we like. For an example if an item is $10.00, ebay will get around $2.00. I would rather sell it on my site for $8.00, and I'm sure you would rather that too.

We buy our items wholesale or via liquidation and are able to offer our products at a savings at about 50%. The same items that you find on the shelves at Best Buy and Circuit City we also have new in the box for half off.

Computer Gal's is a Microsoft Certified, Certified Microsoft Partner and Certified Microsoft System Builder. This allows us to offer Microsoft products at a reduced rate as well. This is especially helpful for our business partners as we can save them a great deal as well as finance the entire expense over a couple years for new start ups.

We are currently working on a promotion titled buy local. This promotion allows you to redeem valuable coupons for some really cool items when purchase certain Microsoft products. We will be posting more about that in the next few days.

Ok, so that should catch up our new readers on Who is Computer Gal!

until later.....

Computer Gal

Free Laptop Shipping Special till November 16th

Great News!

Free shipping on all our laptops until November 16th! Now is the time to save.



http://www.computer-gal.com/computers.htm


Don't forget Computer Gal's also acts as a broker and can locate just about anytype of computer hardware or software that you need. We negotiate lower prices for our customers with guaranteed quality.

The Association for Women in Computing

Another great site for those of us in the technology field. Even though it is a Association for women it is worth visiting by my male colleagues as well. I have pasted the description and link for you below.

"The Association for Women in Computing is a non-profit professional organization for women and men who have an interest in information and technology. The Association is dedicated to the advancement of women in the technology fields.
You will discover a camaraderie in our group that you won't find in any other professional organization."

http://www.awc-hq.org/

Check it out...

Computer Gal

Is something in the water?

Boy, oh boy. Right after my last post about Mr. now blocked, I quickly was able to block another. I finally started to calm down some and that all so familiar outlook tune that we all know and love chimed to let me know I have a new email. I click over to see if it was something I needed to address, and another ebay customer thought I needed to know his thoughts about one of my products. I have an older game listed that is still sealed in the box. I listing title is rare xxxx game still sealed. Well, this guy emails me and says "Rare...hahahahahah, your a joke". You can download this game anywhere on the web. Hahahhahah you don't know what you are talking about....slober, slober. Well, I was like....Dear Mr. new blocked, yes this game can be downloaded for free and holds a value of $0 when downloaded. The game sealed in the box with all the contents is valuable to collectors, therefore it is rare and will most likely increase in value. I closed by thanking him for taking time out of his busy day and let me know his thoughts.......................

Now is it me, or do people think it is necessary to email people they don't know and call them names and tell them that they are a joke and a idiot (later emailed again by Mr. Block #1 calling me an idiot) .

I have done nothing to these guys, nothing at all. The first guy I shipped his product out the next day and followed up with him until I thought he was satisified. The second guy, never even sold him anything, don't know him from the man on the moon, just a email with hahahahahahhaha you are a joke.

So.............to solve the problem I am not opening any emails today

Oh well, maybe not tomorrow either.....


Till then

Computer Gal's

What has happened to people?

I tell you, I get so sick of people walking all over me sometimes.

This guy buys something off me on ebay. I always mail my packages with tracking, but.......this day I ran out of ink and carried it into the post office instead of using my program which includes all the bells and whistles. Well, this guy asks me about the product and dumb me hinted that I didn't have tracking, because of this, and this, (which he didn't pay for anyway) and well, I think I was played. He tells me a few days later he didn't get it, so I promplty apologized and tell him I will mail another. No, he says he changed his mind, so I refund the total purchase plus shipping promptly. I log onto ebay this first time this weekend, and now the guy has given me a neutral for not mailing the package. I MAILED THE PACKAGE! I paid for the item, paid for the shipping and all those wonderful ebay/paypal fees and then refunded him total amount and he gives me a neutral, hinting that I never mailed the package. Over 1,000 sales and I didn't mail his lone package. Why??

Well, had to vent, as, you guessed it no sales since the neutral as now I am labeled as a ebay seller that sells and then what...refunds? So, thank you Mr. player, your blocked.

Have a nice day :)

computer Gal

Computer Gal's run with Vista

Hello all,

I have been using Vista for a couple weeks now and so far no problems. I have read horror stories including this one

"Dutch Consumers’ Counsel advises against Vista - After more than 5000 complaints from consumers about Vista in a month of time, the Dutch Consumers’ Counsel decided to talk with Microsoft. MS didn't comply with their requests so they are now advising consumers to choose XP rather than Vista. Read more..."

I personally have had no problems whatsoever. Now granted, I have not installed any software that may be considered not compatible, (which is the reason many have problems with any given operating system upon release other than hardware)so I am pretty much running a clean install with a few other Microsoft Products, but still enough to test some of Vista's features. Vista is different, but in a good way. Explorer in my opinion is easier to navigate for viewing and sorting files and documents. Vista has some noticable differences in control panel and other system utilities that have been written about many times, so won't go over those again, but so far no problems there either. I'm using a Dell Optiplex P4 with 1gb of ram and seems to be sufficient for surfing and daily tasks.

I will continue to load up my old pc and keep you updated as to how Vista handles the stress of a Computer Geek and her library of software.


Computer Gal

Microsoft Financing Now Available!

Hello everyone!

Great News....Computer Gal's is now able to offer our customer financing for their Microsoft purchasing. The transaction must be a total minimum of $3,000.00. Additional purchases may be financed, providing credit approval, but must be a total minimum of $3,000.00. Computer Gal's is planning a rather large mass market business advertisement campaign and the financing program is perfect. Our temp home for our Microsoft specials is www.computer-gals.net, and our normal web site is www.computer-gal.com. Take a look and let me know what you think.

Till later....

Computer Gal