Scott Larson Consulting
"Computer Support, Website and Multimedia Services"
www.scottlarsonconsulting.com
slarson@scottlarsonconsulting.com
707-542-8590 | 415-425-5962
Scott Larson, located in Santa Rosa, California specializes in Computer Repair services in Sonoma County, please visit www.scottlarsonconsulting for more information.
NEWS
2008/05/19
WINDOWS XP SERVICE PACK 3 (SP3) PROBLEMS
Reports are starting to circulate after the release of Windows XP Service Pack 3 that users are experiencing various issues ranging from involuntary reboots to lockups with the operating system after upgrading. Currently Microsoft is making this update optional. In June or July, the plan on making it part of the automated update process. I'm recommending that people do not upgrade to service pack 3 until the bugs have been worked out. If you have automatic updates turned on and you receive a notice of an important update related to this service pack you can disable the update by clicking on the updates warning balloon, selecting advanced options, and clicking the check box to not warn you of updates relating to service pack 3 in the future. When the service pack is fix you can always update manually. If you have problems after an update please give me a call if you need help.
2008/01/02
FILE FORMATS DISABLED IN THE NEW OFFICE 2003 UPDATE
Service Pack 3 for Office 2003 has a new feature (NOT). Its disables support for older file formats. If you have old Word, Excel, 1-2-3, Quattro, or Corel Draw documents I would recommend not running the update if you are loading older style documents in 2003 and want to be able to view them. There is a work around(not accessible at the moment) for it but I'm hearing its complicated. I haven't tested the update myself yet, but wanted to issue a warning.
2008/01/01
HAPPY NEW YEARS FROM SCOTT LARSON CONSULTING: Gift Certificate for 40$ off of my Services!!
I want to wish everyone a happy new year in 2008. This s going to be a great year for all of us and I am looking forward to building upon this new site and Computer Repair Guide which will host video guides to help computer enthusiasts repair some computer problems.
I'm giving out gift certificates good for $40.00 off of my services for the new year. Good until 4/1/08. Please visit my website to check out pricing and services email me if you would like to accept the offer at slarson@scottlarsonconsulting.com or give me a call..
2007/12/27
WORD ON THE NET: COMPUSA GOING OUT OF BUSINESS
Rumor has it that CompUSA is rolling out pink slips to all its stores in California. It plans on phasing out stores in a selective fashion until all of the stores are closed by the end of 2008. During the phase-out CompUSA stores will be discounting all of its merchandise between 5 and 30%. CompUSA's prices were pretty expensive from the get-go so hopefully it will go down further than 30%. I never got a good feeling when I went into that store from a customer service perspective as it was, so maybe that contributed to the reason why they are shutting down.
2007/12/20
ANTI-VIRUS SOLUTIONS NOT DOING SO GOOD WITH MALWARE
Some reports are showing that Anti-Virus solutions are not as effective this year compared to last year. The reason being that more Malware is being released and that type of attack is not as detectable by anti-virus solutions. http://www.heise-security.co.uk/news/100900
My recommendation is to install some helpers that prevent Malware from getting onto your computer from website's. One such program is called Hostsman, a program that maintains lists of Malware sites and prevents your computer from accessing them.
2007/10/19
A couple of reports have been circulating in the national news media about Computer Repair Technicians and there inability to do their jobs. This has proved what I have been saying for awhile now. Only a small group of Tech's , like 10% of the total people employed in this field have enough experience to really be able to do the work that we do confidently and with competence. I have been doing this line of work for over 10 years now, and not once have a ever mis-diagnosed a hardware problem. Its just to cut and dry to miss a hardware failure as long as you have the proper tools and proper training to follow to keep you on track. I would recommend to anyone that has doubts to do some research online before bringing your computer to a professional or business. Search goggle for the company or persons name and use the word "complaints". Also [url]complains.com[/url] is a good place to look up information on unhappy customers.
I have a list of clients in my about me http://www.scottlarsonconsulting.com/aboutme.php section in case you ever have any doubts about my abilities. When you hire me, I walk you though step by step what I plan on doing to fix your computer before any work is performed. While I am working Ill also be telling you what is happening during the process, you are welcome to watch me and ask questions. I will always be prompt and truthful in my answers. Also I never work on a clients computer without making a backup first so if anything ever happens during the process, there is copy of your personal data some place safe.
Also please take these reports with a grain of salt, I mean, the news media is in the business of producing wrong doing. I have heard reports of productions crews spending a great deal of time trying to track down wrong doers, its just a matter of time until you find someone that can't diagnose simple RAM/Memory failures, or IDE cable problems.
http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2007/10/03/geek's/