Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Is Software to Clean and Speed Up Your PC Really Useful?



There is a multi-billion dollar business built around selling PC and Mac cleaning software. They come in all shapes, sizes and prices and tout the necessity to clean, tune, and fix your computer so that it runs smoothly and efficiently.
But do you really need all that software? Are there any real gains or is it just a bunch of fluff? Well the answer is, it depends. Sometimes a third-party program can provide a valuable service if you know how to use it. However, Macbook Repair Hong Kong have found that most of the utilities recommended on the Internet are full of options and settings that can end up harming your computer more than helping. Not only that, but many big name sites like PC World have lots of articles on tools to “clean” your computer which are absolutely horrible.
When you talk about cleaning up a computer, whether it is a Mac or a PC, it could refer to any number of things. Let’s break down what each of those categories are and see if it makes sense to use them or not.

Registry Cleaners

What does a registry cleaner actually do? Well, it basically (and theoretically) is supposed to remove unused or old entries, thereby “speeding” up your computer.
Even if you remove only those entries that are not needed, the performance impact is minimal. If you try to do a search for actual performance tests done before and after using a registry cleaner, you’ll find that there are very few actual tests and in the actual tests, there is basically zero difference in performance.
So that’s point one. The second issue is that a lot of registry cleaners will clean out the wrong entries. The only one that is recommended by Laptop Repair Hong Kong is CCleaner. It’s one that will not break your system. There is really not another one we can vouch for completely.
At the end of the day, registry cleaners can break your computer, offer no real increase in performance and waste your time.
Also, uninstall useless programs on your system. That does a lot more in terms of performance than cleaning your registry.

 

File Cleaners

File cleaners are tools that will do their best to remove junk or unused files on your computer. This includes temporary files, cookies, Windows hot-fixes, cache files, history files, log files, clipboard data, etc, etc. In my view, there are only two decent programs for this that you would ever need: CCleaner and PC Decrapifier.
CCleaner does a great job of cleaning out files that you may no longer need. Again, You will never really saved a significant amount of space from using the tool, but if you really want to be super neat and tidy, that’s all you need. On average, you will save about 1 GB in space when I run it every few months. Not going to give you back half your hard drive and with hard drives being so large today, it’s not really a big deal if you never do it.
PC Decrapifier is a program that helps you uninstall crap software that comes with new PCs you buy from Dell, HP, etc. Computer Repair Hong Kong recommend just doing a clean install first and then using your computer.

Uninstallers

If you install a lot of software on your PC, you can easily uninstall it yourself. However, there is a whole category of software to help you uninstall programs. Is this necessary? Kind of yes try not to install anything on my your PC that you won’t be using every day. Most software will have uninstallers to properly remove all the files, but a lot of times they leave stuff behind. On top of that, some programs simply do not come with uninstallers, which is really annoying. In those cases, we only suggest Revo Uninstaller. It’s been around for a long time and does the best job. It’s not freeware.

Startup Cleaners

Startup cleaners are the really useless programs. Windows has built-in tools to see all the startup programs on your system and there is really no need to see the startup drivers, DLLs, etc that some of these programs tout. Beyond simple programs, it really makes no difference unless you’re a tech geek.
A lot of the programs claim they will give you descriptions and details on each of the programs and while this may be true, you really don’t need a program for that info.

We definitely do not recommend installing a startup cleaner as it’s something that can be done by the user with a little bit of time and research. Now can disabling startup programs make a difference? Yes! Start up programs can really slow down your PC, so it is a good idea to disable any you think you won’t need. Again, it’s like the registry because if you disable the wrong item, your computer may not work properly. Just do a little Googling before you disable something and you’ll be fine.

Browser/History Cleaners

Unless you can’t type and search in Google, you really do no need browser and history cleaners which mean it’s a fairly easy thing to do. Don’t get tricked into thinking that the program can securely wipe or completely delete or any other useless hype they give you. You can delete your history just fine and make sure it can’t be recovered.
Most people end up buying this software because they have some shady browsing they need to hide and they get scared that someone will find it unless they use one of these tools that claim only their program can really delete your browsing history.
Basically, you want to delete your browsing history using the browser and clear the cache. That’s it. You don’t need any fancy tool to do that.

Internet Speed Boosters

Internet speed boosters are another useless category of software you should never install. These programs are more likely to break your Internet connection or slow it down more than speed anything up. You want a faster Internet connection? Apple Mac Parts Hong Kong Recommends to Get a faster wireless router.
There are some occasions where changing some TCP or network settings can speed up file write/read performance over the network, but that is usually for LAN traffic and not your Internet connection. Call your ISP and increase your download speed, but don’t install a speed booster!

Conclusion

As you can see from above, iPhone 5 Repair Hong Kong  don’t recommend installing too many so-called optimizer and tune-up utilities for your PC. There are a few good programs out there, but the majority sucks. Try to do as much as you can by yourself and then only use trusted programs like the ones mentioned above.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion Upgrade and create bootable USB full Procedure


Upgrading to Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion is for the most part a simple process. However, there are a few unobvious steps along the way that you may want to consider, whether upgrading or installing to the latest 10.8 version of Mac OS.

Before you upgrade or install Apple Repair Center HK recommend checking following things on your mac.


  • You must be running either Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard or 10.7 Lion to directly upgrade to Mountain Lion.
  • If you’re not currently running 10.6 or 10.7, you may clean install lion if your Mac computer will support it.
  • Make sure your computer is connected to power, if using a MacBook, Pro or Air.
  • Perform a software update prior to installing Lion to assure that you have the latest software. Click the Apple logo in the upper left corner of the screen and select Software Update… from the context menu.

1. Purchase and download Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion.

Launch the Mac AppStore on your computer by clicking the Apple logo and selecting App Store… from the context menu.
With the Mac AppStore open and active on screen, find the Mac OS X Mountain Lion app in the AppStore by performing a search, although it may be featured on the home screen.
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Click the price below the Mountain Lion App listing and it will change to Buy App. Click the Buy App button to purchase Mountain Lion.
Next, Apple will prompt you to sign-in to your account, in which you may be required to verify your billing info. Proceed to sign in, verify your billing info, etc…
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After that is complete and the purchase has been made, the operating system download will begin immediately. You can view the progress of the download at anytime by using the Launchpad app on your Mac.
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The download will very likely not be quick, as the Mountain Lion installer is a 4.37GB file. We downloaded Mountain Lion the same day it was released, so Apple download servers were extremely busy and the download took a very long time. I started the download at 4:28 and it finished at 6:48, so it took 2 hours and 20 minutes to download, using a high-speed cable internet connection.
After the download completes, the Mac OS X Installer will automatically launch and prompt you to begin installing Mountain Lion.
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However, don’t install the software yet. Let’s get the $20.00 USD software purchase that you just made backed up before we proceed with the installation (the installer deletes itself upon upgrade).

2. Backup, Create a bootable USB drive or Disc of Mountain Lion


With 10.8 successfully downloaded, navigate to the path Finder > Applications and locate the Mountain Lion installer. Right-click the installer app and select show package contents from the context menu.
From here, Finder will open the actual directory of the app. Navigate the path Contents > Shared Support and locate the file InstallESD.dmg
Next, open up disk utility in a new window, using Launchpad or by navigating the path Finder > Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility. Drag the InstallESD.dmg file into the left-side drives list within Disk Utility. You can now begin backing up Lion using a DVD or USB drive.

2a. To Burn a Backup/Recovery Disc –

Select the DMG file within Disk Utility by single clicking it. Click the Burn button to begin creating your Mountain Lion install DVD (dual-layer DVD or Blu-ray disc required). Once the burn has finished, eject the disc from your Mac and store it in a safe place. This disc can be used to reinstall Mountain Lion, should you need to in the future.
OR

2b. To create a bootable USB Drive –


  • Insert the USB drive and select it in the sidebar in Disk Utility. Select the Partition tab, select 1 Partition from the dropdown menu and choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled) as the format type.
  • Click the Options button and choose GUID Partition Table, this will make the drive bootable and formatted correctly for the Mac. Click Apply to format, which will completely erase the drive.
  • Next, click the Restore tab and choose the DMG file as your source and the USB drive as the destination. Click the Apply button to backup the installer to bootable USB drive.

OR SAVE THE INSTALLER

2c. To save the installer file and make it bootable at another time (quickest) -


Connect an external hard drive or high capacity USB drive to your Mac. Navigate the path Finder > Applications and locate the Mountain Lion installer app. It will be an app represented by a picture of a Mountain Lion. Drag the entire app to your external hard drive or USB drive to copy it. Eject the drive.
At this point, you have successfully downloaded Mountain Lion and backed up the installer file.

3. Upgrade or Clean Install Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion

Finally, it’s time to actually begin install of the new operating system! Follow below procedure recommended by Mac Service Center Hong Kong
3a. Upgrade Install from Snow Leopard or Lion -
Launch the Mountain Lion app that you downloaded from the AppStore by navigating the path Finder > Applications. Once the app launches, you will be prompted with the upgrade steps:
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Follow the on-screen prompts to upgrade to Mountain Lion. Your computer will reboot and the upgrade process will begin.
The estimated upgrade install time for Mountain Lion is 34 minutes, although it may go quicker or slower depending on your hard drive speed.
Once the installation is complete, your computer will restart one more time and boot back up. Once you sign in, you will be using 10.8 Mountain Lion; because this method is an upgrade, all of your existing apps and documents will be on your Mac computer.
OR

3b. Clean Install Mountain Lion - Recommended by iPhone Service Center HK for better and faster performance.

If you’re not currently running Snow Leopard or Lion as an operating system, but have a Mac that is capable of running Mountain Lion, you will want to perform a clean install. The process is as follows:
  • Close out of any apps or other open documents and save your work.
  • Connect a bootable USB drive or DVD Disc containing the Mountain Lion installer to your Mac computer. We described how to create both above (2a, 2b).
  • Restart your computer. Once it begins to boot back up, hold down the option key on the keyboard to choose a boot device.
  • Select either the USB drive or Disc as the boot source.
  • Click the Continue button on the first initial Welcome… screen.
  • (optional) Hover your mouse over the top of the screen and navigate the path Utilities > Disk Utility.
  • (optional) Use Disk Utility to erase any existing Mac OS X installations if you so choose. This will completely wipe your hard drive of all data! Format to OS X Extended (journaled) and exit Disk Utility.
  • Complete the on-screen prompts to finish clean installing Mountain Lion.
Quick tip: If you performed a clean install, your Mac computer will finish installing Mountain Lion and will restart with Mountain Lion ready for use. However, you will be missing all of your iLife apps such as iPhoto and iMovie. Insert the Applications disc that came with your Mac computer to regain these programs.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Change/ Revert back to Android Gingerbread 2.3.3 From ICS 4.0 for Samsung Galaxy All Phones - Easy Way


Simply download these Two Files - ODIN Software and Original Firmware.


Download Phone Firmware - Click Here
(Choose your model and region and download original firmware whatever version you like for e.g 2.3.3)

Download ODIN v1.85 - Download (Download and Extract files in a folder)


Follow Steps by step Procedure by iPad Repair Hong Kong to FLASH the Firmware of your Samsung Phone with Odin.

Warning: Please ensure that KIES is closed and not running in the system tray! Kies doesn't like Odin.


1. Just download the firmware version you want from the above link and extract the .tar or .tar.md5 file in the archive and save it somewhere.


2. Reboot your phone to download mode. To do so simply shut down the device. After it shuts down completely then Hold Down the Volume Down key+ Home button + press the power button.


You should see a warning asking you to press volume up if you want to continue or volume down to cancel, press volume up. You are now in download mode!

3. Open/Run/Start Odin.exe

4. Click on the PDA button and browse to the .tar or .tar.md5 file that you extracted in step 1
If the package has more than one .tar archive then they will be labelled with PDA, Phone/Modem and CSC. Just put them in the corresponding section of Odin

5DO NOT PUT .PIT FILE AND DO NOT TICK RE-PARTITION .

It Should look like this screenshot


 


If the extracted firmware package has 3 files then it should look like this:


 Regardless of firmware version it's still the same methodology
 
6. Connect the USB cable and wait for the ID:COM section in Odin to turn yellow
7. Click start to flash
8. Do not disconnect the cable or turn off the device, it will reboot when it finishes. 


It will not wipe your phone if you flash as recommended by iPhone Repair Hong Kong



Note: Once completed your phone will work normally. If you see any Errors like "XXXX app FORCE Close Down" or some function is not working then no need to worry and simply fix it by resetting phone as suggested by Apple Mac Repair Hong Kong


Reset to Factory Settings by navigating to Settings>Privacy>Factory Data Reset. (This will Wipe of your apps, messages, settings etc so make backup first)