When eBay first came out, it was the cool thing to do, almost like AOL instant messaging a couple of decades ago.  Then eBay became a bit of a mess since proper payment controls were not in place.  Now, eBay is at the forefront of buying and selling online due to its easy setup and locked down payment and fraud controls.

Should you buy computer equipment on eBay?  Yes, if the seller’s track record is good and you know to expect that the product is probably used.  We are actually in the process of setting up our new eBay store and it is an exciting process.  In minutes, we are able to advertise recertified laptops, desktops, and hard-to-find computer parts.  Not only are we able to sell computers quickly, but we can also put for sale specific AC Adapters that will be cheaper than going directly to manufacturers.

With PayPal, the playing field with payments is pretty much level since buyers and sellers are both protected against fraud.  With good research and a watchful eye, eBay can work for you.

If your computer crashes, your documents, pictures, and music might be gone if data recovery isn’t successful.  However, there is a second chance for your music if you have your music on your iPod.  iTunes does not have a way to sync from your iPod to your computer or iTunes.  It is a one-way transfer that iTunes performs: copy your iTunes songs to your iPod.  Otherwise, people might be sharing their playlists to avoid paying for iTunes fees and licenses.

But, what if you need to recover your songs, music, or videos from your iPod?  Or if you want to transfer your songs to a new computer?  There is a new software available called CopyTrans that will make your life easy when you want to copy over your iPod content. 

How does it work?  Install the CopyTrans software on the computer you want to copy over your iPod info.  Then, select some or all of your info and either copy it to a folder in your computer or directly import it for iTunes to play, view, or open. 

For a limited offer of $50, you may purchase the CopyTrans suite which includes recovering your music, pics, videos, and libraries.  You may also clone your iPod’s content for periodic backups.   Or you may purchase each software individually (i.e. Music, Photos, or Libraries) for $20 each.

This is definitely a lifesaver and we’ll be using this in our trusty tech tool support chest for a long time.

We get this tech inquiry all the time: Can I replace one of my laptop keyboard keys that fell off?  Sometimes, the key is pulled off by a touch of the finger.  Other times, a child might mischeviously rip a key off for fun.  So, it’s only one key.  It can just be put back on, right? 

Well, one some rare models of laptops, the key can be re-inserted or snapped back in.  However, most models are made were the keys are either practically soldered in or once the key comes off, its contacts are never the same and cannot be re-inserted.  Most fallen keys are ruined once they are disassembled.  

So, what can you do?  You really have to buy a new keyboard and have laptop repair technician install it, or install it on your own if comfortable.  When installing a replacement keyboard, you must be sure to ground yourself to not shock any components, and have a flat head and phillips screwdrivers handy.  The keyboard replacement typically consists with removing 6 - 8 screws and flipping off the keyboard/LCD plastic off.  Smaller laptops might entail removing the front frame, LCD panel, and other parts to locate the keyboard removal.

If you’re a naysayer, and want to put back a key, please note that if it cannot snap back, your key re-insertion is temporary at best.  And please don’t consider crazy glue!  Your key would be a permanent letter statue after crazy glue has its way with it.

If your computer doesn’t start up fully or reboots upon startup, there are many ways to figure out the issue and correct it.  You might have a virus, Windows corruption, software driver conflict, or hardware issue.

One helpful way to determine what he issue is with enabling the Boot Logging option.  You may do this by hitting F8 at startup and then selecting “Boot Logging.”  If your computer is still not starting up, restart your computer, hit F8 again, and select Safe Mode. 

After booting into Windows fully, go into C:\%SystemRoot%\ntbootlog.txt and read to find out which driver, hardware device, or software is the culprit.  Then, resolve the issue or ask a certified Windows tech to do the computer repair work for you.

In the end of the Microsoft / Yahoo! saga, 5 Billion dollars separated the two giants from merging.  Yahoo wanted to be bought $38 / share and Microsoft was only willing to pay $32 / share.  This $6 different amounted to over 5 Billion.

Steve Balmer, Microsoft’s head, wrote a nice letter explaining his reasoning to Yahoo’s chief, Jerry Yang.  This was just written 50 minutes ago.  You can check it out by clicking here.  Interestingly, Steve pleads with Jerry to not look to deal with Google and proceeds to provide extensive reasoning why not in the letter.  A little biased indeed since if Yahoo joins with Google, Microsoft will have lost the online advertising battle.

What will happen next?  Yahoo might look towards uTube or Google for possible parternships while Microsoft will have to forge on.

Verizon DSL service is a good way to get on the Internet for your home or office.  It is also a cost efficient way to ensure the speed you pay for is actually the speed you get.  This is in contrast to Time Warner’s Internet Service where your paid service is shared with your building’s users.  So, you might not be getting the speed you paid for.

Enough about speed.  The biggest thing to watch out for with Verizon DSL, or for Time Warner’s Cable, is the activation date.  We get a lot of people asking our computer Internet technicians to come out to set up their computers for the Internet; however the Internet service is not activated yet.  Typically, the Internet companies ship out kits, including the modem, filters, cables, and sometimes routers.  Just because you receive the kit, it doesn’t mean your service will automatically work.

You’ll need to confirm with Verizon or TimeWarner that your service has been activated or else the modem will not pick up the Internet signal.  This is similar to the phone service where you need to make sure the phone service is activated or plugging your phone into the phone jack will not help at all.  This may seem obvious to make sure the service is activated, but the date you get is typically delayed.  So, the next time your Internet service is about to be set up by an Internet setup tech, make sure your Internet service is really activated.

Starbucks has a deal now with ATT to offer free wi-fi access to iPhone users.  Previously, Starbucks had a deal with T-mobile to provide paid Internet service to computer users.  Now, iPhone users can use wi-fi access for free instead of using the slower EDGE network.  Wi-fi access is similar to going on the Internet wirelessly from home.  You simply connect wirelessly to a router that, in turn, connects to a modem for Internet access. 

How does it work?   As an iPhone user, your Safari browser will automatically prompt you to enter your phone number for verification.  Once it’s verified, you’re good to go.  This is one more reason to visit Starbucks for a cup of Joe.  Just make sure to keep your coffee at harm’s length from your laptop.  We have many customers that visit our computer repair shop shortly afterwards due to a cafe latte that spilled on their keyboards.

If you’re computer screen, whether desktop or laptop, went horizontal, don’t fret.   This computer issue just means you mistakenly hit the wrong combination of keys.  You can correct it by making your screen vertical again.

Hold down the CTRL and ALT keys and hit one of the arrow keys.  This should bring you screen to the right position.  If this doesn’t work, right-click on your desktop, click Properties and Display Properties.  You should see something like Rotate or Directional which you should be able to switch

A couple months back, Yahoo! signed an agreement to be acquired by Microsoft.  However, as of this past Saturday, the two have not come to terms.  Basically, Yahoo didn’t like the aggresive terms that Microsoft set forth.  These terms are confidential, but most likely include Microsoft attaining rights to Yahoo’s pay-per-click advertising to better compete with Google.

Currently, the deadline was Saturday to wrap up negotiations.  Since they haven’t, the deal might not even happen at all.  Or Microsoft may perform a hasty takeover by wiping out the Yahoo team and bringing in its own Microsoft board for full authority.  While this battling continues, Google continue to chug along with its increasing stock price and top online advertising model.

This is a question we hear often: My PC died.  Should I get a Mac now?

The answer stems from several factors?  Please read the below factors to determine if you should make the switch from PC to Mac:

1. Do you have the patience to learn a new operating system?
2. Do you have the patience to learn new software and settings?
3. Will you software be compatible on the Mac?
4. If you’re geared towards graphics, music, and overall multimedia, the  Mac is for you.
5. If you’re just geared towards Word processing the PC will be more than sufficient.

These factors should help you decide if moving towards the Mac is right for you.