Spectre and Meltdown: Massive Security Holes Impacting All Mac and PC devices

January 12, 2018 by Andy Thompson

Just as we start a new year, there are new computer vulnerabilities identified by researchers. The impact of these defects could be experienced by almost any computer worldwide! The implication – millions of devices could be vulnerable to hacking or, if patched, suffer some degradation in speed.

The identified flaws are in the very core of the computer hardware – the CPUs or also known as the processors.

About The Defect

The two newly identified defects have wide ranging impacts on devices from the phone you are carrying to the servers that send data to it as well as other mobile devices, laptops and desktops whether PC or Mac. The vulnerabilities enables hackers to access people’s personal information.

Google’s Project Zero team states that these flaws can enable hackers to gain passwords and other sensitive data from system memory.
The two flaws are known as Spectre and Meltdown.

Meltdown: Named this way because it melts security boundaries which are normally enforced by the hardware. This was found mostly in Intel processors (as far back as 1995). Also ARM has reported their processors are affected, but it is unclear at this time if AMD processors are affected. This vulnerability can be patched through an update. Continue reading...

How to Fix Computer Sound Problems

December 19, 2017 by Andy Thompsonn

Repair Windows 7 with Your Recovery Disc

April 10, 2017 by Andy Thompson

A Windows Recovery Disk can repair Windows 7 and restore Windows to its factory default state. If you don’t have a Windows 7 Recovery Disc, you can get from our CompuCleverGEAR site.

How to Repair Windows 7

This process will repair your systems Windows files and is useful for correcting issues within the operating system itself; the process will not delete your personal files or data. Windows Store programs are also safe, but you may need to reinstall third party programs in some cases.

Insert the USB key, Restart your system. Wait for the first screen to pop up, then, click F8 or F12 (you can see which shortcut key on the screen) to enter the boot menu. Then select USB HDD option on the boot menu.

Select the Time and Keyboard options, and click “Next”

Click “Repair your computer”

Select the first option: “Use recovery tools that can help fix problems starting Windows. Select an operating system to repair”, click “Next”.

Choose a recovery tool base on your computer problem:

1) If you have issues about starting, click “Startup Repair”. If it detects a problem, it will automatically fix the problems that are preventing Windows from starting. If not, please select another option. Continue reading...

Windows Recovery Disc – Be Prepared Ahead of Time

March 17, 2017 by Charles Edward

Do you have a Recovery Disc for your Windows computer? If you don’t, do you know how to get one? Most people have no idea how to set up a Recovery Disc, which could cause them big headaches if their PC ever develops a problem.

If you have a flaky computer, a Recovery Disc can help by repairing Windows to make things run smoothly again. If you ever encounter a corrupted system file, a Recovery Disc will help you find it and fix it as well. If Windows crashes and you can’t get it to restart, you can also use a Recovery Disc to restore your computer’s operating system.

The best thing is by using a Recovery Disc you’ll be able to save all the data on your computer. This includes Word documents and spreadsheets, your photo collection and your valuable photos and movies.

In short, the Recovery Disc is a lifesaver that provides peace of mind. But, surprisingly, few people have access to one.

Recovery Discs Are Hard to Find

In the past, when you purchased a Windows PC, you likely received a “recovery disc”– an actual compact disc – that you would use to troubleshoot problems and restore Windows on your computer. Continue reading...

Speed up Your PC with ReadyBoost

March 2, 2017 by Andy Thompson

All PC users have likely experienced the frustration related to slow performance. There’s something just not right about having to wait for your PC to switch from one application to another. We want to multi-task and we want a PC system that does not suffer any delays. And, we ask, why not? It’s an extension of what we are capable of. So what are the choices in dealing with slow performing systems? We can keep our original PC just as it is with very few applications (not taking full advantage of its capabilities and not much fun). We can live with frustration and wait for the PC to respond when it is slow. We can look at the costs associated with adding more RAM or increasing other hardware. Instead of these options, we suggest a fast, easy, free alternative offered by Microsoft called ReadyBoost.

In our previous article we provided information about USB technology including USB flash drives. With that information in hand you are ready to speed up your PC with ReadyBoost. Let’s start with an overview of the technology.

Who Will Benefit?

Using this technology is best for users with 8 GB of RAM or lower, using a traditional spinning platter hard drive (HDD), and an operating system of Windows Vista or higher. Continue reading...