The Techi's Revenge.

Whats happened to AK Computers Manchester

2006-11-26T13:26:00.000-08:00

Hiya,

Ive been watching this weblog for a while and I see that its still live and kicking.

I just thought I would mention that AK Computers Manchester is now closed. This does not mean that you wont be able to get your warranty honoured as I believe that AK Computers in Burnley is still going strong.

So what happened to that misserable skin headed dude who ran the Manchester Shop (Me)?

Well here I am. Alive and kicking. Those of you who met me probably thought I didnt smile much but thats the way God made me. Those of you who brought in a computer for repair will know that I repaired 99% of computers that came into the shop in a speedy and professional manner.

So, whats happening at the moment? Well, still working occasionally for AK I have now developed an Asian dating website for them which I hope will make many people happy and find love for those lacking the tender touch.

I also run a couple of ringtones websites which keep the wolf from the door. I have recently also set up an iPod Downloads website for a bit of fun.

So as you can see Im still busy but no longer repairing computers, which is probably a good thing, as I have noticed that occasionally I do smile now...

:))

Sun cream V Lard

2006-07-18T02:31:00.000-07:00

Research has found that rubbing the suncream into the skin gives us 0% protection from UVA( Cancer causing) AND UVB (Skin burning) Rays.

Simply it must be applied like lard or we're buggered. It would also seem, logic prevailing, that it is pointless having no shirt on if your covered in 'head to toe' in suncream about 1mm thick.

Simply put on a long sleaved T-Shirt that is white in colour and apply sun cream in fair to reasonable amounts to catch any stray UVA / UVB rays (do this regularly). Stay indoors during the height of the sunshine (anything from say about 10am until 7pm) and buy a new home computer from us to research the best places to go skiing, pothole rooting or diving.

Also consider buying an Acer Notebook to use on the beach while your away.

D

Bombing in India

2006-07-12T01:54:00.000-07:00

Some say the most frightening thing about the modern world is terrorism.

I always think this way.

The News may say "20 dead, 150 wounded" for example. This would in theory add 300 inconvenienced Doctors and Nurses, 1000 heartbroken relatives to the equation (and more!) but dont forget the 1000's working to make sure it doesnt happen again, the millions of pounds donated by 1000's of Charity's and jobs for those who need to rebuild the area, care for the injured over the next 50 years, feed all these people mentioned etc etc.

So apart from destroying life, it builds life, it is life, terrorism cannot win if we do not fear it. Its natural that this world has been destroying and re-birthing species of plants, animals and humans over millions of years. Different nations have been fighting over different things since the first written words, thousands of years ago.

Like rats, locusts and vultures of the natural world, terrorists will always exist and continue to feed as a sub-species on happy everyday people. They are a natural addition to our everyday life. We could never banish it completely. The war on terror is waisted for this reason alone.

AND THEY THINK ITS ALL OVER ....

2006-07-10T05:47:00.000-07:00

And it is. England are out. Italy win. I think it was a good result.

Ive been looking at the AK Computers Website for some time now and hoping that I can find time somewhere to sort out that left hand navigation.

I welcome any comments from users on what annoys them most about the way our website navigation works.

Tha Dog

Motherboards - How to diagnose. (and an appology)

2006-07-04T03:07:00.000-07:00

Heres a quick solution to diagnosing problematic motherboards.

First, run a memory test, this can be downloaded from the link below.

Memory test

Make a bootable CD, then simply boot your machine and let it run by itself.

Then if it passes, disconnect everything from your motherboard including graphics card if it has onboard graphics. Make sure this includes any front usb (case mounted) connectors.

Also disconnect everything apart from your hard drive (power cables can remain in place, just remove ribbon cables). If your having a problem now its either your hard drive, motherboard or processor. Disconnect or replace your drive depending on the nature of the problem. Now your left with a 90% chance its your board. If you have a grapchics card and no onboard graphics check how hot its getting, replace with an old PCI one or similar AGP Graphics Card to be sure.

Note: Im guessing you are only doing this becuase you have run a full operating system health test or it just fails to boot up full stop, Dont start doing this without checking everything software wise first or at least the fuse in the power cable. Im also assuming you know the PSU to be in working order.

So, Ok, you know its either the board or the processor. Now its time to way up the options. For instance, A new socket 478 board will cost about £33.00, but Socket 478 Pentium and Celerons are discontinued. They cost a few quid as well when they were around.

If you cant prove your processor isnt faulty I can offer you this safer bet.
A new Intel Celeron D 326 2.53GHz Processor and Asrock 775I65GV skt 775 Motherboard for £69.00, 1 year warranty.

Just thought you would like to know :)

Also I need to make an appology for my bad spelling. I have decided to sacrifice good grammar for content! I cant type up a blog every day and spell check it as im the only Techi here at AK Manchester my days are very busy. Thats right, I cant be bothered to install Microsoft Office on this computer.

Its been a whole day now since the word "Football" has been mentioned to me or in my presence. This pleases me.

A friend of mine said he saw a t-shit with "Geek" written on the front of it. Apparently it also said "No I wont fix your Fecking Computer" on the back.

If only I had a choice....

Portugal To Semi Finals - And back to computers

2006-07-03T03:14:00.000-07:00

Its a shame we didnt make get to be World Cup Champions and its also a shame I didnt go to the bookies and bet on Portugal beating england, (draw at half time).
Anyway, the footie is over and im glad, its back on to the computer website, doing computer repairs and systems builds. Its good to be advising customers about Home PC's rather than talking to them about football - usually against my will.

Shame on you England, but thank god its over.

:)

G

England v Portugal (oh, and we are now an official Acer Distributer...)

2006-07-01T04:07:00.000-07:00

Hi, For all those who like football my prediction is.... Portugal.

Why? I dont know, call it a hunch.

Anyway, putting football to one side I would just like to mention we are now an official Acer distributer. This means we will be offering the best prices on Acer Laptops and Computers, components etc. Some helpfull links are posted below.

I hope England do win the world cup, dont get me wrong, I just dont think we will, and if the best we can do (as a country) to support our team is eat marsbars with the word "believe" written on them or drink Carling lager then we deserve to lose.

:)

The dog

emachines 770 drivers

2006-06-30T04:37:00.000-07:00

Hello,

I hate it when someone brings a faulty "emachines" tower into the shop and they dont have a driver disk.

The current problem is that although Windows Home SP2 seems to find the majority of motherboard drivers, it cant find the audio, vga or USB drivers for the board.

This is no surprise when you consider that any item removed from the computer for inspection is labled "triGem" which is a partner of Olivetti. The fact that neither of these websites (including uk.emachines.com) will list this particular make and model of computer in its drivers section just enrages me.

Running around the net, looking on driverguide, trying different AC97 drivers have all left me with a bitter taste in my mouth.

Thinging of buying emachines? DONT! You will be VERY sorry, speak to us about one of our computer systems, at least you will be able to get some tech support or downloads when things go wrong.

Buying a computer thats "future proof"

2006-06-28T01:53:00.000-07:00

Greetings one and all,

So its time to buy a new computer, and your old one just kicked the bucket?
Im guessing if you found this post via the search engines you typed in "Future proof Computer" and I am also guessing your computer knowledge is lacking.

To clear this subject up, once and for all, let me explain what the words Future Proof actually say about anyone using this search phrase. It says you want to buy a computer and you dont want to be running to the local computer store buying computer upgrades for it in a few months time!

When buying a new computer You should consider what you want to use the computer for. If your looking for the ultimate games machine then making sure its "future proof" is important. The games industry is what has pushed computer technology forward over the years and you can be sure that your graphics card will be out of date within 3 years or even sooner.

If you just want to word process, surf the net or send emails then our basic computer system will do fine. You have the option of adding a graphics card for occasional games and it will happily copy CD's and DVD's.

I do a lot of web design and I can happily code, create images and write software on any computer ranging from a 5 year old Pentium 2 400Mhz to an old Acer Notebook.

So if you want to buy a computer for basic stuff then dont spend thousands of pounds. Give us a call at AK Computers and we can advise you on how to get the best for your money.

:)

The Dog

Sweden V EngerLand - Draw

2006-06-21T06:17:00.000-07:00

Which is good for Sven cos i dont think they would let him back in the country if we slapped some ass on the pitch last night.

Anyway, if you have been struggling to see the swelling on Rooneys foot then its time for a new television.

WHOOOAAA! To the rescue! Check out our Plasman and HD Televions here: -

HD or Plasa Television and Video/DVD Recorders

They are jusgt like the ones in Germany apart from they are a fair deal smaller and you dont get unwelcome visitors tipping beer over you whenever Someone scores and goal.

You know it makes sense.

G

A warm goodbye to Sam at Funky Fones

2006-06-19T10:42:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to let our customers and fans know that Sam from Funky Fones has decided to uproot and leave.

His Holyness will be sorely missed but those of you who like to play Counter Strike CS can Kick his booty at http://www.funkyclan.co.uk.

Thanks Sam for all the biscuits, Cups of tea, and times Ive borrowed tools and stuff such as soldering irons and solvents (Used for repairing computers, not getting high, I prefer Toilet Duck myself...)

Goody Sam, Farewell, Good Luck and all that.... You will be sorely missed.

The Ak Dog.

ENGERLANNNND! INGERLAND!

2006-06-15T09:43:00.000-07:00

World Cup Fever has hit the majority at AK Computers recently. In fact, all over Manchester we are seeing England Flags, people taking time off work and the unfortunate ones getting into drunken brawls in the town centre.
I too have been blessed with a digital TV Card so that I can keep track of just how well the World Cup is going, what sports personalities are saying, what beer people are drinking and Rooneys Foot.
To be honest the quality of the Digital TV Card I have is fantastic and you can buy it from us at only £47.
Again, its sad to say that my boss wont give me one of those lovely HD TV's to Test but hey, at least I can watch the cartoons now.

Cheap Laptops and Cutting Corners.

2006-05-02T08:11:00.000-07:00

Without a doubt, the majority of customers buying a laptop can’t afford anything but the cheapest model and we are happy to offer some high quality laptops at low prices.

The rule of thumb is "you get what you pay for" and when buying a laptop you should consider the following and don’t be afraid to ask questions. It’s your money; make sure you get your moneys worth!

Does the laptop have a good warranty? Try to look for two years warranty where possible, laptops are not cheap to repair. What’s the in-built Graphics processor? If you looking to play games this is very important, you can have millions of GHz but if your graphics card is only capable of rendering a game of solitaire then forget it. Does the laptop have a decent battery life? What’s the point in a laptop that last 2 hours between charges? Does the laptop have a mobile processor? Some laptops have desktop processors rather than low powered mobile processor. They run at full speed all the time and reduce the working life of the laptop. One of the better mobile performers is the Centrino chipset and if you don’t know much about Centrino you should perhaps read this. Heat can kill a laptop very quickly and mobile processors are designed to reduce heat and power consumption.

Is it possible to remove the covers to gain easy access to hard disk (in the event of hard disk failure), CPU fan and cooler (in the event that it sucks up so much dirt the copper heat-sink becomes blocked and reduces cooling efficiency)? Can the screen be lifted easily without to much force (broken screens can cost 250 pounds upwards + VAT and fitting)? Some screens are glass fronted and provide a much clearer picture and are more robust against breakage.

The most important factor in buying a laptop, at least from my humble point of view, is … Do you really need a laptop? (Come on now be honest). Yes they are small but they are expensive, easy to damage, easier to lose, get stolen, spill coffee on, drop, sit on, get chewed by the dog etc. Spill a drink on your laptop and if your lucky and you only need to buy a new keyboard. Still, you’re going to shell out about 65 pounds + VAT. Spill a drink on a Tower unit keyboard and I can throw you a new one for less than a fiver.

Tower systems are easier to replace, harder to lose, cheaper to repair, easier to upgrade (you can’t upgrade 95% of laptops and then you can only increase memory) and a darn site harder to get stolen.

Phew, Ill add more to this as I get time but I think this should keep you going for now.

:)

The Dog.

AKSYSTEMS - Computer systems for the masses.

2006-04-25T04:29:00.000-07:00

YER!

Just a quick boast that AK Computer Systems is currently undergoing a bit of a refurb. And for those of you who have not heard of AKS its our main business 2 business portal for servers, communications products and other Blue Chip related stuff.

We are hoping to finish the updates before the end of May, God willing, but who knows. Should the local Tesco Express increase the strength of the coffee in its vending machines then it could be ready this time next week.

The Dog.

Graphics cards - Whats the best one?

2006-04-20T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hi Again,

Life can be a pain. Two things in life that cause me grief are:-

I often get customers asking, "What’s the best graphics card to buy"?
I also sometimes get a bad case of piles.

Both of these problems have a very simple solution.

The latter can be cured via some horrible smelling ointment which when applied to the area of discomfort, soothes and relieves the pain.

The former can be cured by telling customers to buy an Xbox for gaming unless they can find 400 pounds for a graphics card which offers better performance.

Ok, so maybe im being a bit harsh. :)

Simply, it’s not about "what is the best graphics card", its more about what you can afford and the level of your existing hardware specification. In truth you can spend a hell of a lot of money on a computer to make it play games and in the end you have to ask is it not worth buying an Xbox 360 instead?

OK! So whats the minimum I would spend and what specification?

I suggest (at a touch under £100) Radeon 9600 XT for AGP ports or MSI GeForce 6600 256MB for PCIX motherboards.

Comments and questions please?

The Dog.

PCI Graphics cards

2006-04-18T09:36:00.000-07:00

Hi,

Just a quick note today on PCI graphics cards. Yes we can still get them, no they wont let you play couterstrike and yes its probably time you upgraded :)

A typical PCI graphics card would be a low end Sapphire ATI Radeon 9250 128MB DDR retailing at about 40 UK Pounds. Its processor is capable of rendering 3D graphics to a point but the PCI interface is the bottleneck. An AGP version of this card would be twice as fast.

:)

Build your own computer.... Save money....

2006-04-08T05:55:00.000-07:00

Its a fantastic idea in principle, you buy the bits and build it yourself saving money.

In only one day this week I took two such computers in for repair.

One Un-named customer buys over 700 pounds worth of computer components, assembles them correctly to a point but missing one minor thing... the copper spacers that sit between the board and the chassis... resulting in a severe short circuit. Total cost of damage = one dead Radeon X1800 All in Wonder costing £225 +

If your going to build your own computer (and your doing it for the first time) please dont practice on hundreds of pounds worth of stuff. Play around with something cheaper and second hand first.

:)

The Dog.

April Fools

2006-04-03T08:10:00.000-07:00

Dearest Readers,

Who’s the fool?

April fools day has passed and yet I see that we are being made fools by computer retailers in the high street and online.

A brochure dropped through the door, advertising a certain mail order computer company, offering brand new laptops from under 300 pounds. I get a little suspicious but Jo Public will continue to be duped by such advertising.

Let me break this down.

If a laptop (notebook, call it what you will) is offered for sale at £279 you should check the small print. Simply this price does not include VAT, delivery, handling charge and full warranty. I don’t want to drop any names here but let’s be honest, handling charge?

I was prey to such advertising only a few years ago. But if common sense prevails then I should have stopped to think a little harder before handing over my cash.

Handling Charge?

If you open a sweet shop, you intend to sell sweets. Why charge customers for handling those sweets? Would you quote prices excluding the paper bag to put them in? I suppose that if you sold sweets and someone requested some fruit, you would then be in a position to charge for handling, because it’s something you wouldn’t normally deal with.

But surely you will get fantastic tech support and excellent warranty?

Not true. Call centres, long waiting times, under trained staff.

Ok, so what if you think the handling charge is acceptable?

Finance is "subject to status" and "Free double memory is only valid for a short time". Oh and "free antivirus is on select models only" and then “only for a limited time”. I see the words “Image for illustrative purpose only", which means in plain English "What you see IS NOT what you get".

So if you’re looking for a new computer, beware, be very aware of what you’re buying. Sometimes things are not all they seem, or in this case, things are not at all what they seem.

Other things I could mention.

Did I mention that we get these computers in for repair quite often? Did I mention how disgruntled the customers were when I told them what they had purchased could not be upgraded? Did I mention that customers had not been given a copy of important software on disk such as Windows XP? Did I mention that finding important software like device drivers on the internet was very difficult for the majority of computers coming from such big companies? Did I mention £1 a min tech support lines?

Do you agree or disagree?

We always welcome your comments here! :) And we won’t be critical. If you think a computer company has bent over backwards to make sure your experience was a pleasant one please let us know!

The Dog

Intel Centrino. Lets be clear.

2006-03-30T01:07:00.000-08:00

Ok, so you want an Intel Centrino laptop? What the heck is Centrino?

Well, Centrino is not a processor. For a laptop computer to be called "Centrino", it requires the new Pentium M processor, an Intel 855 chipset, and an Intel PRO/Wireless 2100 (802.11b) or Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG (802.11b/g) network card.

Lets break it down.

The Pentium M processor is the hub of Centrino. With 2Mb On-die cache it is now Two to Four times that of a Pentium 4 (2,048k as opposed to 512k or 1,024k used in the Pentium 4).

True, the new Intel Pentium 4 6xx series of processors finally has 2,048k, but the Pentium M processor will still outperform it, GHz for GHz.

Then we have the Intel 855 chipset. This is the second most important requirement of the three and is a very low power chipset. It will only run portions of the chip necessary to perform the tasks asked of it. Clever huh?

The two work together to reduce power consumption and increase performance. So in theory your battery lasts longer and your work gets done quicker!

The Pentium M will slow down to around 600Mhz when your not working though, reducing power consumption when at idle (where it will consume only 6 Watts) or just typing a letter.

Oh, and did i mention the wireless card... Made by Intel of course ;)

Can it get any better?

In January 2005 Intel introduced the new Intel 915 chipset called "Alviso" and the "Sonoma" processor. The new "Sonoma" processor has a 533MHz Front Side Bus Speed (FSB) instead of the old 400MHz FSB that the Intel 855 chipset supported.

And on the Intel GMA900 integrated graphics in the 915GM version the graphics has equaled or surpassed dedicated graphics chips below the Radeon 9600.

Other improvements included dual channel DDR2/533 support instead of the old DDR1/333 single channel memory, 7.1 "High Definition" audio, Serial ATA support and up to - 8 USB2 ports at the manufactureres (OEM) discretion.

Example specification.

At AK computers we have the Sony Vaio VGN-B3XPM which is a good example of this kind of laptop. If this breaks your budget speak to us about one of our Acer Notebooks.

Lets start with a spring clean!

2006-03-29T02:04:00.000-08:00

Spring is here!

... no doubt the other half is running around trying to clean the house in time for easter, fluffy bunnies and daffodils.

But is your computer clean?

No I am not talking about porn, what i am talking about is dust build up which can cause computer overheating and ultimately computer failure.

Its amazing how many computers we get in for repair that have died due to overheating. Most users dont think to check the computer for dust build up, and if the computer is in one place for any length of time, it will collect dirt. Imagine your television at home, an electric device which creates a static charge, and how much dust and dirt the screen collects in the space of a week. A computer is just the same although unlike a television the dust doesnt disperse when the power is shut off. Dirt will collect around heat sensitive parts such as fans and heatsinks. Over time this build up can block the fins restricting airflow and thus causing overheating and data errors (crashes, disk corruption and blue screens).

And if it isnt, whats the worst could happen?

Ultimately, cheaper power supplies will burn out causing a surge of electric which can kill everything or just random components. I have seen two 160gb drives fail along with the power supply and the board and processor survive! If you have a clear perspex case you have no excuse for not noticing dirt build up.

Well, heres a simple fix.

The solution is to switch off your computer, simply take a small clean paint brush and poke it around inside the fans and coolers to losen any dirt. Once this is done switch the computer back on and stand back from the dust cloud

Phew, that wasnt so hard was it?

The AK Dog

PS. Problem with mounting updating your ipod? Check here Cannot Mount iPod