I was in Best Buy the other night returning some merchandise and ran across the Geek Squad trying to fix one of their customer’s problems. The poor Geek Squad tech was plugging and unplugging a drive, refreshing My Computer and the drive wouldn’t show up. To a professional technician, this is a 1-minute fix. Unfortunately, this technician couldn’t seem to fix it and his Geek Squad screen wasn’t telling him all the details.

In more detail, you plug in a USB hard drive, Windows states that it found the hardware, installs the software and you get a “It’s ready to use”, but when you go into My Computer, it doesn’t show up.

Well, here’s a secret for all of you that have this problem:
Right Click on “My Computer”, select “Manage”. Go to the Disk Management section and you’ll see a disk that’s there, that is the size that you just plugged in, but no drive letter. (Disclaimer, this next part: Use at your own risk as there is potential for loss of data if done wrong) Right click on the drive, choose “Format” and go through the prompts (choose NTFS). Within a minute, your drive will be in My Computer, as it should be. Again, use the above at your own risk, because you could wipe a perfectly valid hard drive…

Why does this happen?
Every once in awhile, a hard drive makes it out of a manufacturers facility without being pre-formatted for you. It happens, on occasion for some odd reason. Another valid reason is that the hard drive was replaced at some point, either by someone else, or by the manufacturer and it wasn’t reformatted as it should have been.

This post is more for my advanced customers as well as all the competitors that scour my website for any news or information they can get on me. I figure that the more people that know of this up-coming change, the better it’ll be for everyone involved. Some information is best shared…

Hard drives are changing to a new format called Advanced Format. This means that the sector size of 512 bytes is going away. The new sector size will be 4KB (4096 bytes) to take advantage of several things. While the drives are not out yet, they’re coming.

The bad news: Windows XP will be thrown out the door since it will have serious performance issues with the new standard. This means that if you’re using, or recomending XP, it will now be officially limited on hardware, not just on support and age.

For those that just went cross eyed, I do apologize. Occasionally, technobable is a requirement. To put it in perspective, unlike the shrinking parking spaces across the world, the “parking spaces” on your hard drive will get bigger. The “lot” (aka: Hard Drive) will still be the same size and hold the same amount of information. It’s just a better use of space.

If you’d like to get into the details of how this works, feel free to see the original article.
Justin

Today, we’d like to cover something that happens all over the country, but we’ve seen it happen here in the Portland metro areas as well.

Warranty repairs, are completely normal. When something breaks, you take it into the company you bought it from and they fix it, right? Typically, that’s how things go, but what can actually happen in the case of computers, is that your data disappears when it shows back up in your hands.

Imagine sending your computer into a company to fix a screen that messed up. Not a big deal, by PC repair standards, but something that most companies require that the computer be sent to a service center. While in that service center, many things can happen. The company may decide that something else is wrong and replace it as well, like a recalled hard drive… Or that the computer needed the motherboard replaced which causes windows to no longer work – so they hook that hard drive up to a machine and replace Windows within minutes – along with all your valuable pictures, music, documents, etc. All gone.

This is why it’s so important to use some type of backup. While Protocol16 uses a service we like called Carbonite, any type of backup will do, whether you burn files to a CD or DVD, throw files on a memory stick or an external hard drive or you use some type of automated backup solution (in the Apple world, I personally use Time Machine). If you use your own backup solution, make sure that the data is physically located somewhere else in case something major happens – your backup can’t help if it’s destroyed in the same fire that kills your computer…

Anytime you give your property to anyone else, whether a friend, a repair company, a relative, etc. MAKE A BACKUP of your data. It’s too easy for a Caramel Latte to be spilled on your PC by your friend or family member, it’s too easy for someone to accidentally  drop and it’s too easy for the guy at the repair depot that some big company uses to not care about YOUR data and “accidentally” overwrite it with a fresh install of Windows.

Whoever you choose, be careful and perform a backup. As always, if you have questions, give us a call at 503-524-9047.
Justin

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Beaverton, OR —Nov. 6, 2009— Protocol16, a computer company focusing on on-site computer repair, has formed a partnership agreement with DriveSavers to provide the best data recovery solution for customers.

Protocol16 currently attempts “simple” drive recovery for customer computers. DriveSavers will be used in extreme situations, like fire, water and crush damage for laptops, desktops and servers. DriveSavers will also be utilized during RAID recovery for servers.

“I am extremely excited to be able to offer this service for our customers.” said Justin Royce, owner of Protocol16. “DriveSavers is at the absolute top of the list when it comes to drive recovery. DriveSavers has the clean room technology to take a scorched and almost unrecognizable hard drive, then get data out of it. In the end, it comes down to saving our customers money while offering the best solution for the customer. Due to the partnership, Protocol16 is able to offer our customers a 10% discount.”

About Protocol16
Protocol16 was started in 2007 in response to a growing demand for technical services in the military communities of Germany. Since starting, Protocol16 has relocated to Oregon and launched a website and mobile computer repair business in the Portland Metro region. Headquartered in Beaverton, Protocol16 is quickly becoming a leader in mobile repair for businesses and consumers. Protocol16 maintains that customer satisfaction is the absolute primary goal of the business.

# # #

A common question and issue that Protocol16 runs across is someone that’s had to many problems with their computer is if they should fix it or reformat it (some people refer to this as “rebooting” the computer.)

There are Pro’s and Con’s to each option:

Fixing:
Pro’s: You save all your data, no reinstalling and setting programs backup.
Con’s: Depending on how your installation is fixed, there may be odds and ends that can still cause problems. Typically, a lot of shops do not modify your security settings either. This may cause a re-infection within hours of use.

Reformatting (aka: Rebooting)
Pro’s: You start completely fresh. This is typically the equivalent to turning your computer on for the first time.
Con’s: Depending on the shop that handles your repair, you could end up with no extra applications, hardware that doesn’t work (Network Drivers, Screen Colors, etc) and you’ll need to reload some choice programs.

This is a hard decision to make, but one that a lot of PC owners are faced with. While I could throw my opinion out there, I don’t want to sway you one way or another.

I will tell you that Protocol16 does it’s best to make a reformat request as easy as possible for everyone involved. Unless you specifically request it, we backup your data and attempt to make everything easy for you. At the same time, we can do something a little painful by implementing a double-account setup for your security. That’s right, we setup 2 accounts, one as an Admin and one as a Normal User. Typically, this is just a convenience issue during the first week or so, but it can occasionally cause problems with Windows XP due to how security is setup.

At the same time, we also go through and load all the software for your computer directly from your manufacturer. Hunting these programs down can take time, but it’s worth it since you are able to use the special buttons on your computer again.

But wait, there’s a secret most computer shops don’t want you to know… You can do this yourself!

If you have the original disks that came with your computer, you can simply find the Recovery or Repair CD/DVD and stick it into the computer. This will ERASE the hard drive (meaning no more programs, data, music, pictures – NOTHING) with a quick wizard like interface. Some computers have this CD built into the hard drive, you simply have to tell the computer that you want the “Boot Options”. This can be any type of F key on the top row of your computer. Just watch carefully right when your computer comes on and it’ll tell you which key to hit for the boot menu options. This second method typically only works with the newer computers though.

As always, if you’re having problems in Beaverton, Tigard, Portland or even over in Gresham, give us a call and we’ll be more than happy to help out!
Justin

Once again, technicians talk and one poor guy came up with a customer issue about RAID 0.  A lot of the gaming machines or high-end desktops use the mythical RAID 0 set for hard drives. This is touted by many as something to help with speed of your hard drive, and it can, but at a heavy price.

Now, the bad thing: RAID 0 does absolutely NOTHING to help maintain data integrity. This means that when one of the hard drives in that RAID Array crash (you need at least 2 drives in RAID 0), everything goes away. This can also happen if your motherboard crashes as well since most cheap desktops and all laptops offering RAID do not use a dedicated RAID card. They use an on-board chip that has a nickname of “soft RAID” since it’s software controlled.

RAID 0 does work for speed, but it should only be used for temporary storage of unimportant data. When I worked with very large databases, we sometimes used RAID 0 as a primary (temporary) log storage area to speed the server up. It should not, in most technicians opinions, be used as a way to boot windows or store valuable data. If you’re going to use RAID for this situation, use RAID 1, RAID 5 or RAID 10.

If you’re confused about RAID levels, it’s best to speak with a professional so you understand the differences between all the different types. If you’re looking for data to remain intact during a hard drive crash, you’ll want RAID 1, 5 or 10. There are differences between them, and there are more levels to choose from as well, but these are the main types. For desktops, you’ll probably want RAID 1. Servers, depending on the age and data you’re storing, either 5 or 10.

As always, please feel free to contact Protocol16 for your questions or computer repair in Portland.
Justin

I had a customer this evening, in Portland, that had called a Craigslist technician to repair his computer. Supposedly the technician found a bad hard drive and offered to replace it with a $120 “used” hard drive since new hard drives cost hundreds of dollars (NOT TRUE!). The customer gratefully agreed and ended up allowing the installation of the used drive. For an hours time, plus the used drive, the customer ended up paying $140.

Damaged Hard Drive From a Craigslist Technician (click it for the bigger version)

The drive worked for about a week until the customer needed to move out of his apartment into another apartment. This caused a general rumbling in the case, if you’re not careful. Well, this caused enough of a rumble to cause the hard drive to fail. The customer decided to call a company rather than a Craigslist technician and I present you with the picture here…

This doesn’t look like much, except a broken tab, but look closely (ok, click on the picture for a bigger version)… Notice the white grooves on the tab? Those shouldn’t be there. Neither should the discoloration under the smaller grouping of attachment points…

I give you… Superglue ladies and gentlemen. This technician sold a poor customer a 70GB hard drive that was superglued for enough money to allow the technician to buy a 1TB hard drive for himself. That’s a REALLY big drive, a full 730GB bigger than what he billed the customer for.

Fortunately, I managed to get the data off the drive and replace the drive with a larger one for the customer. In the end, the customer paid about $145 for everything I did, with a much bigger drive.

Some signs to watch for: The technician never had an anti-static bag to carry the drive in. These bags protect electronic components from damage due to static electricity. The customer never saw a price tag, but he only had seen the $20 per hour cost on the Craigslist ad. Worst of all, the cell phone number has been disconnected and the customer paid in cash – no way to trace the guy.

Please be careful when working with any type of technician. Protocol16 would love to have your business, but even if you don’t choose us, we always recommend that you ensure that your technician is Licensed, Bonded & Insured (we carry a card from our insurance company), has a permanent number on something – a business card, a car wrap, a phone book entry, etc, uses protective covers on electronics, and you see price tags on the merchandise that shows up with the tech.

Personally, I carry around a case that we call “The Football” (it’s a presidential joke) that has several hard drives in fully wrapped packages, with price tags attached, all in a fully padded case. In this situation, I showed up and opened the case and the first thing the customer said was “The last guy didn’t do anything like that, he had it loose in his backpack!”

While we do sometimes provide used parts for customers, in extreme situations, they are always quality controlled to ensure that this type of thing doesn’t end up in customer hands. Again, when calling on any company for any type of computer repair, please be careful.
Justin

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Beaverton, OR —Sep. 8, 2009— Protocol16, a computer company focusing on on-site support, has formed a partnership agreement with Carbonite to provide the latest automated backup solutions to it’s customers.

Protocol16 will providing it’s customers licenses for Carbonite when it’s technicians are on-site and a backup solution is needed. The technicians will configure Carbonite to allow for automatic off-site backups so that customers may retrieve lost files without additional assistance.

“This partnership allows us to cover our customers automatically since backing up a hard drive is one of the most needed, but most missed, parts of owning a computer.” said Justin Royce, owner of Protocol16. “This  will allow our technicians to setup and install the Carbonite backup solution on customer computers at a lower price, providing the best bang for the buck for the customer. Ultimately, we can save our customers around of 10%.”

Protocol16 is currently carrying licenses of Carbonite for customers. Activation codes are emailed directly to the customer, when needed.

About Protocol16
Protocol16 was started in 2007 in response to a growing demand for technical services in the military communities of Germany. Since starting, Protocol16 has relocated to Oregon and launched a website and mobile computer repair business in the Portland Metro region. Headquartered in Beaverton, Protocol16 is quickly becoming a leader in mobile repair for businesses and consumers. Protocol16 maintains that customer satisfaction is the absolute primary goal of the business.

# # #

Protocol16 services both residential and business customers for computer repair and services throughout Portland. One of the biggest things we see, on a normal basis, is that people are not backing up their data.

Why Backup
This may be old news, but the more people hear it, the more likely they are to do it. Backing up data can save your bacon in almost every way. Here are some examples:

• License keys – Backups allow you to retrieve license keys for software that you have installed. How many of you have a hard-copy backup of your license keys? We know we don’t have everything either. Cost can also be attributed here in case you can’t locate licenses for software you have installed – you may need to repurchase software.
   
• Pictures, documents, etc – family or product photos, documents containing works of art (if you’re a writer) or even customer invoices. Losing these can cause both heart ache and heavy losses, on the business side.
   
• Lost productivity – We don’t know about you, but when our computer isn’t working, we pace the room. Computers, these days, are everything. Losing a computer and not having a backup can cause days of lost productivity, even more if you’re a business. Businesses lose the productivity, the cost of the technician to reinstall everything (whether it’s Protocol16 or your own technician), the cost of the worker that is supposed to be using that computer running around everywhere else, etc. If your computer happens to be the billing/invoicing computer, then you can lose past invoices, current billable time, etc. Lots of money…

 

Types of Backups
Did you know there are actually several types of backups? They each do two different things and can help or hurt you, depending on the situation:

• Full – A complete set of all files you wish to back up. Think of this as your ‘reference set’. This helps since you have a full-on backup of your entire data set in one place. This hurts since it can take up a lot of space.
   
• Incremental – A backup of those files which have changed since the last backup of any type. This helps since you can spend less time to backup what has changed. This hurts because it can take more time to restore things, since you need to restore everything in order, it can also make digging for specific files a pain.
   
• Differential – A backup of those files which have changes since the last full backup. Similar to incremental, it picks the files that have changed, but with the express difference that it’s since the last full backup. This can help since it also takes less time to backup everything. This hurts because it can take longer to backup than incremental, can take up a little more space because it’ll backup more redundant type files, etc.

 

Locations
The backup location can make a huge difference as well. What happens if your business gets broken into or your house burns down? Those backups will most likely disappear as well. If you’re storing baby pictures or customer records, this can devistate you or your business. Here are the types of backups:

• On Site – This is where your backups are stored right next to your computer, or in the same building. This helps since they’re right there and you can do things quickly. This hurts in the above situation where your backups can disappear.
   
• Off Site – Your backups are stored at a physically different location. This can be at a neighbors house or even a business owner’s home. This helps since the backups won’t disappear, burn up or get stolen. This hurts since it can take hours, or days, to restore from an alternate location from across the internet. In some cases, your backups can be mailed directly to you as well.

 

Ways To Backup

• Automated – There are a few things out there that can automatically backup your computer for you. There are programs, mobile hard drives (with software added), web services (like Carbonite), and even network automated backups like the Apple Time Capsule and Western Digital’s MyBook. With the automated solutions, you can usually “set and forget”, up until you need something back.
   
• Manual – Manual backups can be a pain, but sometimes they’re needed. Automatic backups, while helpful, can backup a lot of information that doesn’t need to be included. If you’re a professional, a full backup should happen nightly or more often. But, in cases where you’re editing sensitive data (like an Accountant), you should backup the files manually to a different location as well.

 

Protocol16 Recommends
For consistency and easiness of backups, Protocol16 recommends an off Site, automated, differential backup with a local automated full backup solution in place as well. That’s right, Protocol16 recommends having two solutions. This allows you to ensure that, no matter what happens, you’ll always have a backup handy.

The automated local backup should be run at least once a week, for residential customers. For busineses, a minimum of once a day, usually a night. For business customers that rely upon databases and specific records on computers that need to be up to date and live all the time, this may need to change to multiple times a day.

The remote automated backup should be performed at least once a week, in either case. This assures that you have 2 layers of protection in case something happens.

Cost
Cost is an issue, we completely understand that aspect of anyone’s life. Cost for a local backup is usually $100 or less, for residential use. This is typically in the form of an external hard drive. At the moment, Protocol16 is testing backup solutions for customers, we’ll have a recommendation out shortly.

For businesses, this can be anything from a $100 consumer based item to a server that costs several thousand dollars. Please speak with us about solutions for your business. You might be surprised at what we can come up with.