Repair Status
Computer Repair and Sales Blog
Severe hard drive shortage due to flooding in Thailand!
As many of you already know Thailand has been hit by severe flooding. Much of the world’s hard drives are produced in Thailand. Factories are submerged under several feet of water bringing with it a severe shortage of hard drives. It is estimated that it will be 5 to 6 months after the water has receded before production can begin again. At this point there is no ETA on when operations will resume and Western Digital states that “Thailand accounts for 60 percent of drive production. Its customers have about two weeks of inventory on hand and distributors have around four weeks of supplies.”
As such hard drive supplies are at a severely low level. Prices for some brands and models of hard drives have already started increasing significantly as a result and they are being rationed out by the suppliers in low quantities. I’ve been working hard all night and most of today to secure a supply of drives to keep our team functioning which has met with some success. We now have a supply of drives to last us for quite some time, barring any unforeseen demand. However we will not be selling loose drives to the public at this time to ensure that we have enough inventory to meet the demand for repairs and sales of new computers.
Please remember that while this is a small inconvenience for the industry and it’s clientelle, this is a very sad time for Thailand and our thoughts go out to the victims and their families.
Attached are pictures of the partially submerged Western Digital factory sent to me by one of our suppliers.
The next step in our evolution is….
I am currently working on a mobile device app that will convert our site into a mobile friendly version. It’s basicallly an iOS/Android/etc. app that you can save to your home screen and peruse like any other app. It is also going to support the Blackberry as well. It’s going to take a while for me to configure it to my liking, so I don’t have an ETA yet. All I can say is that it’s in the works.
Along with our online real time computer repair tracking system, iOS/Android (iPad, iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, etc) app, computerized inventory and repair control and our new website, we are delivering quite possibly the most advanced client experience in Barrie, if not Simcoe County and beyond. I hope it enriches your experience with us the way it has streamlined our operations. If you have any comments, feedback, etc. please email me at admin@npinc.ca. I’d love to hear from you.
New site is live!
It’s a great pleasure to get the new site online. I do anticipate a glitch here and there, so please be patient and let me know if you find one. I’ve been through every page, but it’s entirely possible that I missed something and I’ll be going through it again several times in the next few days.
Enjoy! If you have any comments, suggestions or other feedback, please don’t hesitate to contact me at admin@npinc.ca
Another Paypal scam
I just received this email:
Dear Customer,
Paypal is informing all customers to verify and update there account information for our security update.
Please download the secure attached page to login your account details and make sure you complete the process as your interest is our concern.
Note: This verification process must not be ignored but if you choose then you leave us no choice to suspend your online account.
Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this action may have caused.
Regards,
Paypal Team
There is an attachment to the email that looks like this:
The form ID of the scammer (12812718350) is imbedded in the code. They used Jot Form (http://max.jotfor.ms/) to create and host the form and “style sheet”, in other words all the formatting that makes the page look like it does. The form ID is what Jot Forms uses to keep track of who the form information goes to and the actual fraudulent form can be viewed at http://www.jotform.com/form/12812718350. The images themselves are hosted on legitimate websites, such as Paypal and linked to in the form. The email was sent from AOL webmail, which means that someone’s account was most likely hacked and it could have been anyone from anywhere.
I guess what’s most disturbing, apart from the fact that there are people out there willing to try just about anything to steal your financial information and identity, is that people can use perfectly legitimate services for such devious purposes. Anyways, rest assured that Paypal will never send you an email like this.
Online Repair Tracking Status now available!
We are pleased to offer online repair tracking. Keep up to date every step of the way either through your cell phone by scanning in the QR Code or online through our website. It also allows us to keep a complete history to expedite the sign in procedure and saves a lot of paper in the process, a far more environmentally friendly approach. Our new system will also be able to send you an SMS or email when your repair is complete if you so desire.
Ultimately the biggest thing is that it allows us to serve you more efficiently and effectively.
New Trojan virus shows up for Apple Mac OS X
Attacks on Apple Mac OS X are getting more sophisticated as they gain in popularity. The latest attack is a trojan virus hiding in a malicious PDF file, an attack similar to ones seen in Windows. What is so significant about it is that the PDF file opens up while the installation of the trojan backdoor, that attempts to communicate with a command and control server that can take over your computer, proceeds automatically in the background.
Simply put it once more stresses how important it is to install a security suite on your Apple Mac computer.
We are Lenovo authorized resellers
We are authorized for Lenovo sales which means that any Lenovo product you may be interested in be it a laptop, server or workstation, we can provide them to you. We also have access to all Lenovo resources so that we can adequately support you both before and after the sales.
As Barrie’s premiere computer sales and repair depot, we welcome the Lenovo line up and you can rest assured that you will get top notch support and advice from our friendly, experienced staff.
What should you look for when buying a laptop?
Buying a new laptop can be an overwhelming process. You walk into a store greeted by a smiling face, asking you what you’re going to use this new computer for. Before you know it, you’re being “feature spammed”, reading off the list of all the parts in the computer. In this post I’m going to make it really easy.
For the average computer user, most laptops on the shelf are more than capable of doing what you need them to do. This excludes the $300 to $400 AMD-based laptops as they’re really just glorified netbooks with the same poor quality and performance. For any other laptops that program might open 1.5 seconds faster, you might be able to open two extra windows at a time or store an extra 1,000 songs.
The most important feature to look for is the one seldom, if ever, mentioned. Reliability. The features and speed aren’t important if it’s in the shop every six months. The first thing to look for is heat. Heat is the number one reason for failure. How warm does it get to the touch? Place your hand on the palm rest or bottom of the computer. The warmth should be barely noticeable.
The next thing is manufacturers’ warranty (pay no attention to “extended warranties” from the vendor). A good quality, reliable laptop offers two or three year warranty. Ask where it would be serviced if there was a problem. It shouldn’t go any further than Toronto. Is shipping paid for? Good warranties offer free two way shipping. What happens if there’s a bright dot (stuck pixel) on the screen? A 30 day, zero bright dot warranty should be expected. The more confident a manufacturer is in their product, the better the coverage.
There are only two variables. How big a screen do you want? The bigger the screen, the less battery life. Second if you do CAD, work with massive video files or play the most modern and demanding games you will need to look for a laptop with a separate video card. These are recognized by ATI Radeon or nVIDIA emblems with the amount of separate memory on the card (ie 1GB).
When boiled down to its simplest terms, shopping for a new laptop can be a pleasant, painless experience.
New website is coming!
We are in the process of redesigning our website. I’ve seen the initial proofs and the changes are very exciting. Look for it in the near future.
Google pays tribute to Freddie Mercury
Today’s Google Doodle pays tribute to Freddie Mercury (I had no idea he was born Farrokh Bulsara until today). Today would have been Freddie’s 65th birthday. Freddie was a brilliant and very talented musician and Google’s Doodle, set to the tune “Don’t Stop Me Now” is a fitting tribute that’s worth checking out. On Google, press play in the center of the Doodle to watch it.
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