Wireless Internet Connection Problem?

This is the most popular reason people call our technical support numbers. This is partially because there are a lot of first time laptop users out there and no one ever showed them how to use wireless technology. I would say the majority of the time the reason is that people fail to look in the users manual they get with their laptops. Some laptops come with a book and others will find their manual on the drivers disc that is in the ziplock bag they received with the Windows Disc and maybe a few other CD's. What you'll find is that every single model of laptop, whether a Quantum Computer or any other brand, the process of turning on your wireless card will be different with each model. Some have a toggle switch, while others have a hotkey next to the power button. Still others may be activated by pressing the FN key plus one of the function keys at the top of the keyboard. Don't worry if you have trouble actually figuring it out, it can be a little confusing. unfortunately we have no control over how the manufacturers of the chassis make their designs, but we can help you should you not understand the manual....just give us a call during normal business hours and ask for technical support.

Many times people will call us and say that they had their IT guy, or networking professional tell tell them that the laptop has a bad wireless card. The truth is that most IT guys don't know very much about laptop designs. Mostly they know Desktop/tower computers and servers since that is the main focus of their work. For as long as we have been assembling laptops, we have never had a wireless card that failed....never. The truth is that if the card is actually turned on, and the computer actually can see the wireless network with a good signal strength but can not connect - then the problem isn't with the laptop, the problem is in the network. It has been proven every time. Sometimes the router or modem or both need to be reset. Sometimes the router has some internal settings that need to be changed. In either case, we have never had to replace a wireless card because it has failed. At least not since the I wrote this in November of 2007.

We realize it can be frustrating when you can't get on the internet when you first get your laptop - or you can't get your email when you are traveling or when you go to a training event and can't seem to get connected. So if you need some assistance, please give us a call - we are getting pretty good at walking people through this process since it happens every day.

Printers

When you purchase a new printer, install the software that came with the printer first - before you plug in the printer. The software should prompt you when you should plug in and turn on the printer. Remember to check the list of printers for your computer to determine if it is set as the default printer. This will allow you to print on your new printer.

Computer Operations

Try not to open too many programs while working on your computer. The more things that are open, the slower your system will run.

How many icons are down on the lower right side of your taskbar next to the clock? These reflect programs that are open or running. Too many background programs running at the same time may slow you down or cause conflicts with your Clasp Program...contact us for details. We will be publishing detailed information on this soon.

Are you using the internet? Are you "connected" to the internet even though you don't have a browser open? If so, then do you have virus protection installed on your computer? You should! Which Virus Protection software is the best? Here is our opinion: Norman Virus Control Plus. It is the only Virus Protection Software we recommend, sell, service and support. Why? Because we feel it is the best software available. It uses what they call Sandbox Technology. No other virus control software comes close to it's technology. We have used several other software packages and Norman beats them all. You can purchase the software directly from Norman or you can get it from us. We offer Norman at discounted rates for all Health Practitioners. Nobody beats our software and nobody beats our prices on Norman. Norman actually works very well with your Biofeedback software, we've been using it since 2004 and have not seen a single conflict with anything except viruses and spyware...that is a very good record! Please call us for details. Oh, and if you are getting a free virus protection download from any other company, think about this...why does that company have a free version and a paid version? Because the free version isn't the whole program...it is bait for the paid version. We call that a marketing tactic that all software companies use. Do you really think you are protected with a free version of virus protection software? Please think again. In fact, when Norman offers a free trial of their software, they offer the full version for free on a 30 day trial...they don't give you a free "partial" version like all the others. Why would you trust a company that gives you a partial version that could allow you to get viruses during your trial of their software?? it doesn't make good sense does it? Please investigate Norman...you will not be disappointed - we guarantee it!

Maintenance Issues

Keep your laptop out of extreme hot and cold temperatures, which could affect the performance of the PC. Laptops are especially vulnerable to heat. Do not leave your laptop in your car during hot summer months.

Having problems with something that you don't quite understand? Is it a software issue or a hardware issue? The majority of laptop computer issues are software or user related...always investigate the software before assuming it is a problem with the hardware. Usually you can find that if you recently installed a new printer or a virus protection program, they end up putting some kind of utility in the startup menu that may be causing a conflict. Sometimes someone recommends to use a certain function or feature that is not really compatible with your software....it's a good idea to contact us before doing something that may be detrimental to your software setup. We encourage you to contact us before installing anything that may cause future problems. If we aren't familiar with that particular software, we can show you how to set a restore point and do a backup so your problems can easily be reversed if they occur. This can eliminate a lot of frustration for you. Unfortunately over 98% of the computer "problems" that arise are the result of something YOU did unknowingly. Rarely is it the fault of the computer. I know that sounds like a cop out, but it is true. Of the computers that were sent in here this year for repairs 98% were the fault of the user...not the hardware. We actually have a hardware repair rate in 2007 of only 1% of all the computers we have sold. That is a hard record to beat!

Are you getting a solid black screen when you boot the computer? Is your hard drive light slowly blinking? this may be happening because you recently ran your Error Checking function which is also known as Scan Disk or Disk checking. Just let your computer sit there with the black screen until the scan is complete and your computer will boot up. Sometimes it takes 30 minutes to an hour depending on the size of your hard drive. We recommend that you do not keep trying to turn on and off your computer trying to get it to boot. Just let it sit there and run it's course. Some computers will show a black screen while others will have a blue screen that shows the details...not all computers are set up the same way - just because someone else's computer has a blue screen - it doesn't mean yours will! If you let the computer sit for an hour or two, and you still have the black screen - then it could be another problem. Please contact us for some assistance in this case.

Having trouble uninstalling your old virus protection? We aren't surprised. We see it every day. Contact us for assistance.

We are drafting several technical Tips for this page...keep checking back for more details.