BullsTech IT Solution

NOTICE

2010-01-04T18:53:00.000-08:00

For my job relocation reason, BullsTech just moved the business from Buffalo to Cleveland Ohio in Jan 2010. For customers in Buffalo, sorry we no longer could be able to serve you.

Goodbye Buffalo, love NY, miss Buffalo!!

A Few Things for Our Customers

2009-07-16T11:38:00.000-07:00

First, we want to thank all our previous customers gave BullsTech good reviews on the internet and among their friends and family members. It is you guys that bring BullsTech more and more customers. We really appreciate it.

Here are a few things for our customers.

1. We are only available to work on your computer after 5pm from Mon to Fri or any time on weekends these days. Welcome to call us any time for questions though. The reason for this change is I(Desmond) just got my degree and I am working for a company as a full time engineer right now (thank God that I can find a job in this economy in Buffalo). Rex also got a job in CA. And Shen went back to Taiwan. There is only me running BullsTech in Buffalo now. So, please give me a phone call to make an appointment before you come. This situation may be changed in the future, because there is a Master Electrical Engineering UB student might join us soon...

2. The address of BullsTech is actually where I live. So, when you ask “is this a computer repair shop”, the answer is yes and no. Yes, I’ve fixed a lot of computers here for many different customers. No, this is actually my home. Our low price is partly because of this.

Thank you and have a great day!

Monthly Laptop Computer Maintenance Tips

2009-06-09T09:43:00.000-07:00

1. Clean Your Hard Drive
Over the course of a month it is easy to accumulate a lot of unnecessary files on your laptop hard drive. Take the time once a month to go through your hard drive and examine the files there. Determine which should be saved elsewhere for future reference and which can be trashed. If you download programs on a regular basis to try new things or just to have access to new programs for projects, properly un-install those programs when no longer needed. A cleaner hard drive runs smoother.

2. Defrag Your Hard Drive
Defragging your hard drive is another step to ensuring your laptop will run more efficiently. Taking the time to defrag once a month will allow your programs to run more quickly and make better use of the space on your hard drive. When you defrag your laptop hard drive on a monthly basis you should notice fewer software crashes or freeze ups and programs will run better.

3. Keep Your Laptop Clean
Cleaning your laptop helps prevent overheating and those nasty dust bunnies from building up inside your laptop fans and exposed ports. Cleaning the screen also means you'll always view your data clearly and it's much easier on the eyes. Keeping your case free of dust and dirt buildup will help your laptop by preventing that dirt from getting inside the laptop.

4. Full Back-up
Full back-ups should be conducted on a monthly basis and you should have a secure, fire-proof location to store your back-up. There are a variety of software and hardware options available. You should chose the method that is easy and can be done without fuss on a monthly basis. It may require trying different methods before you find the best back-up system for your needs.

5. Software Updates
Just as you keep your anti-virus and firewall software up-to-date, you should also keep your software programs updated. For many programs the updates will address security issues which help keep your laptop and data protected while on the road.

Graphics Card Comparison

2009-04-07T16:54:00.001-07:00

How Much Memory Do You Need ?

2009-04-06T11:50:00.000-07:00

The answer really depends on how much and for what your system is used. Upgrading is easy and cost effective. RAM is used every time you open an application, download, play a game or simply turn on your computer. Additionally if you work with or plan to work with digital audio and video more ram is a necessity. Our suggestions below are all based on a Windows XP operating system.

Novice User / Administrative: If you use your computer to send and receive email, do a little word processing, and are starting to surf the Web, you can get by with 128MB. However, you would benefit from going to at least 256MB of memory.

Basic User: If you are spending more time surfing the internet, sending and receiving email, and doing word processing along with other applications, you can get by with 256MB, but would benefit from going to 512MB.

Professional / Feel the need for Speed! If you are running multiple business applications, want to play the newer video games and/or work with graphics, you can get by with 512MB, but your computer speed would benefit greatly by having 1GB.

Advanced Professional: If you work with high-end graphics, CAD software, digital images, or video, you can get by with 512MB, but would benefit greatly by installing 1GB of memory or more.

Graphics Design Professional: If you are, or plan to be, a professional graphics designer, use CAD or modeling software, digital images or video, you can get by with 1GB, but would benefit from going to 2GB of memory or more.

If you are using a Windows Vista, the situation is a little bit different. Since Vista consumes much more memory, you need more memory then usual operating system to get the same speed as what we said above. Moreover, if you are a 3D gamer, then the situation is totally different. The answer for you is to get at least 1GB memory and 2 or 3GB is recommended.

Guide on how to remove System Protector

2009-04-05T11:48:00.000-07:00

What this programs does:

System Protector is a rogue anti-spyware program that is installed and promoted through the use of Trojans. These Trojans will display fake security alerts and warnings on your computer and then when clicked on, will download and install System Protector without your permission. Once installed, the program will be set to start automatically and to scan your computer. When the scanning has finished, it will state that your computer has numerous infections and will not remove them unless you purchase the program. These infections, though, are all false and do not even exist on your computer. System Protector also utilizes built-in removal protection by blocking proper access to certain anti-malware sites and tools. In order to bypass this protection you simply need to end the program's process so that you have proper functionality of your browser. Our guide below will explain how to do this. When the program is running you will also constantly see nag screens appearing stating that your computer is infected or has another problem. These nag screens are all fake warnings and should be ignored as well.

System Protector screen shotFor more screen shots of this infection click on the image above.There are a total of 7 images you can view.

Some installations of System Protector include a DLL that is loaded via the Winlogon Notify key. This DLL has a random name and is located in the C:\Windows\System32 folder. If this DLL is loaded it will make it so you cannot run numerous anti-malware programs on your computer. An example HijackThis entry for this type of DLL is:
O20 - Winlogon Notify: aeefaaeeafcbba - C:\WINDOWS\system32\aeefaaeeafcbba.dll
If you have problems starting anti-malware utilities or if they shut down automatically when you start them, then you may have this module installed. If this is the case you will need to delete this file before following the rest of the steps in this guide. For help removing and identifying this DLL, we suggest you ask about in the forums. Otherwise, please use the following guide to remove System Protector and any associated malware for free.

Guide on how to remove System Protector

2009-04-02T08:01:00.000-07:00

(by Grinler)

System Protector is a rogue anti-spyware program that is installed and promoted through the use of Trojans. These Trojans will display fake security alerts and warnings on your computer, and then when clicked on, will download and install System Protector without your permission. Once installed, the program will be set to start automatically and to scan your computer. When the scanning has finished, it will state that your computer has numerous infections and will not remove them unless you purchase the program. These infections, though, are all false and do not even exist on your computer. System Protector also utilizes built-in removal protection by blocking proper access to certain anti-malware sites and tools. In order to bypass this protection you simply need to end the program's process so that you have proper functionality of your browser. Our guide below will explain how to do this. When the program is running you will also constantly see nag screens appearing stating that your computer is infected or has another problem. These nag screens are all fake warnings and should be ignored as well.

Some installations of System Protector include a DLL that is loaded via the Winlogon Notify key. This DLL has a random name and is located in the C:\Windows\System32 folder. If this DLL is loaded it will make it so you cannot run numerous anti-malware programs on your computer. An example HijackThis entry for this type of DLL is:
O20 - Winlogon Notify: aeefaaeeafcbba - C:\WINDOWS\system32\aeefaaeeafcbba.dll

If you have problems starting anti-malware utilities or if they shut down automatically when you start them, then you may have this module installed. If this is the case you will need to delete this file before following the rest of the steps in this guide. For help removing and identifying this DLL, we suggest you ask about in the forums. Otherwise, please use the following guide to remove System Protector and any associated malware for free.

What You Need to Know About Spyware

2009-04-01T12:14:00.000-07:00

Spyware is a mean villain. Many of us recognize spyware by the name adware, which is a hotly debated topic in the world of cyber security.But spyware has more than just one face. In fact, adware is one of spyware's least dangerous mutations.

What -- exactly -- is spyware?
Spyware, which is actually 'computer monitoring software,' can take many forms.Basically, spyware is software that tracks your actions and/or your Internet use. It can capture what you type on your keyboard, including passwords, and send it to the spyware creator.Its most popular mutation is adware, which is advertisement related monitoring and marketing software. Adware is "a form of spyware that collects information about the user in order to display advertisements in the Web browser based on the information it collects from the user's browsing patterns."Adware can be found all over the Web. In fact, many 'free' programs are infested with it. It usually comes bundled within a free program such as KaZaa, Grokster, Comet Cursor, HotBar, InternetOptimizer, Gator, Money Tree, etc. etc. etc. The list can be endless.

How can ad related spyware (adware) infect a computer?
If you've ever downloaded a free game, accounting software, cool Web utilities, media players, etc. -- any program offered as free on the Internet -- you're likely infected with a marketing type of spyware (adware).What does ad-related spyware do?There are different types of adware programs, but most of them are programmed to record all of your online activities and/or browsing habits. They closely track every single page you visit in order to determine what your interests are. They keep a log of what you do online, and every so often, transmit that data to a remote site, which processes this spyware generated information.This may or may not sound that harmful to you. However, you haven't even heard the rest.

How can ad-related spyware harm you?
This perhaps seemingly harmless form of spyware has several downfalls. First of all, it generates huge amounts of spam, pop-up ads and advertisement related content.If the adware determines you visit runner sites, you will be bombarded with ads offering you hot new sneakers, heartbeat monitors, sore muscle remedies, etc. (any commercial item related to running).Does this mean you only get ads about products you're interested in? In part yes, but the sheer number of ads generated by the spyware can become so bothersome that you can get to the point of not wanting to be online or opening up your email!And adware causes even greater problems.Advertising-related spyware can greatly reduce your Internet speed and can cause your CPU usage to artificially go up. Adware can also rob you of great amounts of hard disk storage space.The amount of online, as well as offline, activity going on in the background -- sending information back and forth to remote sites, feeding you ads, storing ads on your hard drive to ensure you see them online as well as offline, etc. -- can severely interrupt the correct functioning of your computer.'Browser hijacking' is another characteristic of some truly invasive adware programs. The spyware might change your home page, your default search engine might turn out to be some strange Russian site, weird links might be added to your list of Favorites, new buttons might appear on your toolbar, etc.Advertising related spyware has also been known to cause many system crashes.Now the amount of damage you suffer depends on the individual type of spyware installed on your computer.

Many people get so frustrated with the spyware on their computer that they just buy a new computer!Unfortunately, if they do the same things regarding free software, etc., they'll wind up with the same spyware programs and problems with their new computer.