IGHQ SERVICE AND REPAIR

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What is I.G. Headquarters Service / Repair all about? Our Mission Statement & Services

I.G. Headquarters is dedicated to the following concepts:

Achievement: To aspire to the highest level of excellence in our products & services.

Attitude: Customer service just isn't what it should be in today's world. Our intention is to bring it back with respect, consideration, patience and a smile.

Balance: To strive for a well rounded workplace combining Work, Family, Religion & Recreation.

Boldness: Believing that we cannot succeed without taking calculated risks to encourage growth & discovery.

Challenge: To push ourselves for the purpose to succeed. We question boundaries to continually advance in our abilities.

Commitment: To obligate ourselves to the contentment of our clients, employees & their families.

Community: To donate our time, money & resources while building key relationships & supporting the community.

At I.G. Headquarters, we believe there is a strong correlation between companies' equity ratings & the perceived effectiveness of how they communicate with employees and even customers. 72% of employees in a recent survey (World at Work Survey) say they are concerned about recruiting & retaining top talent. I.G. Headquarters makes it's efforts to strive for accomplishment from within.

We want to understand the needs of our clients in the Information and communications department so we can apply the best solutions based on the customer's budget and the trend of the industry. To offer these solutions with honesty and ethics and be aware of the computer industry tendency so we can offer the best choice to improve automation. To maintain a close and respectful relation with our customers , For they are the source of our progress.

For your computer, we can show you how to get the latest in Internet Browser Protection, giving you a 'worry free' environment on the web. Freeware & Shareware by the hundreds! For those who don't understand, "Freeware" is software for free. "Shareware" is software you use on a trial basis for free, then decide if you like it and want to buy it.

Most problems we find with repairs is that people do not update their computers or any of their software. And that they do not run maintenance software programs. In addition, we've found that most people never have enough RAM memory installed. And that their video cards are lacking in memory strength too. "MemTurbo" is a program that collects unused RAM memory and frees it for your computers current use. You can find MemTurbo at www.memturbo.com . However, Mem Turbo is not a solution to those lacking enough RAM memory, just a bit of help.

By recovering memory that was allocated and forgotten (leaked) by the operating system and poorly behaved applications, MemTurbo can increase the amount of both physical and virtual memory available for use, speeding the functions of your PC.

Welcome to I.G. Headquarters Services Page

I.G. Headquarters

As many of you may or may not know, we started a business called "I.G. Headquarters". We've been repairing & assembling electrical circuits & components for businesses & consumers ever since we opened for work in 1992. However, We've been tampering with computers since 1980. I.G. Headquarters services include: Computer Service & Repair, Web Site Design & Maintenance, Computer & Internet Teaching / Tutoring, Home & Business Networking & Custom Built Computers. I.G. Headquarters is a family based business, built upon Christian principles as we rely upon God to continue to successfully propel us into the future!

Our customer's satisfaction is very important to us! If there is anything we can do, please email us at: ig.headquarters "at" yahoo.com! (Please substitute the "@" symbol for the "at" [without quotation marks and without spaces in-between words]. Apologies for any inconvenience - for this was done for enhanced security). . I.G. Headquarters makes every effort to keep up with the latest & most updated technology / software available. With literally millions of Web Site options available, customers are offered just about everything they're looking for. We also offer free software that submits your Web Site to several, if not thousands of search engines across the internet.

Helpful Ideas

Helpful ideas To avoid any computer problems / issues, you should frequently search Windows Update for updates and upgrades to your Windows software. All 'Critical Updates' must be downloaded for your safety. All recommended updates and anything else should be read carefully to determine your need for the update. Microsoft lays the information out fairly simple - so don't worry about not knowing what to do. We're sure you'll do just fine figuring it out. Whenever your computer isn't acting the way it should, try running 'scandisk' and 'defragmenter'. If you don't know what those programs are or how to use them, you can find that information in The Gadgetbar Toolbar, or you may email us at: ig.headquarters "at" yahoo.com! (Please substitute the "@" symbol for the "at" [without quotation marks and without spaces in-between words]. Apologies for any inconvenience - for this was done for enhanced security). and we will help you.

It very easy to do and very simple functions to perform. In order for anyone to have a strong, well running omputer, you need quality "maintenance programs". Maintenance programs (Other than scandisk and defragmenter) are essential in keeping your PC running like the day you first turned it on. Programs like "Registry First Aid", which can be found at www.rosecitysoftware.com/Reg1Aid/ . "Ad-Aware SE Professional" can be found at www.lavasoft.com ." Spybot Search and Destroy", "Hijack This" and "TuneXP" can be found at www.download.com (Just type 'Spybot Search and Destroy, Hijack This and Tune XP' in the software search and look for the latest version (Currently version 1.4). "System Cleaner" can be found at www.pointstone.com . "Diaskeeper 9.0" can be found at www.diskeeper.com . "Trend Micro Anti-Spyware" and "CW Shredder" can be found at www.trendmicro.com and their products can be viewed from a 'click and drop list'. These programs, when properly used on a weekly basis can keep your computer in veDiskeeperry good condition - preventing you from extended visits to any computer repair center. If all else fails when trying to maintain a running PC, you can always try using "Windows Restore" function. This is located by clicking on 'start', then 'all programs', then 'accessories', then 'system tools'. When choosing a date to restore your computer to - decide on a month and day when you are certain when your computer was running with no problems. If your restore request is able to complete, then you'll be just fine! And if you still have troubles, email us at ig.headquarters "at" yahoo.com! (Please substitute the "@" symbol for the "at" [without quotation marks and without spaces in-between words]. Apologies for any inconvenience - for this was done for enhanced security).

Cleaning your Computer

A Good Way to Clean a Computer

We bet we could spend a small fortune over the years buying canned air for our computer shop. It's fine for road work, but mighty expensive for blowing the dirt and dust out of keyboards for shop work. Never use a compressor or compressed air on your computer! Especially for cleaning the inside of a computer!!!! A compressor is designed for construction/garage work and would provide too much air pressure for computers.

If you must use compressed air, do not spray it directly on a fan with the computer running or turn-on the computer right away after doing it. It comes out of the can / compressor very cold and may cool a fan bearing so much that it will seize and wipe (ruin) the bearing. It may damage other components as well if you "frost" them, especially while the computer is on.

There are "specialized" air blowers/vacuum cleaners for computers. We bought one that looked like a small vacuum cleaner that had a strap so it could be carried around and used for road work. It didn't work well, was cumbersome to use, and was inconvenient to load into a car for road work/or was forgotten. So, we went to a smaller, more portable vacuum/blower from 'Cyberguys.com'. It works great!

Once, we had a computer in for work that was absolutely filthy (That's what happens when you put a tower on the floor for a couple of years). It sucks dirt in through a slot in the bottom of the plastic on the front of most computers) or through it's own ventilation. Never 'Blow' into a computer - always 'vacuum'. Dust particles get into the PC slots and can interfere with the computer's performance. Use crevice extension tools to get into hard places.

Some files are missing? Can't find your summer photos or favorite music deleted by mistake?

Some files are missing? Can't find your summer photos or favorite music deleted by mistake? Or trying to find something after another user accessed your computer? Now you can restore all the files with a new powerful tool for free - Smart Data Recovery!

Smart Data Recovery is a new freeware utility from Smart PC Solutions Inc. that allows you restore MS Office documents, photos, music and many other types of files. You just type a path, and Smart Data Recovery will search for deleted files and folders automatically. Its rapid disk-scanning speed is astonishing. Once Smart Data Recovery finds erased files, it shows their name, date, time and attributes. Only one click and files are restored! Smart Data Recovery works with different data storage devices, such as hard disk drives (IDE, ATA, SATA, SCSI), flash cards, multimedia cards, USB drives, PC cards, memory sticks, secure digital cards and floppy disks. Smart Data Recovery handles zip files too. You can also recover files on your digital camera. This is a fantastic product. Smart Data Recovery is able to restore all the files and folders on a disk drive that, according to the Windows notifications, can't be accessed. The utility supports different file systems, such as FAT, FAT16, FAT32, NTFS and compatible with Microsoft Windows NT/2000/XP/2003.

Another line of duty for Smart Data Recovery is safety and confidentiality of personal data. The program can remove the data related to deleted files.Therefore nobody will be able to recover your personal information and use it in their own interests. Use Smart Data Recovery to prevent your secrets from spreading. Just click the "Wipe" button and no one can restore your deleted files and folders, no matter how advanced their data recovery tool is.

The program is extremely easy-to-use and has a nice and informative design. All tasks can be performed with a few clicks. Due to a simple, yet powerful algorithm, Smart Data Recovery allows you to find erased files fast, and restore lost data quickly and effectively. The program has a multilingual interface that supports English, German, Spanish, French and Italian.

File restoration programs are usually quite expensive, but not any more - from this moment you can retrieve your files absolutely for free. Just download Smart Data Recovery using the following link: http://www.smartpctools.com/data_recovery . Save your money and valuable time - this program works much faster than any similar software!

Buying a Computer

1) If you are about to buy your first computer, we suggest buying a used computer. In 2008, you should spend less than $300 for a decent desktop computer and at most $50 or less on the monitor (these prices includes delivery charges). If you want to buy a used laptop computer you may have to spend $200-$375 for a good used Pentium III or IV system (with at least 128 - 512Meg RAM) and a 13.3 inch active matrix screen (but in this price range the used battery may not hold a charge which is not a concern if you want portability / security rather than being able to use the laptop while you are traveling).

You may need to buy a "operating system" (OS), such as Windows, or you can install another free OS (such as "Linux") which has many well written (and FREE applications). Buying a used computer is easiest if you have a "techie" friend who is willing to check the system for you. Buy a good monitor (at least "17 inches"), because you will be able to use this monitor with your next computer. You can spend the money you save (when you buy your first used computer) on your next computer. In a year from now (or maybe longer), when you understand your computer needs better, you can buy another system which will be more powerful than any "new" computer you can buy today.

Buy the computer which will run the software you need to get your goals finished. First, define what you need to get your projects accomplished. Then create a short list of software which will meet your needs. If you need just word processing then the word processor which comes with Windows (WordPad) or the numerous shareware / freeware program may have all the features you need. Most people do not use (or need) 90 % of the "bells and whistles" added to new versions of programs.

For example, for most people the Office 97 (eg Word 97 and Excel 97) up to Office 2003 are the only programs they really need for word processing and spread sheets. Some people are still very happy using "Office for Windows 95". It is still possible to acquire previous versions of software (which are also much cheaper than the most current versions). If you learn later you need "newer" software features you can always "upgrade" at a later date.

2) If you plan to buy a desktop computer buy a "tower" configuration. Besides taking up less valuable desk space the vertical towers are easier to maintain, repair, keep cool and expand than the "horizontal" type which fits on top of a desk.

3) Some reference comparisons:

A "slow" 133 MHz Pentium computer with 64 megabytes of RAM (random access memory) and Windows 95 can run Office 95 very adequately. A faster 166-200 MHz Pentium computer with 64 megabytes of RAM (random access memory) can run Windows 98 and Office 95 well (but Windows 95 is probably better for these computers). You can buy used Pentium II or III desktop computers for less than $200, so we would not recommend buying a machine slower than a Pentium II unless your budget is really strained. Desktops are also cheaper than towers because they are less desirable.

A Pentium II or III computer with 128 - 512 megabytes of memory can run Windows 98 / 2003 (or Windows NT 4.0) and Office 97 / 2003 very well. The speed of the slower systems will become more obvious if you jump around a large document a lot (or when you "cut / copy-and-paste" large segments from your document). However, unless you are an extremely fast touch typist the computer's speed / delay should not be very obvious as you type. Windows 98 seems to take longer to start than Windows 95. On a fast machine (Pentium II or faster) Windows 95 should be a speed demon. We would recommend a Pentium III (or faster) computer if you need to run Windows 2000 or Windows XP.

4) If you need fast internet access on a limited budget see the section which describes internet access and email.

5) Today's newer computers are "more powerful" because the increased speed is needed to run the newer operating systems (like Windows XP) and software (like Office 2000). The apparent speed of the newer programs will not be improved. In the newer "updated" programs, the faster computer is executing more program steps needed for the "extra features" (in the same amount of time) so the speed of the old word processor on the older computer is the same as the new version of the program on a more modern computer.

If you want to see a noticeable speed increase when you are using the computer buy a computer system which was built AFTER your software and operating system were written. Most software is written to run at a reasonable speed on the systems available at the time it was written (which makes sense). If you run the same software (which may be old, but for you, is still very functional) on a newer computer it will run much faster. The same applies to operating systems. Windows 98 and Windows NT 4.0 are really fast on today's new computers. Do you really need Windows 2000 or XP? Think twice. Your current computer may not have enough CPU power or memory to run newer operating systems.

Maintenance

Maintain Your Computer
To keep your computer operating at top efficiency follow these tips:

1. Use a good surge protector or UPS with a jack for your telephone cable to your computer to protect your modem and PC.. Not all Surge protectors are the same. You get what you pay for. A UPS is more expensive than a basic surge protector but it is better protection for your computer and it your power goes out during a storm it gives you a battery backup so that you can save what you were doing and shut down your computer properly. Turn off your computer during a storm, surge protectors may not protect your computer against a direct lighting strike, only AC voltage variations which can also damage your computer. To really protect your computer you need to buy a UPS ( Uninterruptible Power Supply) like the Belkin 350 VA UPS which will protect your computer and modem during a storm and will also give you time to back up your system or shut down your computer properly during a power outage with it's 15 minute battery backup power,.

Belkin Home Office 375VA UPS - This 375VA Home Series UPS offers protection for your computer against surges, spikes, blackouts and lightning strikes. More Info or Buy!

2. Make a start up disk and keep it in a safe place in case you can not start your computer. Also keep your recovery CD or windows CD and Certificate of Authenticity with CD product key in a safe place in case you ever need it. The Product Key will be located on your Recovery Disk, Windows CD or Windows Manual. If you don't have this number you will not be able to reinstall Windows unless you call your computer maker and have them send a product key to you. I had an IBM computer once and lost mine, then had to call IBM to have a new product key sent to me.

3. Back up you computer on a regular basis on DVD or CD. See the article "Windows XP Backup Made Easy on Microsoft's site. There are backup programs like Winbackup that make it easy to backup your computer. You can download a free trail version here.

4. Keep your windows up-to-date by using the windows update tool either located on your desktop or in internet explorer under tools at the top.

5. Clean up your temp files once a week. See http://www.thepcyoubuy.com/scandisk.htm

6. Keep dust and dirt out of your computer area. This can be sucked up through your computer fan and cause problems. Smoking around your computer can cause smoke to be sucked up through the fan and cause problems with your CD's , CD Rom Drive and could cause your computer to over heat. If you use a disk cleaning kit try and get a wet type not a dry type. A wet type does less damage. I would only use a disk cleaning kit if you have problems as a last resort. Try not to use these if you don't have to. Keep your CD's clean with a special CD cloth or Disk Cleaning Kit . When cleaning your CD's do not clean in a circle but wipe straight out from the middle to the outside. When not in use, keep your CDs in their cases to protect them from getting scratched up. Buy a CD Lens Cleaning Kit to keep your CD Drive lens clean.

CD/DVD Cleaning Cloths

DVD & CD laser lens Cleaner

7. Do a scan and defrag on your computer about once a week. Note When doing a scan and defrag you will have to disable any virus programs or any other programs that are running.

8. Don't ever move your computer while it is on especially during start up or shutdown, you may damage your hard drive. This could cause your heads to crash.

9. Get a Optical mouse you don't have to clean like the MICROSOFT Wheel mouse optical
or a mouse cleaning kit.

10. Many of these functions can be performed through the Gadgetbar. And the Gadgetbar just needs a small place on your monitor to access these things and more.

SYSTEM FILE CHECKER (And how to use it)

An important part of Windows File Protection is the command line utility:

System File Checker (sfc.exe)

You will often see references to scannow sfc in online newsgroups etc. This is a great tool for troubleshooting Windows XP problems.

How to use scannow sfc...

The main reason for using this utility is when you suspect there may be a problem with a Windows XP system file.

Perhaps you get a dialog box appear informing you of a problem with a .dll file, or your program will just not load! It is therefore worth checking to see if there are any corrupt system files using scannow sfc.

To do this simply go to the Run box on the Start Menu and type in:

sfc /scannow

This command will immediately initiate the Windows File Protection service to scan all protected files and verify their integrity, replacing any files with which it finds a problem.

The following should appear to give an indication of how long the process is taking.

scannow sfc

In an ideal world that would be the end of the story... Any corrupt, missing or incorrect files would be replaced by this process.

However, things can go wrong and the following guide should help!

The #1 complaint with scannow sfc is the following dialog box appearing:

scannow sfc image

Why does this happen?

Well, in your computer's registry, are several settings that are checked when you run scannow sfc.

As mentioned earlier in this article, the Windows File Protection service constantly monitors for any changes to the main system files. Well Windows XP keeps a cache (copy) of these essential files at the following location:

C:WINDOWS\System32\Dllcache (assuming C: is your system root which it probably is.)

NB - The dllcache folder is extremely important so Windows XP hides it from you! To view it go to: My Computer > Tools > Folder Options > View > "uncheck" Hide protected operating system files.

If that's the case on your computer then there is normally no need for the original XP CD to be inserted as your computer has a "copy" it can get hold of in this cache...

But, if the Dllcache folder, or part of it, has become corrupted for some reason then you will be prompted for the XP CD - so your computer can get a clean copy!

Having said that not ALL installations of Windows XP have ALL the system files cached into this folder! You may only have around 50MB of files in this folder under Windows XP depending on the quota settings in the registry. (Under Windows 2003 Server the default is 300MB of system files!)

Annoying, YES!

Is there a workaround YES!

As well as having a cache of all the system files on your PC, I like to have the I386 folder from the XP CD installed on the computer as well. After doing this I then modify the registry to tell it the source path for these files... Why? Well not only does this prevent 99% of request for the the XP CD with Windows File Protection. But the I386 folder also contains many other files that are sometimes needed by the operating system and this stops those requests for the XP CD too!

NB - With today's large hard drives you are not going to notice this 475 MB folder on your computer, but older systems may not have the space for this...

Step 1

You will need to get your XP CD and locate the folder called:

I386

This is a major folder and should be one of the first you see, now copy this onto your hard drive into the system root. For most of you that is going to be C:\ so you should end up with a folder that looks like: C:\I386

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Step 2

Now you will need to tell your computer you now have the files on your PC. We do this is the registry (type regedit in the Run box on the start menu) by navigating to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Setup

You will see various entries here on the right hand side. The one we want is called:

SourcePath

It probably has an entry pointing to your CD-ROM drive, and that is why it is asking for the XP CD. All we need to do is change it to:

C:\

Simply double click the SourcePatch setting and a new box will pop up allowing you to make the change.

Now restart your computer and try scannow sfc again!

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What about Windows Updates.....

You may be asking yourself how does sfc.exe know how to check for updated Windows system files? Well during OS upgrades, service pack installations etc.. the dllcache folder should be updated with these new files.

As an example the recent Windows XP Hotfix - KB828035 updated the system file wkssvc.dll A new version of the file was placed in C:\WINDOWS\system32 and a copy in the cache: C:\WINDOWS\system32\dllcache A copy of the old system file is archived in: C:\WINDOWS\$NtUninstallKB828035$

There is another location the Windows File protection service uses and that is the I386 folder in C:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles When you install a service pack, like SP1. Any new system drivers are cached in this location too.

If you have odd problems with running scannow sfc and nothing else in the article has resolved it, then take a look at the entry in:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Setup
\ServicePackSourcePath

This should be pointing to the location C:\WINDOWS\ServicePackFiles (assuming C:\ is the boot drive.)

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For those of you who are familiar with sfc.exe under Windows 2000 professional. It is worth noting that the following two options are NOT available under Windows XP.

These are:

sfc /cancel - In Windows 2000, this command immediately cancels all pending scans of protected system files. This option has no effect in Windows XP.

sfc /quiet - In Windows 2000 this sets Windows File Protection to replace any incorrect system files detected with the appropriate version from the dll cache without any user notification. This option has no effect in Windows XP.

Thanks for reading this article on scannow sfc.

More info can be found about the various switches available with sfc.exe under Windows XP here.

You find out more about the Windows File Protection service here.

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Welcome to I.G. Headquarters

"Bringing real people to your virtual world."