Virus, Spyware, & Malware Removal

Does your computer seem sick? Malicious software may be to blame.

This malicious software may be in the form of a virus, adware or spyware. Many users are not really interested in the actual difference between them – the mere fact that they can wreak havoc on your system and result in anything from poor performance to a complete computer failure is enough to know they need to be avoided!

What is a virus?
A virus is a program that gets loaded onto your computer without you knowing about it and can potentially cause your PC to stop functioning and even result in data loss. A virus can create and run multiple copies of itself. Most people don’t realise they have a virus until their computer starts to run slowly, even such a simple virus is dangerous because it will quickly use all available memory and bring the system to a halt. Some viruses are also capable of moving across networks and bypassing security systems to infect other computers.

What is spyware?
Spyware and adware are different to viruses because they do not create copies of themselves and spread, nor do they result in data loss. The most common symptom of a spyware is that your computer will start to run very slowly and have trouble connecting to the internet. At times these programs may invade your privacy and attempt to share your personal information by transmitting it across the internet.

What is adware?
Adware is usually loaded onto your PC when you download or install a free program. Many free programs are provided free because they rely on the built-in advertising to generate sales. Adware will not usually affect the performance of your computer, nor will it result in any data loss…but it can be extremely annoying to be inundated with advertising and pop-ups!

The explosion in Internet usage has seen an ever increasing number of these threats emerge – making it an absolute necessity for every PC to be protected. While it is very easy to protect yourself from the threats it is a much more complicated task to ‘clean’ a computer that has been affected, as the saying says “prevention is better than cure”.

Our experienced technicians are experts in both neutralising these threats and, more importantly, providing a solution to help ensure they don’t crop up again in the future.

Secure Broadband & Wifi Setup

Fed up with those wires? Want to move your computer away from the telephone socket? Want to share your broadband connection throughout your home or use your laptop in the garden? Primo Techs has an expert group of computer technicians who provide on call on-site wireless networking services to homes and businesses alike in North County, Escondido, Vista, Oceanside, San Clemente, Carlsbad, Encinitas, La Costa, Leucadia, Solana Beach, Del Mar, Cardiff by the Sea, La Jolla, Fair Banks Ranch, Rancho Bernardo and San Diego.

Computer networking has developed at an incredible pace over the last decade. While companies have enjoyed the benefits offered by networking for some time now, it is only more recently that homes are gaining similar access. This is particularly thanks to the explosion of wireless networking which makes home networking easier than ever. With broadband now available to all, it seems unimaginable for many homes to have computers without enjoying all the benefits wireless networking has to offer.

With a wireless network, you can share an Internet connection amongst multiple computers as well as share files and printers, all without those pesky cables! We will not only setup and configure your wireless network for you but also encrypt it to help keep it secure from intruders. And the best part is we can do all this using some basic affordable hardware such as a wireless router and wireless USB adaptors / network cards for any desktops in your home or office that you require connected to the network. Most laptops are wireless networking ready and will not require any additional equipment. This equipment can be supplied by you or us – all of our prices are very competitive so you need not worry if you do not already have the necessary equipment.

Custom Built Machines

Is your computer struggling to keep up with you? Is it too slow? Or perhaps it doesn’t have enough memory? There are a number of improvements you can make to your PC to give you that extra increase in performance, our technicians provide computer upgrades for all types of desktops and laptops.

PCs have many components working together with your operating system. Not all of the components can be upgraded and, in some instances, it is more cost-effective for you to purchase a new PC. Some of the more common upgrades to computers are:

Does your computer take too long to do anything?
Other than software problems like viruses or spyware, there are a number of hardware issues that can cause your PC to run slowly – the most common of these is insufficient memory (RAM). Your computer probably had enough memory to run the programs and applications provided with your PC when you purchased it, but as new software is released more memory is required to run them efficiently. A simple memory upgrade can vastly improve the performance of your PC and should be considered for any PC with less than 1GB RAM (memory). Give us a call with your make and model and we can instantly tell you exactly what type of memory your PC requires as well as give you a quote over the phone.

Are games, DVDs or graphics slow and jumpy?
All of the images and graphics you see on your PC screen are managed by your PC’s graphics card. The quality of your graphics card determines the quality of images on your PC. For most business users this is not an issue but for home users, who are more likely to be playing games or watching DVDs, the quality of the graphics card will make a very noticeable difference to computer performance. Of course if you are a business user who likes to play games this will also apply to you…but may mean you spend less time working! Talk to us and we’ll give you the advice you need on upgrading your PC’s graphics capabilities.

Can I upgrade my operating system?
When you first purchased your PC it would have been provided to you with the current operating system (at the time). As new operating systems are released they expect to take advantage of the current PC technology available, this means that some older PCs are simply not fast enough to use with the new operating systems. Our technicians would be happy to give you advice on upgrades during on-site visits.

When all else fails, custom building a machine is the way to go. We provide the best and required parts to get the job done to your satisfaction. Most of our custom build parts come with a three year manufacturer warranty.

Home Media Networking

The future of home networking will see multiple devices connected to the Internet and to each other. At the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the emphasis was on Internet-enabled everything. Recent market studies also confirm this trend. The penetration of connected consumer electronic devices such as TVs, Blu-ray players, and smartphones are projected to grow 400% between 2010 and 2017.

The introduction of so many new tablets is another indication that the demand for connected consumer electronics is surging. Consumer expectations about the quality of their connectivity is increasing as more and more of the devices are used for entertainment such as streaming movies or online gaming.

As these connected devices become part of future homes, home networking products will have to be ready to support them, with new features that enable the best possible experience.

Powerful routers, home gateways, centralized media servers, powerline network adapters, and wireless add-ons like Wi-Fi range-extenders will soon become the norm for the connected home. The future home network will have to be smart enough to adapt to changing priorities, dedicate more bandwidth to certain activities and switch between devices readily.

Call us today to get connected!

Home Media Backup

It’s no secret that backing up data on your computer is vital… or at least it should be. Failing to do so could be potentially devastating; whether it is personal photographs, business documents, or financial records, losing such data could be disastrous. In fact, businesses that have suffered loss of data have a very hard time recovering and most are ruined as a result.

Here are some solutions and things to think about for your data recovery solutions…

Disk-to-Disk
With the decreased cost of hard drive space, disk-to-disk backup solutions have become more viable in today’s backup solution space. Disk-to-disk is the most reliable, fastest, and most secure form of data backup. Disk-to-disk solutions are typically automated and are able to restore data faster than any other solution in the market.

The downside to using a backup method such as CD-ROM or an external hard drive is that it defeats the purpose if it is not kept in a completely remote, different area. Fire, theft, flood, and natural disasters are still possible threats, which, if the backup material is damaged can be very frightening news and make data recovery difficult for any computer owner.

Online Backup
An online data recovery and backup solution provides a location in cyberspace where you can securely backup your critical data. Online backup services offer a number of benefits over alternative backup methods: they are easy to use, affordable, and the most practical solution in backup. Simply download and install a web-based service (there are a myriad to choose from) and all the documents, music, and photos of your choosing will be safely backed up at a secure and remote location.

The benefit of an online backup solution is that it is generally cost-effective, easy to use, and automated. Another advantage is the online backup is all done in the background of your computer during sleep or standby mode, without interfering with regular use.

One downside of an online backup solution is that data recovery can only occur at the speed of your Internet connection. Another downside is that your Internet connection becomes another point of failure in your backup solution; if you lose your Internet connection, you cannot perform any immediate backup or recovery functions. To put this in perspective, 1GB of data (about 250 average MP3 songs) would take almost two hours to recover over a standard T1 line provided no other resources were using that Internet connection for any other purpose such as email, web research, online applications, etc.