Though A+ Mobile PC Doctors is based in Boston, we have several technicians that service the Phoenix computer repair and Arizona computer repair market. Here’s an update from our technician Steve, who lives in Tempe, Arizona.

Horseshoe Bend in Northern Arizona

“We recently took a ride up to Cave Creek to check out a malfunctioning network printer which was knocking everything off its network. Within the day, we isolated the problem and were able to bring the machine back to normalcy. Later in the week we got a call about a number of servers in Scottsdale that needed to be updated with the latest technology. The servers held sensitive and highly secured data that required careful handiwork, which we were able to efficiently deliver.”

Below is a list of places that our technicians visit regularly for computer service calls.

Anthem Computer Repair
Arcadia Computer Repair
Arizona (AZ) Computer Repair
Carefree Computer Repair
Cave Creek Computer Repair
Chandler Computer Repair Services
Fountain Hills Computer Repair
Glendale Computer Repair
Maricopa County Computer Repair & IT Services Companies
Mesa Computer Repair
North Phoenix Computer Repair
Paradise Valley Computer Repair
Peoria Computer Repair
Phoenix Computer Repair
Scottsdale Computer Repair
Sun City Computer Repair
Tempe Computer Repair

Even the most common Boston computer repair problem requires a bit of magic administered by one of our technicians.

Last month, a customer brought in an IBM Thinkpad due to an ‘unmountable_boot_volume’ blue screen of death. He explained that he was shutting down his IBM Thinkpad and accidentally dropped it, albeit just about a foot, while the shutdown was in process.

We removed his hard drive and re-seated it to make sure it hadn’t loosened in the fall. Then we booted the laptop using a Windows XP Professional CD, done by hitting F12 during the boot-up process and choosing ‘CD’ as the primary boot device. The CD spins and asks the user to hit any key to confirm booting to the CD. After the Windows XP file setup, the system inquires whether the user wants to set up Windows XP, repair a Windows XP installation using the recovery console, or quit. We chose ‘R’ for repair.

At the recovery console, we typed ‘chkdsk /r’ to check the consistency and files of the hard drive and to repair any bad sectors. After this, in order to fix the ‘unmountable_boot_volume’ it is necessary to type FIXBOOT. When asked if the user is sure that he/she wants to overwrite the previous boot sector, we typed ‘Y’ and ‘ENTER’.

Problem solved!

For more Boston computer repair tips and tricks, stay tuned in to the Boston computer repair blog. For remote or onsite computer repair in over 20 states, visit A+ Mobile PC Doctors on the web at their Onsite Computer Repair Services site.

The best way to save money on laptop repair, virus removal, and other computer repair services is to go directly to the pros — A+ Mobile PC Doctors, a local computer repair company in Boston. Did you know that there are even MORE ways to save money on the maintenance of your laptop, desktop PC, and other gadgets?

Check out PC Mag’s blog GoodCleanTech.com, where you can research the best products for saving cash on energy bills. The site reviews energy-efficient gadgets and puts its seal of approval on the equipment that passes their standards. Below are a few top choices.

Desktop PCs

Lenovo ThinkCentre M58p, $1100, is the best option for a business PC. Comes with Energy 4.0 and Greenguard certification, which reduces indoor air pollution. Uses 76 watts and 40 watts when idle.

Apple iMac (above), $1500, is Energy Star 5.0 certified and runs at 118 watts (95 when idle). Like the Apple Macbook Pro, it’s made of recyclable materials.

Laptops

The Toshiba Satellite L505D-S6947 (above) is only $600, consumes 24 watts when in use, and 0 watts when idle.

The Apple MacBook Pro, $1200, is Energy Star 5.0 certified and is made from recycle-friendly materials. It consumes 13 watts when idle.

I’m hoping you don’t have an account on Blippy.com, because if you do you’re in danger of having your credit card information stolen. Blippy.com is a new social networking site for online shopping that isn’t doing a very good job of keeping its customers’ credit card numbers and names under wraps. Equals identity theft. Case in point, this Google search results screenshot courtesy of Gizmodo.com:

Yep, Nate Marshall and Bradd Dantuma should probably consider dumping all of the funds out of their debit card accounts because their full names and credit card numbers are now on the web for all to see. Most of the tech websites that are buzzing about Blippy.com recommend that if you DO have a Blippy account, disable it immediately.

On that note, here are some computer security tips from A+ Mobile PC Doctors, an onsite computer repair company in Boston that has been the area’s top source for efficient computer repair services in Boston since 2002.

• Make sure all your computer security programs are up-to-date.
• When accessing public wifi, DON’T go shopping or log into your online banking account!
• Don’t copy-paste passwords or other sensitive information. It’s easy for websites to steal the information you’ve left on your clipboard. Find out how to disable this on Internet Explorer.

For more computer security tips and computer repair tips, bookmark the Computer Repair Services Blog.

Apple has a new iPhone repair policy which just landed them a lawsuit filed by an angry, mistreated California customer. The new policy requires Apple employees to deny warranty coverage to any iPhone whose watermark (Liquid Submersion Indicator, or LSI) has turned from white to red. Which doesn’t sound completely unreasonable until you discover that the two LSI’s can be activated by cold weather, humidity, a bead of sweat, or a drip of condensation from a nearby glass. There are two external LSI’s located on the headphone port and on the dock connector.

iPhone LSI Locations

The new policy applies to the one-year warranty offered automatically within the purchase price of an Apple iPhone and to the AppleCare Protection Plan, an extended two-year warranty. Under both warranties, a customer may bring his defective phone to an Apple store and have it repaired, replaced, or refunded free of charge. Lack of coverage for liquid damage on ANY of Apple’s products is nothing new — but the new policy of actively denying a shred of help to customers and their products that have alleged water damage is something new.

As the Consumer Affairs website states, “The suit alleges, among other things, breach of warranty, fraud, unjust enrichment, and violations of the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act.”

I think most people would agree with me when I say that Apple has terrible customer service, and a new policy to match. I have been an Apple customer since 2005, when I purchased an iBook laptop that came with an iPod. I was even sucked into the AppleCare Protection Plan for my laptop, the value of which I’m STILL not sure about. I gave up on Apple computer products after replacing my power adaptor twice because of its bad design. I own an iPhone (and I am currently on the lookout for anyone who can offer me a bubble for my iPhone that will still somehow allow me to make calls, play with apps, and listen to music. )

My best advice for dealing with Apple’s new policy is to first take your iPhone to a reputable computer repair company such as A+ Mobile PC Doctors for a preliminary opinion. The technicians will examine your iPhone, externally and internally, for any sign of water damage. If there is no water damage, you can then bring your iPhone to an Apple store and pray that they’ll take pity on your damaged goods by replacing your phone. The WORST thing you could do is to blindly bring in your iPhone to the Apple store and solely rely on their opinion. From reading forums on the Internet to hearing about my friend’s recent experience dealing with Apple customer service over a supposedly water-damaged iPhone (strikingly similar to the lawsuit situation), they will try to take advantage of you.

A+ Mobile PC Doctors is a Boston computer repair company that has eight years of experience in PC repair, laptop repair / MacBook repair, and Mac computer repair / Apple computer repair. Located in 20 states, we conveniently offer onsite computer repair services for all of our services. For a full list of our services, see our computer repair services website.

Speak directly to an A+ Mobile PC Doctors computer technician TODAY by calling 1(617) 723-1986!