Another Annoying Computer Issue plaguing many technology users

Keeping many Tabs opened at once allows for advanced Web navigation. However, this can also cause significant confusion and frustration when all of a sudden an unidentified sound is coming from the computer, yet the source cannot be located. Oftentimes, this problem can be fixed by going through all the opened tabs one by one and scanning the websites for the annoying audio until the source has been found; a very tedious task. In some cases, though, the sound may stem from spurious commercials triggered by spyware or other malicious programs.

If in doubt, call KARLS TECHNOLOGY Computer Services! Our engineers will detect and resolve all underlying computer issues  : – )

In the last 2 blog posts we have addressed common and dangerous computer security threats and have discussed the # 1 computer problem – slow computer performance. The following post will expand on the topic of widespread computer issues. KARLS TECHNOLOGY hopes that this essential computer knowledge will help technology users prolong the lifespan of their digital devices!

What’s the strange WHIRRING NOISE coming from inside your PC? Most likely this is a sign of an overtaxed or dying FAN. Your fan may have come loose or may have become clogged with dirt and dust, decreasing its effectiveness and requiring it to work harder than it should have to. Thus, it is vital to clean out any dirt and debris that may obstruct the computer’s ventilation. A non-functional fan can potentially cause OVERHEATING as well. All components of a computer demand appropriate and sufficient ventilation and cooling, as they generate heat during operation. When you are dealing with any kind of odd computer noise it is of utmost importance to perform a backup of all valuable, irreplaceable files saved on the system’s hard drive. Although clicking sounds are the predominant, ominous indicators of a HARD DRIVE CRASH, failing to acknowledge other strange noises as a sign of a potentially serious issue could result in catastrophic data loss. There are many possible causes for hard drive failure, including overheating, faulty air filter, power surges, violent vibration, static electricity, mechanical failure and virus infection.

Your PC’s longevity is top priority!

What contributes to a computer’s performance loss?

First and foremost, every technology user should be aware of a computer’s limitations with regards to the amount of storage space, RAM as well as processing power & speed. The more programs you have installed on your computer and the more documents, graphics, pictures, music, videos and toolbars you have saved on your system, the slower your computer will become eventually. Additionally, useless temporary files, cookies and data (e.g. from web browsing and unexpected computer restarts) can accumulate on your system and degrade your computer’s performance gradually. This unnecessary debris takes up precious drive space and needlessly overburdens and exhausts your systems processing load. Low hard drive space, insufficient memory storage and/or deficient processing power to perform your desired actions can also lead to software crashes and cause your system to slow down considerably.

During a computer’s startup process certain indispensable programs are required to start and run automatically. However, there are plenty of applications which, by default, launch at start-up automatically and run needlessly in the background. Combined with the desired programs and applications you have started up yourself, there are likely too many services running at once, further contributing to your computer’s performance loss. Every program uses a small amount of processing power, even if it is merely running in the background. Hence, it takes significantly longer for your computer to start up when it is attempting to load many different apps simultaneously.

Another possible reason for a sluggish computer performance is the fragmentation (‘messiness’) of your system’s hard drive. When creating and saving new files on a computer, they are written onto the surface of the computer’s hard drive in no particular order and in a fragmented configuration. Instead of saving a file as a single unit, it is split up into several units and stored across various locations on the hard drive. Over time users create, save and delete more and more files, thereby steadily amplifying the fragmented nature of the computer’s hard drive. The process of gathering the scattered pieces demands increasingly more time and overtaxes the computer’s resources. Consequently, the computer’s responsiveness slows down.                                                        What can help? –> Defragmentation software!

A computer system’s painfully slow performance may also indicate the presence of malicious security threats on your computer. Be sure to check out our previous blog post which covers the most common and dangerous types of security threats! http://www.karlstechnology.com/blog/computersecurityissues/

Karls Technology Computer Repair will perform regular maintenance on your computer system to sustain the speed and responsiveness of your computer! Don’t be a victim of the # 1 computer problem. Let us help you instead!

Here’s a simple breakdown of the most common & dangerous

COMPUTER SECURITY THREATS

1)      Adware –> Advertising-supported software: Annoying and unwanted pop-ups, clutters  computers with advertisements

2)      Malicious software (MALWARE) –> Destroys files and damages computer hardware, worst-case-scenario: can render a computer non-functional

3)      Virus –> Infects a computer and replicates itself within the system memory, uses the infected computer as a carrier to spread the virus to other computer systems (worm), may have malware programmed into the virus code

4)      Rootkit –> Allows cybercriminals to gain remote access to a victims computer and ultimately provides them with complete and utter control over the computer of an unsuspecting victim

5)      Spyware –> Tracking cookies, surreptitiously gathers information about an individual or an organization, monitors computer processes, records keystrokes, passwords and other sensitive data such as financial information, potential identity theft

If you are confronted with any of these threats, just give KARLS TECHNOLOGY COMPUTER REPAIR a call. We will diagnose, detect and resolve all your computer security issues!