Information, in our opinion, should always be free.  That's one of our main philosophies.  Technical skills, however, are based on years of knowledge and experience.  However, access to all information should be readily available to everyone.

That being said, here is a bit of self-help information to help you with the most basic of computer issues experienced by some users.  Please, use our guide as a helpful list of suggestions.  This advice should not (and will not) replace the setup or instruction manual of the device you are troubleshooting, or of the Internet service you are trying to fix.  If you are ever unsure, contact your original manufacturer or ISP for help.

Disclaimer: Please contact your service provider or original manufacturer for detailed help regarding specific products or services.  Under no circumstances should you ever do any repair on a product that would void the warranty of that product.  Repairs are generally best left to the trained technician.

 

• Four (4) Problems YOU can fix yourself
• How to avoid spyware & virus infections
• Simple printer troubleshooting
• Simple computer troubleshooting
• Simple wireless troubleshooting
• Simple networking troubleshooting
• How to avoid phishing schemes

Think you have a virus?

Every computer should have an anti-virus scanner that is active and updated daily. If you believe you have been infected with a virus, you can scan your PC using one of the free online antivirus scanners from either Trend Micro or Eset.

 

• House-Call, Trend Micro's Free Online Virus Scanner
• Eset's Free Online Virus Scanner

Do you have popups?

Sooner or later, you probably will have some popups on your machine that are the result of a spyware infection. Spyware is a big problem for computers, but luckily, there is help. Spyware can be found and deleted by many great antispyware applications. Some are free, some are not. Click below for a free scan of your computer, brought to you by Trend Micro and Malwarebytes.

Trend Micro Free Online Antispyware Utility

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware

Router Problems?

Do you have a router, but you don't have the slightest clue as to what it does or how it works?  A router is a device that shares your high-speed Internet connection between all computers in your home or office.  On your network, your router sits after your cable modem, but before your computers.  With residential broadband connections, a cable modem, DSL line, or fiber installation will provide you with one(1) public IP address.  This IP address is provided by the ISP, and is much like a phone number, as there are no two same public IP addresses in the world.  If you have a router, your router talks to the cable modem/dsl modem/fiber ONT, takes your public IP address and then creates your LAN using LAN-only private IP addresses.  Your router then lets the computers on your LAN talk to one another and also share the broadband internet connection.

Here are some links to common router manufacturers, and common specific routers from those same manufacturers:

Linksys

• Linksys WRT54G Wireless Router
• Linksys WRT54GL Wireless Router
• Linksys WRT54GS Wireless Router

Netgear

• Netgear Wireless Routers

D-Link

• Wireless Routers

Zyxel

• Wireless Broadband Routers

If you're having trouble with your router, please check the website that corresponds to your manufacturer and product, and read the online instructions at the manufacturer's website.  If you have a specific problem, research the "firmware version" you have (it will say in the router's settings) compared with the current version of the firmware.  Firmware is a set of written instructions that gets loaded onto the router from the factory.  From time to time, there are updates to the firmware provided by the manufacturer to fix bugs or make improvements to your device.  It's possible that your problem may be resolved by upgrading your router's firmware.  The firmware on some routers can be upgraded automatically, while others need to be manually upgraded.

Cable Modem or DSL Problems?

 

Can't get on the Internet?  Are your cable modem lights blinking in ways they usually don't, or are they not blinking at all?  Try the following:

1. Turn off all devices in any order; cable modem, router, and all computers.  Computers should be turned off via the "shut down" procedure in Windows, or the similar function with Apple machines.  Routers and cable modems generally don't have "on/off" buttons, but rather a power cable that you just pull out of the device to turn off.
2. Wait 2 minutes.  Get a drink, go to the bathroom, or go outside and watch your neighbors.
3. Turn on your cable modem.  Wait 2 minutes.
4. Turn on your router.  Wait 2 minutes.
5. Turn on all computers in any order, and attempt to get online with them.

If you can't, please contact your cable modem or DSL Internet Service Provider.

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Disclaimer: Chatham Technology Group, Inc. does not support the validity of above mentioned links.  The links are to external websites of the respective companies or organizations.  Chatham Technology Group, Inc. is not affiliated with any of the above companies, nor can we verify their content.  They are here for informational purposes only, and the links may change at any time without our knowledge.

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