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Tech News & Commentary
Belinda in Benton, Louisiana listens on KEEL 710 AM asked us: “My dog sat down accidently on my laptop and I guess it broke the screen, where do you go or what do you do to get it fix. I don’t know what to do, I’m not computer savy.”
Belinda, Replacing a laptop screen can be bit pricey, so if your laptop is kind of old, we would suggest just getting a new laptop. If it’s a new model of some sort, you can try checking Yellow Pages for local computer technicians or local computer shops.
Geek Squad from Best Buy could be an option, but their prices tend to be a lot higher than those of local computer shops. If all else fails, try contacting the computer’s manufacturer.
If you know anyone personally that is tech-savvy, you can buy the screen online in sites like Amazon and Ebay. There are many instructions online detailing how to replace a screen. We only suggest this option, if you know someone personally who knows what they’re doing, someone tech-savy would be best. While local computer shops, Geek Squad, and the computer’s manufacturer prices may be kind of high, the Do It Yourself option will cost you only around $100 depending on the screen. And lunch, or whatever you have to buy your friend who fixes it for you.
And as with all things, Google is your friend. If you enter the make and specific model number of your laptop, then add the words “lcd replacement” and the city or area you live in, you’re likely to get on the path to finding someone who can replace the screen for you. As we mentioned, depending on the size of the screen and the age of the laptop, having a screen replaced should cost between $100 and $200. It’s entirely up to you to make the decision about whether that’s worth doing.
If you have a laptop that is three or more years old, you might find that for just a few hundred dollars more than replacing the screen, you can replace the entire computer with a much faster model.
For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
“This Week in Tech History” Weekly Feature with Chris Graveline
Facebook Participation: With all the apps out there for games, one game has skyrocketed in the standings in all app stores, “Kim Kardashian Hollywood”. Would you play this game or at least check it out. Why or why not?
Urania in Spring Hill, Tennessee says: NOPE not interested. For someone who really hasn’t done anything to be famous, she sure does get a lot of publicity.
Dorothea from Michigan shared: NO. Not my scene.
Sandra in Cincinnati, Ohio stated: No!
John from Coral Springs, Florida said: No, I would not! There is nothing good contributed to society by this family. Their only claim to fame is being famous because of their father’s participation in the OJ trial. Had he not been a part of that defense team, they would not have been able to ride his coat tails and we would not he cursed with their presence in our mainstream media and culture.
Bart from somewhere out there shared: Oh HECK NO! No way, Dave. Would not even look at it.
Tom said: No no and no. If I want a time-suck hole I will play galaga, pitfall or angry birds Star Wars.
John in Wisconsin, Listening via the Tunein app asked us: “I would like to develop a simple journal app. What would be the best steps to take? Where could I get a good quote? Is it safe and satisfactory to use web sites like oDesk to find developers or is there a better to way?”
John, Be very clear on what you want, what you don’t want, what you can offer and what needs to be done by someone else. If you want to get a good quote, the person giving you a number is gonna have to know what work they need to do, and in some cases, what work they’d have to subcontract.
As for sites like oDesk, sometimes they work out, sometimes they don’t. Talented people tend to stay away because most of the competition is on price only, so they tend to lose to random Bangladeshi people that can afford to do the job for pennies. The thing is, the job they do is rarely good.
If you want to give those sites a shot, go ahead, but keep your expectations very low, it doesn’t usually work out very well for any job that can be screwed up by a determined enough person.
And if we might make a suggestion, give some thought to what is going to make your journal app different from any of the dozens of apps that can be used to create a journal now. A quick search of the iTunes App Store revealed over a dozen apps offering to keep a journal for us. So be sure you’re not wasting your time and money. Check out your competition and have a clear understanding of what’s going to be unique about YOUR app.
For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
Gerald in Detroit, Michigan listening on 800 AM CKLW asked us: “I have Windows 8.1, and I have a file folder that I can’t delete. I’ve tried using a supplementary disc so I can boot outside of the Windows operating system,but there security features won’t allow the external disc to identify the C Drive. I downloaded something and I got a file folder called “XXX.XXX” When I go to delete it, its says it is a corrupted file and you can’t delete but the file folder is there on the desktop. How do you delete a file folder on Windows 8.1?”
Gerald, No need to worry. It appears that you may have a corrupt file or folder on your computer. Corrupted files are those whose behavior have changed and can no longer work properly. Most corrupted files can’t be repaired and you should delete or replace them. Of course, as you’ve discovered, sometimes deleting them can be challenging.
If you think that a corrupt file could be the cause for your getting the Access Denied error, you may want to try and repair the file. There are several file repair tools out there. One you might want to look at is called (appropriately enough) File Repair. File Repair is a freeware tool that lets you repair corrupt Word, Compressed Image, Video, Music, PDF files easily on your Windows computer.
It is quite likely that something else is going on here, however. When a file becomes corrupt, that will concern the application wanting to use that file. For example, if an Excel spreadsheet were to become corrupt, you would have a problem the next time you opened that file in Excel. But you would be able to simply delete the corrupted file, if you wanted to.
If you are right clicking the folder on your desktop and choosing Delete from the menu, you shouldn’t get a message about that folder being corrupt unless something you’re doing is trying to open that folder.
There are a couple suggestions we have for you. First, you can use the CHKDSK (pronounced “check disk”) utility in Windows 8.1. You can read the whole procedure here, but the short version is to open a command window with administrator privileges and enter the command CHKDSK C: /F/R/X. Since you’re checking the system volume presently in use, you’ll be warned that it can’t do that and it will offer to repair the disk at the next startup. Say Yes, then restart the computer and it will run.
Second, you can try booting into Safe mode. Press the Windows key to get to the Start Screen, then search for MSCONFIG and run it when you find it. Click the Boot tab, then put a check mark in Safe boot and click OK. Let it restart. Safe mode is a special mode of Windows that runs a very minimal set of drivers and loads no startup programs, so if something has that folder open and that’s what’s causing you the issue, Safe mode should let you delete it.
Just remember to reverse this MSCONFIG procedure and boot back into Normal mode when you’re done. Hope this helps! Good luck!
For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
Guest Segment:
Jurgen Kurz, CEO – Nero
secure and reliable Blu-ray, CD and DVD burning
CEA Update with Krista Silano
The Consumer Electronics Association continues to grow its international presence by hosting a series of CES Unveiled events leading up to the International CES. Krista Silano is here with details about the upcoming CES Unveiled Paris in this week’s CEA Update.
Product Spotlight: Haagen Dazs Concerto Timer App
Steve in Lake Villa, Illinois listens to the Podcast – calling via the App asked us: “What online job site do you recommend? I’m thinking of maybe looking around and seeing what else is out there. I know the big sites but I was wondering if there was anything more precise.”
Steve, When you ask if there’s anything more precise, we assume you’re asking about finding specific jobs in your specific field. If your profession is regulated in any way, you may find some good job leads on whatever website the regulating body operates.
For example, let’s say you were a lawyer in Florida. The Florida Bar has a website, floridabar.org. Under the Member Services menu item, there’s a link for Employment Opportunities. That page has in turn links for Career Opportunities, Employment Classified Ads, Available Judicial Appointments, and even jobs at the Florida Bar itself.
You can also target company websites, if you know who you want to work for in your chosen field. Visit their website directly. The jobs listed there are almost always the most recent offerings, and since you’re coming straight in from their website and not through a referral site where they have to pay for the listing, you’ll often find it an easier road to employment. There will usually be an email address where you can submit a resume, or a link to an online employment application.
So don’t assume that these giant mega-mart job sites are the only place, or even the BEST place to find jobs. Doing some online leg work from your kitchen table might just take you closer to the source and get you hired more quickly. Good luck!
Another site you could to look into is called Kelly Services, which is a hiring agency that can help you find a job, and a lot of the jobs are temp to hire and direct hire opportunities. Kelly Services is used by companies as part of their HR department for hiring. It’s very simple and hassle free to use them. This site is useful and has some of the best ways to refine your job search.
For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
Other World Computing (OWC): NUGUARD KX – Kinectic Energy X-Orbing Case for Samsung Galaxy S4
Joos: Portable Solar Chargers – gives you power anywhere there is sun.
Tylt: ENERGI Travel Chargers with USB ports and built-in cables for iPhones and Micro USB devices
“Into Tomorrow”: Microfiber Screen Cleaning Cloths with Dave’s cartoon on them, for all your smartphones, tablets, TVs, camera lenses and computer screens!