Computer On, Internet On, All Night?

It used to be that most anti-virus programs stopped ALL viruses. Because of the strength of the new viruses, and the failings of most anti-virus programs I'd recommend shutting off the internet in these instances:

1) all updates are being done during the day 
2) Remote connections back to the office are not being used 
3) I'm sure there's others.

Shutting off the Internet at night is different than shutting off your computers. On older computers it is better to let your computer run continually. By turning off your computer first and foremost is the uneven temperatures caused by turning off.  The silicate from the motherboard and any solder points expand and contract with temperature fluctuations. Leaving your computer on eliminates that problem. Most components run much better with a continual flow of current. When you start your system you really stress the motherboard and its components with a surge of energy.

Most business & residential computers should run a defrag, spy-ware scan, anti-virus scan, and Chkdsk (Check Disk) at least weekly.  This is the perfect evening task for your computer while your sleeping.

Hard drives last maybe 5-8 years with proper cooling and defragmentation. I’ve seen badly fragmented hard drives die in 6-8 monhs. This is extreme and heating is another factor. The first external drives that came out had little in the way of cooling vents, and we’re just a big heat sink. Hard drive failure rates in those hard drives were bad. I’m seeing the newer externals having more vents and fans in the higher end ones.

The reason you run a Check Disk is to locate Sector Errors that are the first sign of a failing Hard Drive. We recommend a weekly run of Check Disk to see what the error rate is. If more than a few sectors are damaged or unreadable, this is a sign that your Hard Drive is dyeing. ) Weird Screeching and loud thrashing are also major signs

 Lots more advice and observations are available here (These are much more specialized and quite helpfull):

Tips, FAQ's & Tricks

Our Staff is made up of all Microsoft® and/or CompTia A+ Certified Technicians. Our Certifications Include Microsoft Certified Database Administrator's, A+, Net+, Network Support Specialists, Networking Systems Specialist, Computer/Network Support Technician and More!

How can we do it so cheap?

               Simple. Volume & little advertising, just word of mouth. Our office located at 2627 38th avenue north, 3 blocks west of I-275 is not permanently staffed. Our tech's work at the shop as well as at your home or office. By dropping off your machine we can have it fixed in less than 24 hours. It's your choice, In Home(office) Or Shop Service. Our Tech's  routinely pick up ailing machines, and normally have them fixed in less than 24 hours. Why pay $55, $75, and up to $120 an hour for a computer technician? Because of our volume we charge just $40 an hour for computer repair & networking. Server Configurations are more.

We contract with various companies charging $99 an hour or more for our services.

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Hours Monday-Friday 8:30 to 5:30 Saturdays 10:00 to 2:00 

We're located at 2627 38th Avenue North

Saint Petersburg Florida 33713