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  • Murfreesboro's Tech Support
  • Your personal tech assistant
  • Geek Squad alternative

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  • Free help by email or phone
  • In-home or pickup service
  • Online, remote help

Why choose The Tech Life?

  • Tech is our passion
  • Lower prices
  • Personalized service

Brian's blog

3 Must-Haves for Windows PC users

Posted June 17, 2010 - 5:08pm by Brian

Since we started The Tech Life, I have worked on countless Windows PC's. Whatever the problem may be, we usually install a few programs or applications that we believe to be the best option available for our customers. I have narrowed it down to my top 3 programs/applications that every PC owner should have.

1. Google Chrome
Chrome is a full-featured Web browser, complete with tabbed-browsing, themes and extensions. It is extremely fast compared to Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. It also boasts a much cleaner interface. So if you are still using IE or Firefox, you HAVE to give Google Chrome a try. Download Chrome

2. Off-Site Backup Solution

I very rarely run across PC's with a backup solution in place. You can use some type of external media to backup your data but a couple issues arise.
- You have to remind yourself to backup regularly
- You have to keep the media in a fire-proof safe, which is not convenient.
- In the event you need to restore the data to a new PC, it can become very frustrating.

The best solution is online backup. A couple of respected companies that do this very well are Cabonite and Mozy. Why is this the best??
1. It's automatic
2. It's safe and secure
3. It's extremely reliable
4. It's inexpensive

I personally use Carbonite and it works very well and gives me peace of mind.

Get Carbonite
Get Mozy

3. Free Anti-Virus Program

So many people pay for their anti-virus programs, and most PC's come pre-loaded with a free trial that will ask for your money after 30 days if you want to stay protected. Why pay when there are awesome FREE alternatives?? Well, frankly, you probably didn't know they existed.

Here are just a few:

AVG Free Anti-Virus

Microsoft Security Essentials

Avira AntiVir Personal

Avast Free AntiVirus

Any of these will work great for you at NO COST!!! So dump Internet Explorer, backup your precious data, and protect yourself for free.

Get to downloading!!!!

Comcast Upgrades Internet Speeds.. Again

Posted August 18, 2009 - 10:31am by Brian

I am sure that you have noticed that Comcast is advertising new, faster internet speeds. Comcast has upgraded their speeds several times over the last few years. When I first signed up for their internet service I was getting about 3 Mbps download speed. I can't remember the upload speed I was getting at the time. So, now Comcast is advertising 12-15 Mbps download speeds with 3 Mbps upload. This is for what Comcast calls their "Performance" tier of service. I was starting to get a little upset because my speeds were remaining at 3-5 Mbps download/ 1 Mbps upload. It had never crossed my mind that my modem could the problem until I received an email from Comcast Customer Care stating "Comcast wants to ensure that your cable modem can take full advantage of the speeds we are able to deliver over our advanced fiber-optic network. We would like to upgrade your existing cable modem at no additional charge." This was good to hear since I was still paying the same as everyone else and getting much slower speeds. I am now using a new modem and getting 13.1 Mbps download/ 5.1 Mbps upload. I am very happy with this. So if you are still using an older modem from Comcast, exchange it NOW!!

Quick Fix Audio Solution for XBOX 360 with HDMI

Posted April 20, 2008 - 3:17pm by Brian

Just went out and purchased a new 360 after going through several refurbs over the last few years. I purchased an HDMI cable from Monoprice without knowing there would be no way to get Dolby Digital to my receiver since there is no separate audio out jack and I do not own a receiver that can handle HDMI audio. The large head on the A/V cable does not allow you connect both HDMI and the A/V cable at the same time. One quick google search and I found this. It's a little rough, being that you have a bunch of cables sitting back there doing nothing, but it will save you 50 bucks and and works like a charm.

http://www.chadledford.com/?p=50

Easy Setup for Sony STR-DA5300ES

Posted April 15, 2008 - 4:57pm by Brian

I recently installed a Home Theater for a co-worker and this Receiver just happens to be the brains of the whole setup. It has been several years since I have setup a Receiver and this particular model offers the Sony Xross GUI. I found this very easy to use and made the process go much faster. Below is a short video of the interface.

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