The Geek Squad Solves Your Technology Problems
You've got tech questions, we've found the answers.
We've asked the tech experts at the Geek Squad to help you make the most of your technology, answering your thorniest tech questions. So if you're wondering what to buy, how to plug it in, or how to fix it, the Geek Squad can help.
This week, Geek Squad Counter Intelligence Agent Wesley Shook answers YOUR questions.
"We have a 2006 flat panel monitor that just quit operating, probably from a power failure. What can we do with it, besides using it for junk -- or shooting practice? --Anna Q.
Most of the time it is a cheaper and quicker option to replace the monitor, although it's very frustrating to have have to spend the extra money on the replacement.
Instead of shooting or throwing it off a cliff, why not bring into your local Best Buy store? We can recycle the monitor for $10 -- and you'll get a $10 Best Buy gift card.
"I have a Gateway laptop running the 64-bit version of Windows Vista. What can I do so my old games and programs (all the 32-bit ones) will work on the laptop?" -- David Funderburg
Unfortunately, you'll need to actually do a little research to ensure that the games will be able to run properly on the 64-bit operating systems. Some will be able to run after a direct installation, others will need to have patches or other items installed so they can operate within the operating system -- and some of them just won't be able to run due to system needs.
"I am plagued with pop-ups on my Win7 32-bit laptop. My 64-bit Win 7 system has no such problem. Both are running Norton Internet Security 2011 and are protected by a router. Is there anything I can do to keep these obnoxious pop-ups and pop-unders off my laptop?" -- Joe Black
I see this issue mostly on news-related websites (thanks for the ads, Netflix!). One thing to check is to make sure that the website sending you popups or popunders isn't added to your trusted websites.
Also, you could reset your Internet Explorer, Firefox, or other browser to its original settings. If you aren't comfortable with those, you can always take your laptop into your local Geek Squad and have an agent double check your settings. The issue with your laptop may not be an issue with the pop-up blocker, but other software.
"Is it really necessary to protect my computer with, for instance, Norton 360? Or do I just need to be careful about which website I visit?" -- Mike Piper
In a word, YES -- and this is a regular question that I get all the time.
The best analogy I can give is to ask, would you drive your car on the interstate without a windshield?
Due to virus programmers being able to adapt and add code to current websites and media streams, there are too many locations where you can pick up infections: viruses, malware, spyware and more. To answer your second question about being careful on the Internet, yes, this is something that all users need to do. Plain and simple, watch out.
When you do happen to run into issues, a good piece of security software can be the difference between having issues and surfing the Internet with confidence.
Got a question? E-mail us at AsktheGeeks@foxnews.com and we'll relay it to the Geek Squad. Next week, the Squad will answer the most interesting or most frequently asked questions.
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