OK, so nobody wants to make hardware, nobody wants to write desktop apps, nobody wants to build tablets.. is this sign of a sinking industry, or just a sign of sinking economy?
Viewed 1327 Times
Date Blogged: 9/5/2011
Alert: Phone Scam from India
A number of customers have reported that they get a phone call from India that refers to them my their name, spells their address, and say they are calling from Microsoft.
Then they say that the computer is infected and that they will "walk you through the steps", and at some time will ask for payment.
This is a SCAM. Please do not allow unauthorized persons access to your computer.
320974-001 -- Power Switch Assembly for HP Server -- $79.00
406592-001 -- HP 2M SAS Cable -- $79.00
407303--001 -- Power Switch Assembly -- $19.99
Viewed 2601 Times
Date Blogged: 5/10/2011
How to Enable Secret Admin in Win7
Click Start, and then type cmd in the Start Search box.
In the search results list, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as Administrator.
When you are prompted by User Account Control, click Continue.
At the command prompt, type net user administrator /active:yes and then press ENTER.
Type exit, and then press ENTER.
Log off the current user account.
Viewed 2826 Times
Date Blogged: 4/6/2011
How We Cured the LizaMoon Infection
This entry doesn't elaborate on preventing further attacks --just how to
recover from the attack -- especially if you do not have a healthy backup.
If you have a healthy backup, that is preferred and risk-free way.
Early today, Google's algorithms detected that one of our customer's site was carrying malware.
It took our techs a couple of hours to detect the malware as it was a very big site --
there is no readymade software that can detect it --but we detected the signature. Later we were told that millions of sites experienced the same attack.
Our programmers then wrote a stored procedure for SQL server that parsed each
row and each column of the database looking for symptoms.
Strangely, the failed attempts were harder to remove because the signature
was incomplete
Viewed 3438 Times
Date Blogged: 4/1/2011
HP Printer Passwords
11420002 -- HP Service Menu Password for HP 4200
09425004 -- HP Service Menu Password for 4250
We can't remember all these passwords, so we are documenting for fellow technicians.
By the way, if you need good HP technicians (Server, Notebook or Printers), please call us at 251-5966
Viewed 3505 Times
Date Blogged: 2/15/2011
Nasty Google and Yahoo Hijack Cured
We had a nasty situation with a customer today.
Customer had Microsoft Security Essentials and Windows defender and experienced an attack. We removed it via our regular processes, but one hijack we could not eliminate. What it would do is after a Internet search, no matter which page the user wanted to go, it would take to a hijacked website.
Changing the browsers didn't help.
Others tell-tale symptoms of this infection:
Restore points tab removed -- so you can't turn off the system restore.
The infection was piggy-backing on top of Volume Shadow Copy Library (volSnap.sys)
Here's how we fixed it.
We used our own Busterizer tool to remove all old restore points.
Repaired the driver file VOLSNAP.SYS
Repaired the MBR via Partition Magic
Booted in Safe mode and ran a deep scan via F-Secure.
Wow. Genius Hacker.
At the time of this writing, none of the anti-virus software is able to catch this one.
Viewed 3511 Times
Date Blogged: 2/1/2011
Wordpress Under the Hood
Mashable: Understanding Wordpress architecture is essential for those who wish to customize it. An excellent tutorial by Joost de Valk.
Of course, if you are not a techie, you don't want to muck with them. Let a professional do it for you.
Lyons Computers is primarily a Microsoft shop, although by popular request we have installed Wordpress for our customers. We recommend Wordpress 100%, and can install it for you on your server (or ours).
Viewed 3986 Times
Date Blogged: 1/11/2011
Attachmate Buys Novell
via Email from Ron Hovsepian, CEO of Attachmate: "Novell has entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Attachmate Corporation would acquire Novell for $6.10 per share in cash in a transaction valued at approximately $2.2 billion."
Wow! The amazing twists and turns of the tech industry!
If you have some custom software or legacy data that absolutely must have Windows XP Professional (that's the only flavor still available at the time of this writing), please call us at 205-251-5966 to order.
We will order brand-new Dell machines with XP-Professional for you. We MUST receive your order by October 1, 2010.
The last date sell new computers with XP is October 22, 2010.
Viewed 4431 Times
Date Blogged: 9/9/2010
Misc. Notebook Parts
N3845 -- LCD Inverter for Dell Vostro/Inspiron -$9.95
Our parts are for the use of our technicians only.
We want to educate our customers that what just happened is neither fantastic nor disastrous. It's the nature of the beast.
Please contact us if your computer crashed due to this issue or if you are considering an alternative anti-virus.
Disclosure: Lyons is a McAfee partner.
PS: But McAfee is not our customer. You are! Call us today!
Viewed 5055 Times
Date Blogged: 4/24/2010
Printer with a Mouse
Please do not call us if your laser printer is jammed by a mouse.
Sorry, we don't do inkjet printer repairs or any printer repairs when a living thing is involved.
But we do Repair Laser Printers -- even when they are out of warranty and even if you do not have a maintenance contract.
Viewed 4803 Times
Date Blogged: 4/21/2010
Dropping Unique Constraints in SQL Server
We had a customer who was having trouble removing a SQL Server constraint. Even removing the column and re-adding didn't help.
You can't even DROP INDEX command.
The trick is to use ALTER TABLE command with DROP CONSTRAINT
Example:
alter table dbo.Projects drop constraint [UQ__Projects__46B27FE2]
Viewed 5046 Times
Date Blogged: 3/7/2010
How to Download Microsoft Office
The very nature of software (intangible, intellectual work involving half-art-and-half-science) renders itself to complications of licensing.
We help all our customers buy legitimate software and licenses.
One of the most commonly misunderstood usage of software is what we call in the industry as the "OEM Licence", otherwise known as "came with the computer" license, and customers are often left without a re-install cd should something happen (like virus infection or hard disk crash).
After numerous customer complaints, Microsoft is now allowing people to donwload a personal backup copy of Microsoft Office.
Due to the popularity of our website we are getting many phone calls for small and hard to find computer parts.
Sorry, the parts we stock are for use of our technicians only. They are not for sale.
For example: • HP P3005 Gear Kit -- P30005-GK --RU5-0958-000CN • HP P3005 Gear Kit -- P30005-GK --RU5-0956-000CN
These parts cost less than a buck. If you want to hire us to diagnose your problem or to install the part, we welcome your call, but selling parts is not profitable for us and we are not setup for it.
Viewed 5015 Times
Date Blogged: 12/11/2009
Software Update Breaking Sonys
In the last couple of days, we have seen a number of Sony VIAO notebooks coming in with Blue Screen of Death (for XP) or Black Screen of Death (for Vista).
All of them have the same problem. A recently installed software update.
Strangely, it has been different softwares for different machines. For two of them, it was the Microsoft update. On one of them it was Office Update, and for two others, application (like Adobe or HP) updates.
Obviously, some low level hardware driver or dll has an incorrect version causing all this trouble.
In a twisted way, our recommended solution is one of prevention, which is to apply all the software updates in time.
Viewed 4691 Times
Date Blogged: 12/7/2009
Windows 7 Upgrade Chart
We had our taste of Windows 7 Install/Upgrade/Migrate today when we moved a customer's data from Windows XP Home to WIndows 7 Professional.
The entire process took about six hours and cost the customer $255 (he had 50GB of email, documents and music). It was not without pain.
Believe it or not, there are 64 different ways to move to Windows 7 (see the chart below). We recommend that unless you are falling in a green box, please call us to perform the migration for you.
Viewed 4692 Times
Date Blogged: 10/30/2009
How to Cancel Paypal Subscription
You know how easy it is to click on a Paypal "Subscribe Now" button and signup for products and services. They are everywhere. But wait till you discover how difficult it is to cancel that subscription.
Nobody wants to make it easy for you to quit. We call it "I want to quit the gym or Maria" (clip shown below) tactic.
Even PayPal doesn't make it any easy. Please follow these elaborate steps (you might want to print this page for handy reference). Even finding the right item in the "come-and-go" cascading menus is a challenge.
A number of customers are calling in about a "weird Google problem" that is taking them to a website called Upsalepont.com.
This is a NOT a problem with Google, but a spyware on the user's machine.
If you are our customer, please run a full scan of F-Secure on the infected hard drive.
If you do not have F-Secure installed on your machine, you can try installing MalwareBytes or SuperAntiSpyware and try to clean it that way. Depending on the extent of damage, this might not work, and you may have to bring in the machine to our shop for removal.
Viewed 4051 Times
Date Blogged: 6/26/2009
Notebook Hard Drives
While cleaning we found the following working 2.5 inch hard drives. If you are attempting data recovery, or need identical drives, please contact us at (205)251-5966
List of Hard Drives • Toshiba, P/N 318052-001, MK4025GAS • Toshiba, MK6014MAP, 6GB • Hitachi, N155, 30GB • IBM, N79, 10.06GB • Hitachi, N155, 40GB SOLD • IBM, IBM-H2344-A4, 344MB • Hitachi, DK221A-34, 340MB • Fujitsu, MHC2040AT, 4GB
Viewed 4079 Times
Date Blogged: 6/17/2009
Desktop Hard Drives
While cleaning we found the following working hard drives.
If you are attempting data recovery, or need identical drives, please contact us at (205)251-5966
Our phones have been busy this afternoon from customers wondering if their network crashed. Apparently AT&T Internet and Mail services have been down pending an upgrade and it makes people think that their own network is down.
Like the Sun ad used to say "THE NETWORK IS THE COMPUTER"
If you are wondering why the customers call us instead of AT&T, you probably have never called AT&T. You get long hold times, folks who never admit that their company is at fault or made a mistake, and the customer is made to repeat the story multiple times.
When customers call Lyons Computers, they get a technical person, who is trained to help them via phone, e-mail or remote help desk. They get no hold times. We have realized that what we offer is a coveted service.
Viewed 4097 Times
Date Blogged: 6/17/2009
SQL Server 2008: Saving Changes Not Permitted
Are you getting the dreaded error on SQL Server 2008?:
Saving changes is not permitted. The changes you have made require the following tables to be dropped and re-created. You have either made changes to a table that can’t be re-created or enabled the option Prevent saving changes that require the table to be re-created.
This is a brain-dead design on Microsoft's part when all the permissions are there, and the database administrator laboriously made all the table changes, the save feature will fail.
To fix this, UN-CHECK the Prevent flag under Options -> Designers in SQL Server Management Studio.
Viewed 3687 Times
Date Blogged: 5/14/2009
Researching Web + POS Integration
Seeking Recommendations for Restaurant POS
We are helping a customer pick a solution for their e-commerce as well as point-of-sale integration.
What we are discovering is that not many restaurants accept payments online and none of the POS vendors have a web subsystem that integrates into the e-commerce.
If you know of a solution, please buzz us at
Viewed 3420 Times
Date Blogged: 5/13/2009
No Website is Safe
During our casual weekend browsing, we have noticed some big name websites have been infected with malware. These include Twitter and FoxNews.
It is indeed a sad when innocent people have to be afraid of few evil people.
HP Pavilion S3650F Slimline PC w/ Bluray Drive and TV-Tuner
HP's Part #: FK784AA#ABA
Our price: $709.00
Viewed 3454 Times
Date Blogged: 2/27/2009
Your Own Name Servers
I have many domains. How can I have my own name server like: ns1.mydomain.com and ns2.mydomain.com ?
For easier management and migration, we recommend our customers who host multiple domains with us to have their own name server. Then the labor intensive task of setting DNS can be delegated to the control panels such as Plesk or Ensim.
Registering a Name Server is not same as buying a $1.99 domain at GoDaddy!
The steps are listed below.
First buy two IP addresses belonging to different class C.
Then tell your domain registrar that you wish to register your name servers.
Lyons Safari Blog 
Our parts are for the use of our technicians only.
I have many domains. How can I have my own name server like: ns1.mydomain.com and ns2.mydomain.com ?
For easier management and migration, we recommend our customers who host multiple domains with us to have their own name server. Then the labor intensive task of setting DNS can be delegated to the control panels such as Plesk or Ensim.