pccleanerpro.com rant

[vesper]

My computer has been a little slow these days, rather than spend 2 days rebuilding it, or buying another, I choose to pay one of those online sites that 'fix your PC'.

I expected software would be installed instead you are told to call, where a guy goes through all the simple basic stuff that most people already know about, and if that does not work, they ask for $250 to dig deeper.

So I basically paid $30 to have someone tell me what I already knew. I had fun getting my money back!


For $30, I could have had an aqua massage, a steak, hired a college girl for an hour to pick my weeds, donated to the MJ Humaine society... so many thrills for $30!

[idonovan]

thats the thing with those sites they all do that.. some will even upload viruses on to steal ur info that you type into your computer like bank info credit card info... so be careful

[lghend]

I use pcpitstop.com (full tests). It's free but you need to find the "full tests" link from your search engine.

[walkonby]

ew vesper, that is scary. Especially for many of us that have no clue how these computers work. Scam artists everywhere.

[cookoo]

if it's a desktop pc, sometimes all you need to do is clean the outside and interior of the tower. some people say never use a vacuum cleaner because of buildup of static electricity. i use regular vacuum on mine, once a year, not a problem all this time.

[oscarandme]

cookoo!

Would vaccuming the inside affect the speed? We also are like walonby and do the required maintenance and stuff and DH gets glishes often and brings to STAPLES clinic and an arm and a leg later might/might not still have issues. Vesper you are savvy to these things, I am double worried now. Also thanks ighend, will look into..is it secure? Like tax returns stuff like that?

[cookoo]

if it affects speed, it would only make it go faster. any time i notice the computer getting sluggish and making loud noises, i know it's time for vacuuming. my tower is close to the floor so it's easy to collect dust. places you need to get out as much dust as possible is the fan and the vents. stay away from wires, pins, circuits, and any other places you are not sure of, because you don't want to damage the internal parts and make the computer unusable. if there are a lot of dust bunnies at these sites, you can use cotton swabs and dab gently.

all these years i've never sent my pc out for repair. if there's a problem with it, i search for a solution online and problem solved, no need to go to "pc experts."

[SmartConsumer]

Please do NOT use any websites that claim to 'clean' or 'speed-up' your PC. Every, literally every, single one of those websites is a scam. The only way to 'speed-up' your PC is to:

1. Lower the amount of running programs. The easiest way to do this is to go to Start>Run>type "msconfig">click enter>click "Start-up" Tab>un-check unwanted programs.
2. Defragment your mechanical harddrive(if you have one). Windows 7/8 automatically does this. On XP, you'll need to go to Start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools>Disk Defragmenter>run the defragmenter on your main drive.
3. Make sure no malware is running on your PC. Use Microsoft Security Essentials as your anti-virus. Make sure you update Windows. Use Google Chrome as your browser. Uninstall Java or at least disable it from your main browser.

Also, do not use a vacuum cleaner around your PC. Read this below to understand how one should clean the inside of a PC.

It’s bad to clean the inside of your computer with a vacuum cleaner because vacuuming creates a large static build up that could (and most likely will) discharge into the sensitive electronics inside your computer case. There are specialized vacuum cleaners designed for cleaning out computers and electronic equipment but given the limited amount of use a single user would get from such a purchase it’s not a very wise one—they start at $300+ and can easily break the $1000 price barrier.


What we’d recommend doing is taking your computer case into a well ventilated area (outside on a sunny day or in your garage is a great place), grounding the case to protect against static discharge (although the risk here is very very low) and using compressed air to clean the dust off. If you’re using an air compressor (as opposed to just a can of compressed air from the computer store) make sure to start a good 24″ or so away from the case and work your way in closer. You want to use just enough air pressure to blast the dust off the surfaces and out of the case without overdoing it and pushing dust into even more difficult to remove places.


One important thing to consider: compressed air (from a compressor, not a can) contains minute amounts of water vapor. Although we’ve never actually heard of this happening to anyone it is (however remote the chance) possible to blow moisture into the connectors on your mother board and damage it if you were to boot it immediately afterwards. This is in the range of lightening-strike remote, however. None the less to be extra cautious we would recommend that you leave the computer off and in a warm dry location for a few hours after you give it a good air-compressor cleaning to allow any residual moisture (if it’s even there to begin with) to evaporate. This borders on paranoid caution, mind you, but better safe than sorry.

[padfoot]

Hi vesper!! I always avoid those kinds of sites cause like people already said, I know majority of them will be scams or some kind of evil malware. Though my desk is very cluttered with lots of loose papers and miscellaneous items, I like to keep my laptop with a piece of plastic wrap over the keyboard/monitor screen that way dust doesn't get in. It's also good for accidental spillage of your drinks. I've had my current laptop that I use daily for almost two to three years now, and it still looks new. (That's because I like to use a wireless keyboard and mouse with it, and connect to a big tv screen via hdmi, lol.)

Plus, I always turn off my computer when I leave the house