This weekend, I spent my time cleaning out the closets of old towels, linens and cleaning supplies.  Seven bags later Goodwill accepted my donations and I was feeling like New Years was off to a fantastic start.  Have your computers seen their New Years cleaning?

Being raised very conservative, I was taught to use something until it breaks.  With computers, this is more risky when your data is at stake.  Backups are wonderful to restore from, but it’s still 110% better to have the old system in tact when upgrading your computer.

Welcome to 2011! All of us at Fast Break Tech are happy to present our new website. The new and improved site has better functionality, easier navigation, and way more options to get you assistance ASAP. We have amazing new services and products to offer and desire our site to provide answers to 99% of your questions. We are so excited about the new year, but where did 2010 go?

The answer from many people is “I don’t know.”  During the first 16 days of November, we had a photographer, a graphic artist, a musician, and plenty of home users bring their dead hard drives in.  Data on these hard drives contained pictures, company logos, financials, audio compilations, genealogy and more – all items that cannot be replaced without months of duplicate work. 

The buzz about Windows 7 is out! Everyone wants to upgrade, but many are still afraid of change.  Is this you?  Are you concerned about the programs you’ve loaded over the last five years?  Perhaps you’ve loaned the CDs to someone or your kids used them as Frisbees?  We have the answer for you! 

First it was Blackberry, then it was iPhone, and now the Droid is turning heads of mobile users.  All three of these smartphones have their advantages.  If you’re a globe-trotter, the Blackberry on Verizon is still your ticket to staying in touch.  If call quality is less of a concern, but want a really cool phone, the iPhone is your choice.  Lastly, the Droid, which includes the responsive touch screen like the iPhone, yet available with other carriers (Verizon, Sprint & T-Mobile). 

Ever get a strange e-mail from a friend?  The e-mail typically has no subject and the body is only a link to some random Web site.  This is a product of your friend’s e-mail or Facebook being compromised.  Any Web site that holds an account for us – Facebook, Yahoo!, MSN, Gmail, etc. -- all require a username and password.  If you use the same password for everything, you will most likely be hacked. 

Commercials on TV are offering you FREE Norton or McAfee to protect your systems if you subscribe to AT&T DSL or Comcast cable. These products are worth the cost at which they are being given to you; I like to re-phrase it as “free from protection.”

Have you noticed that Word and Excel documents now contain an “x” at the end of their file name? Instead of document.doc, newer files are indicating document.docx. These files were created in Microsoft Office 2007 or Microsoft Office 2010. If you were like us, you heard Microsoft took away the File/Edit/View/Tools menu in these versions of office, or that it slows down the computer so you avoided the upgrade. We are happy to announce that Microsoft did a fantastic job with their latest version launched in June 2010.

Do your office phones still have the old analog telephone cable attached to it? Do you live in the Roseville/Elk Grove area with proprietary phone service?  Or, perhaps you are moving soon and are researching how to take your numbers with you. We have a solution for you!

Much like maintaining your vehicles, someone needs to keep track of when you had your last oil change, your last smog check, your tires rotated or when your insurance is due.  I can’t tell you when I had my last checkup, but I know Hals Auto Care can. Customer records are imperative.