Windows 8 - Product Review

I have been using Windows 8 since the beginning of last week and I thought I would right a product review and answer some of the questions you might have before upgrading. Since this is a product review I will address the positives and negatives and give my overall opinion on the product.

The Good:

• Very Fast: Windows 8 really starts to utilize the GPU and that leaves the processor open to do other things. We Never really saw this much before because in older computers we did not see a whole lot of GPU's and if we did they were either dedicated and came after market or they just plain were not that good.
• Lots of hotkeys: If you like me you don't like your hands leaving the keyboard. Once you understand all of the hotkeys windows 8 has to offer it makes the overall experience much better and getting from point a to point b much quicker.
• The start menu or home screen is very nice and convenient especially if you take advantage of different services offered. I am also fortunate enough to get the full windows 8 experience becasue we all know by now windows 8 was designed for Touch and I happen to be using a touch screen computer. 
• Amazing Battery Life: I had it playing spotfy for about 4 hours before the first battery life light went off then it still ran for another hour and a half before going into hibernation. I Plugged it in and booted back up in about 9 seconds.
• Sky Drive: Its nice to have a cloud drive integrated into your OS
• Very Compatible: Installing printers and other devices has never been easier.

The Bad

• Micosoft account: To do just about anything on this computer you need a Microsoft account. The benefits to having one account for everything could be great but they really did not take advantage of this feature the way they should have.
• Learning Curve: I'll admit it took me a minute to figure everything out but once I got it down it wasn't to bad.
• No start Button: This is pretty self explanatory, although I hear they are putting one in when 8.1 comes out
• xBox Live and messages: Stop trying to make the computer a phone or a gaming console its a computer.
• Bing is the default to everything. 
• You have to pay for media center. But then again if you pay for media center you deserve to loose your money because its pretty much garbage compared to vlc, itunes, spotify, divx, and others.

The Bottom Line

• Its clean new look leaves lots of room for new technology but leaves people who struggle with change left in the dust.
• A few very simple fixes could have fixed a lot of the issues I have seen with it. 1 free media center. 2 one account and link everything to that account. 3. Just give up on Bing Microsoft you will never beat Google. Get a start button don't do something one way for 15 years and the all of the sudden change on everyone.
• Overall I like it and it will take some getting used to but I think it is a decent competitor to windows 7.

Why is Re-Imageing better than Virus Removal

The Re-Image Process consists of Backing up the drive, Formatting it (deleting everything), Reloading the OS of your choice, Restoring the Data, and finding all of the drivers. My process also includes pulling the drive, installing any additional programs like office or teamviewer, updating everything, cleaning the screen keyboards and fans, and I scan the backup for viruses.

Why is this better?

It is 100% guaranteed to remove the virus. Conventional methods of virus removal can be very thorough but there is no guarantee that every file will be virus free. It will make your computer like (if not better) than brand new.

It is much faster. Some places will argue that after doing all the searching for drivers and updates, burning the image to the disk. I can sometimes do this entire process in about an hour. The reason I can do this much faster Is I have a custom image. This allows me to install the OS, 14 different programs, 20 common drivers, any updates, and format the drive all at one time. I will later create a blog discussing how to create a custom Windows image.

This allows for you to upgrade from your old OS that my be slow, prone to viruses, or even out dated and no longer supported.

The one drawback to this is if you have programs you need transferred its much more difficult.

Five Things Element Does Differently

Most computer repair shops will say anything to get you in the door. For example phrases such as, "We can fix anything," and "free diagnostics!" are thrown around like candy at a parade. But if they could fix anything they would be working for NASA and let’s face it nothings FREE. This is how Element Computer Repair differs from Geek Squad or your local small town shop.

1. We provide custom imaging and manually applied maintenance. You may have heard of the wipe and reload method for virus removals. It is the fastest most effective way to clean up a computer. We do this differently by doing a 100% complete sector by sector backup of your data and store it for 30 days. We reload your current operating system or offer upgrade/downgrades for windows 7 or 8 (your choice), but this is a custom OS including updates, driver packs, remote assistance programs, virus software, Microsoft Office, and more. Then we scan your old data for viruses to ensure we don't transfer that back over to the new image. Once that is complete, we transfer user data from the copied image to the new image. Last but not least, we give the computer a 30 point inspection on both the software and hardware and clean anything that has even one speck of dust. After you leave we back up the computer for 30 days and include one fee tune-up after 90 days. We do all of this starting at $129.99!

2. Small Business Solutions. We offer a very wide array of small business tech solutions from websites and SEO to VOIP and Remote Maintenance and Network monitoring. We do POS systems as well as security systems; we can setup outlook and quick-books for you as well and give you a brief lesson on how to use the systems if you’re new to them. Do your employees use computers? We can set-up a server and set permissions using active directory, or set up email monitoring. Why pay for an IT department when we offer all of these services a la carte.

3. Hardware repairs. In a world where large corporations have to play by the rules, we don’t. What does that mean? I will give you a real world example. Geek squad refused to replace a screen in a laptop where the specific screen model was discontinued; instead they offered to sell them a monitor or a new laptop. I found the exact model of laptop for parts online and bought the machine and fixed the screen. Geek squad cannot get authorization to do things like this because the liability is too high. This laptop was 4 months old and was still selling brand new for over $600.

4. Screen Repair Cell Phone and Laptops. Okay lots of people do screen repair but what I do differently is I buy the parts from the manufacture. Lots of people claim this is impossible because companies like Apple do not sell parts unless you go to the Apple store. While this is true, if you do the research Apple doesn't actually make the screens. I buy OEM screens from the factory that Apple uses to give you a 100% authentic screen. I also do non OEM color/gold conversions, water damage (depending on extent of damage), button replacements, jail-breaking and more. Basically, if it’s possible, I can probably do it for you.

5. Discounts. We offer a 5% discount for military, students, and senior citizens. Take an additional 5% off for liking us on Facebook, Google+, or Twitter. Also take another 5% off for writing us a review on Facebook, Google, or Yelp. That's a total of 15% off. If that isn't enough we offer to beat any written competitor quote by 10% (offer valid on services only.)

So there are five reasons why Element Computer Repair is the best choice for you. We’re open Monday through Saturday, 9 am to 6 pm. Feel free to setup and appointment buy calling 763 220 0665 or online at www.element-computers.com