Blog Lafayette

CBL Computers and Repair has decided to get into the giving spirit in a big way starting in the month of December. They have announced a new way to help kids in the Lafayette area called Computers 4 Kids. Computers 4 Kids is an effort by CBL Computers and Repair to initially provide at least four to five new computers, each complete with a monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers and a printer, to a children in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program in the Lafayette Indiana area.

According to Craig Martin of CBL Computers and Repair, “each computer will be preloaded with all the necessary software/hardware needed to operate the PC.” Craig went on to say that, “Unfortunately at this time we will not be able to offer any type of FREE Internet connection but we are continuing to look for a way to make this happen as well. Along with all the hardware and software, CBL Computers & Repair will provide each computer with a 2 year “Complete Peace of Mind” Residential Maintenance Contract. Not only will the children/families not have to worry about paying for costly hardware repairs but they will also be receiving free remote bi-monthly “Tune-Ups” and a yearly “Windows Renew”". To see more information on the CBL Computers and Repair website, follow this link, http://cblcomputersandrepair.com/BigBrotherBigSistersComputerGiveaway

In addition to the initial 4 to 5 computers, CBL Computers and Repair has expressed a desire to continue the program if it is successful, until every local child involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters has a computer of their own.

CBL Computers and Repair will be donating a portion of their “Windows Renew” income along with donations from another great local business, Designing Length Salon, and any others that may come in, to purchase the new systems. They will also be taking donations of gently used Computer systems that are under 5 years old. If in the event that they are not able to buy all the new systems, they will be giving away the donated systems to the children. Craig said that, “You can set up an appointment with CBL Computers & Repair from our website at, www.cblcomputersandrepair.com, click on the schedule an appointment tab at the top of the page, if you’d like to donate a lightly used computer, less than 5 yrs old, give us a call at 765-490-2978, and we can arrange a pickup or delivery. You can also stop by Cold Stone Creamery or Designing length salon to show your support.”

As to why Craig and CBL Computers and Repair is doing this, Craig said, “I feel that it is the responsibility of every local business to give back as much as they can to the local community. I’ve always wanted to donate to charity but never really had the means. So if CBL Computers & Repair can use a little of the money that we pay for advertising and give it to a charity, that’s what we are going to do. I chose Big Brother Big Sister because after having a child of my own and feeling the satisfaction that I get from just watching her be happy and knowing that she’s always going to have what she needs, It pains me to see that there are children out there that are missing out on so much in life through no fault of their own. I have made a promise to myself that CBL Computers & Repair is going to do as much as we can to see that we help as many children as possible overcome their unfortunate situations.”

I am the “I.T.” department for my wife’s internet business. As the tech guy in charge it is my responsibility to make sure her computer and network stay up and running so that she can be a successful online business person. If her computer runs slow it is my job to fix it.

In the interest of being “helpful”, here are a few observations for anyone else who is contemplating doing a computer upgrade of their older existing computer in the near future.

Observation 1: Beware the phrase, “Nothing will go wrong. I’ve done this before and it works like a breeze!” This is a warning for the other person or persons in your life who are the primary users of the computer that you are getting ready to upgrade. I said this to my wife before I started on this little project. If I only knew then what I know now.

Maybe I should back up a little here. When I say upgrade, I am meaning that my project was to install more memory, install a faster/bigger hard drive, and upgrade the operating system from Windows XP to Windows 7. I made a trek to our local big box electronics retailer and purchased all the hardware and software I was going to need to do the job. I went home and opened up the case on our computer, AFTER making sure that all data was backed up in multiple locations, and went to work.

The memory sticks were easy and simple. Just find the proper slots and plug them in. Viola! Then I removed the old hard drive and inserted the new hard drive. I booted up the system and nothing would happen except a black screen. I worked around until I gave up and called the box store. They said bring it in and we will look at it a no cost.

I made the drive and let the tech look at my computer. We found that neither the new hard drive nor another that he tried would work. My computer would simply not recognize that they were installed on the system. He said the fateful words. “What you need to do is go home and update your BIOS/motherboard.”

OK, I said. I went home and went to the website of the manufacturer of our computer and proceeded to download the BIOS update and let it run. It completed its work and the computer rebooted. I got a black screen and a message which read, “Checksum error. Please insert your installation CD…” About this time I had a large lump in the pit of my stomach that felt like it was the size of a cantaloupe. Which leads me to my next helpful observation.

Observation 2: Never never never upgrade your BIOS/motherboard unless you are prepared to buy a new motherboard when the system does not update correctly. I was up a creek without a paddle and was not able to do anything to help repair my system on my own. I was now in “expert territory.” I decided it was time to take the computer to Computers Made Easy in Lafayette Indiana. They have always done a good job for me in the past and I trust them more than any big box store tech to know what to do. They looked at the system and tried to reset the BIOS to original settings but that step did not work. The only thing left was to replace the main board of the computer. They did this for me and I took the computer home.

I still had not upgraded the operating system like I set out to do in the beginning and I was already out some bucks but the show must go on they say. So I set in to the job of installing the Windows 7 on the repaired computer. I inserted the Windows 7 DVD into the disk drive and tried to get the system to read the disk and do the install. It would not. Do you think I have any hair left in my head at this time? Yes I do. I am not a hair puller. Especially my own, but I felt like making an exception this time. I worked and I worked some more. Nothing worked. I could not get my computer to read the DVD. I can tell you, my wife was plenty mad at me by this time. Hence, my observation number 1, never say, “Nothing will go wrong. I’ve done this before and it works like a breeze!” She wanted a working computer. She could care less about the operating system or any of the other tech talk mumbo jumbo that I could rattle off to her. She simply wanted a computer that worked.

Did I get it working? Yes. I Finally did. I found out from one of the techs at Computers Made Easy that I just needed to make a boot-able flash drive installation of the Windows 7 disk I had. He said that sometimes upgrading from XP to Windows 7 caused this problem to occur. I was not doing any thing wrong and my computer was not broken. I made the boot-able flash drive and the installation went like clockwork from there on. Many days and many more dollars than planned later, my wife had an upgraded and much better working computer and I had a brand new ulcer.

I learned some lessons during this bout in the computer repair boxing ring that will stand me in good stead the next time I decide it is time to “repair” my wife’s computer. First, never assume anything, second, don’t ask the big box store for advice, third, don’t update the BIOS, and lastly, don’t do the repair unless I have a spare computer and I am prepared for things to “go awry.”

Someone once said, “All good things must come to an end”. Maybe that is true for many things. But maybe we should strive to keep good things going instead of letting them end. “Going Local Week” is coming to a close in Indiana but I think that we should continue to support our local businesses throughout the year. I have nothing against the big box stores but I think our communities are healthier with a mix of large and small retailers. The more competition, the better.

One local business that I have always been impressed with is Computers Made Easy located at 2228 Concord Road in Lafayette. They are a small business that specializes in repairing computers, maintaining computers and networks for local businesses as well as home users, selling Dell and Intel computers and various brands of computer parts, and offering Windows based software computer training.

I have had dealings with them through a business that I worked at in Lafayette as well as with my own computer issues. When no-one in town had the particular power supply and cord I was needing for an HP laptop, Computers Made Easy came through. They had the part and the price was right. When the business that I worked for needed something done with their network or computers, Computers Made Easy sent a professional out immediately and problems were solved without much fuss.

I know that there are many services in Lafayette that work on, and repair computers. I cannot say anything against any of them because I don’t know their work, but I can say positively that Computers Made Easy is my computer repair facility for life. When something works, I stick with it.

Computers Made Easy
2228 Concord Road
Lafayette, Indiana
(765) 474-9797.