My tech from GoovyTek has been terrific. He is patient, knowledgeable, and explains things really well. I enjoyed learning new tools and features on my smart phone and computer. They have made doing things a lot easier and more enjoyable.
You're having trouble with your computer, tablet, or smartphone. Perhaps your gadget is frozen. Before you call us, what can we do to stop the hemorrhaging before we get there?
One of the first lines of defense for any electronic gadget, is to restart the device or to shut it down. When we talk about starting or shutting down a computer, it’s often referred to as booting it up or down. Booting comes from the phrase, “pulling yourself up from your bootstraps.” You can do a warm boot (restart), or a cold boot (start up or shut down). Warm means that your computer is already on, and warm, when you turn it off. Cold means that your computer is starting up from not being on, or being completely shut down. To further complicate the situation, you can also do a hard boot, which means that you’re shutting your computer down when it’s in the middle of something, and hasn’t gone through its proper closing processes.
Booting terminology aside, a restart often jogs your computer into behaving itself if it’s stuck on something.
To restart a PC, you press the CTRL-ALT-DEL (Control, Alt, and Delete) buttons all at the same time twice.
For a Mac computer, press "Control-Command-Media Eject", to quit all applications and restart the computer or Control-Command-Power to immediately restart the computer. More information on Apple's Support Website.
Restarting an iPad is a single button press followed by a swipe on the screen. Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button on the upper right corner, then slide your finger across the screen to turn the power off.
There is so much variation with Android phones that you may need help or some experimentation to find the on/off button. For certain Android phones, press and hold the single button on the right side. Others have three buttons on the right side, and the on/off button is the one by itself. Once you find the on/off, the phone will give you the option to touch an icon to power it off or restart it.
iPhones are hopefully more straightforward.
To turn an iPhone off, press the single button on the right side, then slide the bar on the screen to turn it off.
Closing Frozen Programs
Perhaps you’ve been surfing the internet on your PC with Google Chrome. Suddenly your computer no longer responds to your keystrokes. You can press the CTRL-ALT-DEL buttons, all at the same time, to bring up a “Close Program” dialog box. Then you can choose to close your unresponsive Google Chrome, or any other program that is causing problems.
On a Mac, use the Command-Option-Escape keys all at once to bring up a Force Quit Applications window. You can then choose to close any windows that you may have open.
One strategy that bad guys use for infecting your computer is to create pop-ups that execute malware (viruses, Trojans, malicious software or computer programs) on your computer whenever you click on the pop-up. It could be as simple as using the X in the corner to close out of the pop-up that would enable the malware to load on your computer. A way to close a pop-up without clicking on it, on a PC, is to right click on the pop-up in the task bar, then select close. You may also hit Alt-F4 to safely close a pop-up.
For a Mac, what do you do? Luckily, you’re less likely to have a malicious pop-up on a Mac. If you did want to close a window or an application without clicking on it, you could use Command + Q to quit the active window/application.
An Ounce Of Prevention Is Worth A Pound Of Cure
Virus protection software with a firewall provides safety from viruses, Trojans, and malware. It’s definitely worth the investment to purchase this software for your computer.
If you’re normally a trusting person, turn yourself into a doubter when you’re using your computer or electronic device. Think twice before you click on any link that you receive in an email or text. When in doubt, if you really do want to check out the link in an email, go directly to your bank’s website, for example, to initiate the contact from your end.
When making an online purchase, look for the S in the URL, or web address. For example, the GroovyTek URL should be https:// when you’re purchasing sessions from us, and you should see a little tiny lock in the bar next to the web address.
If you think you may have been hacked or that you may have a virus or malware, your first reaction should be to disconnect from your network or WiFi. You may want to physically disconnect from the network because in some cases, hackers have made devices look like they’re disconnected from the internet, when you’re still connected. Next, you should attempt to shut down your device.
After doing the basic triage of disconnecting from the network, and shutting down, it’s now time to seek professional assistance to get back up and running. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can try to fix the problem yourself by running your virus protection software, or by downloading and running Malwarebytes. You can always call GroovyTek for help.
My tech from GoovyTek has been terrific. He is patient, knowledgeable, and explains things really well. I enjoyed learning new tools and features on my smart phone and computer. They have made doing things a lot easier and more enjoyable.
I have been very pleased with the IT trainers from GroovyTek who have been to my house. They were very helpful!
I have always had the best computers that Apple offered, but the problem was that I never knew how to use them. Thanks to my GroovyTek trainer, my tech skills have increased exponentially and I am feeling more competent and confident with each lesson.
Today was my first experience with GroovyTek and it was extraordinary. I learned so much over the course of the hour AND as importantly fixed the problem I was having. The trainer was intelligent and friendly. All support was given in a very collaborative way. I am looking forward to this partnership.
We have had several help sessions with a GroovyTek trainer. WE could not be more pleased. My trainer takes all our questions and while answering types up his answers so even after he leaves, we can refer to his notes. I would recommend GroovyTek to any of my friends or family without hesitation. BTW, ALL the employees at this firm are extrememly knowledgeable and friendly.
I had a serious issue with my bank website not being secure. This was a very technical problem. I used the Remote Session option to get help. My GroovyTek trainer kept at it until we finally resolved the issue.
Excellent help from our GroovyTek trainer. He spent an hour explaining issues that I was confronted with, on my computer, and corrected all my issues and problems. He was concise, knowledgeable and forthright and I will call on him and GroovyTek again whenever I need help and support. I highly recommend GroovyTek services!
The trainers are so friendly, and helpful. They certainly have lots of patience and knowledge. They make you feel so comfortable asking questions you would not dare ask your family to show you again how to do. They are always welcome in my home, sometimes I hate to see them go!
GroovyTek has helped me, a 65 year old, learn how to do all sorts of things on my computer that I did not know about before. I had no one else to ask, and they have rescued me. It's so great to have a polite, friendly, knowledgeable person come to my house and teach me. What a wonderful service!
A wonderful service in every aspect from calling in to set up an appointment with GroovyTek and follow ups as well as the fabulous help, patience and expertise of the tech who came to the house to work with me with my computer issues. I would highly recommend GrooveyTek for all your computer needs! Thanks so much!
It is comforting to know if you have technical problems there is a Hands On source to get help. These trainers listen to your problems, find solutions and work with you until you understand the solution, their patience is outstanding. This is a great way to not only solve problems but to learn about the ever-changing world of technology; there are class presentations, small group gatherings or one-on-one in your home with kind, friendly, people.
GroovyTek did a great job! My trainer was on time, professional and she solved my slow computer. Great job, GroovyTek! I will use your services again.
I have had two great sessions with GroovyTek and finally I have learned to use my smartphone calendar! I'm looking forward to my next session.
I'm very pleased with my session today with GroovyTek. My trainer was able to fix both my computer and my printer (problems with both) and instructed me on how to correct the issues if they occurred in the future. We also made plans for my next session. I find GroovyTek sessions extremely helpful and convenient since they are in my home.
Very impressed with my trainer’s ability to provide thorough explanations and demonstrations. I have confidence now in knowing how to manage my photos, videos, and documents. I received my money’s worth of valuable instruction.