News
Phone Scam offering ‘IT Support’
We’ve recently had a number of customers contacting us about a serious ‘Phone Scam’ that they have fallen victim to.
From the reports we’ve received, the bogus caller (apparently sounding of Asian ethnicity) will say they represent ‘Microsoft’ or a ‘PC Repair’ company and that their internal security systems have alerted them to the fact that the customer’s computer is “at risk”, “infected”, “has no security software” or some other random scare-tactic claim.
The Scammer will then offer to install a piece of “Security Software” onto your computer to remedy the problem, but this software is actually in-fact rogue ‘Remote Control’ software which uses a combination of Rootkit, Backdoor and Key-logging technology to compromise the security of your system. This software allows the bogus operator to gain access to your computer whenever you connect it to the Internet and then record any key-strokes you enter, passwords, Credit Card numbers etc.
Should you have unfortunately fallen prey to this scam, the first thing you’ll need to do is disconnect your computer from the Internet and do not attempt to reconnect it until the system is inspected by professionals and completely cleansed. We can of course assist with this, so contact us for details. Also, if you have recently used any Credit Cards on the system since the system was compromised, you’ll need to have these cancelled immediately. Same applies to Bank Account details.
Stay alert and remember, nobody can monitor your computer for “Security / Virus Risks” in this way, they are just chancing their luck that your Antivirus / Security software is out-of-date, malfunctioning etc. which is unfortuently a very common occurance. The absolute best course of action you can take should you receive one of these bogus calls is simply terminate the call straight away.
Laptop DC-In Repair – Warning!
Laptop computers often suffer a common fault in that the DC-In (charger) connection gets damaged, and thus the laptop will no longer charge the battery. With the majority of PC-based laptops, excluding some Acer, HP and Asus models, the DC-In connection is soldered directly onto the motherboard, as opposed to a separate plug-in module.
Conversely, most Apple laptops use the DC-In modular approach, which is a very welcome feature.
Now, there are businesses that will attempt a repair of the DC-In connector by soldering on a new internal socket piece and ‘padding out’ the socket to strengthen the area, but in our experience this is a very temporary fix, as it is unfortunately inevitable that the connection will fail again over use/time and you’ll be back at the start again, probably sooner rather than later.
The only true fix for this type of damaged DC-In connector is unfortunately a full motherboard replacement, but in most cases this option isn’t financially advisable, so there’s really not much choice other than risk a DC-In repair and treat it with kid-gloves thereafter!
It is due to this fragile status that we don’t offer this service on PC-based laptops that have a directly soldered DC-In connector. We do however repair DC-In connectors on Apple laptops and PC-based laptops that have a modular connector – if you don’t know what type of DC-In connector your laptop has, get in touch with us and we’ll let you know.
iPhone 3/3GS Screen only EUR58
We have a new stock of complete iPhone 3/3G Mid-Board Assemblies which we’re supplying and installing for only €58 – get one while they last!
MacBook Display Enclosures
Guys, a word of advice – if you’ve broken your MacBook (Pro, Air etc.) LCD Display and want it repaired PROPERLY – it’s not cheap… period!
On some MacBook models the LCD display can be swapped out as a single component, but the majority of MacBooks require a complete ‘Display Enclosure’ in order to properly get the visuals up-and-running again.
Without a new Display Enclosure, the existing enclosure needs to be cracked open, risking damage to the Bezel, Inverter, Magnetic Clasps, Display Casing, Front Glass etc. – it’s too risky a process, so we choose only to replace the complete Display Enclosure… as Apple intended!
Beware of cheap iPhone 4 LCDs
iPhone 4 screens have a new technology called ‘Retina’ inbuilt into their screens to create a huge visual improvement over traditional LCD screens.
Unlike the iPhone 3G/3GS, the LCD screen on the iPhone 4 is fused to the Glass Digitizer (as opposed to being separate components).
Now, when you get a replacement iPhone 4 screen, the majority of repairers will install a GENERIC LCD screen – basically what this means is that unless it’s a genuine Apple iPhone LCD Screen enclosure, it’s an inferior standard LCD screen and not a Retina Display.
Don’t be fooled, ask if it’s a genuine Retina Display.
