At this year’s CES, Toshiba showed off its glasses-free 3D gaming Laptop, the Qosmio F755. It is able to convert 2D Games into 3D on the fly, which was not the case when the device originally rolled out August of last year. At the time, the company said it was working with Nvidia to develop a custom solution. It seems they may have found it.
It’s not often that the promises of a software company actually live up to the software they publish so it was nice to see that the new version of Reimage System Repair actually works. The $70 program Reimage–which claims to provide hassle-free relief for damaged Windows installs–delivers on its promise. (www.reimagesystemrepair.com)
Reimage works by scanning for the causes of PC problems and then with a click of a mouse, fixes them for you. The program is simple to use and you simply go to their website and click Start Scan – install the program as instructed and run it. The program is small only about 7.2 mb so it will only take a few minutes to download.
During the scan, Reimage thoroughly goes over every element of your computer. In addition to looking for damaged or Windows files and registry entries, it also looks at how much available room is on your hard drive, how much memory is installed, the running temp of your processor , and which programs are crashing and how often. Once it’s done, it will report back to you in an easy to read report.
Reimage even checks your system for malware and viruses. The malware scanner is powered by several systems such as the well powerful Avira platform which is one of the most widely-used antivirus programs on the planet.
Once you’re ready to repair your computer, Reimage’s will repair any files it finds. Prior to your next start up of your PC, Reimage finish repairing and replacing any damaged files it discovered during the scan. When that’s complete, your computer finishes loading Windows and displays your newly-repaired desktop.
On my problematic Windows 7 test system, the entire process took about 45 minutes. While no infections were found, Reimage accurately noted several stability problems. The Novell Netware client, Teamviewer, and Google Chrome had all caused a number of crashes recently, and Reimage picked up on all three. After a quick reboot to replace files that were in use (which took less than five minutes), I was deposited back at my Windows desktop. Three days later, I had yet to experience a single crash and my system was running beautifully.
If a Reimage operation happens to cause a program to stop working on your computer, you can undo the changes. That said, I performed several scans on multiple computers running a wide variety of software and never experienced any unexpected “breakage.”
There is one major downside to Reimage: a working Internet connection is required. In my many years as a technician, one of the most common problems I fixed for people was (you guessed it) a broken Internet connection. I also expect that DNS-hijacking malware will prevent Reimage from contacting its servers in order to block removal or repair attempts.
While I count Reimage’s price tag of $70 per year as a minus, there’s a caveat. For the average home user who doesn’t know how to reinstall Windows or completely remove nasty malware, $69.95 per year is a very good deal. A single trip to the computer repair shop would cost you more than that, and Reimage can definitely prevent those visits. Two more PCs can be covered for $30, and that’s an absolute steal if you have a close friend or family member that gets stung by the periodic computer repair bill.
All in all, Reimage is a fantastic repair utility that can fix some of the ugliest Windows problems out there. It won’t totally replace your local computer technician, but it definitely has the potential to save you money, time, and frustration.
That was the catchphrase of the PC maker years ago when it was a just a featherweight going up against the heavyweights of the day. With the Dell XPS 13 and their well-publicized intentions to shift their focus away from traditional notebooks and netbook production, they may just be prepping a new line of commercials: “Dude, you’re getting an Ultrabook!”
The Samsung Series 7 Gamer laptop that was on display at this year’s CES is expected to be available in North America in April 2012. The device, which has been available in Europe since last spring, has been updated and will put Samsung in a position to compete in the competitive gaming market. The Samsung Series 7 is a purpose-built device. From the ground up it was designed with one thing in mind: hardcore gaming.
Lenovo unveiled the extraordinary IdeaPad Yoga at this year’s CES, and along the way, it garnered a few awards—11 to be exact (11 of the 22 the company took home). Now, to you or I, this might not seem remarkable. But to a company that navigates the turbid waters of the consumer electronics market, you can bet that it is a big deal.
