Kandicomp Computer Sales & Services

12/09/2022

06/28/2022

So sorry, our KandiComp Staff are all under a Covid-19 quarantine right now. We hope to return by July 5th, 2022. We'll keep you posted.

05/31/2016

The Care and Feeding of a Healthy Computer:

Keep your computer healthy with these "Scheduled Maintenance" steps.

Perform a weekly disc cleanup, and disk defragmentation. You can find the icons for these important maintenance tools in START/All Programs/Accessories/System Tools

There you will find these programs to run to keep your computer's Hard Drive working well for years to come. You CANNOT HURT your computer by running these programs, so run them BOTH. You can find help for anything you don't understand by clicking on "Help and Support" in your START menu.

05/30/2016

The Care and Feeding of a Healthy Computer:

Before connecting your computer to the Internet.

YOU NEED A SURGE SUPPRESSOR The power coming through your electric outlet periodically suffers "spikes" and "peaks". Inconsistent power surges which can wreck your computer. Lightning storms make this situation much worse. You can purchase a surge suppressor in all computer, hardware, or office supply stores for $25 or less. If you plug your phone line in the back of your computer, make sure there is a phone jack in the surge suppressor too. Purchase a NEW surge suppressor every three years-they degrade over time.

03/28/2016

Mac User shortcut quick tips:

The Command key (⌘) the Option key also says (alt) Function key (fn) next to the Control key, which just says its own name (control).

Command-Q – Quit any program: As opposed to “X-ing out” of your programs by clicking on the X button. On any Mac program, in order to fully exit out, you need to use the Quit command with this shortcut, or click on the app menu, then choose Quit.

Command-W,-will close the active window you are using,

Option-Command-W,-will close all the windows in the currently active app. Close Window (Command-W) and Close Tab (Command-Shift-W).

Command-T – will open a new tab for you. In Chrome, Command-Shift-T will open the most recently closed tab for you.

03/24/2015

First Things First

You just purchased a new computer- Sweet! here's the most important thing to know at this point: Computers are not TOASTERS- you can't just take it out of the box, plug it in, and start using it without any consequences.
Instead, think of your computer as something closer to a NEW PUPPY- you need to prepare a safe place to put it, protect it with a new surge protector, schedule its various maintenance services to run regularly, innoculate it with essential security patches (for Windows and Microsoft programs, Adobe programs, Apple software, Java, etc.) feed it a diet of healthy Internet use, and train it (actually train yourself) what is good and bad for your computer (and how you use it).

This is your game plan:
* (For towers and desktop computers) Keep a MINIMUM of 3"-4" of space around and above it for cooling air to flow
* Keep it off the floor, where dust settles and is likely to be sucked inside
* (For laptops) NEVER place a laptop computer on a pillow (or any soft surface) likely to close off its limited cool air vents! Laptops overheat all the time, and can last only hours to weeks before irreparable damage occurs.
* Plug any computer, tablet, laptop, or phone into a known good surge suppressor (less than 3 years old) to protect it from lightning strikes or power spikes.
* Keep liquids, pop cans, water glasses, vases, etc. FAR AWAY from your computer- spilling can result in a destroyed computer, and even in electrocution (you don't want to find out!).
Periodically dust and blow out the cooling vents of your computer with compressed air cans sold for this purpose.

This game plan will take you a long way towards enjoying a computer that keeps running sweet over the long haul.

NOTE: If you need help NOW, call us at KandiComp at (320)235-2701. or visit us on the web at www.kandicomp.com

Stay tuned for, Turning It On (The first time's always the best).

KandiComp in Willmar, MN repairs computers throughout Kandiyohi, Chippewa, Swift, Pope, Stearns, Meeker, Renville Counties, and all Central Minnesota. We do data recovery, disaster recovery, virus removal, and parts repair for Android, Apple, iPad, Linux, and Windows PCs, laptops, and tablets. We al…

03/10/2015

Squashing Bugs Before They Squash you
Yes, your computer's got "bugs"- Some are due to lack of forsight.
Others are due to incompatibilities.
Still others are due to the mistakes we make- turning off a computer while in the middle of its doing something important, long power outages in "sleep mode", accidentally deleting important files, etc.
But most bugs today are designed by criminals to infect your computer; and once infected, to make it "throw up" your precious personal or business information. It ends up sent to the criminal, who uses it to commit identity theft and fraud against you- and can even hold your precious data hostage for ransom!
You owe it to yourself to recognize that bugs are a part of using computers today, and that it falls to YOU to protect yourself from them.
How? Stay tuned for, Squashing "Lack of Forsight" Bugs
NOTE: If you need help NOW, call us at KandiComp at (320)235-2701.

03/08/2015

Why 2 years to post a blog?!? (This is a confession, so give me a break please)

I fix computers for a living. Day after day after day. For over 34 years now, in one form or another. I've replaced old ones, prototyped and built them, upgraded, networked, programmed, tested, removed Malware infections, recovered data, cloned, secured, and performed forensic examinations on them. And more.

What I've seldom ever done consistently is enjoyed them. Oh, I've marvelled at their awesome and increasing power, decreasing price, and cool programs. When I bought my first computer game, I thought I'd morph into the ultimate gamer- awesome! But work got in the way. After 8-12 hours of daily looking at a 1-color 10" plasma screen, by the end of the day I had little enthusiasm for looking at one some more. Over time, family, then friends and neighbors (and eventually their families, friends and neighbors) turned to me (the "computer guy") to work on their computers.

My wife Beth and I wrestled with either staying employed where we were and turning away the growing influx of after hours computer work on the side- or starting our own computer services business to serve our growing clientele. So in 2004 we incorperated KandiComp and repaired computers on the dining room table in our apartment. We've grown tremendously since then, but that's another story for later. But I wasn't really enjoying all computers could do yet, so the blog I started for you a couple years ago didn't get the attention a blog needs.

So what changed? YOU DID.You visit each other across the globe live by Skype, like each other on Facebook, meet to strategize in Google Hangouts, recommend one another via LinkedIn, pay your taxes, buy your groceries, order your medicines, and get your degrees online. You proved to me that computers are still awesome for games and getting work done- but they've become awesome and essential for so much more. So I, the late bloomer when it comes to enjoying computers, have been checking out all the cool stuff about them and they are indeed awesome. I'm hooked. I want to share not only my discoveries with you, but also how to make sure you have the best experience available on your computer, tablet, and smart phone.

Most people who call KandiComp the first time are NOT having a good experience. While this time I told you something about the PLEASURE today's computers can offer, next time I want to say something about the PAIN. I feel your pain, Computer Friend, and can help you find your sweet computing place once again.
Stay tuned, and tell me what you most enjoy or appreciate about your computer, tablet, or smart phone.

03/07/2015

Computers- Pleasure or Pain
Right in the middle of your project, the "Blue Screen of Death" appears on your screen- again. The link to the funny video you wanted to check out told you to install a special player or codec first- then your computer got infected and locked up- it hasn't worked right since. Days after you checked your bank balance online, your credit card company called to say, "Was it you who tried to spend $5000 on clothes at Walmart?"

So you tell me: Are computers a pleasure or a pain?

03/07/2015

09/18/2014

03/13/2013

Everything you need from parts to complete systems. Check out KandiComp's own customer brand of new computers, the Kairos! http://ow.ly/iRJlC

KandiComp Computer Sales & Services has been serving the central Minnesota region since 2004. We specialize in computer repairs, upgrades,...