repairs

Bringing a flat-screen TV back from the dead

There are few technology tragedies as sad as a dead big-screen TV. Sharp-eyed readers may recall that I suffered just such a misfortune in November 2010, when my nearly 5-year-old 42-inch set dropped dead unexpectedly. At the time, I described the scene as follows:

After attempting to revive the set by turning it off and on, unplugging and reconnecting the power plug, and other basic troubleshooting, I had to face the hard conclusion that my television was dead.

From there, I detailed the research, purchase, and installation process for my new plasma, a 50-inch Samsung 3DTV. That new set has been great, even if the 3D highlight so far has been the 3D Yule Log special on one of Time Warner's on-demand channels. For a complete accounting of how I chose my new TV, you can read the full blow by blow here. I'm sure I could have done some additional troubleshooting on the dead TV at the time, but a good reason to upgrade to a new flat-screen doesn't come along every day, and I was probably looking for an excuse.

Dead, but not gone But the story doesn't end there. I had expected the promised two-man white glove delivery team to not only unbox my new set, but also lug my old, nonfunctioning one down to the the first floor of my downtown Manhattan walk-up building (in exchange for a generous tip, of course). This didn't happen, as one delivery guy stayed with the double-parked truck, while I had to help the other one carry the Samsung up four flights of stairs. After that, owing to a combination of holidays, CES prep, and general laziness, the old set sat undisturbed in a corner of my kitchen, waiting for me to get around to tossing it. … Read more

Safe registry tool

Registry cleaners are fine when used with care but can cause problems when used carelessly. Unfortunately, those users who most need a reliable registry cleaner are often unable to tell vital entries from junk, with predictable consequences. Registry cleaners now emphasize doing no harm; none more so than freeware registry cleaners such as Wise Registry Cleaner Free from WiseCleaner. It's touted as thorough but especially safe and easy to use, which we found an appealing combination. By and large, it lives up to the claim.

Wise Registry Cleaner Free's installer persuades users to download and install the Ask … Read more

Forget DIY repair. Sometimes, you need the pros

November was a bad month for me and my gadgets. My trusty Pentax K10D got janky and quit recognizing memory cards, and I took a header on the icy hills of Seattle and crunched my iPad, though I was impressed it still worked.

At home, I've got a whole drawer full of busted electronics. I've done some repairs myself (installed hard drives, changed out power supplies, and fixed bent battery pins), but some tasks are beyond my skill set. I love both my camera and my iPad, so relegating them to the drawer of broken toys didn't appeal to me, and I sent them in for repairs. I've never used a tech repair service before, so I was a bit hesitant at first. Here's how it all panned out.

Pentax told me my camera was covered under warranty and had me send it to its repair vendor for the West Coast, CRIS Camera Service in Arizona, with a description of the problem and a copy of my purchase receipt. I was told that it would take up to four weeks to repair my camera and ship it back. It took two, and it's now good as new.

What's great about CRIS is that it has a repair-tracking system on its Web site. It assigns you a customer number and work order number, and you can see exactly where your gear is in the process, from examination to cleaning to waiting for parts. It was really great to be kept in the loop.

Hopefully, I'll never need its service again, but if I do, I won't be a bundle of nerves like I was this time about getting my shooter fixed. And CRIS doesn't just repair Pentax; it can work on pretty much any major brand of camera.

The iPad was a different story. Apple's warranty doesn't cover dumbly slipping and landing on its products, so I knew I was going to have to pony up and just go for it. I took it to Apple, which quoted me $350--plus shipping--to fix the dented case, slightly discolored LCD, and bent glass. I cringed at that, especially when I was told that the repair process could take up to two weeks, depending on parts. Even broken, my iPad couldn't be out of my reach for that long. … Read more

Toyota to fix heat risk in 650,000 Prius hybrids

Toyota Motor will pay to fix about 650,000 Prius models worldwide for a coolant pump glitch that could cause the top-selling hybrid to overheat and lose power, the automaker said.

The repair campaign covers Prius cars for the model years 2004 to 2007. The bulk of the cars, or 378,000 units, are in the United States.

The Japanese automaker said it had not received any reports of accidents or injuries from problems with the pump, which circulates coolant for the hybrid system.

Major automakers, including Toyota, often conduct repair campaigns that are separate from safety recalls filed with … Read more

Quick fix for .NET Framework 4 update glitch

A recent Windows security update failed to install on my Windows 7 laptop. The Windows sign-off indicated the operating system was installing an update before shutting down, but the patch never installed.

The next time I started the machine, I clicked Start > Windows Update to determine which update was failing. The Windows Update warning message offered a link to "get help with the error," but the link led nowhere useful.

I found the remedy described by Microsoft Support's Srinivas R on the Microsoft Answers site: click Start > Control Panel > Programs and Features, select Microsoft .… Read more

Will your headphones last 10 years?

Most of the high-end gear I talk about in this blog is designed to sound great and last a long time. Granted, it's more expensive than mass-market audio, but quality gear is more expensive to build, market, and sell. Mass-market audio is not so different than cell phones, computers, or digital cameras; they're all designed to be disposable. So would you consider paying $100 or more for headphones that could last 10 or more years? Or would you rather buy 10 cheap headphones in that time? For that kind of money you could have bought one really nice … Read more

Database fixer

Corrupt files can cause the database equivalent of a freeway pileup, leading to lost data and expensive, time-consuming recovery and rebuilding efforts. DataNumen's Advanced DBF Repair (ADR) can repair corrupt database (DBF) files in any version of dBASE, "xBASE," and compatible programs like Visual FoxPro. It can automatically split DBF files and tables when they reach predetermined limits, perform batch fixes, and fix DBF files stored on corrupted media, among other capabilities.

ADR opens as a tiny dialog packing all the essentials into a compact, efficient, tabbed layout with entry fields, selection boxes, and clearly labeled buttons … Read more

Shatter your iPhone 4 screen? Here's how to fix it

I think we can all agree at this point that the iPhone 4 launch is not going well for Apple or its customers. In just two days since its release, iPhone 4 owners have found a plethora of potential and real-world problems, from a faulty antennas and Bluetooth headset connectivity issues to screen discolorations and scratches.

Then there's the phone's glass. Why oh why did Apple decide to use glass for the back of the iPhone 4? As Ryan Salerno, a Gizmodo writer, discovered this morning, glass is breakable.

The good news, if you can call it that, … Read more

Outlook fixit

If you depend on Microsoft's Outlook, a good recovery tool can save the day if things go wrong. DataNumen's Advanced Outlook Repair 3.0 can recover email, folders, appointments, tasks, and anything else that holds your critical data in Outlook's Personal files (PST). AOR supports recovery of attachments, embedded objects, encrypted and password-protected PST files, and deleted Outlook items. It can handle immense files, which protects against obsolescence.

To use AOR, you must have Outlook installed as your default e-mail client. AOR's dialog-based interface is so intuitive that the fully indexed Help file seems almost superfluous. … Read more

The 404 574: Where we're wasting away in Margaritaville (podcast)

Our third host, Jeff Bakalar, doesn't get sick very often, but when it pains, it roars. The last two days have been rough (no offense to Wilson), but we can all breathe easier now that his 10 arms are back running the engineering board just in time for Cinco de Mayo! Unfortunately, we ran out of margarita mix awhile ago, but will you settle for a Jimmy Buffet reference with an extra-funny episode of The 404 Podcast on the side? It's all we got!

My iPhone mysteriously broke last weekend and I thought I was doomed to suffer this ultra-budget Samsung flip phone for the next few months until Wilson referred me to New York's own iPhone repair specialist, Dr. Brendan (not a certified doctor).

Yesterday I took my phone to the clinic (Brendan's apartment) and left fifteen minutes later with a brand new display! Best 75 bones I've ever spent, if you don't count that place where I put that thing that time. Dr. Brendan fixes all sorts of Apple products and we plan to have him and his partner on the show in the near future, but in the meantime check out his Facebook page and tell him The 404 sent you!

Nerds across the world love to celebrate International Free Comic Day, but a greedy thief in Australia dipped his fingers in the wrong honeypot last Saturday. Forty-five-year old store owner Michael Baulderstone spotted a man trying to steal a collector's X-Men comic from his store that was worth $160; luckily, he was wearing a Spiderman costume to celebrate the event and cornered the criminal while signaling to two Jedi Knights (also shopping for comics) to guard the door with their lightsabers until the police arrived.

Silly Padawans: colored plastic flashlights are for kids...and air traffic controllers. Anyway, if the perp had any common sense he would've just shouted a George Lucas sighting at the Popeye's Chicken next door and made his escape.

There are a few more stories to cover on the show today including a Catholic Church turning to Facebook to recruit new priests and a collection of Calls From the Public from last week--who doesn't love leftovers?

EPISODE 574 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video