What to Do When Your DVD Drive Does Not Read

Wednesday, July 31st, 2013

When your DVD drive is not reading discs, it can be frustrating. However, there may be a problem with the actual CD or DVD. Check the disc for any damage such as scratches, cracks, or peeling. If there is no damage, try to thoroughly clean the disc and try it again. If there is actual damage on the disc, you will need to find another disc.

If the disc you are using works in a different device, then you may be wondering what to do when your DVD drive does not read discs.

What To Do When Your DVD Drive Is Not Reading A Disc

1. As with many computer problems, the first thing you should do is restart the computer. In some instances, this simple step fixes the problem.

2. If the problem persists, the next thing you should do is uninstall the driver in the device driver: My Computer > Properties > Hardware > Device manager.

3. After uninstalling, Microsoft may either automatically reinstall the driver, or you can easily reinstall the driver. If you have the driver (either on a CD or preloaded on the computer), re-install the driver. If not, search on Google for the driver and reinstall it. Make sure you install the most up-to-date driver. Try to see if there are updates.

4. Microsoft also has a “fix it” option that you might want to take advantage of. This program runs on your computer and fixes any specific problems you may have. Click here to fix CD/DVD problems. Click “run now”.

5. There also may be several programs you are running on your computer that are blocking the drive from reading the disc. By setting up the drive to run in direct memory access (DMA) mode, you may be able to fix the problem. To run in DMA mode, open Device Manager, right click on the DVD drive that is giving you issues, choose properties, then click the advanced tab. There you can switch to DMA mode.

In Case This Doesn’t Work…

If the problem persists, you may have a broken drive. You can either seek professional help, or you can buy a new CD/DVD drive. They are fairly cheap and easy to install as they tend to come with instructions. Make sure you purchase a drive that is compatible with your computer!

Or you can simply speak with a professional computer repair technician. TalkLocal will connect you with up to three, qualified technicians in your area, so you can get the right help exactly when you need it.

Posted in Computer Repair | No Comments »

Types of Air Conditioner Filters: HEPA

Wednesday, July 31st, 2013

Air conditioning units are important pieces of equipment in a home that ensure your comfort. Their efficacy depends to a large extent on the type of filter incorporated in the device, as filters keep the air you breathe free of dust and micro particles. However, to make sure your air conditioning system works properly, you need to change filters regularly. There are many types of air conditioner filters on the market, and HEPA is one of them.

What Is HEPA?

HEPA stands for “high-efficiency particulate absorbing” or “high-efficiency particulate arresting.” High-quality HEPA filters are based on a technology that aims to absorb very small particles floating in the air that normally remain undetectable to our eyes.

How Do You Know What Types of Air Conditioner Filters to Choose?

Some types of air conditioning filters are more effective than others. HEPA filters are known for their efficiency, and they are designed to comply with a specific standard. More specifically, HEPA filters should have the ability to absorb particles present in the air with a diameter as small as 0.3 microns. The HEPA standard states that to be included among the types of air conditioner filters, filters need to be able to retain 99.7% of micro particles. HEPA filters can clean pollutants in the air, such as pollen and allergens that you are unaware of, but which are dangerous for your health.

Is it Worth Investing in These Sophisticated Types of Air Conditioner Filters?

The expected efficacy of HEPA filters is reflected in their price tag. This means that they can be costly. Whether the investment is worthwhile or not is an individual decision. One thing is certain: your health and that of your family are influenced by the air you breathe day by day. That is why it is advisable to change your air conditioning filters once in a while.

Need AC Help?

Need a hand for some heating and cooling maintenance jobs? TalkLocal can help you find a local qualified professional. Our service is simple and free. We narrow down your options so you can make the final call, and then we connect you with the professionals directly.

Posted in Heating and Cooling | No Comments »

Zombie-Proof Your Home: Protecting the Castle

Wednesday, July 31st, 2013

Written by Steven D’Adamo

I’m back yet again survivors, but it was a close one this week. The crew here at Fort Seva Call decided to go on a food-run, confident that our training regimen would keep us safe. Boy, were we dead wrong.

After returning from CostCo with a fresh cart of 500 cup-o-noodles, 4 gallons of sweet barbecue sauce, and a 50-pound bag of gummy bears, we found the front yard of Fort Seva Call overrun by zombies! It certainly put our training to the test, but we would not have survived if we hadn’t had a surprise visitor.

Manpreet Singh! The one and only Seva Call Founder was somehow surviving on the roof of Fort Seva Call…for weeks! He was separated from the other founders when the apocalypse broke out during their Chipotle run. When he returned to Seva Call headquarters to help the rest of us, he found it boarded up.

We managed to survive the attack with some fierce fighting and fearless leadership from Manpreet, and got back inside the Fort. Then, Manpreet decided it was time to expand the defenses of Seva Call’s home office into the front and back yards.

Maybe you can use some of these modifications to zombie-proof your home. Here’s what we did:

The front yard is a bottle-necked mud pit. Fort Seva Call has two entrances to a semi-circular driveway. Two-way access to the front of the house? No good. We barricaded both driveways with spare cars, forcing any zombies to come through the middle. The front yard is a short, but very steep hill, which we dug up and hosed down, turning it into a mud pit. We also uprooted the few saplings that were planted on top of the hill and threw them into the ditch at the bottom as further obstructions.

The side yards are littered with cars and spare furniture. We obviously don’t have enough huge pieces of junk to fill every space — we’re not Ikea — but it’s always good to create a labyrinth of blockades for your hungry pursuers. It also gives us some cover when we’re trying to sneak out.

The back patio is an obstacle course of more cars. We were actually lucky that the office was full when the infection broke out, because it left us with 27 cars to move around. The backyard is a flat, stone patio surrounded by a wide, grassy field. We played ring-around-the-patio with the cars, creating a wall of cover around the weakest point in the Fort Seva Call defenses.

And throughout this three-tiered defensive perimeter? Weapons stashes: because you never know when you’ll be on the run and in need of a handy mattock or crowbar. Two of the cars around the patio ring, one in each side yard, and two in the front yard are filled with weapons for quick, mid-sprint access.

If your fortress happens to have upper-level balconies or decks — or very large windows — you can always heave heavy objects off of them in the event of a zombie siege.

I hope you found this helpful. I’ll be back with more later on. Steve out.

Tags: apocalypse, zombie
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Get Rid of Bedbugs Before Moving

Tuesday, July 30th, 2013

Living with bedbugs can be a hassle. While bedbugs do not transmit disease, they feed on blood and can cause itchy, irritating bites, making living conditions unbearable. If you have bedbugs and are looking to move, think twice before quickly packing up your things and leaving. Be sure to follow these steps to get rid of bedbugs before moving, so that the bedbugs do not move with you into your new home!

Cleaning and Preparation

1. The first step when preparing to move is to clean your space well so as to eliminate as many bedbugs as possible. Sort out what you would like to keep and what you would like to throw away.

2.Wash and dry any items you decide to keep that are made of washable materials using the hottest settings possible.

3. Place all washed items in sealed, labeled plastic bags to avoid re-contamination.

4. For the items you would like to keep that cannot be washed, enclose them in plastic bags and contact a pest control professional for cleaning advice and treatments.

5. For items you no longer wish to keep, wrap the items in bags, mark them with the words “bedbugs,” and leave them outside for removal. Never donate items that have come into contact with bedbugs.

Packing

1. After thoroughly cleaning your belongings, it is important to pack well. Pack all items in plastic bags.

2. If possible, leave these bags or boxes in the hot, summer sun or in the freezing winter cold for a few days; the extreme temperatures may help to kill any remaining bedbugs.

3. Once everything has been packed, remove furniture from the home and sanitize it outside.

Moving and Unpacking

1. Make sure that each person entering your new home has showered and is in a fresh pair of laundered clothes to reduce the risk of bringing in bedbugs.

2. If you have pets, wash them well.

3. Only bring items into your new home that have been cleaned and sanitized, and keep a close eye on the boxes and bags you are bringing in.

4. Also, be sure to purchase bedbug protective pieces, such as a bedbug-proof mattress cover, to avoid future contamination.

A new living space can offer some wonderful opportunities for you. Careful cleaning, packing and moving will help you live bed bug-free in your new home!

Need Moving Help?

If you are moving with bedbugs, use TalkLocal to locate a pest control specialist near you. Talk Local will connect you with the right professionals in your area quickly, at no cost to you!

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How to Make An Offer on a FSBO Home

Tuesday, July 30th, 2013

So you have been house hunting for a while and have come across your perfect home. It has all of the features you have always wanted and has tons of space and a beautiful yard. There’s just one problem – it’s being sold directly by the owner. For a lot of prospective buyers, this can be a turn-off simply because they feel uncomfortable not going through a certified agent. However, there are a lot of advantages for buyers who make an offer on a FSBO home, the primary one being that there is more room for negotiation if you deal directly with the seller.

If you are going to make an offer on a FSBO home, there are a few important things to consider.

The biggest difference between a Realtor-assisted sale and one handled directly by the owner is that as the buyer, you are responsible for all of your own paperwork. The most important document in this respect is the real estate purchase contract, which is a standard document that you can find at any office supply store, or even online. It is, of course, the homeowner’s responsibility to prepare the document, but it is always a good idea to take a look at it yourself and understand all of the terms. Apart from the sale price, the document will include any sale contingencies as well as other stipulations like the home inspection and earnest fee.

Speaking of home inspections, this is probably the most important part of any home purchase. Ensure that the seller stipulates a professional home inspection as a contingency of sale in the purchase document. If anything is seriously wrong with the house, it will be discovered during the inspection and will give you the right to back out and recoup your earnest money.

Typically in the range of $1,000 or so, earnest money is the deposit the buyer puts down to show that he or she is serious. Usually, the real estate agent safeguards the earnest money, so you and the seller will have to come to some kind of agreement about how to hold the sum before you write out a check for the amount.

Very few real estate sales ever go through without a certain amount of haggling over the price. When you make an offer on a FSBO home, the chances are fair that the owner will come back at you with some sort of counteroffer. If this is the case, you can choose either to accept it or to come back with another offer. Unless you are comfortable with the terms, though, it is a good idea to consult a real estate agent or attorney at this stage. They can help you ensure that the terms of sale you are being offered are fair. Once you sign that contract, you are tied to it for a very, very long time, so it is important to make sure that it is airtight.

Speak With A Real Estate Professional

If you are planning to make an offer on a FSBO home and need the advice of a real estate professional, let TalkLocal help you. We can find you a real estate agent in your area within minutes, at no charge. Visit our website today and get started on your FSBO purchase!

Posted in Real Estate | No Comments »

How To Clean Skylights

Tuesday, July 30th, 2013

While skylights are a great way of making your house brighter without using electricity, they oftentimes get extremely dusty and murky. In the winter, snow blocks out the light of the skylight. In the fall, dead tree leaves and sap cloud up the skylight. In the spring and summer, pollen and heavy rain could stain your skylight and leave it dirty. All this debris can build up and completely defeat the purpose of a skylight. Fortunately, it only takes a little bit of planning and effort to clean up those skylights. Read on for tips on how to clean skylights.

Clean The Inner Surface

While the inner surface shouldn’t get really dirty, you’ll still want to clean the dust and the grease build-up as well.

1. Before you begin cleaning, make sure you move any furniture out from beneath the skylight, and then put a drop-cloth down to catch any falling debris.

2. Use a ladder to be able to reach the skylight.

3. Take a broom and clear out any cobwebs.

4. You can then tape a rag onto the end of the broom, spray it with glass cleaner, wipe the skylight down, and then dry it off with a clean rag.

5. If you can reach the skylight without a broom, you might just want to use the rags to wipe down the inside of the skylight.

Clean the outer surface

Cleaning the outer surface requires getting on the roof, so make sure that you always take the necessary precautions to remain safe. Safety should always be your priority.

1. Use a ladder, and bring up a bucket of water and soap to the roof, but only fill it once you are on the roof so that you don’t lose your balance.

2. If you have a flat skylight, try to use a squeegee on the end of an extension pole to clear off the debris. On the other hand, if you have a bubble skylight, use the same rag and glass cleaner as you did for the inner surface.

3. You should then wash down the skylight with the water and soap (if you can reach it) and then rinse it down thoroughly.

Find A Professional Cleaning Service

While cleaning your skylight isn’t a very difficult task, don’t attempt it if you’re uncomfortable with heights or unsure of how to be safe of your roof. Once again, your safety is of the utmost importance, and if you have any doubts, please contact a professional cleaning service to clean your skylights for you. TalkLocal can connect you with the highest quality, local cleaning professionals in just minutes!

Tags: cleaning, skylights
Posted in Maid Services | No Comments »

How To Replace A Laptop Screen

Tuesday, July 30th, 2013

One of the biggest and most common hardware problems faced by most laptop users is a dead or misbehaving laptop screen. Laptop screens are incredibly delicate and break easily. However, laptop screens are also fairly easy to repair or replace. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to replace a laptop screen.

Make Sure the Screen is Actually Broken

There are many things that can go wrong inside a laptop which may cause the screen to stop working. First, make sure the inverter is working fine and the video card is in place and is functioning properly before you decide to change your laptop’s screen.

How To Replace a Laptop Screen

Changing a laptop screen can be surprisingly easy. Here is what to do.

1. Find your laptop’s screen type and buy a new one that you’re sure will fit. It must be the same size to fit properly. Check with your laptop’s manufacturer to see if they sell laptops screens.

2. Unplug the charger and remove the battery.

3. Remove the screw covers and unscrew all of the screws on the screen side of the laptop.

4. Once all the screws have been removed, gently remove the screen from the bezel. Once the screen has been successfully detached, pull it out with a little more force. If you cannot pull the screen out, ensure that you have removed all of the screws.

5. Now, slowly tilt the screen forward, exposing the LCD frame’s metal back. The screen should gently pop out of its back shell.

6. Now, you will see two main wires. The video cable will be taped in. Remove the lap and detach the cable. The other wire should be removed if the inverter needs replacement as well.

7. Now, plug in the new screen and set it in the shell. Put the screws and screw covers back in place and voila ! Brand new laptop screen.

Need Professional Help?

If you would prefer to have a professional computer repair technician replace your laptop screen, just use TalkLocal. We will connect you with up to three computer repair technicians in your area in just minutes. You will be on the phone with a qualified professionals almost instantly!

Posted in Computer Repair | 1 Comment »

What Is Watsu Massage?

Tuesday, July 30th, 2013

Have you ever wondered what a watsu massage was? Well, now you can find out. Understanding what a Watsu massage is will help you decide if, and when, you should get one.

What is Watsu Massage?

Watsu massage begins with you submerging yourself in a pool or warm water. The warm water makes you bouyant while neutralizing your spine, essentially making you weightless. This weightlessness relaxes your muscles, allowing the massage therapist to manipulate your muscles while you are calmly floating in the water.

Watsu Massage can be very beneficial, especially for people suffering from fibromyalgia or multiple sclerosis. Watsu massage can help lessen the effect of these conditions by relaxing the body. Watsu massage can also help in post-operative therapy with movement restriction in muscles, as the water, combined with the therapists’ manipulaiton of the muscles, loosens tight muscles.

However, you can also get a Watsu massage simply for the relaxation. The weightless feeling and the rhythmic dancing in the warm water can be a good time for you to let go of your worries. If you commonly fall asleep during a table message, then you probably want to experience the feeling of complete relaxation that comes with Watsu massage.

Find A Massage Therapist Who Is Trained In Watsu Massage

Not every massage therapist is trained in Watsu massage, so finding the right one may be tricky if you don’t know where to look. That’s where TalkLocal comes in. We will connect you with up to three, qualified, professional massage therapists in your area. Just tell us what you need, where you are located, and your availability, and we will have you speaking on the phone with the right professional in just minutes.

Posted in Massage Therapy | No Comments »

How to Become a Social Media Marketing Butterfly

Tuesday, July 30th, 2013

Written by TalkLocal Co-Founder, Manpreet Singh

Once, when I was a kid, I accidentally killed a caterpillar. My brother thinks I was just curious and cruel, but it was concern for the starving and thirst-stricken caterpillar that drove me to pluck the cocoon from its tree limb and begin scraping its surface with my bright yellow safety scissors. Once I‘d successfully pierced the surface, I lightly dabbed the gaping opening with water and threaded a leaf inside for food. And the butterfly lived happily ever after…for maybe a few days.

The chrysalis phase of development is not just for the natural butterfly life cycle. A missing or ineffective social media strategy will result in lost opportunities for even the best business. Tweeting, posting, and sharing before developing a strategy is like bursting through your cocoon as a hideous half-caterpillar, half-butterfly – a caterfly. Worse, it’s the powerful wings that give the insect the strength to escape its cocoon. So, until fully transformed, your emaciated social media strategy, too, could leave you trapped in an isolated digital cocoon, a crumpled stump where beautiful wings should be.

How to Become a Social Media Marketing Butterfly

If you think marketing through social media is no big deal, consider this: consumer marketing firm CMB discovered that Facebook and Twitter followers are at least 50% more likely to become a paying customer after liking a brand. Just as important, they are at least 60% more likely to share or recommend a company after liking or following.

Here are a few strategy ideas to consider before your first (or even your next) post.

Review competitors’ social media activities to benchmark your goals and efforts. What are your top local competitors? Check their websites, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, FourSquare and other social media sites to find any accounts linked to their business. Study those accounts and note their account age, post frequency, engagement style, following, and response rate. Even after you’re active online, track competitors about every other month, as strategies and outcomes can change frequently and rapidly.

Create a dummy account on every site where your competitors have accounts, plus one or two promising places where they don’t. This account will be used just for playing with functions and doing other preliminary research. You can change the details to add your real company name or disable the current account when you are ready to create a real one later. For now, use your dummy accounts to:

-Sync email contact lists to each social media account (if applicable) to see how many people in your network are currently active.

-Explore the site to discover any tricks you could use for marketing, like the targeting function on Facebook.

Prioritize social media sites. Based on the apparent social media habits of your current network, your competitors, and your own preferences, you will need to be more active on some sites than on others. Pick one to three of the most important sites. You will need to create accounts elsewhere for visibility’s sake, but focus your engagement on your top sites.

Email friends and family asking for their favorite shareable images, videos, and articles. This is a great case study in what grabs the attention of your target audience so that you know what to look for when seeking shareable content. You will mix these and other random attention-grabbing content with industry tips and direct marketing. The latter should only make up about a third of your social media. The purpose of unrelated content is to connect with consumers and inspire responsiveness to improve your profile ranking and visibility.

Now you can start creating your account, inviting your email contacts, and generally break out of that drab cocoon with your beautiful social media butterfly wings!

Browse the Small Business Advice blog for more tips, and check in next week for more on making the most of your digital marketing efforts. In the meantime, check out my quote on Mashable, for a glimpse at what’s to come.

Posted in Small Business Advice | No Comments »

Can Physical Therapy Help a Pinched Nerve?

Monday, July 29th, 2013

If you’re looking for an answer to this question, you or someone close to you is probably experiencing pinched nerve symptoms. But before actually answering it, it might help to understand exactly what a pinched nerve is, and only then consider possible treatment options.

Basically, this term describes the compression or the pressure exerted on a nerve, which prevents it from working normally, often causing severe pain. If the nerve is in the lower back, you can experience pain in your back or legs. The pinched nerve can also be located in the neck, elbow, or wrist.

A pinched nerve may be the result of a herniated disc, arthritis, or bone spurs, among other conditions.

Symptoms include shooting pain accompanied by numbness. Also, you can experience a tingling sensation and weakness in the muscles.

Physical therapy can relieve the symptoms caused by a pinched nerve, but the success varies from case to case. Before setting an exercise program suitable for your particular case, the therapist needs to assess your condition first. The program can involve passive exercise, which means that the physical therapist performs a certain treatment on you, or active exercise. In the latter case the physical therapist designs a special program for you, which you can then perform on your own.

So, can physical therapy help a pinched nerve? The answer is yes, physical therapy can alleviate the pain caused by the pressure exerted on the nerve, increasing flexibility and muscle strength. It can relieve the symptoms caused by a pinched nerve, but the success rate varies from case to case.

Need Professional Help?

If physical therapy does not yield the expected results and you continue experiencing acute pain, TalkLocal can help you find a chiropractor or another specialist to get an in-depth consultation. Our service is the quick, free, and cost-effective way to be connected with a qualified professional who can identify the right treatment for you.

Posted in Chiropractors | 1 Comment »

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