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DigitalManiak

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About DigitalManiak

  • Birthday 02/28/1982

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    http://www.facebook.com/digitalmaniak3k
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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Newton, NC
  • Interests
    Custom Computers, Custom Cars, Comic Books, and really anything else dealing with computing & networking really I'm just a frakkin nerd.

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  1. hi guys, I need a recommendation for a good USB ethernet adapter that has drivers that will work under linux (ubuntu, backtrack, etc) thx in advance
  2. Well, it's not as cool as the rest, but this is my old rig from work that I just pulled out to rebuild into a dedicated linux box.
  3. Yeah, I think certs are worth it, as long as you are not trying to go on those alone (which is not the case with you since you do have a BS degree) IMO they prove your knowledge, or at least look good on a resume. I mean yeah, you can go to Pass4sure and pick up just about any question pool, take it until you get to 100% then go take the test and bam ya have it, but you're going to be competing with people who did that with everything to build their resume. For instance, I was talking with a guy at school who did that with his Net+, Linux+, MCSE, and Cisco certs. Tell me how someone who has those couldn't test out of "intro to computers" and be failing it. I also know a guy who has 11 years in the field including two years managing a shop, has several brand certs, has three CompTIA certs, and still cant get a job b/c he didn't get at least an associates degree (oh wait, that's me) It's all about marketing yourself, the more things like that you have, the more appealing you may be to a prospective employer.
  4. Lenovo sent me out to replace many cracked LCDs that you could clearly tell had impact damage. I suppose I shouldn't have replaced those and called it in as potential impact damage, but I figured why not just replace it. They never said a word about it, and I made a lot of customers happy. I also neglected to report every "drink-spill" situation too and just replaced keyboards & system boards whenever necessary. As far as my company was concerned, my satisfaction numbers were high and they didn't care why :P
  5. I figure cost is the issue, in that case I'd recommend picking up a smart phone that has WiFi built in, so you could use all of its features when you are in range of a hotspot. I go to school with a girl who has an iPhone 3g like mine on a prepaid plan. I know other people who have blackberries w/o a data plan on a standard rate plan. I myself took the data plan off my curve when I moved it to my 2nd line after I got my iPhone and for a while I had to take the data plan off that too b/c of financial reasons.
  6. Did the desktop last month, the notebook's this month (I don't change my background often, my server will be next month lol)
  7. kitteh's FTW! Here's mine (seriously, that is my cat) if you vote on LOLcats, you can vote on that caption here
  8. I always choose Intel, I'm a former die-hard AMD guy, the athlon XP series is what let me down and so has every other series afterward (up to the AMD 64x2) When I started my PC shop I sold AMD products, I had to replace every processor at cost (because they wouldn't honor the warranty) and in some, I wound up just switching them to celeron CPU's on 775 mobo's, and those are still in service today. When I worked as a IBM/Lenovo FSR, every Lenovo with an AMD processor I was sent to, needed a new proc (notebook or desktop). When debating price vs. performance, my last Core2 Duo 2.8ghz system (MSI board, 4gb ram, 9600GT 512mb pcie vid) cost $360... a guy I know just built a new PC out of an AMD barebones kit and he's on his 3rd proc, not even overclocking either and like me, he's not a gamer.
  9. Well, independent tech shops are closing right and left around here, nobody is using them and I'm not the only tech with over 10yrs exp out of work even ones with MS & Cisco certs. The only shops willing to pay on the books only offer $10/hr. I'm already in enough trouble with the IRS over someone paying me contract labor and not telling me.
  10. if I still had a job I would have picked one up months ago, or honestly, I would have just bought a pre-modded pineapple. I just lucked out that a few classmates needed some PC help and were not only willing to pay for it, but did. I saw that movie as a good omen, and am pleased to report that all went smooth with my Fon :) now as soon as some more people screw up their PCs at school, I'll be able to get the hak pack and get my pineapple sticker for the top LMAO
  11. Well, perhaps they changed their policy, but when they went from "Best Buy Tech Services" to the "Geek Squad" my former co-workers were told they had 90 days to get A+ certified or they would be transferred to another dept because PC manufacturers required that certification to do warranty work. By that time I'd gone to work at an independent shop and when that place closed I tried to get my job back at Best Buy and they told me I would have to get A+ certified or work the sales floor. Then 9mo ago when I was working as an IBM/Lenovo on-site field service tech I had to replace a mobo in a Geek Squad repair center in a BBY and thats when I had a GS "agent" tell me about them taking the Pass4Sure tests and they were all A+ certified, yet they thought I was performing voo-doo when I flashed the BIOS on the board to imprint the model/serial number. That's the information I'm going on.
  12. I used to work for BestBuy in the tech department, before the geek squad, I was the last tech hired at our store w/o A+ cert (which I got a few years later, I'd been a tech 8 years before getting it) so I'm sure they technically have it, but they just don't know how to do anything. I also got a lot of business from their screw-ups when I had my shop. Anyone can get certified, Pass4Sure makes it easy, just take that practice test until you pass it 100% then go take the real test. I had several GS employees tell me that's how they got their certs.
  13. Just got home from school and had some stuff waiting on me, one thing was my fon router that I finally ordered after wanting one for months, and the other was NetFlix, well I'm not sure about you other NetFlix users but I'll go in and run up a huge que and I never pay attention to whats on its way so its a surprise every week, when I opened the DVD I nearly busted a gut laughing... I just think its ironic both came on the same day.
  14. well, the A+ cert is kinda the most basic repair cert, although I know people who are A+ certified and still call me to do basic hardware repairs (drive upgrades, lcd replacement, new mobo transplanting, etc), I walked in, took the tests in two sessions and got my A+ IT cert, pretty much did the same with the other two I have as well. I also know that a lot of place won't even bother with ya unless you have A+, for instance, you cant even get a job at the geek squad w/o one or the promise to get one within like 90 days IIRC. I technically could go to work there if I didn't have mobility problems, that's all the last place I worked for required and that was a subcontractor for IBM/Lenovo & Dell doing their on-site warranty work. I guess it really depends on what type of job you are going for. While I was working there I got to see the inside of large IT dept's and asked around to find out what it took to get in those places, most everyone said the same thing, degree, comptia certs, mcse... oh and having a relative on the inside helps too LMAO
  15. I agree, I like NOD32 too, however if money's tight Avast isn't too bad either. But like I said earlier and everyone else has, upgrade your ram B)
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