This Weeks Top 10 PC games chart 27 June 2008

Here is the weeks Top 10 PC games chart from CUSTOMPC

01 Football Manager 2008 (No change)
02 Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (Last week: 3)
03 Sins of a Solar Empire (New entry)
04 Mass Effect (Last week: 2)
05 Alone in the Dark (New entry)
06 Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Last week: 5)
07 Civilization IV Complete (No change)
08 The Sims 2: Freetime (Last week: 4)
09 Lego Indiana Jones: Original Adventures (Last week: 8)
10 World of Warcraft: Battle Chest (Last week: 9)

No wireless networks detected by Windows

When trying to connect to a wireless network with a laptop the windows view available wireless networks section would always be blank and a message saying that no networks were found would appear.
My first thought was to make sure the built in wireless adapter was even turned on by pressing a button on the laptop itself ,after a few seconds available networks were available and I was able to connect to the preferred network.
It could have been a tougher and longer problem to fix if I hadn't had this problem once before.

Other steps one could try is make sure the wireless card is installed correctly by looking in Device Manager and also trying to uninstall and reinstall the card.

How to check if AERO is enabled in Windows Vista

Windows Vista usually automatically enables the AERO graphics engine on Home Premium versions and higher.
But some systems might not have the video card or system to handle it ,to check if it´s enabled do the following:
Right-Click on any empty space on the desktop and choose the Personalise option.
In the Personalise window choose the Window Color and Appearance option ,in the new window make sure that Enable Transparency is checked ,if it is AERO is enabled and working.
If you would like to disable the whole AERO thing then you can also do it in this window just click on the option at the bottom that says Open classic appearance properties for more color options and choose Vista Basic theme.

Whats new in Windows Vista SP1

With Windows Vista now having service pack 1 (sp1) ,Microsoft have fixed some bugs and improved functions these are and not limited to:

Improvements in reliability
Improvements in performance
Improvements in security
Changes to search
Changes in memory (RAM) reporting

For complete details on these improvements go here:
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/ea7577b8-813f-47a5-ba05-2f5b2e436b281033.mspx

To Learn how to install Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) visit the following site:
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/133c8953-c9cd-4fa5-8883-03e91bb6f2021033.mspx

how to change Windows Vista desktop backround picture

New users to vista who don´t know how to change their desktops background picture need to do this.
Right-Click on an empty space on the desktop and choose Personalise from the menu.
In the personalise window click on Desktop Background to open a new window where you can now change the default picture or browse to your favourite one ,click OK and you´re done.

What program opens the following File Extension

If you want to open a particular file but realise that you don´t have the correct program to open it then you will have to know which file extension it is.
To view this go to the Properties (by Right-clicking the file) and see what extension or file type it is eg: .doc.
when you know this you can go to :
http://www.uktsupport.co.uk/reference/fext/fexta1.htm
Find the file type extension and see which program can open it ,then all you need to do is to get that program.

how much should one charge for computer repair?

Usually jobs can be worked out by charging per hour ,per job or even with a contract.
sometimes a format can be charged just a format and then maybe add an hour or so if they want stuff to be copied or saved from a previous installation.
Per hour can get expensive as usually the computer does most of the work one wouldn't charge per hour for instance on an anti-virus scan as the scanner will take longer and the tech just has to look once in a while but if a tech is constantly working hourly then per hour might be just and fair.
A contract type of fee happens when a business pays a monthly fee for you to go there and do maintenance which can get tricky and sometimes you do more work then what the contract fee is ,and don´t forget about them calling you when they feel like it.

I would like other experienced Techs to leave their comments on what one should charge for repairs.