Have you met our Meeting room yet? It's pretty fantastic, I like to call it fully loaded because it has everything you need to run any meeting. Space for 25 people in a room you can modify to fit your needs. A 55-inch digital screen, there's not a bad seat in the house. High-speed internet, computer workstation, printer/copier, and if you need it (because it just works that way!) ON SITE Tech Support. A reception desk, and a private bathroom come with your rental too. See what I mean when I say Rent-A-Geek's Meeting Room is fully loaded? And it's ready to rent now right here in Palmer Alaska. 

In our Meeting Room, you can host a myriad of events and meetings. Such as:

• Boy Scout or Girl Scout Meetings-Our space is just right for your troop, call us at 745-5060 to reserve your spot.
• Weight Watchers Meetings-ENough room to check everyone in, and hold a meeting. Plus our parking lot is perfect. 
• Non-Profit Meetings-Are you on a 501C3 board? We have the room for your board to meet. 
• A Board Retreat--our private room is perfect for a 501C3 board to get away and get some work done. Add in free local delivery from restaurants, and your retreat is planned.
• Hacker Groups-Palmer needs one, who is going to start it?!
• Code For America-Ditto on Code For America, we need this group too!
• First Lego League-Bring your bins and get to work in our Meeting Room.
• Training-Are you teaching a class and need a space? We can do that! Babysitting class, Master Gardener Class, 
• Your Community Group-Are you in a writers group, a flower group, a history group or any other kind of group that needs a place to meet?
• Swaps-Want to host a craft swap or book swap we can do that too. 

As you can see our Meeting Room has so many possibilities. Call the Rent-A-Geek team to save your spot on the calendar and take "Find a Room to Rent" in Palmer Alaska off your to-do list.

Is Your External Hard Drive Really Backing Up?

WHAT? To a lot of people, the title of this blog post may seem confusing. Why do you need to back up your computer, isn't it doing that for itself? How do you back up your home computer? What happens if you don't have a back up stored somewhere? All good questions which I'm going to attempt to answer. Keep reading!

If you've got a home business, a blog or just a lot of photos on your computer chances are you want those files saved. Sure we all have things we don't want or need on our computers like that photo we've imported 7 times from the phone or that free e-book you downloaded. But for the most part, you've got files you want to keep safe if your computer ever encounters an epic fail.

You might turn to an external hard drive to keep your files secure. An external hard drive is plugged into your computer, and your necessary files are backed up. Off your computer and kept safe somewhere ELSE. 
If something catastrophic happens to your computer *BOOM*, you're protected from losing all your files. Or at least having backups as recent as your last save. 
The Rent-A-Geek team says that when you look for an external hard drive search for one that comes WITH software. This software will let you know a back up of your most important files has been taken. And remember to USE that software because what could be worse than thinking you were backing up and you weren't? Oh yeah losing everything, that could definitely be worse.

And speaking of losing everything if you ever do "lose" everything give us a call at 907-745-5060! Our talented "Best of the Valley" Rent-A-Geek team can often recover your lost data. Not always but definitely sometimes.​

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Back to School Computer Tune Up Giveaway


It's Back to School time, and after a summer of questionable use by kids, it's time to reclaim your computer. And give it a spa day, or I guess I mean a tune-up. One of Rent-A-Geeks tune-ups. Yes, sure we were voted Best of the Valley for Computer Repair, but our Tune-Ups are where it's at. Your machine will run so much faster and better after we get done with it. And how about getting one for free?! Read on if you're interested in winning a free Rent-A-Geek Back to School Computer Tune Up. I mean who isn't right?!

One of the most important things you can do to keep your computer running it's best is give it a Tune Up.  When you get a Computer Tune-Up with us here at Rent-A-Geek, you can be assured you're getting 15 years of experience in every single job.

Our Computer Tune-Up is not a repair it's precisely what it says, a tune-up to keep your computer running it's best. The Rent-A-Geek Tune-Up includes:

• registry repair and clean-up
• removal of temporary files
• defragmentation
• software clean-up 
• startup/shut down optimization
• Windows updates (not on non-Windows Machines though!)
• System Updates
• Physical cleaning of the computer interior

When you bring your computer in for a tune-up, we also keep an eye out for viruses and malware. These are often hiding in the background of your computer, slowing down your speed and causing trouble. If we suspect a problem we will run a detection program, and if anything shows up we will let you know. You can add virus and malware removal for an extra fee. 


Now it's time to have some fun. We're giving away a Computer Tune-Up. ONE lucky fan will win a full Rent-A-Geek Computer Tune just for leaving a comment on this post, following us on Facebook or sharing this post with friends on Facebook or via email. You must enter on the widget below to be entered in the giveaway.  Good Luck!

Last week we went over safe browsing techniques but I thought perhaps going over setting up a secure password, password safety, and account security might be a good idea. I just went over them with someone who is new to the internet. They seemed so surprised by the safety steps I thought everyone could use a refresher. Can these things ever be said enough?

Passwords are tricky. You need a certain number of characters, usually a mix of numbers and letters. Different sites have different requirements. Some require 10 characters, some less, some more. It can all be very confusing. Setting a complex password and remembering it is the hardest part, in my opinion, anyway. 

I've found that using a password keeper is an excellent way to keep track of current passwords. They auto-fill your password when you go to a website, which is SO helpful when you have a sizeable unwieldy password. They also keep a password protected list of all passwords. You can quickly change your password in the keeper, so it's quick to change them up when you feel the need to do so. A bonus in a password keeper is if it can help you by recommending a really hard to crack password. 

If you ever get an email requesting your password, this is probably a scam you best send to the spam pile. Never submit passwords via an email. No reputable company will ask for your password in an email. And if you need to change your password because you don't remember it most companies will send you a LINK to reset your password.

Never use the same username and password on multiple accounts. If one of your accounts is hacked, it's an easy jump to OTHER accounts if you use your own name as a username and the same password. They may even get to a place where your banking information is kept. That's when it could get dangerous. Always use a different username and password combination on every account, this is one place where better is safer than sorry. 

When you're in a crowded environment, and you need to use a password make sure no one is looking over your shoulder as you type it in. No one should be watching you, and likewise, you should avert your eyes if someone is typing in their password, it's just common courtesy. 

Ordinary internet account and password rules I know but they can never be said enough. If you need help with your computer, your accounts or just need a computer tune-up keep Rent-A-Geek in mind. We're here for you, no question is too small for us to answer. There's never a need to feel embarrassed about what you don't know, we're here to help and educate and fix things if needed. Call us 907-745-5060!