Healthy-Again Computers
Keeping Your Computers Healthy
Working For You While Maintaining Your Sanity
Helping people take charge of their computers
| Introduction |
| My Printer Story |
| HP and Social Justice |
| Contact |
| Printer Stopped Working? |
| Home Page |
Computer Health - A New Beginning
This is a new adventure. I am a retired software engineer, and I have not found any place where people who are not tech-savvy to find information on the purchase and "care and feeding" of computers, printers, and other associated devices to maintain it all, reliably and inexpensively.
This is now that place. It's just a beginning right now.
The computer marketplace is a mine field. You can easily spend a fortune on a computer or a printer, and end up with something you really did not need, leaving a big hole in your bank account or credit card. The big tech companies do not make it any easier, as most of them want you to buy their latest - and very expensive - gadgets.
Case Study: An HP printer that suddenly stopped working
This is the first article on this site. It is a delightful story that began with a horrible start. My HP 8710 Inkjet Printer, which I purchased very cheaply last year (2019) because it was an overstock item, suddenly and inexplicably failed, in a way that convinced me that some part of the hardware had failed. Replacing it was out of the question; used ones sell for more than $300, plus shipping. What I discovered - and I can tell you, only someone who is tech-savvy like me could have ever found this out - is that HP had issued what is called a "firmware update" - an update to the printer's internal micro-computer software - that disables the printer if any of the cartridges were refilled or re-manufactured. HP had previously agreed publicly to allow such cartridges, with a warning that using them would invalidate their warranty (a reasonable statement) and that you agreed to this warning.
To see the rest of this story, click here.
Soon to come: many more articles to help you with your computer equipment.
And if you own an HP printer, and want to safely use non-HP (aka re-manufactured) cartridges, please read my new booklet on Kindle:
The HP Third Party Cartridge Retrofit Kit:
How to safely use non-HP cartridges in your HP Printer
Payment/Donation Request
If you find that the information on this site has saved you money, or is otherwise useful to you, or you would like to contribute to help the cause of providing this kind of service to people, please consider a modest payment for these information services.
I use my JonsPCFixitShop PayPal account for the payment button, and you can use your PayPal account or any credit or debit card for payment. I have programmed the button to be a payment for information services, so you will not be charged any extra transaction fees. Select the amount you would like to pay. Any amount will be gratefully received.
If you don't have a PayPal account, PayPal will allow you to use any credit or debit card. PayPal is a completely safe, data secure funds transfer and payment service. Look for the lock symbol next to the PayPal URL (https://www.paypal.com), which guarantees that your payment is secure and encrypted.
Healthy-Again Computers/Jon's PC Fixit Shop
124 Metropolitan Ave.
Roslindale, MA 02131-4208
https://www.healthy-computers.com