Need Help: Looking for a PC Technician

[mustanglover76]

Hello All,

I'm looking for a certified PC technician who can look over a very good friends of mine computer tower. She is constantly saying it freezes regularly when simply opening up a browser or trying to perform any task like opening an office program. She doesn't want me to do anything to do it because if something goes wrong, she doesn't want her family to hire a hitman to come after me. So, i was thinking of the Geek Squad (Best Buy) or i heard that Business Depot has a department who deals with this. I offered to format her PC (it's over 5 years old) but she doesn't want that. Is there a company you recommend? She lives in Woodbridge so local is a must. Thanks for all your help in this.

[flyz]

Hello All,

I'm looking for a certified PC technician who can look over a very good friends of mine computer tower. She is constantly saying it freezes regularly when simply opening up a browser or trying to perform any task like opening an office program. She doesn't want me to do anything to do it because if something goes wrong, she doesn't want her family to hire a hitman to come after me. So, i was thinking of the Geek Squad (Best Buy) or i heard that Business Depot has a department who deals with this. I offered to format her PC (it's over 5 years old) but she doesn't want that. Is there a company you recommend? She lives in Woodbridge so local is a must. Thanks for all your help in this.

Pretty much most installs of Windows over a year or 2 start to degrade to a point that it's really unusable and a reinstall is in order.

I guess the big chains you listed is a good choice if she doesn't trust you doing the work. Remember to backup all important data before bringing the computer in tho.

[willy]

If they are willing to spend money on a 'certified PC technician' to take a look at the computer PLUS possibly some new parts to a 5-year-old PC (not to mention a 'hitman' doesn't come cheap, you know ;)), why not spend the money on a brand new Dell entry-level system with support and warranty (~ $400) ?

Even an 'entry-level' system should be much faster than their aging system ...

[flyz]

if they are willing to spend money on a 'certified pc technician' to take a look at the computer plus possibly some new parts to a 5-year-old pc (not to mention a 'hitman' doesn't come cheap, you know ;)), why not spend the money on a brand new dell entry-level system with support and warranty (~ $400) ?

Even an 'entry-level' system should be much faster than their aging system ...

+1

[_Allan_]

Certified Tech's are around $50-$200/hr plus the travel, plus parts ... buy an entry level Dell or HP and be done with it.

OR I'll charge her $30 an hr and fix her PC. I'm not certified, but I've been doing in - home repairs for 4+ years.

[mustanglover76]

She is super hard headed (She's Italian) so it's hard for her to let go of this Dell Tower. She doesn't appreciate technology like others so she figures if it still works why not just fix it and keep going. If this doesn't resovle the problem,i will shotput that tower, i've tried enough times doing minor tweaks to it. I think we may just take to geek squad for a minor diagnostic package ($40) and see what that does. It its more then that after they're done, she can decide.

Has anyone ever gone to them, any reviews or opinions?

[mustanglover76]

Certified Tech's are around $50-$200/hr plus the travel, plus parts ... buy an entry level Dell or HP and be done with it.

OR I'll charge her $30 an hr and fix her PC. I'm not certified, but I've been doing in - home repairs for 4+ years.

I would totally trust you to do it, but if something were to go wrong after she got it back, she would have a heart attack and come after me...hence if a company does it, she can deal with them...she can get scary...hope she doesn't read this.

Plus she's looking for someone local (Woodbridge)

[morglum82]

She is super hard headed (She's Italian) so it's hard for her to let go of this Dell Tower. She doesn't appreciate technology like others so she figures if it still works why not just fix it and keep going. If this doesn't resovle the problem,i will shotput that tower, i've tried enough times doing minor tweaks to it. I think we may just take to geek squad for a minor diagnostic package ($40) and see what that does. It its more then that after they're done, she can decide.

Has anyone ever gone to them, any reviews or opinions?

Considering they caharge 29$ to install RAM, I doubt 40$ will give you any results.

Backup her documents and format.
Your time is worth more than just trying to save a 5 year old windows.

[sickcars]

I would not trust any of these geek squads or futureshop/bestbuy people There are videos on the net where they would call in a tech (geek squad) to fix their computer and they would like and rip off the client.

Also you normally dont want a certified tech because these guys just have a A+ cert for the most part that means nothing. All or most of the people that work at futureshop have their A+ cert and most of them are idiot, they dont know what the hell they are doing and just replace parts without properly troubleshooting the issue.

I have had clients come to be after getting their computer back from places like this and their computers are even worse in 1 case the place actually fried their motherboard. Its usually better to go to somebody who has experience and not looking for somebody who has a cert like the A+ anybody can get the A+ cert thats why everybody who knows anything in the computer industry knows its a Big joke!

[infamouskid]

juss take the cpu to a computer store that reputable like canada computers. they service those sorts of things.

[matradley]

I would not trust any of these geek squads or futureshop/bestbuy people There are videos on the net where they would call in a tech (geek squad) to fix their computer and they would like and rip off the client.

Also you normally dont want a certified tech because these guys just have a A+ cert for the most part that means nothing. All or most of the people that work at futureshop have their A+ cert and most of them are idiot, they dont know what the hell they are doing and just replace parts without properly troubleshooting the issue.

I have had clients come to be after getting their computer back from places like this and their computers are even worse in 1 case the place actually fried their motherboard. Its usually better to go to somebody who has experience and not looking for somebody who has a cert like the A+ anybody can get the A+ cert thats why everybody who knows anything in the computer industry knows its a Big joke!
A+ is an entry certification - it is nice to have to verify your knowledge on a vast amount of computer-oriented information. What concerns me is the big box stores encourage their inexperienced technicians to take the certification exam. I am not sure what they do as most technicians seem inexperienced, but I imagine they are utilizing a level of dumps to get these technicians up-to-date.

[McLaren__F1]

you might wanna read/watch this

http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2007/10/03/geeks/

[matradley]

you might wanna read/watch this

http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2007/10/03/geeks/

I remember watching that! Very good response. ;)

[sickcars]

A+ is an entry certification - it is nice to have to verify your knowledge on a vast amount of computer-oriented information. What concerns me is the big box stores encourage their inexperienced technicians to take the certification exam. I am not sure what they do as most technicians seem inexperienced, but I imagine they are utilizing a level of dumps to get these technicians up-to-date.

The problem with the A+ cert is that anybody can get it. All you have to do is study and remember important parts. So then little jimmy with his A+ cert gets a job at FutureShop (or another big store) because he has the A+ but when it comes down to actually fixing the problem little jimmy has no experience at all and is only "book smart" you could say. So he will do what many inexperienced tech will do, replace parts until the problem is gone.

This is not the correct way to fix a problem, you are supposed to troubleshoot it you should never be replacing parts because it "Could" be the problem. Then in the end the client ends up having to pay for a new psu/ram/MB because little jimmy had no idea what he was doing.

If a tech is good enough and has experience they will know that there is no point in getting an A+ cert because they can make these so called techs like little jimmy look stupid while they are blindfolded.

I dont advertise my services (or almost never) because all the clients I get are from word of mouth and if your good enough it just happens so you dont need to get a job at futureshop because you will be busy enough as it is.

[CodecX81]

I dont advertise my services (or almost never) because all the clients I get are from word of mouth and if your good enough it just happens so you dont need to get a job at futureshop because you will be busy enough as it is.

+1 to not advertising. I do most of my side-business by word of mouth and I've commissioned work out to fellow RFD'ers in the past, but its not my "Dayjob" so I rarely go full force with it.

One sideeffect of working as an independant also lets you use a lot of tools that are not usable by Geeksquad et al..

Many freeware programs for spyware/antivirus etc cannot be used in a commercial environment, so for someone like geek squad to use them at their place of business, they require licenses.. Even though its free for home users. Most businesses do not shell out the cash for their usage, or are limited to contracts with companies whose programs might not solve a specific problem.

So, I'm more than happy to install those programs on the PC's where I do housecalls..

A good tech with experience, a decent pricing model & the ability to be more flexible with the tools needed to fix a PC makes it more feasible for people to come to them, trust that a good job will be done and that the PC will continue to run smoothly well beyond the scope of the home visit.

[terrybear]

The problem with the A+ cert is that anybody can get it.

You forgot the 1 big thing thought, Anyone with $300+ in there pocket to take the exams !! Otherwise yes its a useless piece of paper that anyone with as you mentioned "hands on" experience can do & at a much cheaper rate then the big box or "on call" services can do.

All I know is for some of my "friends" in my local area I've done work for them for like $10/hr that if they took it to 1 of the 2-3 local pc places would be costing them 2-3 times more then I'd get from them.

Also as someone else mentioned, sometimes the best solution in reguards to a 4-5+ year old system is to move onto a cheap but newer solution as the time, efford & money to fix it is ususaly more then just simply buying a new unit for the person.

I find the best way to explain it to someone is just show them the cost it will be for what needs to be done in the way of parts replacement to keep it running. Amazing how peaples view changes when they see the cost of the 1-2 things is equal to a whole new unit. :lol::D

[morglum82]

+1 to not advertising. I do most of my side-business by word of mouth and I've commissioned work out to fellow RFD'ers in the past, but its not my "Dayjob" so I rarely go full force with it.

One sideeffect of working as an independant also lets you use a lot of tools that are not usable by Geeksquad et al..

Many freeware programs for spyware/antivirus etc cannot be used in a commercial environment, so for someone like geek squad to use them at their place of business, they require licenses.. Even though its free for home users. Most businesses do not shell out the cash for their usage, or are limited to contracts with companies whose programs might not solve a specific problem.

So, I'm more than happy to install those programs on the PC's where I do housecalls..

A good tech with experience, a decent pricing model & the ability to be more flexible with the tools needed to fix a PC makes it more feasible for people to come to them, trust that a good job will be done and that the PC will continue to run smoothly well beyond the scope of the home visit.

I'd be interested to know what's in your "software toolbox", if you don't mind sharing.

[voodoo401]

Don't use nerds on site or similar service ask your friends or family if they know a person who fixes PC's and get them to do it.

[CodecX81]

I'd be interested to know what's in your "software toolbox", if you don't mind sharing.

Stuff I take with me for any kind of situation where ppl are complaining their computer is slow, or they have weird issues:

- Windows XP SP3 CD that matches their OS
- 30 day trial of ESET NOD32 3.0
- SuperAntiSpyware
- MalwareBytes
- Spacemonger
- Disk Defragging program (Currently using Auslogics Disk Defrag)

Those are the most commonly used apps I end up using.

[Bskll]

the competent geeksquad et al actually use all that stuff, they just don't make it obvious.

[CodecX81]

the competent geeksquad et al actually use all that stuff, they just don't make it obvious.

and risk a company lawsuit & a possible firing if they are caught doing so.
..I do not carry such risk :)

[Frankie3s]

Stuff I take with me for any kind of situation where ppl are complaining their computer is slow, or they have weird issues:

- Windows XP SP3 CD that matches their OS
- 30 day trial of ESET NOD32 3.0
- SuperAntiSpyware
- MalwareBytes
- Spacemonger
- Disk Defragging program (Currently using Auslogics Disk Defrag)

Those are the most commonly used apps I end up using.

I can attest to Malwarebyte's quality. It has saved me several times!

[morglum82]

Stuff I take with me for any kind of situation where ppl are complaining their computer is slow, or they have weird issues:

- Windows XP SP3 CD that matches their OS
- 30 day trial of ESET NOD32 3.0
- SuperAntiSpyware
- MalwareBytes
- Spacemonger
- Disk Defragging program (Currently using Auslogics Disk Defrag)

Those are the most commonly used apps I end up using.

Thanks, list saved :o)

[akbar_k]

I know the thread has been buried for a few days, but here's a resurrect because I had to say this:

GeekSquad and all these other places will not make it a priority to save your data! They'll just do a format and let the chips fall where they may!

Going local with someone you know or can trust will increase the likelihood tenfold that you will save your bits from being obliterated forever.

[sickcars]

I know the thread has been buried for a few days, but here's a resurrect because I had to say this:

GeekSquad and all these other places will not make it a priority to save your data! They'll just do a format and let the chips fall where they may!

Going local with someone you know or can trust will increase the likelihood tenfold that you will save your bits from being obliterated forever.

Very true because if you go to a smaller place they may own the company so they dont want to have problems with clients and so on. So they will try their best usually to make the client happy. & if they dont you should turn around and walk out.

[IoannI]

I know the thread has been buried for a few days, but here's a resurrect because I had to say this:

GeekSquad and all these other places will not make it a priority to save your data! They'll just do a format and let the chips fall where they may!

Going local with someone you know or can trust will increase the likelihood tenfold that you will save your bits from being obliterated forever.

Very true because if you go to a smaller place they may own the company so they dont want to have problems with clients and so on. So they will try their best usually to make the client happy. & if they dont you should turn around and walk out.

Geeksquad or any of those other places will not care nor make it priority to save any data. If they are paid to re-format a computer thats all they do. You get the odd technician who actually cares and does it. But since they are working for a big corporation and they dont have to they dont.

If you go to a smaller shop like sickcars said the person there may be the owner and will back up data. Not only because he care, he respects his clients. He knows that these little gestures will not only make the customer happy but he will gain a reputable; name as well as, referals from clients of his. Plus, if anything goes wrong they will most likley go back to him instead of any other place.

[Bskll]

Stuff I take with me for any kind of situation where ppl are complaining their computer is slow, or they have weird issues:

- Windows XP SP3 CD that matches their OS
- 30 day trial of ESET NOD32 3.0
- SuperAntiSpyware
- MalwareBytes
- Spacemonger
- Disk Defragging program (Currently using Auslogics Disk Defrag)

Those are the most commonly used apps I end up using.

Ya missed one, MRI 5.0 :)

[felix]

Most of those so called PC technicians are trained to make money for their employers (they'll tell you more RAM and hard drive space is needed and then overcharge you for the upgrade). If she wants to spend less money for one, go to smaller computer shops (eg. PC Village, Canada Computers, CTY, etc)

As willy mentioned, just tell her to buy a new Dell PC (show her a link to a latest hot deal) since you mentioned it's already 5 years old. Then sell her old PC for her once she's done transferring her files to the new PC.

[Proglitch]

Stuff I take with me for any kind of situation where ppl are complaining their computer is slow, or they have weird issues:

- Windows XP SP3 CD that matches their OS
- 30 day trial of ESET NOD32 3.0
- SuperAntiSpyware
- MalwareBytes
- Spacemonger
- Disk Defragging program (Currently using Auslogics Disk Defrag)

Those are the most commonly used apps I end up using.

Don't forget to bring a screw driver cause it can be used for almost anything :D

[CodecX81]

Ya missed one, MRI 5.0 :)

Haha.. Well the list that I mentioned above, is kinda legal. I don't think GeekSquad would appreciate me using their app ;)