I have made thousands of house calls to residents needing general computer help. Some of the routine services I offer are outlined below:
Backups
People (myself included) are generally lazy when it comes to backups – if it’s too much work to do, it won’t ever get done. The key to a successful backup system is one that is automatic and runs on a regular schedule. You can never predict when your computer is going to die, and it’s a lot easier to make the proactive steps to backup your computer than attempt to recover data after you’ve lost it. I can help you find the backup system that’s right for you – there are several local and remote options available, some of which are absolutely free!
Virus / Malware removal
Today’s anti-virus programs are having a hard time keeping up with the daily threats that keep popping up. That said, I’ve found that there’s a variety of free tools available to keep viruses at bay. I can show you these tools and show you how to use them to keep your computer clean.
Email Management
There are several different email technologies available with various advantages and disadvantages. POP, IMAP, Webmail, Exchange and so on. You may not know or care what technology you use now, but if it suddenly gets complex when you start checking mail on multiple computers / devices it’s probably time to re-evaluate how you do email. If you’re just starting out, Gmail is a pretty good choice for most people – not many other free services can match the capabilities such as iPhone and Blackberry synchronization, a good webmail system and IMAP connectivity.
Repair
If your computer has a hardware failure, I can fix it. While at Duke I had hardware certifications for all of their vendors including Apple, Dell, IBM, Lenovo, and HP. With the price of new computers falling daily, many old computers are simply not worth fixing. I’ll evaluate your computer if that’s the case and discuss the options. You can typically get a nice PC for $500, and a pretty nice Mac for $1000.
Software Troubleshooting
If you can’t seem to make your program function correctly or there’s error messages that you can’t decode, I can sort it out. I don’t claim to be an expert on every program, but I am very good at solving general software problems and researching solutions when necessary.
Computer setup
The biggest problem with getting a new computer is figuring out how to make it work like your old one. There’s software to install, devices to configure, files to copy and hundreds of custom settings to restore. I will help make the transition from an old PC to a new one as painless as possible.
General questions
Whether you need help managing your music and photos or you need basic help with email and word processing, I can show you how to maximize the use of the programs on your computer. I am happy to sit down and answer general questions and demonstrate better ways of handling everyday tasks.
Networking
I run various networking services and troubleshoot network problems on a daily basis. I administer a variety of networks including 100Mbit Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, WiFi and Fibre. I am Network+ certified.
