My home PC needs a tune-up. I used to use Make It Work, but now that they're out of business, I'm looking
for a reliable company to bring it up to date. One company I contacted will do it remotely for an hourly
rate. Another said it would probably take several hours and for a flat fee they'd take it overnight (though I'd
prefer not to have the computer taken somewhere if that can be avoided). I know this subject has been
discussed in the Edhat referrals, but since companies come and go, I'd like to get the most up-to-the-
minute recommendations. Thank you!
COMMENT 329617
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2012-10-09 11:54 AM |
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Throw it in the gutter and go buy another. You can get a pretty solid machine at Costco or online these days for the cost of a couple hours of tech work. Unless it's an overbuilt workstation it may not be worth the time\$$ to fix what you currently have.
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COMMENT 329624
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2012-10-09 12:07 PM |
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Call "The Computer Guy" at 685-3433 He comes to your location and a tune up should only take 1 to 1 1/2 hours. He was about $75/hr
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EMI PHOTO
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2012-10-09 12:08 PM |
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I charge $65/hr. I've been doing PC support for over ten years. emi@emiphoto.com
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COMMENT 329629
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2012-10-09 12:13 PM |
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Mick's Macs does wonders!
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COMMENT 329630
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2012-10-09 12:19 PM |
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What is the problem with your pc? Is it a mac or windows pc? I run my own web based biz and have been fixing computers and servers for about 20 years. I may be able to tell you what it will take and if its worth the price of the pc to fix. As someone posted it may be cheaper to get a new one than to fix an old and out of date machine. If you can describe the problem that would help a lot:)
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COMMENT 329635P
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2012-10-09 12:27 PM |
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OP here. It's a PC. The Windows updates have been turned off for several years because they were causing the computer to continually restart. Now it needs to be updated because the plug-ins and other programs are out-of-date. One company I contacted estimated 3 hours to install updates and service packs. Thanks for any suggestions you may have.
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COMMENT 329636
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2012-10-09 12:29 PM |
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TECHese in the San Roque area near the SBBT
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COMMENT 329638
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2012-10-09 12:33 PM |
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OP - Your use of the term "several years" is very telling. Don't pay someone $400 to update your old crusty machine. Get a new computer for about the same price.
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COMMENT 329639
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2012-10-09 12:34 PM |
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Adult Ed has classes in pc repair and maintenance. Otherwise, back up your data--you do that anyway right?
The reformat the drive and reinstall all your software, download all the updates, and then transfer your files over from the backup. If you have a pc you should have virus software too to check all the files.
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COMMENT 329640
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2012-10-09 12:36 PM |
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We can fix your computer right here in this forum. Turn on the Windows updates again. Let it do it's thing as there should be a patch that fixes the restart issue. Note: If you are running a Windows product that is more than 4 or 5 years old, I would suggest just buying a new computer. Dell has some good deals that are well south of 1k, without a new monitor. Good Luck!
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COMMENT 329645P
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2012-10-09 12:50 PM |
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OP again. I checked. The computer is 3 years old and the restart problems started almost immediately, so it hasn't run any Windows updates since July, 2009. Would prefer not to buy a new computer and don't want to risk trying to fix it myself. I do back up the data at least once a week.
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COMMENT 329647
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2012-10-09 12:52 PM |
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Wow, you're windows updates have been off for several years? You likely have a slew of malware and other viruses as a result.... Buy a new machine. It will make your life better and cost just a little more. And never turn off your updates, that's how the vulnerabilities which hackers use are blocked.
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COMMENT 329652
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2012-10-09 01:02 PM |
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Well programs will cost you $ to upgrade no matter what. Is this a windows 7 or xp machine? Hopefully not vista :) If your windows pc is over 3 years old I would recommend an upgrade as well. You may just need to update your machine to windows 7 if it can take it (you will need at least 2 gigs of ram for it to take win 7 64bit) because I don't think Microsoft is going to support xp much longer. But be warned all new pc from best buy or wherever comes loaded with bloatware that will slow your machine. Just so you know pc stands for personal computer. So a mac pc and windows pc are both a pc :) just fyi :) But we have to start with what operating system you are using first. Is it windows 7 or xp? or ?
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COMMENT 329653
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2012-10-09 01:12 PM |
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Eric Adler at Entrusted Services 805-967-8989. He has been helping our small business for years. These guys are great highly recommend!
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COMMENT 329664
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2012-10-09 01:27 PM |
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Mr Pink ComputerShrink (805) 966-2966
or TechEase (805) 564-3273
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COMMENT 329666P
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2012-10-09 01:32 PM |
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Best Buy did a really great job updating my pc laptop.
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COMMENT 329690
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2012-10-09 02:19 PM |
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Almost 3 years old then I would consider it fairly new still. Is it a Dell or HP?
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COMMENT 329702P
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2012-10-09 02:52 PM |
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OP here: it's an HP running Windows XP. I have a firewall and anti-virus software and scan it once a week, so it's pretty clean. In looking at old referrals on Edhat, I've seen the following companies mentioned: Latitude 34, Nerds to the Rescue, Tech Ease, Geek Squad, Mr. Pink, PC Pro and Human Solutions. Can anyone provide feedback about these companies? Thanks.
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COMMENT 329704
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2012-10-09 03:08 PM |
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Op please list the Hp model # and the quote the repair guy gives you it sound like about 1-3hours of work from my guess. I will tell you In 5 min if it is worth fixing or buying a new and improved one and backing up your data to a new machine.
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COMMENT 329710P
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2012-10-09 03:19 PM |
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On the top it says "HP Compaq dc5800 microtower. I've only gotten vague estimates -- anywhere from $50-125 flat fee but I have to leave it overnight since they assume 3+ hours; $120-180 flat fee to work on it at my house; $150/hour to work on it remotely. In truth, upgrades would be nice, but without them the computer is still functional, just not as functional as we would like it to be. For example, Adobe Reader and Firefox keep asking to be upgraded, but if I agree, then I get messages that they can't be upgraded, I assume because I'm lacking 3 years of Windows updates. But, I can still use Reader and Firefox as they are now.
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COMMENT 329725
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2012-10-09 04:11 PM |
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OP your computer is worth about 100-150$ Because it does not have window's 7 unfortunately. Hp made a whole bunch of different configurations for this tower. The difference in hard drive space was the big factor in prices. Do you know how big yours is? The least you should have is an Intel Core 2 Duo processor 3.0 GHz, 2 gb of ram. It should fit your needs if all you do is email and surf the web 3.0 and 2gb with xp is enough for that. Don't pay more than 100.00 for clean up virus /mail ware removal/ tune up. Almost all of the time anything from adobe reader or mozilla firefox is very safe, they are good company's and do good work. First thing is to see if you can even get updates right now from MS. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance, and then click System
Click on update... Let me know if this helped :)
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COMMENT 329735P
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2012-10-09 04:30 PM |
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I looked up the receipt. Here's what is came with: HP Compaq dc5800 Desktop PC NV317UT - Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 2.53GHZ, 4GB DDR2, 500GB SATA 3G, DVDRW, Windows XP Pro/Vista Business (we opted not to install Vista).
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COMMENT 329793
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2012-10-09 06:54 PM |
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OP: Your pc is worth about 200 due to 4 gb or ram and the good size hard drive.It would be worth 250+ if you had windows 7. If I was you don't pay more than 100 for clean up. I think you can do this yourself but please back up your data first as it is still running. If you call anyone make sure they know xp well its a very easy OS so this should not be hard. Any more than 100 to get it done look into a new computer. Hope that helped:)
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COMMENT 329842
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2012-10-09 09:08 PM |
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Buy an Apple. Reliable, easy to use, good graphics.
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COMMENT 329865
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2012-10-10 06:13 AM |
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Lots of advice to spend money on a new computer, but I would leave it with Techease or Latitude 34 for updating. Both are good, solid companies. Windows XP is solid. Computers for Families wipes hard drives on donated computers and installs XP for basic uses before they give computers away. If you are mostly browsing and do not need high end performance to run, say, Photoshop, no need to shell out $500 for a new PC (or twice that for a Mac).
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COMMENT 329866
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2012-10-10 06:15 AM |
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Run Ccleaner. Its free and really cleans your PC nicely.
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COMMENT 329867
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2012-10-10 06:22 AM |
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Steve Sauer - excellent, reliable, affordable
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COMMENT 329875
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2012-10-10 07:19 AM |
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OOPS Steve Sauer 452-3035 Been relying on him for about 8 years
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COMMENT 329915
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2012-10-10 08:49 AM |
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I have a 2004 Dell Dimension 4600C with Intel 4 Processor and Windows XP Pro OS, 512 MB RAM, DDR SDRAM 160GB Hard Drive that is so slow it drives me nuts. In July my son installed Skype and yesterday an odd message popped up that sounded like it was going to take over the computer. I quickly disconnected the modem, turned off the computer and removed the Skype connection. When I restarted, the message did not show up. Do you think I am infected and should I get a new computer?
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COMMENT 329975
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2012-10-10 11:08 AM |
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I can't speak highly enough for Hugh at Human Solutions. Fair, reasonable, and very knowledgeable. You won't be sorry if you use him.
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COMMENT 330015
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2012-10-10 12:47 PM |
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We have a 28 year old local computer company. We refer home/ individual clients to 2 local companies with good long reputations:
Channel Data 4141 State Street CompuWest (805) 962-2828 111 East Yanonali
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COMMENT 330016
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2012-10-10 12:47 PM |
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I'll second that. Hugh Mandeson at Human Solutions is the best. Very reasonable. 805-708-5174
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COMMENT 330486
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2012-10-11 04:27 PM |
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Techease has been very good to me.
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