Regular On site service charges are $ 77.00 per hour The minimum call out fee is $ 77.00 which includes the first hour |
An example of service callouts that usually take no more than an hour are: • Printer installation • Scanner installation • Multifuction ~ Printer & Scanner installation • LCD or CRT Monitor replacements • Keyboard, Mouse or Speaker replacements • Floppy Disk Drive, CD and DVD device replacements • Replace faulty internal or external dialup modem equipment • Repair faulty email and internet account settings • Update / replace internet security system ( if system is in good condition ) • Upgrade video system from on-board to PCI, AGP or PCI Express type card • Install ADSL internet equipment ( very dependant on condition of computer ) • Replace faulty system cooling fans • Replace faulty ATX power supply unit • Upgrading system RAM |
An example of service callouts that usually take longer than an hour are: • Diagnosing a damaged hard disk drive • Diagnosing a corrupted or infected operating system • Diagnosing 'intermittant' hardware faults ( fault cannot be readily reproduced ) • Upgrading or replacing a working Hard Disk drive • Preparing a new computer for an internet connection • Transferring all user data and internet accounts to a new computer |
FREE SERVICE ASSESSMENTS INCUR NO CALL OUT FEE |
Free assessments usually take no more than 30 minutes after which
i can calculate the job requirements and quote on-site. In some cases
I may have to take the computer back to my service workshop for further testing
where I will then contact the customer with details of the examination and quote
for the repairs. If the quote is not accepted, the equipment is returned
back to the customer at no charge. |
>>>
Operating system installations <<< This is a Flat Rate Service and carried out off-site over a 2 day period Rebuilding entire Windows operating systems $ 770.00 ( 10 hours @ $77 per hour ) Sometimes when serious infections, corruptions or hardware damage occurs to a computer's hard disk drive mechanism or main board, the only option to repair the system will include a complete rebuild of the Windows operating system. This is a very involved and lengthy task which actually takes closer to 14 hours of work in most cases. This flat rate labour charge includes: Recovery and restoration of all user data ( if hard disk is not damaged ) including ~ Documents from all user accounts - 'My Documents' folder/s Email messages Email address book Favorites lists Custom user installed fonts Data folders found on the desktop, root directory etc Accounting program company files and data All other nominated program's data files Replacing and testing the faulty hardware ( if required ) Installing the new Windows operating system including ~ All supportive device drivers ( including latest ATI or NVidia drivers ) All Windows service packs and updates available All latest versions of additional WIndows components such as : The new Microsoft Security update engine Media Player 11 Movie Maker 2.2 Windows Live Messenger Microsoft Photo Story 3.0 Windows Defender ( full version ) Internet Explorer version 7.0 Installing all customer original business programs such as ~ Office 2000 or 2003 Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Access & Publisher Including all available security updates and service patches M.Y.O.B , Quickbooks etc .... Installing all the peripheral hardware supportive programs such as ~ Printer & scanner systems programs CD & DVD writer programs Installing a complete internet security protection system such as ~ Antivirus Firewall Email filtering system Anti spyware protection systems Providing full security system documentation and training Installing all the latest and greatest free popular tools and programs such as ~ Google Picasa ( photo manager ) Google Earth ( Global viewing system ) Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.0 PDF Creator ( convert any file to PDF ) AMP Font viewer ( browse your fonts the easy way ) Winzip ( file compression system ) Audio Grabber ( extract audio tracks form your CDs ) Audacity ( edit sounds and music and convert to MP3 ) Word web ( quick access Dictionary and thesauras ) Image Editor ( professional graphics editor ) Art Rage ( Fantastic painting and drawing program ) Testing all the computer's operations and functions Imaging the entire newly built system and providing it to the customer on a DVD ~ The system Image DVD means the computer can be brought back to the state it was in when delivered back to the customer in case the operating system requires rebuilding again in the future for whatever reason. Tech Note: The DVD image of the repaired / rebuilt system cannot be used on any other computer or the original computer if it is altered such as a main board upgrade in the future. Finally, the computer is delivered back to the customer and full tuition is given to help with any of the upgrades or changes to the system. ( maximum 2 hours on-site ) |
NOTE: These are examples only and there are many circumstances where jobs can take a lot longer to complete than originally thought. The most common problems found during on-site call outs are: • Spyware or Virus infected computer ( that the customer was unaware of ) • Forgotten or misplaced internet ADSL passwords • Multiple user accounts with unknown passwords • Lost or misplaced original CDs for critical programs • Pirated unlicenced versions of Windows • Using refills or cheap generic inks in printers |
The service example shown above is the repair for a computer making a loud whirring
sound. From left to right, we find the 'North Bridge' chipset cooling fan has
a worn bearing. The fan assembly is removed, exposing the chipset controller ( centre pic ). The solution in this case is to clean the surface of the chipset, apply new thermal grease and install a new technolgy Zalman northbridge chipset heat sink cooler ( right pic ) which will never require future service as it has no moving parts. Most whirring noises in computers are attributed to worn cooling fans of which there are many types. |
Another service example ( shown above ) is the repair for a computer that did
not startup at all. A quick examination reveals that the computer's ATX power
supply unit has been severely damaged by an electrical surge or an internal component
failure. The image on the left shows the damage on the PSU circuit board.
The solution here is to select a suitable replacement unit ( centre pic ) and
install it into the computer ( right pic ). After the power supply is replaced ( and the computer starts up again ) all the other remaining components in the computer must be each checked to see if they also sustained any damage. |
Insurance Assessments & Quotes If the damage to your computer is related to an electrical surge during a storm or local damage to the utility network, your personal home contents insurance policy may cover the costs of repairs. In this case the written quote and service assessment charge is $154.00 ( as insurance claims take more time and further research to complete ) |
Pie in the Sky ... Regretfully, some computer service requests are simply not cost effective and are politely declined. A perfect example of this is a faulty printer that may have cost $59 is pointless to seek repairs. Computers runnning Windows 98 or Windows ME ( and are not capable of upgrading to Windows 2000 or Windows XP ) are no longer cost effectively serviceable. Many older computer systems simply cannot do what the customer expects. It is a common mistake to think you can simply install a DVD burner into any computer and start doing video editing. The same goes for attempting to run modern 3D games on an outdated computer. Ask for advise BEFORE purchasing things for older computers. Older versions of Windows such as Windows 98 are no longer supported by Microsoft and users of these older systems must be very cautious of what they purchase as many new programs and devices such as printers and scanners will not operate at all. The modern internet systems are also demanding more power from computers these days, and Windows 98 is steadily losing more and more internet application support also. Having said all that, there is no harm in asking for advice. I will never attempt repairs or suggest services that are not cost effective anyway. Some solutions involve advising on various levels of upgrades or a complete replacement of your entire computer system. So don't despair, it costs nothing but an email or a phone call to get the right advice. |
'There are no problems, only solutions' |