Bring your PC to me and save (bring-it-in services)

Below is a list of services I can perform for you at my lab. Remember, if a particular type of product is involved in the solution, you'll get to choose which one you want to use. I have absolutely no financial or political allegiances to any company. I work for myself and for you only.

Oh, and all materials and software are completely free of all mark-up. I make my money providing services to you, not selling you stuff you could get for cheaper yourself. It's just another way I'm completely unlike those other computer repair giants.

Bring-It-In services are billed at a rate of $96/hr, minimum ¾ hour ($72), in quarter-hour increments ($24 each). In most cases, I'll probably be finished in under a couple of hours. Two hours of my skilled labor is worth a lot more than what you'll get elsewhere.

For any of these, you'll need to bring your PC to me to have it worked on. This is by far the most economical way to have your PC repaired, and I've got more tools at my disposal, too.

Click any of the services to read a detailed description of what they entail. Also, keep in mind that the estimated time frame is just that—an estimate. It could end up taking longer, or even taking less time.

Sample Estimates and Rates
Bring-It-In Service	Cost/Estimated Time Required
Virus/Spyware Infection Removal + Tune-Up  Triple-S Tune-Up (core work) Advanced Data Recovery Technical Diagnosis   Device Installation or Storage/Memory Upgrade   Data Transfer   General Technical Support	$96/hr (est. 1½—2½ hours) Flat $99 as low as $149 or $349 Free with repair; otherwise $50 Est. ¾ hr ($72) plus equipment $96/hr (time varies) $96/hr (time varies)

Virus/Spyware Infection Removal and Tune-Up — $96/hr.
($96/hr - Estimated 1½—2 hours labor, plus ½ hour extra for Triple-S Tune-Up)
Compare to the competition

If you're infected, it's no small thing. A massive number of the infections prevalent today actually steal personal financial information—even social security numbers—so it's a huge risk.

You may have virus protection, but that doesn't mean you aren't infected. An unbelievable percentage of the computers I deal these days with have an infection of some sort. Even if your antivirus tells you that you aren't infected, you can still be (this happens often).

It used to be you could simply scan and remove most of this stuff with the proper tools. These days, however, the removal process for many viruses and spyware is now a highly complicated thing. These programs are written solely to evade detection and subvert removal, so it takes an expert to rid you of them.

Some technicians will suggest you need to reformat your hard drive (in other words, start from scratch) in order to completely remedy many problems with infections; I don't buy that for a minute. I have never had to resort to such measures when dealing with these problems, and I've removed thousands of dangerous modules from single computers.

The methods I use to clean your PC are extremely thorough and unbelievably effective. I will check your computer for spyware, viruses, and rootkit infections, as well as glaring security vulnerabilities. Provided data corruption has not already occurred, when I'm finished, your machine will be noticeably faster and your data will be safe. No matter how many infections you had to begin with, I will clean it.

Each and every malware removal job I perform I also conclude with a mini tune-up, which includes startup optimization (manual traversal of the Windows loading points to ensure unnecessary software isn't bogging you down), temporary files cleanup, and if you choose, the installation of excellent software that will help prevent reinfection and save you money down the road.

Triple-S Tune-Up (core work) — Flat $99
Compare to the competition

This is a full-scale tune-up of your PC by someone who's specialized in PC optimization and software support for well over a decade now. It includes, among other items:

Startup Optimization - I'll manually traverse your Windows loading points and remove unnecessary programs and services from booting with the OS.

Unwanted/Unnecessary Software Removal - This includes adware and trialware of any type. I'll examine your entire list of installed applications to ensure better options do not exist.

Temporary Files Cleanup - A basic sweep of all temporary (thus unnecessary) files on the system. By request, I can securely delete data for you as well to protect your privacy.

Critical Updates and Patches Installation - I'll update Windows and other common system software to the latest, most secure versions to prevent infection.

Plugin Updates and Application Upgrades - I will install updated versions and patches for many vulnerable browser plugins, related applications, and other programs. I'll also provide a more secure web browser configuration which is also much faster and more convenient.

Performance Tweaks - Certain systems can benefit from other performance tweaks related to corrections to the page file, TCP receive window, menu delays, and much, much more. If it's worth doing, I'll do it for you.

Device Driver Updates - I'll take care of any particular device driver updates which may be necessary to improve the function of your devices. Please note that I only perform this service as part of a tune-up if I notice a problem a particular driver may be causing.

Security Software Updates - This includes even switching your security suite if it seems necessary. Of course, I'll check with you first. You'd be amazed how much of a performance difference it makes when you run good security software.

File/Registry Permissions Resets - In case you happen to be experiencing intermittent software issues stemming from a previous infection or malfunction, I can reset your file and registry permissions to help prevent future issues.

Registry Optimization - This does not mean registry "cleaning" (see below).

Service Assessment - I will bring to your attention any optional additional fixes which might improve your computing experience or performance.

Security Auditing - I'll ensure you are prepped to withstand the nature of modern threats on the internet.

Plenty of Other Stuff - The entire time I'm working on your machine, I'm also subconsciously assessing its various components and performance. Trust me; it's the nature of my perfectionism and it isn't necessarily a good business trait of mine, but it's definitely good for you as the customer. ;-) If I see anything else I can do to your computer to make life easier on you, I'll do it automatically. The list of intangibles here is too long to mention, but it's a valuable service. You just can't beat experience.

Full-scale hardware testing and disk optimization - I'll also perform sophisticated hardware testing to ensure your components—everything from your hard drive to your memory and CPU—are in healthy condition. I use expensive, extremely reliable tools to perform these tests (the same ones most major manufacturers depend on to assess the reliability of their new products). I can provide you with a detailed report of all testing performed if you'd like as well.

Finally, if your drive is badly fragmented, I'll wrap it all up with a deep restructuring of your hard drive's data; more specifically, a defragmentation process which also prioritizes data by moving it to optimal locations on the disk platter based on its criticality and usefulness. The result? Stuff you use most often loads more quickly, and the things you never touch are relegated to the latter portions of the disk. Please note that this service requires at least 24-hours under all circumstances.

A Triple-S Tune-Up is a tune-up done right. Sometimes this service alone can double your speed.

Also, just in case you're curious, here is what I deliberately DO NOT perform:

Registry Cleaning- Registry cleaning utilities used by many computer service companies are dangerous. While they may seem to correct issues (and occasionally they can), they are also prone to removing necessary or even critical other registry keys which simply seem to be of no particular use to the cleaning application, creating serious, difficult-to-diagnose issues down the line. Windows kernel experts such as Mark Russinovich recommend against the use of these programs. I never use them under any circumstances; all registry cleaning I perform is done manually.

When all's said and done, I'll provide a basic assessment of any other siginificant issues with the system and ask if you'd like them fixed while I've got the PC with me. If anything beyond the scope of the tune-up is warranted (software issues, beneficial hardware upgrades, etc.—remember, I don't mark up parts, so I've got no reason to recommend something you don't need), I'll let you know ahead of time and you can decide if you'd like to go through with the extra work.

Remember, I'm honest; you can trust what I recommend. Just ask anyone I've worked for in the past! Honesty counts for a lot today.

Advanced Data Recovery — As low as $149 or $349 (rarely higher)
Compare to the competition - (see Level 3)

(Read my dedicated page about data recovery and my methods!)

One of the worst things that can happen to anyone is a failing hard drive. Whether logical or mechanical, an enormous number of reasons can lead to a drive failure, and they're shockingly common (a lot more than you probably think).

If you end up in a situation where you believe your data is in jeopardy—for instance, you can't access Windows, your drive is making clicking noises, or you're receiving error messages related to data/memory access—then you should immediately request advice from a tech. That's because if it is in fact a drive failure, every attempt to access data on the drive can jeopardize the chances of successfully recovering your stuff.

When you contact me, we'll briefly walk through the symptoms over the phone. If, after diagnosis, a drive failure is to fault, you have two options:

• You can send it to a data recovery company with specialized equipment and a Class 100 clean room and pay upwards of $1,000 to have it recovered
  
  or
  
  
• You can contact me and I can diagnose the drive for you. Probably 80% of the time, I can use my own personal recovery equipment and the pricey software that I own to recover your data. If I cannot recover your data, it won't cost you a thing.
  • I actually own the industry-standard imaging software and equipment, beginning with the one-and-only DeepSpar Imager ($4,500) and including all manner of ancillary software. Most techs don't have these things and don't know how to use them. If you want your data but aren't keen on spending the $1,600+ with most other companies, there's no one better to help than me!

If it so happens that it's a mechanical failure, I can diagnose the drive with minimal interfacing (to prevent further damage to the drive) and we can discuss your options. If you decide that the data is worth thousands to you, it's time to send it off to a specialized data recovery firm. If not, I'll be happy to go ahead and give the recovery a shot. Again, if I don't recover your data, the drive diagnosis won't cost you anything.

Where I draw the line on my drive recoveries is any place where hardware repair is necessary to read the data. That means if a heads replacement, motor windings repair, or other invasive procedure is needed, I'll stop right there and refer to you the big (expensive) leagues. I also don't do PCB swaps as they're extremely risky. It's better to have the specialists perform these sorts of procedures. Finally, if a drive image looks as though it will take weeks to complete, I will refer you.

So what's up with the pricing, you ask? Well:

• If the recovery is simple, it's just $149.
• Moderately difficult recovery jobs are $349 (several hours of work, advanced equipment).
• Advanced recovery jobs range up to $699 (many hours of work and the most trying of all).

Which, by the way, is still but a mere fraction of the cost of most other data recovery services! I will let you know in advance which category your recovery falls under.

Finally, yes, I can do RAID recoveries!—all RAID recoveries with up to two drives are priced at $699 flat. Arrays containing a higher number of drives are quoted on a per-job basis.

Technical Diagnosis — Free with repair; otherwise $50

Got a problem but can’t figure out what’s causing it? I’ll run the required tests and perform the steps necessary to figure out just what’s bothering your machine. Once I’m finished, if you elect to use me for any affiliated repairs, the diagnosis is completely free (regularly, it's $50). It's all a part of my mission to make computer service fair and reasonable for everyone.

Device Installation or Hardware Upgrade — Est. ¾ hr ($72)

Of course, this price does not include the price of the equipment you wish to add. In most cases, I can obtain this equipment at a much lower price than you would if you had bought it at the store. If you know what it is you want to have installed, I can order it for you direct (with zero markup, as always), and installation generally will not run over one hour.

If you are not certain what it is you need or what specifications the device will require (we can discuss this prior to starting), I will need to personally assess your computer and make an informed decision for you. The diagnosis is entirely free if you bring the PC to me ahead of time.

Hardware installation can include:

Hard Drives - If you need more space, this is what you want. Another hard drive can often be installed alongside your old one in your computer chassis to provide it.

Optical Drives - In other words, CD/DVD/Blu-ray drives. They're inexpensive too!

Random Access Memory (RAM) - If your computer is aging and seems to be moving slowly, often installing more RAM alone can make a major difference. Of course, in most cases, this is such a quick process that you're better off opting for a Triple-S Tune-up instead.

PCI/Video Cards, Power Supplies, and more

I can even perform a hardware test when all's said and done to ensure everything's working.
Call me today to get things going!

Data Transfer — $96/hr (time varies; usually 1 hour)

Moving your documents from one PC to the next can be a pain in the neck if you don't know what you're doing. Even if you just want to get your desktop PC documents copied onto your laptop, bring in your machine and I'll perform the service for you. Of course, I will just need you to specify what precisely you wish to have transferred.

General Technical Support— $96/hr

If you require any other form of support, I'll provide it for $96 per hour. You can request to be contacted prior to each additional hour of support if you wish. Simply bring your machine to me and I'll have it fixed for you as quickly and as economically sane as possible.