Residential IT
I get asked quite a bit about repairing personal computers. There is many names in the market that do these services and do it well. The prices generally range from $200 to $500 dollars per computer. The major names in the DFW area are Geek Squad, Geeks on Call, and various independent companies. The most typical call is virus removal or wireless networking. Here is a rundown of what technicians typically do for these services.
Virus Removal
There is 2 ways to clean a computer from viruses. You can format (completely erase) the computer and reload it back to factory settings or manually delete the viruses. Formatting and reloading windows is very time consuming and you risk data loss, even with a good backup. However, it is very effective and pretty simple to do. The other option to manually delete the viruses is for people that are tech savvy, because there is a high reinfection rate for inexperienced users. Below is what a typical technician will do in both situations.
Format and Reloading Windows
BACKUP ALL DATA! I'd recommend an external hard-drive or DVDs if you don't have much data.
Format and Reload Windows (Look for press F11,F7,etc... for System Recovery when starting computer. Many new PCs have a recovery partition that will automatically reload windows for you. If you don't have this option then you need to create the recovery DVDs from windows. If this isn't an option then you will need to call your computer manufacturer and get the recovery DVDs. Sony Vaio's are special because there system recovery is located in Control Panel)
Reload programs, copy old data from backup, and install drivers. The first 2 are self explanatory, but installing drivers can be tricky. Your best bet is to go to your manufacturer's website support section, and insert your computer model to look up your drivers. If you don't have network access to download these drivers you will need to use another computer. Once complete you are finished, and your computer will be better than it was the day you bought it.
Manually Removing Viruses
Reboot into Safe-mode (Press F8 before windows logo and select Safe-Mode)
Clean system start-up. (I'd recommend HijackThis! [click to download], but you can also manually removed them via regedit (HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run).
Clean Temporary Files. (CCleaner [click to be redirected] is a good software that is great at removing temporary files, and cleaning registry.)
Check system services. (Run -> services.msc | Many times viruses install misc. services in your windows. If you are not sure if a service is legit check out Black Viper Service Configuration [click to be redirected].)
Repair LSP Files (Internet Protocols) (Run these two commands from prompt.)
netsh int ip reset reset.log
netsh winsock reset
Reboot and Download Avast! [click to be redirected]. (Install Avast! and update the software. Now, select Schedule a Scan -> Boot Time Scan -> Schedule Now. Reboot your computer and delete any viruses if finds in the offline scan.)
Done, verify your system and programs are functioning properly. You should notice considerable speed increases
Wireless Networking
This will go one of two ways. It will be simple to setup and no instructions are needed, or it will be a nightmare and no how-to guide can help you.
However, in the past couple years many companies have encryption built-in and many people pay to have there networking setup when it could be done by themselves. I have seen this quite a bit on AT&T 2 Wire Routers. Here is a photo of a 2-Wire Router that may save you from shelling out the cash.
However, in the past couple years many companies have encryption built-in and many people pay to have there networking setup when it could be done by themselves. I have seen this quite a bit on AT&T 2 Wire Routers. Here is a photo of a 2-Wire Router that may save you from shelling out the cash.
