Tech help/company

[qualhiveldorf]

This summer I have really been tempted to start up a local computer help and repair company. stervin and I would be the head of this and I guess just operate at one of our homes. So, have any of you done this ??? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I'm also hoping to have a free overview/checkup deal, if they fold for me.
Some extra cash flow would be soooooooo helpful, I'm sure sterVin would agree.

 

[deRusett]

I kinda do this, I offer my services to people at work and there friends and family, my normal fee is a case of beer though the odd time it is money, only when I do more then 2 jobs in a week though,

I work from home, but have set up and e-mail strickly for repair correspondence ( sp )
I have all my tools needed in a small easy to carry bag, best to be prepared if you want word of mouth to spread around
work bag includes CD's Both Blank and Various Softwares, and drivers
Philips Screw drivers
Robertson Screw driver just incase
Zip ties
knife
floppy drive and hard drive when ever I have one to spare
Clock.

Now one thing I found people liked was my willingness to bring a PC home with me to work on it, for a reduced Rate if I am doing a full reinstall I would much rather do it while I am going to bed then during the day, so I bring the machine home with me and fix it and ignore the hours it took, just charge for the time I am there, ( my time is 2 parts when beer is the payment, under 2 hours a 12 pack, over 2 hours 24 )

learn how to use "non geek software" but have your geek versions ready to give them. eg: know the ins and outs of IE, but be ready to introduce and explain firefox as a fast alternative.

Have Freeware softwares on CD that can replace demo's of shareware programs, offering free software makes you look better

 

[qualhiveldorf]

Would a sort of software package be good?
It would have:
MBM5
Spybot
Adaware
Firefox
etc.
oh and of course FAH

Ive got a toolkit and I'm definitely willing to spend hours working at it. And most importantly I won't rip them off!!!

 

[Andyman902042]

MBM5

If you install this be sure to remove it. The people probably won't have any idea what it is and if there smart, any new, unknown icons in their tray means trouble. You can use this for your self just to make sure everything look alright. But remember most factory PCs (99.9999% of what you'll be working with) won't have any sensors on there motherboards so it might not be of any use.

Spybot
Adaware

Good choices. I'd include a few more spyware removers like HijackThis Spyware blaster, CWShredder, etc. Also don't forget a free antivirus like AVG or avast.

Firefox

oh and of course FAH

Well I like folding as much as the next guy, but if the person you're doing this for is very suspicious of other people working on their PC I wouldn't put F@H on there. If they'd find out they might say 'well I didn't ask him to put that on there, I'm never letting him fix my PC again.' On the other hand if the person really trusts you and doesn't know all that much about PCs go ahead because then they'll think 'Well if he put it on there it must be important'. Or you could ask for permission.
I wouldn't ever put F@H on a dialup user's PC without asking because that can really slow down there connection. When they'd be browsing the web F@H would be downloading WUs and make the connection slower.


Also you'll want drivers. Include common ones like ATI and NVIDIA video card drivers (I believe there each in an all in one package). Also chipset drivers like the VIA 4 in 1, NVIDIA Nforce, etc. Also include the standalone SP1 installer. Dont get the one that needs to download things from the net because that won't be fun on dial up.

Also don't forget screwdrivers, canned air, etc.

 

[Mr.Radar]

Instead of MBM5 I'd use SpeedFan because it's quicker to setup (no need to select specific mobos and such) and it's interface is simpler (I personally find the MBM5 interface horribly complex to the point I can't use it).

EDIT: Prime95 would be good for stability testing. If you're familiar with Linux you might also consider bringing a copies of System Rescue CD, Overclockix, and Knoppix with.

 

[Kendan]

www.ultimatebootcd.com is a great tool

 

[Oni]

www.ultimatebootcd.com is a great tool

I'll second that. It's extra great if you don't have a floppy.

 

[qualhiveldorf]

thanks for the help guys. And btw I would always ask before installing FAH, I would just want to have it on hand.

With the ultimat-boot-CD should I download the iso, exe or zip?

 

[SewerBeing]

iso, its the easiest to burn. http://www.linuxiso.org/viewdoc.php/howtoburn.html <- burning instructions in case you need em.

 

[deRusett]

www.ultimatebootcd.com is a great tool

I definatly agree, I have mentioned that site in the last few days in another thread,



I would download the ISO and burn it since it is of no use as a Zip or EXE file only as a working CD