defeated and demoralised

ormus

just format the thing and reinstall the OS. much quicker than spending days trying to find the problem.
i repair pcs regular, and if i dont find the prob within 1 hr, then it gets formatted.
if the client aint backed/up the data, then hes learnt a lesson!

Pat35

Are you serious!!!

sweetpickle_2

I don't know if this will help.

I fixed a laptop with a similar problem, which had only been used on a dial up connection.

It wasn't responding because it was trying to open MSN, install 78 MS updates, update the virus software and update various other programs.

I managed to get it running by slowly shutting down one program at a time. I had to be extremely patient.

Incidentally the laptop's owner had been told by a computer shop that the hard drive had gone and they would fix it for £200.

ormus

Pat35 wrote: »

Are you serious!!!

very much so.
at 30 quid an hour!

Little_John

ormus, how much repeat custom do you get when you inform the user that its tough that they havn't made a backup or do you have customers tied in for 12 months so they can't get shut of you without paying someone else again.

Your service sucks, one of the things that I have ensured my business runs on recomendation and repeat customers is that in the last 7 years I have only lost 2 users docs's, email, favourites and address book and they were both due to failed hard drives where the user had not turned their machine off when I told them to, finishing the drive off.

I also expect you only restore the OS and maybe office and then expect the customer to restore any other software too? anyone can do that and it mean you get 2 hours work. where using knowledge on how to fix pc's without wipeing and reinstalling, lean the skills required and you can earn a lot more than £30 an hour.

Phil51

Well thats a first - the technological equivalent of a cowboy builder. Luckily the word will get round quickly giving more work to professional support techies

kingmonkey

At £30 an hour I'd expect you to fix it!! Not press enter a couple of times.

john_kent

I have a PC on the bench at the moment that is riddled with malware / spyware / trojans .

It takes 30 mins to boot up and is totalluy unusuable.

The owber has never backed up there data and in terms of cost , I have advised a completr wipe and star again.

The problem is , they will not monitor their kids on the PC , who click on anything and everything.

Within a month they will be back , like a small hardcore of my customers.

Little_John

John_kent
That is what safemode is for, boot up and make a start, get the pc more useable by attacking the registry, deleteing temp files clearing the startup folder. you should then only end up with a few more stuborn things left. but the pc should be useable in normal mode and you can go to work downloading tools like adaware and hijack this anti virus software/online scans etc or use a usb stick.

Kids are a pain, installing ringtone software and mobile phone software everything it set to run on startup and bloody toolbars I had 1 where half the screen was covered in toolbars.

jmc160

Jonnyb, try making an Ultimate Boot CD. Download & instructions here.

There's all sorts of tools in there that can help you to diagnose and fix the problem, including virus/adware scanners.

It loads to its own OS, so you should have nothing loading at startup that could be causing the problems. And if it comes to it, you can at least use tha to move files and folders to a safe place before sending it off or taking more extreme measures.

Ormus, I'm frankly disgusted at the "service" you offer. People are paying you their hard earned money to fix their PCs and for you to treat their work/documents/treasured memories, which I'm sure some of these people will have on their PCs, with such blatant disregard is appalling. If I tok my computer to a "professional" to be fixed, I would have serious words to say if I went to collect it and was told "well, I tried to boot the thing but it didn't work, so I formatted it. What, you didn't back up? It's your own fault then!"
A few times now I've fixed PCs (without losing any of their files) and have then recommended to the owner that they do regular backups, and then taught them how to do it. In thid day and age, when anyone can now go to a supermarket and buy a fully working computer straight out of the box, you can't just assume that everyone knows the ins and outs of computer maintenance.