Please note: this page contains reviews and opinions sent in by Berkeley Parents Net subscribers. Your own experience may be different. Please always check references before hiring!

Reviews of Consultants

Computer overhaul recommendation?
Can anyone recommend a person or business who can overhaul our son's laptop computer. It is full of viruses and ''bugs'' so he needs it made ''like new'' before he goes off to UC Santa Cruz in the fall (as a freshman). I took it to a place on Bancroft near the Cal campus and they did not do a satisfactory job. Computer Challenged

Computer help: 1. Wireless network setup; 2. Something "fishy" running on PC?
Hi - I'm looking for recent recommendations for a computer geek-type service to come and 1. install a wireless network (this may include setting up one of the computers which is still in the box, printer, etc.), and 2. advising about/fixing the "???" that constantly (CONSTANTLY!) runs on the older/current PC. Something is running in the background which I can neither find, nor stop. Not sure if I have a virus, spyware, or ??? The web site recommendations are all older, and I'm seeking recent recommendations/reviews/advice/names, etc. Thanks! Need geek service!

Here's a recommendation for a remarkable computer consultant. His name is Rob Gross, and you can reach him at 338-0101. One of my favorite things about him is that he will come to your house or business, fix your computer, and tell you what you need to do in terms of ongoing hardware and software protection and safety. He is competant, reliable and amazingly personable. Need to use it, don't want to fix it!

I'd like to recommend Steve Abbitt of MOJO-IT for computer repair and servicing. He has helped me twice this year, once with a complete disaster, and once with some minor problems. I work from home and don't have IT support; I'm sleeping much better knowing that I can call Steve if my computer crashes. He's fast, friendly, reasonably priced, knowledgeable, and soothing when you're on the edge of hysteria. Call Mojo-IT at 510-849-1095.
Valerie

Re: Computer Virus -- HELLLLP!!!

I'm so sorry about your computer virus! It stinks that people are out there ruining the internet for those of us who get great value from it. I have a good person to recommend to help you reclaim control over your computer. His name is Paul Paz y Mino. He has done great work for me and my computers both at home and in my office. You can reach Paul at 510-773-4635 or ppaz AT igc.org. Anne

Our Windows XP computer is rife with pop-ups, arcane error messages, and possibly spyware. It works OK, but not as efficiently as we'd like, particularly since we have a 15-year- old (and sometimes her friends) roaming around on it. The BPN computer consultant postings are a little old; can anyone recommend a consultant who'd come over to our house in central Berkeley for an hour or two, do some clean-up, and make some recommendations? Some idea of his/her hourly rate would be nice as well. Melanie

I am looking for current recommendations for someone to help me set up a new home computer (PC), including transferring files etc, from my old computer. Someone who is skilled, reliable and charges reasonable rates. Thanks for your help. Chris

Help! I need someone to fix my computer, which has gone bonkers. I have a 3.5-year-old Dell that I 've never had any problems with. But now I am constantly getting messages I cannot understand and, being a technophobe, I just ignore them and plow ahead. Lately I have trouble shutting down or rebooting (is that the word?). I was keeping track of the various error messages; now I have given up. I need a computer repair person to come to my home. I don't do anything with my computer other than check email, draft the occasional document for work and download (upload?) digital photos. I checked the recommendations; the most recent is from May 2002. Does anyone have any current recommendations? I did find one person whose rate was $100/hour. Is that the going rate? What should I expect? I need this person to 1) fix what is ailing my computer and 2) do any maintenance stuff I should've been doing all along. Thanks! Not a techie

Help - both my home and office computers are having problems. My home computer has a virus that shuts the computer down just minutes after I turn it on, and the office computer keeps freezing. Does anyone have a good recommendation for someone who can fix computer problems like these? (They are both PCs)

I'm asking for current recommendations for someone who can work on my computer--I'm not sure what are hardware or software problems. I'm reasonably computer literate but the recent problems are beyond my scope and I don't want to spend time figuring it out. Would like current recommendations/experiences with someone who comes to your house and 'tunes up' the computer, including installing a new hard drive and more memory. Thanks in advance. Kathy

I am looking for someone to help clean off our hard drive and organize our PC computer. I have seen all the past recommendations, but they all seem out of date. Any rec's are appreciated. Thanks! Jennifer

www.mojo-it.com/mojo.html They do software/hardware integration, installation, troubleshooting, Hardware replacement,(cards, hard drives, memory etc) internet setups and many other services.

I have used them myself and would recommend them. Same day appointments at your home or office. Good rates and friendly non-attitude service! Christopher

Scott 

I've seen several calls for computer help on the list recently so
I thought I would try to start a response thread on how to hire
someone and have the best chance of success. I'm sure there are
other computer professionals on the list who can add to this.
Consider whether taking the computer to a store might not make the
most sense. The advantages include having a reputation, clear
policies (not necessarily good, just clear), presumably some measure
of training and oversight, better recourse in the event of a problem.
It's unlikely that you would be ripped off at a brick and mortar
store. The disadvantages are that you have to schlep the computer,
some problems can only be solved in situ, the best computer techs
are not working for $8/hour at CompUSA.

If you decide to find someone to visit your house to look at your computer,
here are some suggestions for what to do:

1. Have a written list of your issues and the resolutions that you
would like to see. Make a checklist that will be used at the end
of the tech's visit to agree upon what has been completed. You
should run through a standard list of checks beyond the work that
was done to make sure the machine still functions properly. While
the tech is still there, you should include in your check the
following frequent problems (ideally you would do these checks before the
tech starts, also - that way everyone agrees that they used to work):

Can you still print (Number one problem after the tech leaves)?
Does the modem still work? Connection to the internet? 
Zip drive still working? If on a PC, does it have its old drive letter? 
CD ROM drive still working? If on a PC, same drive letter? 
Screensaver setting still the same? 
Does "mission-critical" software still launch?
Has the screen resolution or color depth been changed? If so you should 
check any programs that might rely on those settings (mostly  games, 
but also some high end graphics programs).

2. Know how much you want to spend. Have your prospective employee
look over your list and give you an estimate. Some people may not be
willing to give you a firm amount (the situation is often difficult
to discern without sitting at the console).  I think that's okay,
but they should be able to give you a rough guess of the time
involved. Certainly after they examine the machine they should be
able to give you an accurate measure of how long it will take.

3. Get references.

4. Backup your machine before your techie arrives or pay the tech
to do it. It cannot be stressed enough. You must backup the files
you cannot afford to lose.

5. Have everything about your computer, hardware and software, out
and available including all manuals, the registration numbers and/or 
cd keys. There's no sense in paying the tech to wait for you to find
stuff. As an aside, do not ask the tech to install pirated software.

6. Offer the tech a glass of water. Often they like chocolate, too.

7. Clean and organize the area the tech will be working in before
she arrives.

I hope this helps get the ball rolling and we can generate a thorough 
list regarding hiring a tech to work on your home computer. 

http://f5.dejanews.com/frameset/frameset.cgi?channel=cc&forum=mac

There is also a list of all other computer related message boards with moderators and members that are willing and able to help you work through just about any computer problem. The full list of message boards can be found at http://www.messageboards.com. I hope that helps.

Wendy

I can't recommend Rob Bradshaw highly enough! He does Mac and Windows, and is very good - software and hardware configuration, installation, troubleshooting... He used to be a Software QA Engineer, and then went out on his own so that he could work more directly with people. Give hime a call and tell him I (John Tangney) sent you.

Almost all his clients are private individuals with computers at home, some of them in a home office situation. He has also worked at Head Royce in a computer support role, and one of his clients is the new Chabot Observatory.

Rob's is very people oriented. His first priority is making sure that the client gets what s/he needs in a timely and cost-effective fashion. He is NOT ego-bound!

Rob and I worked together at two separate companies over the years, he in a QA role, and I in a Software Engineerin role. If you know the way that goes, you'll appreciate it when I say that the stereotypically adversarial relationship between Engineering and QA was greately softened, largely due to Rob's efforts. He would do things like bring in cookies for all the engineers to make the bug reports more palatable!

Rob's number: (925) 256-5673 (pager)

The company name is Paper Machete.

Try Peter Golitzen. His e-mail address is golitzen at ifn.net. He lives in El Cerrito and has done just this type of thing for individuals and businesses. Peter is the husband of my office mate.

Networking Consultants

Hi, Looking for a computer consultant to set up our home office - wireless network - and help de-bug a few glitches. We used GeekSquad a year ago and were disappointed. I'd also like to find someone who could teach us a thing or two so that we are more self-sufficient in the future. Noticed some postings from 2003 & 2004 but for folks in e-bay area. Looking for someone in San Francisco who is reasonable. Thank you Anon

I have a small business (5 people) in San Francisco. We are looking for a consultant or small consulting firm to help us upgrade our computer network with a new server and updated software. I'd also like someone who can give us security recommendations. I'd prefer someone Microsoft certified. Does anyone have a recommendation for an individual or small consulting firm that does this type of work? Thank You, Cynthia

He has assisted our company for the last five years in networking, upgrading systems and software, remote access and online demands, and the general cleanup and emergency situations that can pop up in that span of time. He has also helped many individuals and companies in the Bay Area and is a ''Computer Guru'' for many folks in an on going capacity.

Your situation sounds right up his alley. He has a lot of experience in security and network upgrades. I'd definitely call him to discuss your situation.

PHW Consulting Services
Paul Wilson
Tel: 510-524-2119
or phwilson[at]msn.com

I am trying to create a small computer network between a mac and a pc, and 1 printer. I need help! Can anyone recommend a reasonable computer consultant that can deal with 2 platforms? Thanks.

We have a growing family with several children, each of whom will be getting their own computer and sharing a DSL line. My husband and I also want to have home offices. We're looking for help from a computer network consultant, preferably from a reputable outfit that has commercial accounts - we've had some bad luck with the dependability and expertise of some less professional people. If they are good, I might be able to refer them to work at my office in San Francisco as well. Thanks for your responses. Dianne

Over the past many years, he has bailed us out numerous times, patiently explained things to us, help us transfer data to new computers, pointed out that our computer had come unplugged without laughing at us (!), and overall been an invaluable fount of knowledge, expertise and know-how. We don't know how other people with computers survive without having someone like this to call.

He works with clients both in their homes and at their businesses. He's set up and maintained a system for a close friend in his business, and I know my friend also considers Rob an invaluable resource. Susan

Does anyone know the reasonable and quick computer repair shop? I bought a second hand computer, but it doesn't recognize CD drive. It is just a minor repair... Miyoko

Getting a home business up and running

I would like help understanding the various components needed to get a home office and business up and running.

1. Domain name - I do understand how to buy one. Is there a reason not to use GoDaddy?

2. If you have a domain name who hosts you -- or is that even the right terminology? If I want JaneSmith.com who does someone send email to -- is it Jane@JaneSmith.com? But then who do I get my email from? Is that the same as whomever provides my DSL service?

3. What are the advantages or disadvantages of having these services bundled or not from a single provider? Recommended comapnies for all these things?

4. I want my email to download to my computer not just exist on a web-based service. How do I make this happen?

So....how do I beign to understand all these component parts and does anyone have suggestions as to who can teach me or how I do it myself? Thanks! Behind the technological curve

Make sure that whatever host/package you choose provides the tools you need - if you plan to use Front Page, ASP, FTP access, etc., check that those features are included/supported. If you're working with a web designer, ask them what they need.

In my experience, the smaller hosting companies (my current fav is 1and1.com) are better than the big providers (Yahoo, Verio, SBC, etc.) when it comes to customer service, features and price. There are a bunch of sites out there that rate and compare various hosts - www.hostsearch.com, www.hostcompare.com, etc. Or ask around and see what other people like jpp

Computer Hard Drive Full!

My problem is that I have two local disks (C and D; the floppy, and CD drives are A, F and G respectively). Drive C is 16 GB but only has 500 MB available. Drive D is 58 GB and is essentially empty although I have moved all of my personal files and pictures onto the D drive. It appears that the C drive is full of programs (including ITunes). Is it possible to move some of the programs from the C to D drive or do I need to uninstall and reinstall on the D drive? Is this DYI project or do I need to call in the professional? Any websites that might address issues like this? Thanks! Cindy

All that said, if you can afford to, I'd recommend a different fix. A larger C drive would be a much better solution. You could even get a used one, cheaply. There are lots of things that just have to be on C, so you're likely to run into this pretty constantly. Copying the contents of your old C drive to a new one can be done without reinstalling everything, but you'd want to hire a pro to do it. Patty

If you still want to find a shop to do it, the folks at PC Ten (on Solano in Albany, and Piedmont in Oakland) are reliable. 5271388/6525268. Or any small computer shop -- take a look in Computer Currents for lots of listings.