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: Computer Consultants

I reviewed old messages but didn't find any posting on computer repair. Is it true that people have to go either to Best Buy or Compuusa or something to repair their computer? Or buy a new computer? My Laptop died suddenly and few people, including Best Buy told us my hard desk died and needed a new one. Best Buy says it will cost more than $350 to repair it. Of course, that makes me think i should get a new laptop then. But really? I looked around for computer repair service but it doesn't exist. Does anyone know if there is such a service called computer repair? or do we only have Best Buy? can't afford new pc

There's an association for IT Professionals in the Bay Area called Pacific IT Professionals, http://www.pacitpros.org I would contact them for a referral. Anon

1.  Authorized Computer Repair
    (510) 786-7103
    oncallcomputerguy@gmail.com
    www.authorizedcomputers.com
    (did a great job switching a new laptop from Vista to XP and
    then getting an old one working after it stopped booting)

2,  Berkeley Students Computer Service
    (510) 495-6333
    info@bscs.us
    http://bscs.us/
    (smart students / know what they're doing)

3.  Computer Courage
    adam@computercourage.com
    (510) 525-2226
    http://www.computercourage.com

4.  Infogate
    (510) 808-0370
    mrosen@info-gate.com
    http://www.info-gate.com/
    (may be more business-oriented but you can always ask)

I'm looking for someone who can help trouble-shoot my wireless connection, issues with efficient operation and help advise me on best software solutions. Thanks! Belinda in Albany

Help! One of our computers has a virus and one is off network and our computer support guy is out of the country. We are looking for someone who can help us with our small business network at home located in Alamda. Someone who is quick when he is working and reliable. Pam

Bought a new Dell laptop. Had to accept Vista. Would rather have XP Pro and I have a legal copy from a defunct computer. Need someone who can install XP Pro as the operating system and find the drivers for the other stuff. Feel free to contact me directly. Norm

Help our computer 's USB Ports are all frozen or dead , just not working , not the keyboard, not the mouse, nothing is getting through to the computer and on to the screen. Has anyone ever had this problem? We have a dell . Does someone out there work on pc or can recommend a good repair man. Repair man scares me i hate to spend more money on the repairs then the computers worth. Please let us know if you have had this problem to , asap we need the computer for work . thanks so much jenn

I need computer tech help in Walnut Creek. Can you recommend someone who makes house calls, is reasonably priced, and who can talk to an elderly person in non-tech speak? Thanks! Computer Idiot

I am an artist with little skills in the computer world. I am seeking someone who can help me to prepare professional presentations of my work. I know there are many out there who do this type of thing, but I am at a lost of where to find them. I do not want to do this over the phone, or online, I am the type who wants to sit down with a person and explain exactly what I want. I am open to photoshop, graphic designers, etc. I cannot pay more than $25.00 per hour and am willing to work with students, someone seeking some easy work on the side, ect. I will expect to see examples. Any direction appreciated.

I am trying to find a person who can come to the house and re-jig my computer system(s) Mac and PC so everything runs well, networks and prints. I think I'm running on one cylinder right now and I have a V8. Berkeley Area.

Hi, I've checked the archives, but would like current recommendations for a trusted computer service repair person. We've never gotten in the habit of backing up the computer hard disk-drive. Once the drive became full, we installed a second drive and a friend copied everything over to the new larger drive. The problem being the digital photos (our wedding, babies, etc) somehow aren't fully readable (we used Adobe Photoshop for storage). The images seem to be there, but when you click to open a file, a different image displays. And now the kicker, the new disk-drive won't boot up. I fear we've permanently lost our photos and other miscellaneous files. I'd like to find someone to get the drive working, but more importantly to recover the photos and files. Thanks.

Can someone recommend an individual who can do PC service and repair for home office computers? I would like to find someone who can come to our home periodically and service our computers, make recommendations about appropriate software, virus prevention, and call in case of urgent problems. The postings on BPN are somewhat outdated, so would like current recommendations. Need computer help

Computer person needed to get my computer to work faster and stop freezing on me. Zeze

I have a desktop computer (originally custom-built) which is a bit old (Windows 2000 Pro), but has a lot of data on it and is attached to many peripherals (scanner, printers, Network, etc.). It has recently been showing signs of ''age'' with unexplained dropping out of USB connections, temporary loss of sound capabilities, etc., and I am looking for someone who will come to my Home Office (El Sobrante) to check the machine out; fix it; or consider installation of a totally new machine, but with preservation of the data on the old machine. I am of ''intermediate'' computer savvy but will not attempt to ''open up the box'', and need someone who will help me to get fully up and running again. I prefer someone with a ''track record'' (who has been in business for a while). Please contact me via e-mail and give your phone number, as I would like to speak with you in person. Many thanks, Bob Fink Robert

I have a small design business and I am looking for a computer consultant that has experience in networking and servicing BOTH Macs and PCs. We are moving into a new office space and I need someone to help set up our computers and network. After that I will need some general maintenance. Any recommendations would be appreciated!

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

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

I'm hoping to hire someone with software management skills who can help clean up a hodge-podge hard drive and teach me how to maintain it better. I have a 4-year-old PC with Windows 95 OS. It came with a bunch of software, much of which we don't use, and we've installed more. Recent software additions have started to affect unrelated programs, for example, upgrading NetScape resulted in problems shutting the computer down. I don't think this is due to a virus, but results from my limited software-management skills. Recently I bought a computer program for my academic work that that operates best using virtual memory. I'm afraid to use it because of what I might mess up. I hope you know someone who can help me reorganize my machine!

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. Scott

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

Backups

What do others do about backing up the data they have on their home computer? The most important thing to me are the pictures I have. Now that I only take digital pictures, what if I lost them all? I do have them backed up onto a external HD, and some are on CD, and a selection are uploaded to a share site so I guess I'd still have access to some of them there. But I'm worried about hard drive failure or my computer or backup HD being stolen. (There have been breakins in our neighborhood, we have been lucky.) What are others doing? Are there good online backup sites? I have 20+ GBs worth... a little worried

If you have a Mac you can use Carbon Copy to back either entire drives or specific content. 1 TBs drives are priced reasonably these days. I buy most of my drives from OWC. Backup often and have more than one backup! Keep one at work or at a friends house. diligent

The other rule is that if you are protecting the data from theft or damage like fire/water, you will need to have the data in two different physical locations. I am now a fan of going with an online storage/backup service. You can either use something like a photo sharing service or get a service that stores yours files for you. I would recommend getting a large external hard drive and synching it to a hosted site--that would be your belt with a pair of suspenders...... stacie

Hope this helps. It's important to have some kind of back up. Good you are doing this now. anon

I have two small USB disk drives (I like the little Western Digital Passport -- tiny, and about $100 from Amazon for 500 GB; only $75 if 250GB will do). I format the whole partition with TrueCrypt (www.truecrypt.org) -- free and very secure, so if the drive is lost or stolen I don't worry.

I keep one at home, and one in my safe deposit box at the bank. I use the one at home to back up every few days (incremental backup, so it takes very little time). I store the drive AWAY from the computer, so if it's stolen they won't think to take the backup drive. About every three months, I swap the home drive with its twin at the bank, so I have one that's no more than a couple months old totally safe even if my house burns down.

There are various ''cloud storage'' options these days, but I haven't used them and don't know how to evaluate their security or permanence (what if the company goes out of business? or an irate employee erases everything? etc.). --Careful about backups

I need to have a back up system for my computer...all my documents, photos, itunes, etc. I've been putting this off for a very long time and don't want to wait till it's too late. I have a PC....what's good? Prices? Easy-ish to manage? Thanks in advance june

Their basic program is free, but will only back up 2 GB. That's what I use, but I don't have it back up everything - especially photos, since they take so much space. They also offer $50/year for 150 GB.

For photos, as soon as I put them on my computer, I try to remember to upload them to two different online photo sites (I use Shutterfly and Koday Gallery) - in case one of them goes belly-up - so I don't have to use a ton of CDs. Not as convenient, but I don't have to do it often. R.K.

You can use an online service like http://mozy.com and get 2GB of storage for free or they have paid plans that accommodate more space. You set the computer to backup at a certain time and day and it takes care of the rest. The disadvantage is the data is stored elsewhere and may not be immediately accessible. If you have a catastrophic failure, you're going to have to know how to access the data from another computer for retrieval.

Personally, I use an external hard-drive that backs up all my important data daily without intervention. Most external drives will come with some type of software which will allow you to accomplish this in very easy fashion. For less than, $100 you should be able to find an external hard-drive to accommodate most needs. Your photos will take up the most space. I recently purchases a 1 terabyte drive for about $200 which should be more than enough for quite some time.

The downsides to the external hard-drive would be the potential for theft, damage (such as fire/flood) and cost. They will also wear out eventually since they are mechanical.

Eventually I will probably move to a dual external hard-drive configuration where one gets saved in a fire resistant safe.

Hope this helps! Rick

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.