PC Consultant

Consulting

Pre-Purchase Consulting: By carefully determining your needs, I can help you decide what you want included in your new PC system. How do you want to use your new PC? Are you looking for the latest and greatest technology, or for a heavy duty work horse? Will you be using your PC primarily to check your e-mail, or to play the latest 3D games? Will you be creating graphics, bringing work home, or running a business?; Or I can help you determine that what you really want is to upgrade your existing system. Have you been happy with your machine until very recently? Have you decided that it's just a little slow? Have you been running into system resource errors? Or have you learned that your system does not meet the minimum requirements for software you have decided you need?
Aquisition: I love to shop. And I love to do comparison shopping. If you're finding you do not have the time to shop for your PC system, hardware, or software -- Let me do it for you! I'll search for the best return for your money and save you time as part of the bargain.

Installation: Now that you have your new PC system, hardware, or software -- are you comfortable installing it yourself?; Let me take care of that for you. Not only will I install it for you, I'll setup simple system maintenance tasks to run automatically to ensure everything continues to run smoothly.
Upgrade: Do you need more memory, a better video card, or a faster modem? Are you looking for the newest version of that software program you just can't live without?; I'll install and test your new parts and programs and track the changes made to your PC system.
Configuration: Have you installed software or a new piece of hardware, but it doesn't work? Not only that, but has something else stopped working in the process? Does the system manager say you have a modem, but you can't connect to your online service? Do you need to run more than one version of Windows and/or Linux on the same PC system?; I can troubleshoot and resolve that problem for you. I'll configure your PC system to run properly with the hardware you need. I'll check your CMOS and BIOS settings and help you create a dual boot system.
Optimization: I'll use diagnostics to check your PC system's current configuration and I'll optimize your PC system to run at it's greatest efficiency.

Anti-virus: Do you think your system may have a virus? Are you running an anti-virus program? Is it current?; I can clean your system, and possibly recover the infected files for you. I'll install the anti-virus program of your choice, and see that the anti-virus signatures are current for your best protection.
Backups: If a disaster occurs do you have a backup? When did you last backup your hard drive? Do you have a tape drive or removable disk backup system?; I can install a tape drive, or removable disk system and do a backup for you. I can recommend a backup schedule that will meet your computing needs.
Software and Device Driver Version Upgrade Tracking: Every time you install new hardware or software you make changes to your PC system. Do you remember what you've done, and when you did it? Do you know the changes that occurred and how to undo them? Do you have the latest drivers installed for the hardware you have?; I can document your hardware settings and the drivers you are currently using. I will track the version upgrades as they become available and keep you up to date.
System Troubleshooting: Your PC system suddenly won't start up correctly. You frequently get BSDs ("blue screens of death"). You don't seem to have any disk space. Or it just doesn't seem to be working the way it was working before.; I LOVE puzzles. Let me solve this one for you. I can help you with hard drive clean-ups, bug fixes, broken cables, and dead batteries.

PC User: Do you know how to scan a file for a virus? How to back-up a directory or hard drive?; Do you know how to run scan disk or defrag. Do you know when and why to run these disk maintenance programs?; Do you know how to change your desktop settings? How to make the right click button on your mouse act like a double click?; Do you know how to make the network neighborhood icon disappear from your desktop?; I can teach you these and many other simple techniques to make your PC use easy, enjoyable, and more productive.
Microsoft Office: Do you know how to address an envelope using Word?; Using Excel, can you create a formula in one cell that refers to information contained in cells on another workpage?; Do you know how to print your presentation pages in an outline from PowerPoint?; Can you set up a mail filter in Outlook?; I will teach you tips and tricks to use in your Office applications.
Internet Explorer / Netscape Navigator: Need help using your internet browser application?; I can help you set it up, and customize it to suit your needs. I can teach you navigation online, and how to manage your bookmarks. How to change settings to not automatically load images (for browsing speed), and how to change them back. How to check your mail, use filters, and access newsgroups.
HTML: Some say HTML is a very complicated language. I happen to believe it's rather like Pig Latin. I can get you started with the basics of the language.