The Cheaper Geek

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The Cheaper Geek

Brendan McNamara
Los Osos, California
Phone: +18054581469

Basically, I fix, build and upgrade Windows PC's, servicing the area San Luis Obispo county, CA on the central coast. Doesn't matter what kind of PC needs fixin' - old, new, halfway in-between - as long as it isn't totally thrashed and waterlogged, and provided you haven't used it as a canoe or quasi-official litterbox stand. I can usually take a look at it, fix what's wrong in the software and/or hardware, and have it back to you in around 2-4 days.

My prices start at $50 for a routine in-home checkup and analysis, to see if you have any major problems or if they're minor ones that can be fixed then and there. If I can't fix it then and there, I will take it home at which point the entirety of the repairs will run $75-150 (including that original $50) depending on the severity of the problem. That includes any necessary repair of any hardware and software issues that might emerge (parts excluded). If your computer needs to be backed up and reformatted, I can do that too, and the entire price can still stay within $100, in fact most of the work I do falls within $75-100. I won't charge more than $150 for labor on a given computer.

I specialize in finding and removing all the unnecessary extra software and official spyware put out there by secondary companies, and very often that includes some of the so-called "necessaries" by SBC Yahoo and so on, which slow your computer down beyond belief and open you up to all sorts of viruses, ads and spyware. Most of the time it works out to where there is already a way to connect with Windows without the extra hassle. Once most of these programs are removed, you'll be astonished at how fresh and clean and speedy your computer will be. It might even be faster than when you first bought it, since most computers that you buy at a store are also loaded with tons of gimmick software that bogs it down from the start (which I also remove). For this kind of cleaning service that shouldn't be necessary to begin with, the Geek Squad charges an extra $118 before you even get the computer out of the store - my price is about half of that.

That's just for starters. There are also lots of unnecessaries eating your computer in Windows itself! I have available customized installations of Windows XP that can use your existing license key, that take up around half the space on your hard drive, half the memory, and are that much less vulnerable to attack - and oh yeah, run twice as fast! When all is said and done, it will feel like a brand new computer again.

I am Open Source. On every PC I fix, I install the Mozilla Firefox browser and their e-mail program Thunderbird as the main accesses to the internet. The main reason I do this, is because Outlook Express and Internet Explorer (the most common browser and email programs, the ones that if you're like 80% of the population, you're using) are both closely tied-in with the actual Windows files and so create an almost guaranteed entry point for most determined viruses. The NSA has actually come out and said that Internet Explorer is a national security hazard becuase it's so full of holes, in fact one big hole. Firefox and Thunderbird, however, both run in environments separate from any vulnerable parts of the operating system, and are overseen openly by vast teams of many dedicated individuals working for next-to-zero cash. They also look, work, and run better, and take up less than half the space, with a built-in universal search bar, pop-up blocker, and tabbed browsing. The beauty of free source or open source software is a huge and intricate environment of dedicated individuals who love what they're doing, versus the invested and interested developments of closed-door companies. Plus, it's usually free.

I use free anti-virus and anti-spyware software as well - the beauty of Mozilla, when it's properly installed, is that the amount of spyware and ads that you get will drop to practically nothing, and what little is left can be taken care of by a combination of Spybot and Ad-Aware, the most popular ad-removal programs. I use Comodo Antivirus beta, which is totally free for home use and not annoying like almost every other free antivirus. I even have an open-source version of Office available, with all the fixin's. All these programs are totally free and available here on my website for download. The website is a free resource of information and tools for anybody's use - and my services are an experienced hand to get you out of a tight spot.

I can also fix and upgrade the hardware of most if not all desktops and laptops (including the DC jacks on laptops!). I can build computers, or fleets of computers, to your specifications, sit down with you and teach you about the components one by one if you wish, how to put a computer together from the ground up, so you can get a more complete understanding of how it works. I can also refurbish or rebuild old desktops and laptops from good recycled parts. For most computer build or refurbish jobs I charge about $100 on top of the parts.

I'm also (as you can see) an experienced freelance web designer. I can build you a simple working webpage or an interactive community one for around $200 - 250 , at around $15 an hour, including individual graphic design and logo creation as necessary. This website here, with all its fancy forms and what-nots, is using yet another bit of free-source software, a content management system called Mambo (available for free for download and supplied by most web hosts), which I can develop to your taste. I'm also a creative writer and artist, and I'll be putting up a link to my design studio, art and portfolio sometime in the future.

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