Hello,
My computer is kind of f’ed up and I’d like to have a service come take a look at it. I think the issues are fairly simple (it’s ridiculously slow to boot up, drivers keep automatically updating themselves despite the fact I’ve disabled automatic updates, some programs downloaded that I didn’t want and I can’t get rid of them no matter how many times I uninstall them). However, I’m not particularly adept with PCs so I figured it would be cheaper to pay a guy rather than f’ing it up further… which I have done on a continuous basis and will probably continue to do so until I am stopped. And I think my wife is getting pissed with the steady degradation of our machine at my behest.
Does anyone have any recommendations? I called GeekSquad but dear mother of pearl, they are expensive. It costs $199 to join and then $49 per visit. I asked if they had a simple house call plan where I could just pay a higher rate to have them come out once, but it was $99 for a diagnosis and an additional $99 to fix the problem.
Has anyone used any other services with success? Or, are there any companies to avoid? I’m pretty sure there are at least a dozen members of the Washington-Lee AV club who could fix this for twenty bucks and a pack of cigarettes.
Thanks!
Hank
I’ve used these guys twice – they are not in Arlington but just south of the border (Alexandria).
http://www.oncall258.com/
If you suspect its a virus and need someone to professionally remove, repair and then optimize your computer once all is fixed, you may want to try your anti-virus provider like Norton. Their service is something like $99.99. They diagnose and fix your computer remotely.
Thanks, BNB and Fed. I checked the Yelp review for Oncall25/8 and saw some disconcerting comments. But it sounds like you’ve had good experiences. I suppose you have to take Yelp with a grain of salt.
Fedworker, I hadn’t realized that Norton did repairs beyond getting rid of spyware. Do you happen to know if they make make repairs that weren’t caused by spyware?
Anybody happen to use these guys? http://arlingtonvacomputerrepair.com/
Arlington VA Computer Repair sounds made up due to the overtly generic name, but apparently it’s a legitimate business.
I’m not sure what services Norton covers. I used them to remove spyware/trojan virus from my computer. It took a couple of hours but they were 100% successful. Its a bit weird speaking with folks like “Ted” and “Mike” with heavy Indian accents and watching them take control over your computer remotely but they were highly professional and knowledgeable. Their supervisor even called me afterward to ask about my experience to ensure I was completely satisfied with their service.
Have you considered trying to fix it yourself? Personally, I would get a 16 GB thumb drive, or a portable hard drive, and backup everything that you cannot live without. Once backed up, I would completely reformat the computer, as long as you have the Windows media that came with your PC. Once reformatted, re-install everything you need when you need to use it.
Hello,
Thanks, 350sbc and Tabby for your suggestions. I did back up my files and did a clean reinstall. Unfortunately, my computer now reboots itself every fifteen minutes unless it is in safe mode. Tabby, I did see that guy and I’m going to try him. If he can’t do anything, I’ll go the Norton route as suggested.
May need to update drivers from your manufacturer’s website.
Download and install MalwareBytes in safe mode with networking.
I swear by that program. It works wonders. You may need to use that and combination of SuperAntiSpyware if you’re still having problems. Once you’ve run MBs once, run it again to make sure it’s clean and if not, install SAS and run that.
Those two combined have yet to fail me, but oftentimes, MBs alone will fix things.
+1 on the Malwarebytes. Download it/copy to a CD from another computer and chuck it in.
And stop looking at porn.
Awesome! Thanks. I’ll give it a try. Will this erase all of my data, or just clean out the spyware?
And Tabby, you can’t ask that of me. It’s too much.
It’ll just clean out the malware. It’s very good — I had a Trojan virus that was very stubborn, and MWB got rid of it without a problem.
If you can’t get it clean and functioning properly with the Malwarebytes, please let me know. I own an IT company and have been helping people such as you for years. And I’m much less expensive than the other guys.
I have used Arlington VA Computer Repair on two separate occasions after a friend recommended them. They did a fine job, on time and on budget. I recommend calling them to get an estimate.
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