What are the most common problems?

**riddellcomp** · October 25th, 2003, 10:49 PM

I am thinking about starting a part time computer repair service from home and am curious to know what are the most common problems that techs deal with these days with regards to the home user?

Thanks.

**jaeger** · October 25th, 2003, 11:04 PM

Astounding idiocy.

**Major Kong** · October 25th, 2003, 11:09 PM

Part time computer repair services run out of homes!

**riddellcomp** · October 25th, 2003, 11:52 PM

Quote>"Astounding idiocy."

Well this may be the case where you live, however I live in a small town in Australia with a population of only 15,000 people. I have a well paid full time job and plan to do this part time after hours and on weekends. I already do this for friends and through word of mouth but I intend to advertise more and either do call outs or people can drop off their pc during the day with my wife and I will fix it at night.
So how about you back up your comments with reasons why this is a stupid idea? I have very little competition and most people I have dealt with in the past are more than happy to wait a day or two for their computers to be fixed, as we live in a remote area so are used to waiting for parts etc to arrive.

**Percy** · October 26th, 2003, 12:25 AM

You misunderstand. What he meant, was a reply to your question, "What are the most common problems?" His reply to your question was, 'Astounding idiocy'. And I'd have to agree. I work as a tech in a large retail chain and on a daily basis I ask the questions, "Do you have important data on this system?", followed by "Is it backed up to CD or another hard drive?" About half of the people say yes, they've got important data and of them, about one in twenty has backed it up. And of course they squeal like pigs when I tell them it's $60/hour for us to do it.
Add to this all the standard idiots, like the Do-It-Yourselfers, the curious ones who like to dig around in their system files and the

**Percy** · October 26th, 2003, 12:33 AM

(damn return key) And the masses of people using Kazaa or some variant thereof. Seems like Windows should just come with some sort of PtP software preinstalled and save the trouble of having to download and install it.

Sorry, didn't mean to steal your thread, I'm mostly just agreeing with jaeger. The main problem that most techs see is the astounding idiocy of the people who's machines they're working on. User error accounts for about 50% of the work that I do, another 25% for upgrades and the rest are genuine hardware failures.

I know that no one is born knowing things about computers, we all have to learn at some point. But c'mon. Did the lady I worked with today really need to force the RJ45 connector for her CAT5 cable into one of her modem jacks because it looked like it should fit? :butt:

**Major Kong** · October 26th, 2003, 12:35 AM

Ummm riddellcomp jaeger was talking about users and some of the things that are done to PC's. He wasn't saying you have a stupid idea. Take a look in Tech Tales for some of the more interesting stories.

I used to have a small PC building and repair business when I lived in Arizona. Due to the nature of my job in Alaska I am no longer able to it, and took down my shingle (though I have looked at a few PC since we moved up here). It sounds like you have a decent base, so that is good. I would think, if you already haven't, come up with a good work release statement for your clients to sign to protect yourself. Work out a quote sheet for your services. Be prepared to be called at your normal work for problems (oy it happens!). And you may look at carrying some sort of professional liabilty insurance in case of an oops (I'm not sure how it is in Australia, but you may look at your homeowners insurance policy). We have a few posters from the Land Down Under (Mayet, Platypus) who may be able to shed some further light. Good luck in your endevor.

**riddellcomp** · October 26th, 2003, 12:57 AM

"Astounding Idiot", is how I feel right now.
Sorry Jaeger, I thought you were telling me that I am an idiot for wanting to start a computer business. I suppose I got on my high horse because I have read posts on other forums that immediately slam people who want to start a computer business.
I have since read many of the posts on the tech tales board so know exactly what your talking about.

Thanks Percy and Majorkong for your advice and suggestions.

**jaeger** · October 26th, 2003, 02:43 AM

Originally Posted by riddellcomp

"Astounding Idiot", is how I feel right now.
Sorry Jaeger, I thought you were telling me that I am an idiot for wanting to start a computer business. I suppose I got on my high horse because I have read posts on other forums that immediately slam people who want to start a computer business.
I have since read many of the posts on the tech tales board so know exactly what your talking about.

Thanks Percy and Majorkong for your advice and suggestions.

No prob bub. Astounding idiocy basically covers users finding ways to break computers that just shouldnt happen. Ever seen a system that has had a fdd cable forced into the hdd and cdrom? How about a molex shoved in upside down? How about bare wires used as fan extensions? Or the half cylinder of hot glue used to attach a cpu fan that both fills in the heatsink and prevents the fan from spinning? Hell, that reminds me of the guy who got a MacGuyveresque hair up his *** and assembled damn near a whole system with zip ties. Only consider starting a repair business if you can look a moron in the face and say "Don't worry sir, this is a common problem. They really should place a label on the CDROM stating it isnt a sex toy." Final tip, get a cell phone, give users the cell phone number, never ever give them your home number. This way you can escape from the tards when need be.

**riddellcomp** · October 26th, 2003, 04:00 AM

QuoteOnly consider starting a repair business if you can look a moron in the face and say "Don't worry sir, this is a common problem. They really should place a label on the CDROM stating it isnt a sex toy."-

ROFLMAO,

Yes I can imagine what you are talking about. I do have a cell phone for the reason you mentioned.

Thanks again.

BTW where is the option to paste a quote??

**Platypus** · October 26th, 2003, 04:53 AM

Originally Posted by riddellcomp

BTW where is the option to paste a quote??

It's the little "Reply" button on the lower RHS of the post you want to quote. If you hover the mouse pointer over it the pop-up identifies the function as "Reply W/quote".

**riddellcomp** · October 26th, 2003, 06:23 AM

Originally Posted by Platypus

It's the little "Reply" button on the lower RHS of the post you want to quote. If you hover the mouse pointer over it the pop-up identifies the function as "Reply W/quote".

Great..Thanks Platypus.

**Titchski** · October 26th, 2003, 06:56 AM

1) Always make sure you agree on what you're going to get paid before you start work (on a per hour basis - none of this well, I reckon $50 should cover it - it won't). When I started repairs and such, people used to balk when I gave them their bill, mostly they paid it but... It's not like you can put their PC BACK in the state it was in beforehand... well you could I guess

2) NEVER, EVER let your wife/husband/girlfriend/boyfriend/cat farm you out to their friends to fix things without them checking 1) above. This happened a couple of times to me. One ended up being a 3 visit job for a total of about 9 hours work (rough value $500). What did I get out of it? A can of cherry coke and some cookies

It's a bit of a double edged sword, as your s/o will probably be p!ssed off when you say no. Mine was until I told her how much I would have made had she checked with me first.

3) Always remember to turn your clocks back in the autumn, that way you get an extra hours sleep (guess who forgot this one?)

Thats about all for now, I'm off back to bed to try and rescue my hour