Computer Rescue & Repair

Information may not be reliable

Offering a variety of services for the Small Business and Home User, including Computer Rescue and Repair, all at reasonable rates:

Q. What kind of services do you provide?
A. I specialize in house calls. I come out to your home or place of business days, nights, or weekends. If I am not in when you call, you can leave an extended message.
Q. I wanted to get rid of my old computer. Do you take trade-ins?
A. You can no longer put your computers in the trash in Massachusetts. It is against the law. Also there is a recycling fee for disposing of your computer in most towns.
Therefore, I cannot accept old computers, even as gifts.
Q. How can I recyle my Computer? I hate to throw it out.
A. There are a number of places that will recyle old computers for use in education, or for use in needy areas overseas. Here are some web pages with some information:

Please note that some of this information on these pages might not be completely up to date. Be sure to make telephone calls in advance before dropping off your computers.
If you have a computer that is not working well. please do not donate it to a local church or charity, without checking in advance. Often, they might not have the resources to get it running correctly. Or it might not have the power to do the things they would want to do. In this case, it would be better to donate the machines through one of the resources listed above.
Q. I turned my computer on, and all of my windows icons run away from my mouse arrow. This is kinda funny, but I need to get my Windows fixed. What is going on here?
A. You probably have a Computer Virus.This is not a laughing matter. The Virus name is Magistr, and depending on what version it is, it can be very nasty. If the virus has been your computer for at least two months, this is what happens. Some viruses don't do much much damage. Several versions of the Magistr Virus can destroy and damage your files, as well as send stuff to people in your email address book. While recovery from an erased hard drive is possible, it can be a long and therefore expensive process.
Get somebody to come over and fix this as soon as possible.
Q. I have a newer computer (a year or so old) and all of a sudden, it is running really really slow. I mean really slow. What's Wrong?
A. Before doing anything else, check the CPU Fan. Pentium IV processors have a special safety mode for when the fan fails and the processor starts to get too hot. If the fan stops, or doesn't turn on, then the computer will slow down very quickly to protect the chip so that it doesn't burn up. It will go from running at 1000 to running at about 100. This is built into the chip and motherboard. It is a safety feature.
Pentium III processors also have this feature, but it is not as fancy. The computer will lock up when they get too hot. But you can shut the computer down, replace the fan, and be back up and running.
This was actually tested by a computer hobby site. Please Note: AMD processors do not have this safety feature, and will destroy themselves when they overheat badly.
There can be many other reasons why the computer is behaving like this. But this is a quick fix that can save you lots of money. Maybe the fan is just not plugged in. It could be something as simple as that. Of course, there are other things that could cause this, but check this out first.
Q. All of a sudden, when I turned my computer on, nothing happened. No Lights, no sounds. Nothing. (well, maybe the fan is working) I'm in a panic. What do I do?
A. Don't Panic.This is something I have started to see in the past year or so with older or under powered computers. What has usually happened is that the Power Supply in the Computer has stopped working.
If this is the case, then You probably have not lost any of your valuable business or personal information. All of your files are probably OK. The Power Supply will have to be replaced.
If you have a slightly more modern computer you will have a newer style power supply. These are relatively easy to replace. Often, you can get a good deal on a new computer case, which includes a decent power supply. If you have a small case with all kinds of cables and wire stuffed tightly inside, you mighrt want to check out this option. CompUSA, for example sells a decent case by Antec for around 70 dollars, and this gives you a lot more flexibilty. Of course, all of the old parts like the main board, etc into the new case. The point is that while you are paying for a new supply, you may be able to do yourself a favor by setting up a slightly larger box as well. This is mostly a matter of taste.
If you have an older computer, the older style of power supply is becoming harder to find. In this situation, it depends on the main board in the computer.
The worst case scenario is replace and upgrade both the case and the main board. The other parts, like CD Roms, your hard drive, etc will get moved into the new case.
The cost to get you back up and running in this situation with be the cost of a case (70 dollars as mentioned above), plus the cost of a basic main board with cpu (very low end cost = about 160 dollars or so for something with a pentium IV @ 1300), and other parts you might not be able to move over, such as memory, sound card, modem, etc. (another 50 or so dollars) and time to move the parts over, load up software for the new board, etc. (typically two to four hours).
Other problems, like bad software, etc. would have to be fixed as part of a separate diagnosis. The first step is to get the computer running so that you can get at your files. The second would be to sort out any issues that are discovered after the system is able to start, such as software issues, internet problems, etc.
If you have a older computer, such as a pentium 100 or 200, then this would be a very economical upgrade to your computer.