Computer Classes in Burbank

by: Ian Mauleon

"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." -Albert Einstein

E-Geniuses is continuing to serve their community as well as expanding their services by offering computer tutoring classes. The classes being offered will teach those who aren’t too confident with their email, photos, social networking, and internet browsing. “It feels good to give people piece of mind by teaching” said owner Joey Mariano. This will be a way to reach out to their community of Burbank and surrounding areas by actively being involved face to face with them and going beyond computer repair. “We want to create good relationships with our neighbors, regardless if they need our services or not.”

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Many computer service companies want you to call them for pricing info. That’s understandable for them to want to be able to explain their pricing structure. But, when you’re having computer problems, the last thing you want to do is price shop computer service companies by phone. If companies put their pricing on their website, it would take out the extra step of having to call them. Why then wouldn’t they put their price list online? It makes it seem as if their prices/rates aren’t competitive.

E-Geniuses gives you direct access to their PC repair price list on their website. If the cost to fix your computer is within your budget, then you can just call to set an appointment with a technician. If it is not, then at least you don’t have to waste time trying to get a hold of someone on the phone.

When you are having computer problems, you want to find a solution as easily and as painless as possible. That’s exactly what you can expect with E-Geniuses.

Click Here to See E-Geniuses’ Computer Repair Price List.

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What is the cost of fixing a computer? Well, it depends. The factors involve the type of repair needed, the cost of parts required and of course, the rate the technician charges.

Most technicians will diagnose the problem first then give an estimate.

For this post, let’s pretend your computer won’t boot because of a failing hard drive. The services required are as follows: recovery and transfer of important data, installation of a new hard drive, installation of an operating system, and migration of the previously transferred data.

Regardless of which company you get to service your computer, the services required are the same. A good computer repair company will also recommend a backup to prevent future frustration.

The part, the replacement hard drive, should not be much higher than what your local electronics store would charge. Most companies will charge 10 to 20 percent over cost. The convenience of having the part right away is worth the extra cost.

Then there’s the service charge, the cost of labor and expertise. Some technicians charge an hourly rate and some charge per service. An hourly rate is good if you have a good idea of how long a repair will take. The rate a technician charges varies widely, but you can be sure that an experienced technician knows his worth and will charge more to get things done right. A lower price doesn’t necessarily mean that the technician is inexperienced, but it could be a hint that their business model is based on volume. That might also mean that they will cut corners.

Companies that charge per service are good when you are looking for a solution but aren’t sure how long the service will take. A 2 hour service and a 5 hour service at $100 per hour is a big difference. When you pay per service, you know how much you will spend up front. They will give you an estimate after the diagnosis. The final invoice should be very close to the initial estimate. Any changes in cost should be agreed upon before moving forward.

Always look for a company who guarantees their work. The last thing you want is to pay for a service that doesn’t fix your problem. Usually companies that charge per hour do not refund you for hours worked. It’s more likely that you will get a problem-solved guarantee from a company that charges per service.

Another thing to keep in mind is that cheaper is not always better, nor do you always get what you pay for. The key is to do your research first. Read client testimonials. Are they believable? If the company has no reviews, you can assume that they either have very few clientele or they don’t want you to know what clients have to say about them. A little time invested in researching a company can save you a lot in terms of money and headache.

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Hard Drive Maintenance in Glendale

I arrived at a referred customer’s house in Glendale to look at an older computer that could not start up Windows XP properly.  After running a hard drive diagnostic program and fixing the problem, or so I thought, we were able to trace the problem to a video card error.  The family was ecstatic that they can surf the internet and email their friends and family again.  They were so happy at our service that they trusted us to fix their Power Mac Pro, a $4000 computer.  I explained that a Mac system is a lot more complicated that a PC and would require us to work on it back at the shop.

After several hours of taking everything apart and testing the components, we concluded that it was a faulty power supply.  Since the power supply was proprietary, we had to special or the unit.  It took the unit over a week to arrive.  We installed it, tested, and brought it back to the client’s house.  Once again, they were happy with the service and gave us another task.

This new task was to install and network router in their home so they can share the internet connection between the PC, XBox, and Mac.  Luckily I had an extra router in my car and was able to set it up for them without having to make another trip.

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Q: My Blackberry isn’t receiving emails from my personal and work email accounts. Can you help figure out what the problem is?

A: Definitely. We work with Blackberry, Palm Treos and almost any smartphone or PDA you may have. Most of the time, the problem is caused by not having the proper information for the mail server or not using the proper username or password.

Q: We had a power outage over the weekend and our server got turned off. Will that affect our data?
A: If you have a UPS, uninterruptible power supply, and backup regularly, then you don’t have anything to worry about. Lots of times, computers get messed up when power is brought back from an outage and a spike in electricity is transferred to the delicate circuitry on the computer. If you have the proper protection, the computer should just turn back on as usual.

Q: One of our workstation computers at the office can’t find the server. Can you see why the other computers can connect, but this one cannot?
A: Some of the more common issues with a computer not being able to connect have to do with firewalls, firewalls that the user didn’t even know existed, incorrect workgroup settings in Windows XP or Vista, network cable problems, wireless network connectivity issues or incorrect permissions. This would be something we would need to diagnose and troubleshoot on-site.

Q: I accidentally pressed a button and deleted some important data. I tried to undo but that didn’t do anything. Is there a way to get some of that data back?
A: It depends on whether the data has been overwritten or not. The best thing to do is to call you technician as soon as possible to prevent the data from being overwritten therefore increasing the likelihood of successful retrieval. Some data must be restore with the actual application. It really depends on the particular case. Remember to always backup regularly to recover deleted files. Also make sure to save often when writing new documents. I would make sure that autosave is turned on also.

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What hardware and software does the computer savvy elite have that the ordinary person does not and why? Many computer geniuses know what is important when it comes to computer setups. We can’t always afford everything we want, but there are some things that are close to necessary if you want to get the most out of technology. Here’s an overview of some hardware, software and services that will get you started in finding your inner genius with the help of technology, without having to be a technical geek or guru.

You need a computer that can keep up with you. If your computer is too slow and it discourages you from using it, then you need to either upgrade or optimize your system. In many cases, removing unnecessary start-up programs, upgrading ram, and removing viruses can make a big difference without having to swap out your entire computer.

Security is extremely important if you’re doing anything even remotely private such as online banking, writing your next best selling book, or even email. Anytime you type in your password, you should feel confident that no one else will be able to retrieve it. This requires an updated security suite. So many new viruses are made each day, that we would recommend having a computer service company that can change your security software based on current threats. E-Geniuses offers Monthly Maintenance Plans specifically for that reason. We can service clients anywhere in the world as long as they have a high-speed internet connection.

Most people are aware of advantages of a high-speed internet connection. With the prices of DSL nowadays, no one should be paying for a dial-up connection.

Backup, backup and backup! The two types of backups that we always recommend are backups of your software, operating system and priceless data (pictures, movies, music, documents). This requires an extra hard drive or an online backup storage solution. These backups should be automatic. A flash drive is not sufficient for this purpose since it has a limited life span.

The second type of backup is a battery backup also called a UPS. The purpose of a battery backup is to protect your computer from electrical issues caused by fluctuations. This is one of the most common causes of computer hardware failure and can easily be prevented with a UPS.

Of course the proper peripheral devices are important for functionality. Devices that fit into this category are scanners, printers, wireless routers, comfort keyboards and mice, and web cams.

Software is crucial to being able to do what you want to do. Every computer user has specific uses for their computer and it differs from user to user. Computer software programs need to be installed to facilitate those needs. Let your computer service technician know what you want to be able to do, and they should be able to find the right software to get the job done. Many times, the software is available for free.

Every computer user needs to feel comfortable with the software on their computer. They should feel familiar enough so that the computer doesn’t get in the way of what they really intend to do. The computer experience should almost be transparent. Tutoring is recommended for anyone who wants to get the most out of their computer. One-on-one tutoring is going to be more effective than computer classes because you can learn the software specific to what you want to do. E-Geniuses offers One-on-One Tutoring Services for existing clients. Feel free to contact us and see how we can get you on the right track.

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