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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E-Geniuses is continuing its steady growth and has opened a new location in the “Media Capital of the World”, Burbank, California. They’re currently in a soft launch phase and are making preparations for their official grand opening in December of 2009. Although the main office has moved to its new home on the corner of Burbank Boulevard and Florence Avenue, they still maintain an off-hours drop-off and pick-up location in Downtown Los Angeles and will continue to serve all of Southern California with their on-site computer repair technicians. During this transition, E-Geniuses is continuing to operate fully, both on-site and at the Burbank storefront.

Moving from a strictly office location in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles to a full blown storefront location has brought many perks to current and future E-Geniuses clients. The newest Burbank computer repair storefront is situated in a small shopping center that is anchored by E-Geniuses’ neighbor, Andre’s Cafe. While they wait for their computer to be serviced, clients can grab a bite to eat at the family owned and operated cafe that serves affordable American and Thai cuisine until 3 PM everyday. Additional highlights are a private and free parking lot, a comfortable and technologically equipped media waiting room with WiFi access and refreshments.

The expanded location will also serve to hold seminars and workshops, held by E-Geniuses owner, Joey Mariano. Topics will range from computers, new technology, and training sessions to website development and design for small businesses. Mariano, who grew up in Burbank, felt that relocating the central headquarters of his company was a natural move. “I grew up in Burbank and I have always admired the city and its traditional way of life. Burbank has a great community and this is my way of giving back. With E-Geniuses, I want to provide the residents not only computer repair in Burbank but additional services that will fulfill all of their technological needs. I want to provide a different type of computer service that goes beyond just computer repair.” Clients both new and old can continue to expect the same great customer service and quick turnaround times that they’ve become accustomed to from E-Geniuses.

With this new move, they’ll also be providing local repair individuals with the opportunity to become part of the E-Geniuses team. As a team member, they’ll be equipped with a personal workstation with an ample work area, fiber optic high-speed Internet and the use of all common area facilities such as the media waiting room. All of this is in addition to all of the added benefits of being part of the E-Geniuses team.

For more information, feel free to contact the office through their website at e-geniuses.com or by calling (877) My-Genius. Your newest stop for computer repair in Burbank is located at 2718 W. Burbank Boulevard, Burbank, California 91505. Proposed hours for the storefront will be 9 AM to 6 PM, Monday through Friday, 10 AM to 5 PM on Saturdays and by appointment on Sundays.

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Repairs in Burbank

Virus and Spyware Removal in Burbank

Reinstallation of Operating System in Burbank

New Computer Setup in Burbank

Upgrades in Burbank

Memory Installation in Burbank

Hard Drive Installation in Burbank

CD/DVD/CD-RW/DVD-RW Installation in Burbank

Internal/External Device Installation in Burbank

Data Migration in Burbank

Wireless Networking in Burbank

Preventive Maintenance in Burbank

Optimization in Burbank

Personal Technician Service in Burbank

Monthly Maintenance Plan in Burbank

Drive Imaging in Burbank

Other Services in Burbank

Tutoring in Burbank

Telecommuting in Burbank

All prices subject to change. Call for services not listed. i.e. Software Installation, Motherboard Installation, Screen Replacement.

A $49 service fee is applied to each on-site service for travel and diagnosis. Hardware is not included in any of these services.

E-Geniuses does not assume liability for data corruption or loss at any time. Customer must backup data prior to service call. E-Geniuses is not a reseller of computers, parts or accessories. Returns for all products purchased and installed for clients is the responsibility of the client and the reseller of that product. E-Geniuses is only responsible for the delivery and installation of that product. Parts can only be returned to the reseller if within the seller’s return policy. Charges for the visit and reinstallation will be incurred by the client. If a part is found defective during the initial installation the E-Geniuses will only charge for the extra visit, but not for the additional installation. E-Geniuses assumes no responsibility for the products purchased on the client’s behalf.

*Any additional visits are $49 per visit and each additional hour is also $49.

**Payment options for Monthly Maintenance Plans include: $19 a month if pre-paid for 6 or more months; $20 a month if paid monthly through PayPal; $25 a month if paid monthly through check or money order. Avast home an optional install.

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Could you tell the difference between your anti-virus program and malicious website attempting to install viruses into your computer?

Real (Windows Security Center)

Fake (Antivirus 2008)

Studies show that cybercrooks have a 3.4% success-rate infecting users’ computers. Chances are high that you will eventually come across an infected website. It would definitely be a good idea to make sure that you can spot the good security suites from the rogues.

Tip #1

The first thing you should do is find out which antivirus you are actually using. Remember the name of the program and what the application windows and interface look like. You should do the same for your antispyware and firewall applications as well. You will therefore be able recognize when a hacked site is attempting to lure you into a trap using scare tactics. Here’s an example of a rogue antivirus program using the scare tactic, “found infections, now buy me or else!”

Fake “Virus Detection”

Tip #2

Use Firefox and the Web of Trust addon. The main reason we recommend Firefox to our clients is because of the wide variety of addons available for it. When setting up a new computer, one of the first things I install is Firefox and the Web of Trust (WOT) addon. WOT shows you ratings for websites before you even click on them.

Let’s say you do a Google search for an anti-virus program. From my experience using WOT, I have found that at least one of the links on the page will receive a bad rating from WOT. Here’s one of the links WOT shows as having a poor reputation when searching for “anti-virus” in Google.

Notice the red warning circle next to the link.

What this means is that other WOT users have checked the site out and have found it to be unsafe. WOT even allows you to see other peoples’ comments about the site. You can rate sites and comment as well. In fact, the WOT community relies on users like you and I.

Here’s what you will see if you enter a site that WOT users have deemed as having a poor reputation.

Of course, websites are constantly being infected so there may be some newly infected sites that have not yet been detected by the WOT community. In these cases, you will need another layer of protection.

Tip #3

Malwarebytes, The Best Free Anti-Malware Program That You Really Should Buy.

Malwarebytes is a free program that has excellent detection rates. It is able to find and remove viruses, spyware and malware that many security suites cannot. It is maintained by a small group that regularly browses forums looking for infection trends and stopping them early. Like I said, the program does an excellent job of removing viruses, but for $24.95 for a lifetime subscription, the full version can actually prevent threats from infecting your computer. Prevention is really the key to safe browsing. (Buy Full Malwarebytes by Clicking Here.)

So lets just suppose you visit a website that was just infected a few hours ago. Since it has just been newly infected, the WOT community has not yet rated the site negatively in order to warn you. So you go to the site and a window comes up saying that your computer is being scanned for viruses and that it is infected with numerous trojan viruses. Assuming you didn’t follow Tip # 1 and cannot differentiate between the rogue anti-virus and your real anti-virus, you download the “fix”. Many times, I have found that Malwarebytes will actually block the download based on the IP address of the website. If it doesn’t, it will detect that the file you’ve downloaded is malicious once you try to install it. Malwarebytes will block these attempts by the virus to infect your computer.

Malwarebytes detecting and removing infections.

Summary

1) Familiarize yourself with your security programs and what they actually look like.

2) Use WOT, Web of Trust addon for Firefox so that you know whether links are safe or not.

3) Use Malwarebytes to prevent malware from infecting your PC.

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As you know, E-Geniuses provides maintenance plans to proactively prevent viruses and spyware from infecting your computer. This allows our clients to safely perform time saving tasks such as online purchasing and online banking. In addition to having us maintain their computers to ensure security, we would also recommend that clients keep track of their credit reports and to look out for unauthorized charges.

Federal law states that you have the right to receive a free copy of your credit report once every 12 months. AnnualCreditReport.com allows users to view their credit reports from the three major reporting agencies; Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian.

If you see any unauthorized credit cards or charges on your existing credit cards, then call your card company right away. Other companies also offer paid services that can alert you when there is suspicious charges made.

A credit report can also come in handy when purchasing a vehicle. If your credit rating is good, then you may use it as leverage to negotiate a better interest rate.

Checking your credit report is not only easy, it’s also free! Make sure to check your credit report at least once a year to ensure a level of security that will protect your credit score. Oh yeah, make sure your computer is also properly secured and maintained.

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Kogi verde is coming to Koreatown! Wilshire and Ardmore! @ 11.45. Bring it! 10:42 PM May 14th from txt

Twitter, the micro-blogging platform popularly used by celebrities, politicians and civilians alike to tell friends (or fans) about their current condition or whereabouts, is now being taken full advantage of by both stationary and traveling businesses.

Take, for example, the Kogi BBQ trucks in Los Angeles: vendors of Korean-style tacos, and a local favorite amongst Angelinos in-the-know.  The Kogi BBQ utilizes Twitter’s mobile functionalities to communicate with customers (and generate plenty of word-of-mouth attention in the meantime) by posting not only their location but also secret menu items, viewable only to “Followers” of their Twitter account. By doing this they not only effectively secure the customers they have, but attract more.

Twitter can be utilized by not only traveling businesses such as Kogi BBQ , but also by any company looking to find new customers or to widen their outreach. For example, if you owned a small shoe store you might alert your customers of new products in stock, or an upcoming sale. By helping businesses communicate with their client base, Twitter is helping to create a new method of marketing that is both fun, interactive and innovative.

Post by Marnie

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