PC Techs, how would you handle this?

[DrDoug]

Do you charge some regular fee for storing the image or charge as part of some monthly package? That must be a fair old chunk of data you're holding on to there.

I keep two images of every customer system on hand and yes, it's quite the amount of storage. I offer it as part of my updating service and when a customer sees how fast I can recover their systems they know it's money well spent. Less work for me and peace of mind for them knowing that they have off site storage of the last two updates of their systems. I update their systems on a three to four month schedule with their understanding that if there are any critical 'must have now!' patches then they will be quickly patched at that time. My customers enjoy computers that will not update and change or break their system and the peace of mind knowing that if stuff goes sideways that there are system backups ready to go.

 

[DigDog]

Yes, but what about updates?

Ok, dont freak out ok?
But i have not installed a single windows update since the Logic Block Addressing / LBA48 for XP back in 2004.
Total number of viruses since: 0 (1 if you count SecuROM).

 

[rh71]

I've been tempted to just tell them to go to Geek Squad. Then they can find out how good they've had it, with me fixing their PCs.


Yeah, my cut-rate for OS install is $50, but I found out Geek Squad charges $100 or so, so I've upped my prices a bit. I originally quoted her $100 labor and $50 for an SSD, if I did the work on-site, but I'm having her come to me, so I quoted her $100 for the whole job. (120GB SSD is around $25 these days, 240/256GB-class SSD for $40-50.)

Was going to include the 120GB SSD as part of that deal, but if she wants a 240/256GB SSD, it will be more.

I missed the part where the SSD had to be paid for also. $100 would have sounded fair if she came to you.

Ok, dont freak out ok?
But i have not installed a single windows update since the Logic Block Addressing / LBA48 for XP back in 2004.
Total number of viruses since: 0 (1 if you count SecuROM).

I'm one of those who would update my car on day 2 if they provided firmware for them. Just the other day I updated my router firmware because I came across it. When I do an OS install, I feel it must be completely up to date and that includes MS Office updates.

 

[WilliamM2]

Yes, but what about updates?

And configuring everything to your liking. Anti-virus, Email, Tweaks, etc. Takes me less than 10 minutes to install 7 or 10, and then the rest of the day to finish the setup.

 

[Fritzo]

It takes like 15 minutes to install a good W7..

...and 4 hours to install all the updates

 

[mikeymikec]

...and 4 hours to install all the updates

Time-saving tip with regard to Win7 installs and the initial slew of updates:

1) Before you start (or with another computer), ie. before connecting the new Windows installation to the Internet, download and install the latest servicing update for Windows 7.
2) Connect it to the Internet and trigger the first WU check.
3) Install "Windows 7 Service Pack 1" from the WU list (which appears even if you have SP1 installed), IE11 and the Win7 Platform update. Reboot.
4) Install all the .net security updates and all the Windows updates dated up to the end of 2013.
5) Install the rest.

Step 4 is a bit of a PITA, but it significantly reduces the likelihood of update install failure which in turn causes massive delays. A nippy computer will get the updates done in about an hour, rather than potentially 4-6.

 

[DigDog]

...and 4 hours to install all the updates

Damn the updates, full speed ahead !

But as said by @WilliamM2 installing all the tweaks, H4x and registry edits would take me a full day.

 

[VirtualLarry]

In case anyone still cares, I thought that I would update this thread.

Said friend's mom's PC, didn't get upgraded to an SSD like I planned. She didn't bring the PC to me, nor did I travel to her place to fix it. My friend called from her place, and I walked him through a number of steps and diagnoses and got it all straightened out.

It turned out that she somehow had both Norton and McAfee installed, which caused disk I/O to drop to nearly zero after a few minutes of being booted up, and wouldn't shutdown properly, until we got one of them un-installed. Un-installed both of them for great measure, did updates, and installed MS Security Essentials onto the PC. (Free, and generally, somewhat effective, and nag-free, mostly.) So she still has the factory 500GB HDD in the PC. Oh well, maybe I'll get to install an SSD into a laptop for her someday.

I did charge for the 2.5 hours I spent on the phone walking my friend through fixing the issues, and I told him I'd buy him a pizza for being my helper. (I could probably have done most things remotely, but he was a genuine help, which is sadly somewhat unusual.) That was half the cost of what it would have been, had she brought the PC to me personally, and I told her to spend the rest on a 1TB portable external backup HDD at Walmart. (I think that I told her that when I sold her the PC, 2-3 years ago. Sigh.) I just know that she won't actually do that. I ordered some 1TB (refurb, OK), WD My Passport Portable External HDDs (in various colors). I'll try to sell one of those to her to make backup images, or at least, a second copy of her pictures, and maybe make a couple of bucks in the process. (Not really, since I'll have to drop them off.)