Taking a computer in to get diagnosed at a local pc repair shop

[CorCentral]

No, I don't have and pRoN on the hard drive........ I keep that on dvd's **LOL**
It's just that I have banking info and programs that I don't want anyone to mess with.

So is it essential that they need the hard drive to test all the other components, or can they easily do this without it? Also, what can I expect to pay for them to check the MB, Ram, Video Card, Soundcard, Modem and DVD drive? $50.-$60.?
I know the PSU and HDD are fine.


I could'nt see posting this in any other forum. Just did'nt fit right.
Thanks

 

[amddude]

If you take the hard drive out, they can't check your windows installation--if it is related to the problem

 

[dainthomas]

Platinum members don't get their rigs fixed by repair shops.

 

[CraKaJaX]

You're on the ATOT forums and your not a computer nerd? What in the hell.... :Q

 

[iRONic]

Your geek card was acquired under false pretenses.

DIAF!

 

[TheGizmo]

Originally posted by: CorCentral
No, I don't have and pRoN on the hard drive........ I keep that on dvd's **LOL**
It's just that I have banking info and programs that I don't want anyone to mess with.

So is it essential that they need the hard drive to test all the other components, or can they easily do this without it? Also, what can I expect to pay for them to check the MB, Ram, Video Card, Soundcard, Modem and DVD drive? $50.-$60.?
I know the PSU and HDD are fine.


I could'nt see posting this in any other forum. Just did'nt fit right.
Thanks

Acronis True Image software - lets you make a backup of your entire drive and put it onto bootable DVD so in the case of them effing up your ******, you can just pop the DVD in and 1-click restore the drive back to normal. Don't bring it in with banking info on your computer... thats not a good idea.

BTW, if you do this.. I'd try to reinstall windows afterwards by yourself instead of bringing it in for repair.. just so you can check if its a software issue or not.

edit: Oh yea.. ERROR 404 GEEK CARD NOT FOUND

 

[BKLounger]

corcentral's geek card must now go up for review under the almighty geek council

 

[amdskip]

What's wrong with it?

 

[CorCentral]

I know it's not the installation of Windows. A component got fried because I left it plugged in overnight updating it. First time I fried anything in a computer since I fried a modem in '94.
I have no way to test the rig. It's AGP/DDR1 and this computer I'm on now is PCI-E/DDR2. I swapped psu's so I'm sure it's not that.

Just stick to the question. I already went through most of this in Technical Support!

 

[msi1337]

a hacker or spyware is more likely to get to your banking info than a PC tech..

I have been one for 10 years and I dont look at personal files.

 

[MisterJackson]

I own and run a pc repair shop. If you brought me a problem pc without a hard drive I'd tell you any work we did could not be warrantied.

I run a tight shop though. I'm the ONLY one who has acess to my customers data and any customers backups that are on my bench machines have those hdds pulled and locked in a safe every night.

I don't play around with that stuff and take what I do on that very seriously. I've worked on everything from quickbooks and full access to account numbers and password for multi millionares to husbands with their "private collections of the wife" they want copied over.

Unless I come across kiddie porn I could care less what you have on there.

In the industry as I know it I've never heard of people abusing that power or access. Although I'd be quick to fear a place like best buy or something because it seems like a younger more immature crowd works there.

sorry to an fellow geek squad AT members.

you should be fine.

 

[jimbob200521]

The most we...errrr.... they will do is test the components in other systems. That or test other components in your PC. IMHO, if you have any basic knowledge of PC hardware, you are MUCH better off doing it on your own.

Edit: As far as what you can expect to pay, I'd look in the neighborhood of $30+. Most shops (around here, at least) run ~$60/hr, with, usually, a $30 min bench fee.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Originally posted by: MisterJackson
I own and run a pc repair shop. If you brought me a problem pc without a hard drive I'd tell you any work we did could not be warrantied.

I run a tight shop though. I'm the ONLY one who has acess to my customers data and any customers backups that are on my bench machines have those hdds pulled and locked in a safe every night.

I don't play around with that stuff and take what I do on that very seriously. I've worked on everything from quickbooks and full access to account numbers and password for multi millionares to husbands with their "private collections of the wife" they want copied over.

Unless I come across kiddie porn I could care less what you have on there.

In the industry as I know it I've never heard of people abusing that power or access. Although I'd be quick to fear a place like best buy or something because it seems like a younger more immature crowd works there.

sorry to an fellow geek squad AT members.

you should be fine.

I like geek squad jokes, they are a joke!

 

[Black88GTA]

Originally posted by: CorCentral
No, I don't have and pRoN on the hard drive........ I keep that on dvd's **LOL**
It's just that I have banking info and programs that I don't want anyone to mess with.

So is it essential that they need the hard drive to test all the other components, or can they easily do this without it? Also, what can I expect to pay for them to check the MB, Ram, Video Card, Soundcard, Modem and DVD drive? $50.-$60.?
I know the PSU and HDD are fine.


I could'nt see posting this in any other forum. Just did'nt fit right.
Thanks

Why not strip it down to bare bones (MB, 1 stick ram, video card) and go from there? If it boots, you know it's one of the other things, if not, you know it isn't.

Can't you find a friend with an old vid card, ram etc laying around that you can swap in and test with?

EDIT: this is how I killed my old ABIT / Thunderbird rig. Left it ripping a DVD overnight...when I woke up, nothing. Turned out that it fried the motherboard.

 

[CorCentral]

Originally posted by: Black88GTA

Originally posted by: CorCentral
No, I don't have and pRoN on the hard drive........ I keep that on dvd's **LOL**
It's just that I have banking info and programs that I don't want anyone to mess with.

So is it essential that they need the hard drive to test all the other components, or can they easily do this without it? Also, what can I expect to pay for them to check the MB, Ram, Video Card, Soundcard, Modem and DVD drive? $50.-$60.?
I know the PSU and HDD are fine.


I could'nt see posting this in any other forum. Just did'nt fit right.
Thanks

Why not strip it down to bare bones (MB, 1 stick ram, video card) and go from there? If it boots, you know it's one of the other things, if not, you know it isn't.

Can't you find a friend with an old vid card, ram etc laying around that you can swap in and test with?

EDIT: this is how I killed my old ABIT / Thunderbird rig. Left it ripping a DVD overnight...when I woke up, nothing. Turned out that it fried the motherboard.

No friends in the state. I believe it to be the videocard because it boots to a certain point (no monitor signal) and then reboots. I can see hard drive activity and know it's booting. The time it takes to get to where it reboots, if I had to guess, would be right before the first color screen Win2000 booting/starting whatever.

This is why I keep a backup computer In this case though, the backup's down.
I build all my computers and usually have little to zero problems hardware wise. 2001 was my first build (amd 1200tbird) and when I joined Anandtech. Going on my 6th personal build soon.

Here's what I posted in Tech Support if anyone wants to read

I'm tempted to find an ELITE or "very" trusted member that would do the following:
I'll ship to you at my expense: MB, Videocard and Ram, you test them, and if they work...... You can either send them back to me or make an offer on the "working parts" Of course this is on pure trust!
I'll make it a nice deal if you decide to keep. I should make a thread in the FS/Trade forum