I’m worried about my computer.  It is not running not running as fast as it used to when it was new, and I’m thinking it might have some virus or spyware infection or other problems with the registry.  I’ve tried to fix it myself but it hasn’t improved at all.  What would you recommend?

We would recommend one of two options of onsite computer repair or live tech support.  With live tech support, a computer expert will work with you via the phone, internet chat, or computer remote access to diagnose and fix any problems that you may have.  They will walk you through each step to figure out your computer problem and to answer any questions you might have.  If you have any issues with spyware, viruses, computer crashes, computer slowness, or any other computer problems that you can’t figure out on your own, you might want to check out live tech support to help you on the phone or via the web.  Remote computer repair technician can also take control of your computer remotely with your permission and access and work on diagnosing the problem.

If you are not able to figure out and fix your computer problems remotely with remote tech support, you might choose to get onsite computer repair, in which a computer technician will come to your home or business and help you with your problem whenever it is convenient for you.  Usually these onsite computer repair tech services, with the most well known perhaps being Geeksquad from Best Buy, charge by the hour and can help with just about any computer problem or question you may have, ranging from installing new software or hardware; fixing computer crashes; scanning and removing any spyware, viruses, adware, or malware; upgrading or installing an operating system; or recovering important data from deletion or crashes.  Expect to pay the most of onsite computer repair services over any software solution or even remote tech support solutions that you opt for.

Some onsite computer repair or remote tech support computer technicians may specialize in different areas of data recovery, information systems, operating systems, or systems administration.  When dealing with any onsite or online tech support services, you should also know their fees schedules and hourly rates ahead of time and know what services and software is included and what is not.

What are some other issues that onsite computer repair technicians or remote online tech support can help me with?

• adding new hardware such as a new hard disk or more memory
• setting up a new web camera or other conferencing tools
• hooking up and configuring a printer
• virus scan and removal
• spyware scan and removal
• adware scan and removal
• malware scan and removal
• registry problems diagnosis and repair
• fixing computer crashes or configuration
• reinstalling or upgrading an operating system
• installing internet security software
• recovering data from your crashed hard disk
• recovering deleted files in some cases

What are some things I should keep in mind when dealing with onsite computer repair or online tech support?

You should always know how much and what rates they are charging, whether it is per problem or by the hour.  If it is by the hour, you might inquire about free diagnostic hours to help you save money.  Make sure you stay with the onsite computer repair technician so that you can verify that he stays on task and does not milk out the hours.  Also, you should ask what the policy is on fees if the onsite computer repair technician or live tech support is unable to help you resolve all your problems; you don’t want to be left holding only a bill with a still broken computer if they cannot help you fix your slow computer problems.

Before the onsite computer repair process begins, you should make a list of the problems you want diagnosed and fixed as well as any questions you have so that you do not miss anything.  Always be aware if they want to sell you additional hardware, software, or other services, and you might want to get a second opinion regarding your computer should costs or services seem to become excessive.