Residential & Business Services
Columbia Computer Consulting provides comprehensive, expert advice and service for Windows-based systems.
Computer systems today are extremely complex. There are many computers to choose from, each with a bewildering array of features and capabilities in all price ranges. And once you get it home, it's equally important to adhere to a set of "best practices" so you get the most from your computer, reduce or eliminate your exposure to viruses and spyware, and protect your data.
Some of our customers want to learn these things so they may continue on their own, with occasional consulting as necessary.
Others consider the computer as many consider their automobile -- a tool to get a job done. Just as most people don't fix their own cars, many people don't want to attempt to fix their computers. They just want them to work, period. That's where we come in. Of course, we can fix your computer. But our larger goal is to reduce the opportunity for problems, and more importantly, catastrophic loss, by performing preventative maintenance.
Just like the preventative maintenance you perform on your car, there are PM tasks to perform on your computer as well. Some of these PM tasks are tedious and complicated, which is why many people have us do them instead.
Following is a partial overview of the service and consulting work that most benefit residential customers.
Computer
Hardware Repair
Computer and Peripheral Selection
Software installation and tutoring
Spyware and virus removal
and prevention
Spam Prevention
OS service pack and hotfix
installation
Data security, backup, and
integrity
Network design, security,
and installation
VOIP (Voice
Over Internet Protocol) Telephone Service
Remote access
Digital Photo Tutorial, Image Organization, Storage,
Manipulation, and Printing
Dump AOL!
Computer Hardware Repair
Your computer is made up of numerous individual major isolatable components,
such as memory, the main system board, hard drive, CD/DVD drive, power supply,
monitor, and a few others. When a component goes bad, it's nearly
always cheaper and easier to replace the bad component rather than attempt
component-level repair. This is especially true for desktop computers that
mostly use standardized interchangeable parts. It's often true for laptops
as well, especially when the bad component is a hard drive or
memory module, which are standardized.
If your desktop computer is down with a hardware problem and is reasonably new (bought new within the last 2-3 years) then it's usually worth fixing. Generally, desktop computer replacement parts cost between $50 and $200, depending on the component.
Laptop computers are a bit dicier since they contain more proprietary parts that can cost more to replace than the laptop's value, especially true if your laptop is older than three years. But even laptops contain some standardized parts which are less expensive to replace.
We can look at your downed computer and help you determine if it's worth fixing or not. If not, we'll help you determine a suitable replacement.
Maybe your computer isn't broken, but if it's old enough you may consider replacing it anyway. Computers are definitely not like a fine wine. They don't age well. If your computer is older than 3-4 years, then it may be time to replace it. Computer technology moves a long way in four years' time.
Computer and Peripheral Selection
What is the best choice for you? Do you
want a desktop or notebook? What about RAM, hard drive space, CPU speed,
other features? Printer?
We'll help you choose based on your specific need, without paying for features you don't need. We'll also help you select the right printer based on your need.
Software installation and tutoring
Most software is pretty easy to install.
But some products install hitch-hikers -- add-ons that are often unnecessary,
slow down your computer especially at start-up, and may even be a security
threat. Learn how to identify and rid your computer of these
unnecessary components.
Spyware and virus removal and
prevention
You may have read or heard about spyware in the
news. But what exactly is spyware? What can it really do?
Can you tell if you have spyware on your computer? How do you get
infected? How do you get rid it? We'll show you some low-cost (and
even free) tools that scan your computer, identifying and eliminating spyware
and viruses.
We'll also show you how spyware gets into your computer in the first place and how to avoid it in the future.
Spam Prevention
Get a lot of junk email? Let us set you up with proven spam elimination
tools. We don't merely reduce your spam, we can completely eliminate
it!
OS service pack and hotfix
installation
Still running the original version of Windows
that came with your computer? Microsoft has tools for automatically
updating Windows. But just because Microsoft says you should download a
patch doesn't mean you should blindly accept. We'll help you decide which
hotfixes and patches you need, and which ones you don't.
Data security, backup, and
integrity
What would happen if your computer, or more
specifically your hard drive, crashed? What would you lose?
Financial data? Digital photos? Work files? That book you're
writing? All Gone!
What will you do? ... What WILL you do???
The best, and often only, defense is to regularly backup your data!! Yet less than one percent of computer owners perform any sort of backup!
We can install a comprehensive backup system that safeguards your data. That way, if your computer dies, we can recover your irreplaceable data. Or maybe something a bit more mundane happens. You accidentally delete the wrong file. By having a backup, you can easily recover. There are many backup systems on the market, but not all are effective or recommended. Let us help you choose what works for you.
Network design, security,
and installation
More and more people are wanting networks these
days. It's not unusual to have multiple computers in your home, each
sharing an internet connection and a printer. There are numerous ways to
make this happen. What's best for you? A hard-wired solution?
Wireless?
If you choose wireless, will it interfere with your cordless phones? How do you fix that? What about wireless security? How do you protect yourself from "war drivers"? (Hackers that cruise through residential areas searching for an open wireless connection) We will setup a secure wireless network for you that is immune from rouges connecting to do their dirty work.
You know dial-up is slow, but what broadband service should you use?
We will fully enumerate the pros/cons of various network solutions based on your need.
VOIP (Voice Over
Internet Protocol) Telephone Service
This digital service is the latest
technology for telephone service that carries your conversations over your
internet connection. VOIP telephone service offers all the same features
that the traditional phone company offers, plus some cool new features that is
only possible with digital service. Costwise, VOIP is almost always
cheaper than regular telephone service, sometimes significantly cheaper.
There are numerous VOIP providers to select from, each offering a slightly
different mix of features and rates.
Some features of VOIP
VOIP does require a high-speed internet connection. DSL can work, but a cable modem works better. Generally, cable offers better performance than DSL, for several reasons.
If you are interested in upgrading your telephone service, or if you just want to save money on your phone bill, there's a VOIP plan for you.
Remote access
Would you like to be able to access your
computer while you're at work or elsewhere? Sure, there's services to do
this, but unless you're in the computer consulting business (as I am) then they can be expensive. We
can setup a solution that uses free software (with no spyware, of course!)
We also offer our consulting services via remote control. Some consulting services can be accomplished via remote control, so we do offer that as an option where possible.
Digital Photo Tutorial, Image Organization, Storage,
Manipulation, and Printing
Do you have a digital camera (or want one)?
We will teach you everything you want and need to know for selecting a camera, taking good pictures, uploading them to your computer, organizing them, storing pictures securely, editing, and printing your photos.
We'll show you the best practices for effective ways to organize and store your digital photos so you can find them later on. We can also teach you how to edit your photos for color correction, blemish removal, cropping, and many other manipulations. We'll also show you how to share your photos without bogging down your friends email boxes with megabytes of attachments.
Click Here for more details on our digital photography consulting services.
Dump AOL!
AOL was a great online service back in the 80's
and early 90's before the internet became widespread. Today, AOL is more
of a hindrance than a help. The AOL mail system is proprietary, not the
easiest to use, is full of ads, and expensive running $15 to $25 per month!
AOL places painful limits on how long you can archive emails and attachments.
Let us show you a better way! We have tools that will export your AOL email and contact info into other mail systems and we can even setup an AOL mail forwarder, so you can still receive email via AOL while you are breaking in your new email address. Then after a few months, you can discontinue your AOL service and be rid of it forever.