Excessive Computing

Question and answer

• Q. Describe the most common types of jobs you do for your clients.

  A. Most common is Virus and Maleware removal.
  Next is Non-booting or Crashing machines.

• Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

  A. First, search around.
  Second, don't use the cheapest person.
  Third, do NOT pay for incomplete work. If they didn't fix it, you shouldn't have to pay. You will need to make it clear up-front that you won't pay if they don't fix it.
  Fourth, be careful about paying for parts under warranty.
  Finally, be careful about paying exorbitant prices for parts. If in doubt, make a quick call to Best Buy!

• Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?

  A. Anyone can do what we do, and the certifications don't mean much. The reason we know how to do what we do is that us computer techs, network administrators, and systems administrators spend all day every day on the computer learning and working out problems.
  
  There is no secret to this type of work; it just takes a love of technology and lots of time learning. When you don't know something or don't understand something, instead of dismissing it, research it!

• Q. What important information should buyers have thought through before seeking you out?

  A. None really. We come prepared to deal with just about anything.
  
  That said, it is helpful to know if we're working on a laptop or desktop, if the computer and monitor turns on at all, and if so, what exactly is going on. This isn't necessary, but sometimes it will remind us to grab something extra we may not usually carry in the truck.

• Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

  A. We have over 20 years experience working on PCs, servers, and networks. Our programming experience gives us greater insight into PC problems than most technicians, and allows us to generate custom solutions for individuals and businesses. Our electronics experience allows us to fix problems other computer techs cannot. Finally, we go that extra mile doing backups when needed and making repairs and tweaks to enhance your system that most techs ignore. Simply put, we have more diverse experience than any other computer service company in the Wilmington area and the passion and drive to provide you the best service possible. Once you use Excessive Computing, you won't want to call anyone else.

• Q. What do you like most about your job?

  A. At Excessive Computing, we love solving problems and learning new things. It is such a rewarding and fulfilling experience to solve a technical problem that has been plaguing a company.

• Q. What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

  A. Q: Why do people write viruses?
  A: Money and Power. People who write viruses have the ability to gain control over hundreds of thousands of PCs, which they can profit from. They can using the processing power to break unbreakable codes, to host illegal content and sites, to send spam, and to DDoS companies. All of these capabilities can be used to steal identities, sold as services to make money, and ransom website owners into paying to prevent their site from being knocked offline.

• Q. What do you wish customers knew about you or your profession?

  A. Mostly I wish all customers knew the difference between the monitor and the computer and that if we ask them if the computer is on, they would know we are talking about the tower, not the monitor. Of course this is becoming confused even more now that the all-in-one units are out.

• Q. How did you decide to get in your line of work?

  A. It was really just a natural progression. I was intrigued by electronics and computers from a very early age, and the more I worked with them, the more I enjoyed them. So naturally I got into repairing computers. From there I got a Bachelors in Electronics Engineering, which significantly increased my computer skill set to include programming, communications protocols, and much more. Now I can design custom electronics, write applications, design websites, and fix computers and servers; this is a much broader skill set than your usual computer tech has, which helps me solve client issues and meet their technical needs far better than if I was just a PC Technician.

• Q. Tell us about a recent job you did that you are particularly proud of.

  A. A client needed a solution to keep track of money, a Point of Sales, but it also had to interface with client computers, software running on them, and video game systems that were not computer based. This required the development of a complete Point of Sales application, plus utilization of client/server processes and a client application to interface on the client computers. Finally, we had to design electronics to interface from the Point of Sales unit to the non-computer-based systems. The whole system is a pay-to-play gaming system that tracked monies being spent on different games and systems. This complex system showcased our Electronic and Programming and web development skill sets and was the most complicated system we've developed to date.

• Q. Do you do any sort of continuing education to stay up on the latest developments in your field?

  A. I'm not currently doing any formal continuing education, but I strive to continue educating myself daily. I read every technical article I have time to, and keep abreast of new technology. Reading the technology sections of Digg, Slashdot, engadget, and more, plus the blogs at sysinternals are great ways to keep up with new tech and enhanced troubleshooting techniques.

• Q. What are the latest developments in your field? Are there any exciting things coming in the next few years or decade that will change your line of business?

  A. There's always new and exciting things happening in the computer business. The most exciting though may also be the scariest: Viruses. New viruses are being developed so resilient that even reinstalling Windows does not necessarily eliminate them. Further, viruses are expected to begin infecting firmware, which means that a computer's hardware could be infected, making it impossible to repair without re-flashing the firmware or replacing the infected hardware.
  
  The next exciting things we will be seeing are the miniaturization and decrease in power consumption of computers. Already, computers the size of a small book are powerful enough to do everything the average user needs, and use less power than a 100W lightbulb, including the monitor!
  
  Finally, pads, netbooks, and laptops are likely to overtake desktops in numbers of users in the next few years.

• Q. If you have a complicated pricing system for your service, please give all the details here.

  A. Our rates aren't complicated. We charge $50 Flat Rate for all residential PC services, whether on-site or in-office.
  
  For all commercial work, programming, and electronics design or repair work, we charge $50 per hour.

• Q. If you were advising someone who wanted to get into your profession, what would you suggest?

  A. First, use your computer daily, and every time you find you don't know or understand something, research it.
  Second, dive into technet and sysinternals and read read read until you understand it.
  Finally, get your hands on some computers that were going to be junked and see if you can fix them. If not, keep tinkering with them until you can get one running, then try another.
  Never stop learning!