July 29th. The end of the world as we know it as Microsoft would like you to believe. What happens then? Windows 10 is NO LONGER FREE. It will be $129. For those of you that have upgraded and you're happy, congrats. You saved $129. It's a good operating system when it works. It's getting better. The vast majority of you didn't need to upgrade either unless Microsoft hadn't held a sharp stylus to your head demanding you to and making life miserable for us IT guys who had personal viewpoints that differed from our professional ones. I don't run Windows 10 because I don't need to. I don't want to have to upgrade my Quickbooks (>$149) to support Windows 10. If you decide you don't want to upgrade (which seemingly was mandatory - except Microsoft has toned down their aggressive migratory stance), the World will not end on July 29th. You can stay with Windows 7 (supported through 2020) and Windows 8.1 (supported through 2023). So don't scramble and panic. If you are still running XP or Vista, it's ok to scramble and panic. Those computers are essentially boat anchors and you will need to move on to something else. Make smart decisions. I can help. Don't get too excited about different processors. You surf the web, use MS-Office (or equivalents LibreOffice or OpenOffice). You don't need the latest hardware. Also, don't assume Macs are the answer. They are fun, confusing (no, they are not big iPhones), and guess what? They break like every other small appliance in your life and they will need to be replaced eventually too.
So when can you count on me and when do you need someone else?
I come to your house. I charge $100/hr. I have a minimum of 1 hour service call. I charge each additional hour on the quarter hour ($25/qtr hour). I have a strict geographic range. I charge 20% more for businesses. Simple. To the point. I can do a certain amount of stuff while-you-wait. For certain situations, it makes complete sense. However, at some point, and hopefully before I come out, as I determine what you need, I may suggest an alternative avenue of solution. I might refer you to one of my partners. I may tell you that you need a new hard drive. I may tell you to buy another computer. I might tell you that I don't have the knowledge to fix your problem. I might tell you to go back to yellow legal pads and the cool ballpoint pen my dad used to use with four different colors on sliders where you can click the lever to change colors. I won't build you a web site. I won't train you how to use Microsoft Office. I tell you this not because I don't like you. I like you. I tell you this to save you money and to expedite your repair with the best methods/partners I know.
If you want to buy a used 'business-grade' computer which is a higher quality than what you will traditionally find at a retailer OR if you would any computer repaired because a PCIe card went out, or someone stepped on the laptop, spilled a glass of wine on it or you need a hard drive replaced, go to my friends at Peachtree Computers. Peachtree Computers is located at 1590 Holcomb Bridge Road in Roswell. Their number is # (770) 649 8800. Aaron and the guys can provide something that I can not. They have a retail shop with a 'bench' environment where they have several very capable repair people that can fix and have ready your computer in under 24 hours. They are very affordable as well. They 'can' do out-call, but they are not built for it (just like I am not built for what they do).
If your company needs same day on-site service, or dial-in remote access to fix stuff, pro-active monitoring of your systems, or you have complex environments with servers, domains, firewalls, etc, then you need to call my friends at Harvest Networks, in Chamblee. Harvest Networks has a bunch of extremely capable Business IT technicians who can fix just about anything. Because of the higher level of Business IT services that they offer, they do require a monthly minimum for their services. Call them at # (404) 329-1948. Don't wait to call a one-man-band when things break. I might be doing something like helping Helen with her iCloud or Fred with his router, while your company hasn't been able to email all morning and your lawyers are confused, over caffeinated and threatening to sue each other.
As with either Peachtree Computers or Harvest Networks, please remember to mention that you got their names from Dunwoody PC. I highly recommend both of these businesses.
I always kick myself that I named the business Dunwoody PC. PC pigeon-holes me as a "non-creepy computer repair guy". At the surface, PC doesn't mean Apple, phones, pads, VOIP, smart devices like Nest and iAqualink, home theater and other secondary areas. For example, an area that I am very versed (which certainly wasn't around 12 years ago when I started my business) is streaming media. We have not had cable/satellite/U-Verse type stuff for over 6 years. Because of how we do things at the Dunwoody PC world-wide headquarters, I have gained knowledge of the ever-changing "legal" media content distribution of Roku, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Sling.TV, Acorn.TV, Pandora, and others. We don't have a home phone (never used) nor do we have traditional cable. We have Comcast internet. 105 Meg. I just went online to look at my account and I can get 150 Meg for the same price. Might have to make a few calls on Monday!
Here's a website for you to check out: www.haveibeenpwned.com.
Put your email address in and it will tell you if bad guys have your account (potentially) and which passwords makes sense in changing. And secondarily any accounts which share the same user name and password will need to change as well.
