Use IT

I will help you get the most out of your computer or mobile phone whether it is Windows, Linux, Symbian or Android. From installing operating systems and software to setting-up, customising and using applications.

I can help with email, user accounts, parental controls, system and security updates, internet settings, desktop shortcuts, word processing, spreadsheets, databases, presentations, photo or video editing or gaming.

Do you have a presentation which needs a sound track ?
Want to transfer data between devices ?
Need to view a file from a colleague but your computer can't open it ?
Need to share a large file that's too big for email ?
Want to block adult content, control MSN contacts or limit time spent on the computer ?
Want to set up a webcam to monitor your house or garage ?

Usability Charge£10
Customisation Charge£30
Operating System Install Charge£40

Lost IT

We've all done it. The email resignation letter we drafted has disappeared or the first edition of the novelette we having been working on for six months goes missing. No matter what, it always seems to be the most important file the computer decides to pick on.

It could be that the file has been saved somewhere unusual and needs a simple search to find it or the file has been moved to the Recycle Bin which again is not difficult to recover.

However, if the file has been deleted, and you haven't got a backup, then you need recovery tools to attempt to restore it. I say attempt because whilst your computer is switched on your operating system has the freedom to use the hard disk as it wishes and this could include overwriting your 'deleted' file.

Solution - take a note of my number, switch the computer off and call me (can anybody else hear the Ghost Busters theme tune ?)

Data Recovery Charge£60

Fix IT

Finally old faithful has given up the ghost. After years of the grinding noise it developed a faint burning smell and then the blue screen of death. Sound familiar ? Or, you've run out of hard drive space or need more memory to run the latest game. Or, you suspect a spyware, virus, worm or trojan has infected your computer.

Most computer problems are treatable. I will diagnose, offer a prognosis and treat the patient. In the case of a fatal illness, I can help you select, install and customise the replacement as well as transferring any data and software.

I can also securely wipe the old machine so it can be disposed of with confidence.

Virus, Trojan, Malware Removal Charge£30
Health Check Charge£40
Hardware Replace/Install Charge£40
Data Cleanse Charge£30
Factory Restore Charge£30

Share IT

As soon as you have more than one device in the house you develop the need to share. Music, pictures, books, videos, contacts, calenders, printers, scanners, speakers.

Need to set-up a secure wifi network ?
Want to access your home PC whilst out and about ?
Want to share pictures around the household ?
Want to play videos from a media hub to your TV ?
Want to stream music around the house ?


I can help you get connected securely and reliably.

Secure Wifi Setup Charge£60
Secure Remote Desktop Charge£60
Music or Video Sharing Charge£60

Buy IT

The computer market is complex, ever changing and inexorably converging. Most of us have at least one computer in the home and assorted MP3 players, portable games player, mobile phones and games consoles. Impartial advice is rare and genuine expertise difficult to come by.

I offer buying advice whether you are looking for a laptop for uni, a printer for the business, or a gadget for reading books and playing sudoku as you commute.

I do not sell computers, computer components or peripherals. I am not on commission and have no allegiances with suppliers or hardware manufacturers.

Let me know what your specific need is and I will offer advice, research the latest prices and explain your options.

Buyers Advice Charge£10

Back IT Up

If you have anything on the computer which is important you MUST back it up because one day your finger will slip or the hardware will fail. My personal never-forgive-myself-if-I-lost-it files are the family albums which I backup and store away from the house. I know it's a pain and one of those rainy day jobs that never seems to get done but don't wait too long.

Luckily, there are plenty of back-up solutions out there ranging in price and very much depend on what side of the cost vs effort equation you sit.

Call me for advice, installation and support.

Back-up Installation Charge£30

Linux

What can I say ? I love Linux.

I started working with Unix in the early nineties but the 'client' was almost always Windows. Even now, with the move towards web based applications, Windows remains predominant. There are many reasons for the success of Windows and indeed it has been a key enabler for a lot of the technologies we have in the home today.

However, we now have several viable alternatives. Linux is one of these alternatives and possibly the best known. Within Linux there are many different flavours, each with it's own characteristics. Each one is free. Each one comes with bundled software and the ability to download thousands of fully formed applications. The vast majority of which are free.

Secure, fast, reliable and lovely.

Have I convinced you ? Come and join me where the grass always greener....

In keeping with the open source ethos I offer FREE support for home users of the Linux desktop. (The weeping you can hear in the background is my accountant.)

Projects

Increasingly I am being asked to help with bespoke software and websites and that have not kept pace with a business. Becoming outdated in design, function, content and unable to integrate with newer software. Often, the original author has moved on leaving the system undocumented and unsupported.

Mostly these systems are too specific for off-the-shelf software and too expensive to commission a software house.

I offer both fixed-price implementation projects and annual support contracts.

Prices for new or renovated websites are dictated by complexity but start from £600.

If you want to have a go yourself, I can mentor, advise and support as required, whether you need a hand to get you past a hump on the learning curve or a side-by-side training session.

Welcome to Home Computing Branch

I offer hardware and software support to home and small business users within the Horsham, West Sussex, area.

My services include Home and Office visits as well as free pick-up and drop off.

I charge labour at £15 per quarter hour, with a maximum charge of £60 (excluding project work). Prices are inclusive of applicable VAT.