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Malware prevented. Money saved.

 

After paying a tech consultant at a big box store more than $200 to get rid of malware, she was still experiencing problems with pop-up ads, a ’highjacked’ browser that was redirecting her searches and sluggish performance. So she called Alex The Tech Guy. 

 

A quick installation and scan of free anti-malware software identified and eliminated over 50 threats. Case solved in a $40/hr house call…

 

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Helping an elderly gentleman write his biography with free dictation software.

 

My client, living in a senior living facility, wanted to find an easy way to write his biography for his family. But dictation software was expensive and his free wi-fi connection was not strong enough to take advantage of free dictation software on the internet. 

 

I helped him boost his free wi-fi connection so he didn’t have to pay for his own internet service. I also showed him how to use the free dictation features in google docs. He’s now making progress on the biography he wants to give to his family. He then showed me the only family photo he had of his parents and all of his siblings. I helped him learn how to scan the photo so he could preserve it digitally, add it to his document and email it to his grandson.

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Preserving photos. And solving an unusual wi-fi problem.

 

My client, who had an old laptop which was running Linux, had trouble connecting to the internet over her wi-fi network. She found Linux to be frustrating and wanted to go back to windows.  I backed up all her files then helped her install the latest version of Windows that her old hardware could support. The windows network drivers resolved her issues connecting to her wifi. I also helped her preserve her favorite travel photos using the cloud storage attached to her google account.

 

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My favorite client compliment.

 

My client had an old Macbook laptop that wasn’t working properly. She was having trouble getting email and connecting to the internet. She really needed help, because she couldn’t afford to buy a new computer.

 

A friend of the family had previously given me a newer Macbook that wasn’t working. I replaced the original hard drive with a solid-state hard drive. The Macbook could not recognize the drive which led me to discover that the SATA cable had failed. I was able to replace the old SATA cable and was then able to do an installation of the latest OSX version. 

She was very happy to solve the problem for about $200, including parts and labor. “Everyone needs an Alex,” she said.

 

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Helping a neighbor with an emergency printer problem.

 

My clients needed to print out documents ASAP, but the printer was not working over their wireless network and they were experiencing speed issues after switching to Greenlight. They thought that their new router might be faulty. I discovered that their devices were still connecting to their spectrum router. I configured their new high end router that was recommended by Greenlight and made sure their devices and printer were all connected to the new network. They were able to print over the newly configured network without issue and had a significant boost in download and upload speeds on their device. I encouraged them to call spectrum to confirm that their internet service was indeed cancelled so that they wouldn’t be paying two bills. 

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The first big step towards ‘cutting the cord.’

 

My clients wanted to get rid of their expensive cable TV service. I helped them set up an Amazon Firestick, download different streaming apps, and explore free trials on different streaming services to find the option that best met their needs.

 

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Getting access to great British TV shows that aren’t on cable TV.

 

My client, living in a senior facility, wanted to watch some great British TV shows that she couldn’t find on cable. She had been ordering DVDs of an entire season, but she didn’t want to wait that long.

 

I helped her set up a Roku device and find a little-known streaming service that gave her immediate access to her favorite shows without waiting until the end of the season or paying for expensive DVDs. She was very pleased with the solution.

 

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Protecting the safety of an old computer.

 

My client had a 10-year-old desktop PC that was still running the Windows 7 operating system. But Microsoft had stopped providing security updates to Windows 7, so her system was vulnerable to malware, viruses and other threats.

 

I helped her update the system to Windows 10 and install all the missing security updates and other drivers that improved security and performance. I always feel better when I help clients protect their computers and private data!