Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Computer repair Templestowe Lower for just $20

Yes, it may be hard to believe, but I was recently called out by a customer in Templestowe Lower to repair their computer and it only cost them $20. Their screen setting had changed to 4 bit colour. A problem like this often causes people problems because they don’t know what to do. If the problem is quick to fix it shouldn’t cost much to fix it.

You can call someone out and most will charge over a hundred dollars. This same client said they called out one of the well known support groups for a 15 minute support issue and was charged $250. The other option is to take the computer to a repair business and there can be quite a bit of time involved dropping off the computer and then collecting the computer again. Minimum charges often start at $60-$110, but you really don’t know what you may be charged.

In this case the problem was easy to fix and the client was charged only for the time involved. No travel time. No set fee. No call-out fee. If I couldn’t fix the problem there would have been no charge.

I later received the following message via email from the customer.

Dear Kelvin,

Thank you so much for all your help and patience. Our computer is working perfectly again.


Many people struggle with problems I can fix relatively quickly. It often takes longer to try to explain the problem over the telephone than it will take for me to drive to the customer. Because I’m local I can make a time and come over and check the problem very easily.

If you have a computer problem giving you grief and live in Templestowe, Templestowe Lower, Doncaster, Doncaster East, Eltham, Lower Plenty, or Montmorency, then give me a call on 0415 910 703.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 if you have a computer/technology issue.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Thompsons Road and Foote Street traffic lights not working

Drove through the intersection of Thompsons Road and Foote Street at 4:50pm. The traffic lights were not working. Kelvin Eldridge www.OnlineConnections.com.au Call 0415 910 703 if you require help with your computer. No problem too small.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Templestowe Lower notebook wireless networking not working (notebook repair)

Recently a customer in Templestowe Lower (called Lower Templestowe by most locals) called me out as the wireless networking on their notebook computer wasn’t working, but it was working on their iPad.

Their ASUS notebook had an external wireless dongle which I thought was a bit weird since it also had wireless built in. I repaired the computer and got the internal wireless working which fixed the problem. Whilst there I also cleaned up the computer and installed a good quality free anti-virus solution, which I’ve found through testing, to be better than other free anti-virus solutions and most of the commercial anti-virus solutions. The client no longer has to pay for an anti-virus solution every year.

The customer was very happy with the service. They were happy I was local. The previous person came from the other side of Melbourne. They were particularly impressed with the value I provided. The previous person charged $250 for fifteen minutes. I only charge for the time involved which would have been $33 for the same task. I understand the business model of other companies where they charge a set fee, and if they’re in and out quickly, they still charge the fee, but had they know about my service, they could have saved themselves over $200.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Providing computer support in Templestowe, Templestowe Lower, Lower Plenty,
Montmorency, Eltham, Doncaster and Doncaster East
No call out fee. Satisfaction guaranteed.

Friday, February 10, 2012

MyAnswers: The application has failed to start because iertutil.dll was not found.

The following MyAnswers solution 2197 is now available:

Windows XP computers failling to start with dialogue titled: Explorer.EXE "Unable To Locate Component", with the message "The application has failed to start because iertutil.dll was not found. Re-installing the application may fix the problem"


Click here to obtain the solution.

Click here for related solutions.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.MyAnswers.biz
(An Online Connections service.)

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Alert: iertutil.dll was not found. Computer repairs in Templestowe, Templestowe Lower and Wonga Park

This week was an interesting week in terms of computer support and repairs. What stood out was the need to fix three computers from different clients, one day after the other. Each computer was running Windows XP and would start to the Desktop and only show the Desktop background. No icons, no toolbar and no way to do anything useful. Often the window titled “Explorer.EXE – Unable To Locate Component”, with the message “The application has failed to start because iertutil.dll was not found. Re-installing the application may fix the problem” would be displayed.  

I fixed each computer and whilst after the first I thought the second and third would be much quicker. As it turned out, whilst the solution was basically the same, each computer needed to have the solution applied differently. The computers were returned to clients fixed and cleaned up. Most computers I repair have a number of infections and many have toolbars installed in their browsers which hijack the search feature of the browser. After the initial fix it was also sometimes necessary to fix other programs.

What was concerning was I haven’t been able to isolate what caused the problem. I’m not sure if it was a malware infection damaging the computer, or perhaps an update to the operating system. I suspect malware, but can’t be sure. What is important is it was possible to fix the issue without having to resort to a reinstall of the operating system.

I’d like to remind people they should have a backup copy of all their important data, their photos and their music. This was a tricky repair and for many the easiest solution may be to reinstall the operating system. I prefer to fix the problem and retain users data where possible.

If you live in Templestowe, Templestowe Lower, Doncaster, Doncaster East, Eltham, Lower Plenty, Montmorency, or the surrounding area and experience this problem, give me a call on 0415 910 703.

Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au