I admit I bring this on by letting folks know I'll look at just about any system as long as they know it's gonna cost em $20/hr. I start giving discounts after the 8-9hrs mark.
I get everything from systems that need cleaning to "it's dead" or "it's acting funny". Usually look at 2hr on an easy one, up to 8hrs on a hard one between research and repair.
I got a good one dropped off from job #2 on friday, started working last night. Pentium 3, 750mhz, 256mb pc133 ram, 80gb HD (on a board that apparently has trouble over 33gb). I'm told it died and I'm supposed to see if I can fix it.
Took 10 minutes for the password cracking cd to boot and get the admin password (ussualy 3-4min), I get in, it looks more or less clean... clear cache, defrag, error checking, and boot for scan.
24483 files scanned, 3085 infected files deleted (yeah that's 13.7% infected). Then the system won't get past the login screen (no shock there). Spend the next 2.5hrs formatting and installing XP into smaller and smaller partitions, getting down to a 10gb partition and still no boot (not even safe mode).
Get to swap in my last 10.3gb HD and see what happens tonight.
So here we are at 5hrs on a tower so far, 6 by the time I swap the drive and install on it, and given the age on it (lack of available parts) I'll be recommending it get tossed even if I get it working.
Sure I get to charge $120 for it, but it's a waste of time as far as I'm concerned. If you can't get parts the system is too old to be running. Why the **** don't ppl get a tower every 5yrs to stay current, and expect me to fix towers that are 10yrs old? Even my storage towers are only 5-6yrs old, but I have spare parts to rebuild 2-3 towers.
It's sure not an issue with price, my newest tower only ran me $250.
rant: why do ppl run old towers?
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vampyrewolf
- Member
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- Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2004 10:33 am
- Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
rant: why do ppl run old towers?
Coffee before Conciousness
Why do people worry more if you argue with your voices than if you just talk with them? What about if you lose those arguements?
Slowly going crazy at work... they found a way to make the voices work too.
Why do people worry more if you argue with your voices than if you just talk with them? What about if you lose those arguements?
Slowly going crazy at work... they found a way to make the voices work too.
Easy answer. . .
They don't know and/or don't care about the advantages and low cost of a modern replacement. Ol' reliable's been there shopping Eprey and checking email for all these years and they haven't thought about replacing it. Guess it's up to you to educate them! To keep from losing out from a business standpoint, throw together a couple of basic boxes to sell them.
You're welcome. :D
You're welcome. :D
Think Twice, Post Once!
GronK
GronK
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vampyrewolf
- Member
- Posts: 7486
- Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2004 10:33 am
- Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Funny thing is that I used to have 2-3 towers built for swapping ($200 for this one, or $100 and I get rid of your old one), but found it's easier to build to demand.
Have a few builds spec'd out on paper for various price points and charge $40 to build and setup.
My latest tower:
D945GCLF board, with intel atom 1.6ghz cpu soldered on... 160gb drive and a 250watt psu that came with the small case... 5"x8"x11", 45Watt draw, and more than enough for web surfing, text documents and multimedia playback. $250 after taxes (and I spent $1700 on my first tower 7yrs ago)
Have a few builds spec'd out on paper for various price points and charge $40 to build and setup.
My latest tower:
D945GCLF board, with intel atom 1.6ghz cpu soldered on... 160gb drive and a 250watt psu that came with the small case... 5"x8"x11", 45Watt draw, and more than enough for web surfing, text documents and multimedia playback. $250 after taxes (and I spent $1700 on my first tower 7yrs ago)
Coffee before Conciousness
Why do people worry more if you argue with your voices than if you just talk with them? What about if you lose those arguements?
Slowly going crazy at work... they found a way to make the voices work too.
Why do people worry more if you argue with your voices than if you just talk with them? What about if you lose those arguements?
Slowly going crazy at work... they found a way to make the voices work too.
Not everybody is like you. Some of us are technically lesser beings. Educate them if at all possible. I hate the thought of migrating all my stuff to a new computer. A shiney new I-Mac is in my future and that should help make the transition easier for me. Stuff that works gets moved and anything else goes to the Good Will store.
My present computer is a Win-whore system that was free to me from my employer during the dot com days. It is so old it gets only the most neccessary updates. It is so old most updates would be a waste. It still works like you would expect a nine year old Win box to work.
My computer is so old... fill in an appropriate Rodney Dangerfield style joke. My computer is so old my monitor still has the Lotus 123 burn-in.
I will keep my computer until I can not stand it anymore (and that time is close). I will not spend money on it at this point.
You build computer systems for people don't you? Explain to folks that their fix it money would be better spent toward a newer vampyrewolf system. Throw in a sevice to clean up their stupid *bad* stuff on a regular schedule.
Most people do not like change and a new computer is a PITA.
My present computer is a Win-whore system that was free to me from my employer during the dot com days. It is so old it gets only the most neccessary updates. It is so old most updates would be a waste. It still works like you would expect a nine year old Win box to work.
My computer is so old... fill in an appropriate Rodney Dangerfield style joke. My computer is so old my monitor still has the Lotus 123 burn-in.
I will keep my computer until I can not stand it anymore (and that time is close). I will not spend money on it at this point.
You build computer systems for people don't you? Explain to folks that their fix it money would be better spent toward a newer vampyrewolf system. Throw in a sevice to clean up their stupid *bad* stuff on a regular schedule.
Most people do not like change and a new computer is a PITA.
Not really all that slick 
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Davis61381
- Member
- Posts: 191
- Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2005 12:00 pm
I work in Tech Support for a local Software Company. We do Logistics software, routing and scheduling.
I had to connect into a customers site last week via modem..........yup, beeeeeeeeeep buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz scccccccchhhhhhhhhhhhwwwwwwwweeeeeellllllllllllll click buzz beeeeppppppppp (Static). I'm lucky that I have my laptop with a built in modem, other wise wqe would not be able to support them.
I felt like I was in grade school again on my 486 machine.
Worst experience ever!
I had to connect into a customers site last week via modem..........yup, beeeeeeeeeep buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz scccccccchhhhhhhhhhhhwwwwwwwweeeeeellllllllllllll click buzz beeeeppppppppp (Static). I'm lucky that I have my laptop with a built in modem, other wise wqe would not be able to support them.
I felt like I was in grade school again on my 486 machine.
Worst experience ever!
-davis
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vampyrewolf
- Member
- Posts: 7486
- Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2004 10:33 am
- Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
I'm not against old machines, just picked up a socket 370 (800mhz box) yesterday that my brother-in-law had in storage. Hopefully a new stick of ram fixes it. I even had my grandparents 650mhz box running (swapped them for a 1.8ghz) until it killed itself (swapped in a new power supply and it blew).
The thought of getting to know a new computer gets a lot of ppl. Usually I give them a fresh install with all the basic drivers and programs and toss thier old hard drive into an external usb case (if I don't copy thier data back in or leave thier old drive in the tower).
The trick to keeping older system running well is to reinstall windows every few months, and keep the cache clear. Not going to count how many times I get a computer to work on with files going back 5yrs and a couple gb worth of temp files.... and they wonder why it's slow and takes 10min to boot.
Use imaging software on a fresh install and setup, takes 20min to get a fresh xp install next time.
Usually when a system gets old enough that fixing it gets to be close to 1/2 price on a new one I tell em they should replace it and show a couple builds. But a lot of ppl seem to be happier spending $100 to keep thier old box running than spend $250-300 on a new box close to the same specs.
The thought of getting to know a new computer gets a lot of ppl. Usually I give them a fresh install with all the basic drivers and programs and toss thier old hard drive into an external usb case (if I don't copy thier data back in or leave thier old drive in the tower).
The trick to keeping older system running well is to reinstall windows every few months, and keep the cache clear. Not going to count how many times I get a computer to work on with files going back 5yrs and a couple gb worth of temp files.... and they wonder why it's slow and takes 10min to boot.
Use imaging software on a fresh install and setup, takes 20min to get a fresh xp install next time.
Usually when a system gets old enough that fixing it gets to be close to 1/2 price on a new one I tell em they should replace it and show a couple builds. But a lot of ppl seem to be happier spending $100 to keep thier old box running than spend $250-300 on a new box close to the same specs.
Coffee before Conciousness
Why do people worry more if you argue with your voices than if you just talk with them? What about if you lose those arguements?
Slowly going crazy at work... they found a way to make the voices work too.
Why do people worry more if you argue with your voices than if you just talk with them? What about if you lose those arguements?
Slowly going crazy at work... they found a way to make the voices work too.
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vampyrewolf
- Member
- Posts: 7486
- Joined: Fri Sep 24, 2004 10:33 am
- Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Davis: just think... I have an old win98 laptop kicking around with ONLY a 56k modem... have to either get the optical fixed so I can install xp and use my usb-ethernet or strip it an resolder the pcmcia pins for my other 10/100 card.
Right now I have to move the drive to a usb case to copy files into it.
anthony: our local shops charge $40/hr minimum (and wait a week)... $120/hr for a laptop minimum, $160 for a tower for same-day service.
I don't mind doing it for cheap (or even at cost some times), as I tend to get lots of work at that price. I even do on-site work at that price. I'll get a call and either be at thier house within a couple days or even pick it up and return it in a couple days. When they get a complete repair without having to take it in themselves and it only runs $40-80 they tell people.
Right now I have to move the drive to a usb case to copy files into it.
anthony: our local shops charge $40/hr minimum (and wait a week)... $120/hr for a laptop minimum, $160 for a tower for same-day service.
I don't mind doing it for cheap (or even at cost some times), as I tend to get lots of work at that price. I even do on-site work at that price. I'll get a call and either be at thier house within a couple days or even pick it up and return it in a couple days. When they get a complete repair without having to take it in themselves and it only runs $40-80 they tell people.
Coffee before Conciousness
Why do people worry more if you argue with your voices than if you just talk with them? What about if you lose those arguements?
Slowly going crazy at work... they found a way to make the voices work too.
Why do people worry more if you argue with your voices than if you just talk with them? What about if you lose those arguements?
Slowly going crazy at work... they found a way to make the voices work too.
some old tower users have cheaper service alternatives... for example my dad has me ;0 ... pays him back for my years of CS classes in college.
But I must say that it's not just individual users; most every company I've worked at (and I work data center IT for a living) has their living-dead servers which would fall apart like a snowman in spring if they were ever turned off. Whether it's a PC or big iron, the reasons are the same: denial, cheapness... sometimes a lack of ability to upgrade the software being used. Management ignorance. But don't get me started there.
Anyway, it's a living, right?
But I must say that it's not just individual users; most every company I've worked at (and I work data center IT for a living) has their living-dead servers which would fall apart like a snowman in spring if they were ever turned off. Whether it's a PC or big iron, the reasons are the same: denial, cheapness... sometimes a lack of ability to upgrade the software being used. Management ignorance. But don't get me started there.
Anyway, it's a living, right?