 |
This
is a list of frequently asked questions. Please read through these to see if your
question may already be answered here.
You may also call us at:
(760) 512-0042 |
|
|
| SERVICE RELATED |
• Can you provide
testimonials and references?
• So basically, you're just like the
"geek" providers?
• What are your business hours?
• Do you have mobile
service? What about drop off service?
•
What makes you different from other service companies?
• What areas do you service? |
| COMPUTER QUESTIONS |
• Can you service laptop
computers?
• Do you sell used computers?
•
What is a virus?
• What
is a worm?
• What is a Trojan?
• How do I know if I have a virus?
• What is Spyware? |
| |
| |
 |
| Q: |
CAN YOU PROVIDE TESTIMONIALS AND
REFERENCES? |
| A: |
Absolutely. We're proud of
the work that we do and our record of integrity, dependability, quality,
timeliness, and trust. You can read our
testimonials page for more
information. |
| |
|
| Q: |
SO BASICALLY, YOU'RE JUST LIKE THE "GEEK"
PROVIDERS? |
| A: |
No. We differ from big
chain "geek" service providers in some important ways:
- Typically, their charges are much higher than ours. Other than some
"loss leader" areas, their pricing is typically 20%-50% or more higher than
ours.
- With us, you aren't playing roulette and getting some random
geek-of-the-week. We are owner operated, and you will get access to the same
consultant each time you need help.
- We have decades of experience not only with technology, but with small
business operations. We are professionals who will treat you with respect
and always listen to your needs. We take quality of service very seriously.
- We are backed by the global Computer Troubleshooters network - the
world's largest network of independent IT professionals. Thanks to our size,
we are able to partner with the best providers of hardware and software,
allowing us to bring you the highest caliber of services.
- Computer Troubleshooters of Encinitas does more than fix computers and
remove viruses. Unlike the geeks, we service a variety of small business
needs, including marketing,
graphic design,
website design, and more. We can
even help you with your QuickBooks and bookkeeping
issues.
|
|
|
| |
|
| Q: |
WHAT
ARE YOUR HOURS? |
| A: |
Regular business hours are
from 9:00am to 6:00pm., Monday - Friday. We are available at other times on an
appointment basis. |
|
|
| |
|
| Q: |
DO YOU HAVE MOBILE SERVICE? WHAT ABOUT
DROP OFF SERVICE? |
| A: |
We provide several
different types of service modes in order to accommodate the needs of all of our
customers:
- On-Site (Mobile) Service
- Drop-Off Service
- Remote Service
- Managed Service
With our on-site service, we will come to your place of business or
your home to diagnose your situation, perform installations, and fix problems.
Often, we will recommend that we take your equipment back to our shop rather
than work on it on-site, as this is a more economical solution (in other words,
you don't have to pay us to "babysit" the equipment while lengthy operations
take place. To set up an appointment, contact us by phone
or
.
With our drop-off service, we provide a convenient way for you to
bring your equipment to us. We provide two easy ways for you to bring your
equipment to us: visit our service office in Encinitas, or drop off at
PostalAnnex+ of Cardiff.
Our service office is located in Park Plaza in the Village Park area of
Encinitas, at 1991 Village Park Way, Suite 204-C.
Click here to view a map of our service office location. We are easily found
by heading east on Encinitas Boulevard. Two lights past El Camino Real, turn
left onto Village Park Way. Park Plaza is located across the street from the
7-11 and next door to the fire station. Our receptionist is available to take
equipment dropoffs from 9am to 5pm on normal business weekdays. The reception
service is available for your convenience even if all of our staff is out on
call at customer sites.
To provide a second drop off point for the convenience of our customers, we have teamed with
PostalAnnex+ of Cardiff (next to
Seaside Market) at 2033 San Elijo Avenue in Cardiff-by-the-Sea. PostalAnnex+ of
Cardiff is open and available for drop offs Monday - Saturday (9 - 6 weekdays
and 10 - 4 on Saturday). Normally, we will pick up your computer within one
business day. Once we have examined your computer, we will contact you to
discuss your service options.
With our remote service, we can diagnose and fix many problems without
requiring either an on-site visit or a dropoff. We can safely and securely
connect to your computers and help you to pinpoint problems and even visually
step you through activities and procedures. In "help desk" mode, you contact us
when you need help and we work interactively together. In "remote maintenance"
mode, you grant us access to work on your equipment without your interaction or
even during non-business hours when everyone has gone home. The choice is yours.
When you are ready for remote service, contact us by phone
or
or an appointment and then follow the simple instructions on the
remote help page. Setup takes less than a minute.
Some services can be charged at a flat rate, and others on economical 15-minute
time increments.
With our managed service offering, we provide comprehensive and
proactive service of all your workstations, servers, and network components,
including 24/7 monitoring and maintenance, with around-the-clock help desk
access.. In effect, managed services is the IT equivalent of health insurance:
you pay a predictable monthly fee so that we can keep your systems healthy and
operating at peak performance, rather than paying unpredictable fees whenever
things inevitably break. Although managed services will save you money in the
long term, the most important benefit is that your systems are always operating
efficiently and predictable - a characteristic that is particularly critical to
successful business operation. We even provide the industry's only "No Downtime
Guarantee" ! (Learn more about our B.E.S.T. managed service
program.) |
|
|
|
| Q: |
WHAT
MAKES YOU DIFFERENT FROM OTHER SERVICE COMPANIES? |
| A: |
People and Businesses around
the world depend on Computer Troubleshooters. We’re the world’s #1
network of computer professionals. There are many reasons our customers call Computer
Troubleshooters instead of someone else. Here are just a few – •
We understand computers and technology issues.
• We come to you with onsite and professional service.
• Computer Troubleshooters care about our customers.
• We won’t call a job complete until the problem is resolved.
Computer Troubleshooters provides the service and peace of mind you deserve,
and we're backed by the full international team of 450 affiliates. We provide
local service backed by global strength.
|
|
|
|
| Q: |
WHAT AREAS DO YOU SERVICE? |
| A: |
Computer Troubleshooters
of Encinitas primarily services the North County Coastal area. For service
outside our immediate area, contact us. |
|
|
|
| Q: |
CAN YOU SERVICE LAPTOP COMPUTERS? |
| A: |
Absolutely! We can do
everything from upgrading memory to replacing broken screens. If you laptop is
sluggish or shutting down unexpectedly, or the display goes blank, we can
diagnose the problem and fix it. |
|
|
|
| Q: |
DO
YOU SELL USED COMPUTERS OR PARTS? |
| A: |
No, we only sell new computers
and parts. |
|
|
|
| Q: |
WHAT
IS A VIRUS? |
| A: |
A computer virus is a program
– a piece of executable code – that has the unique ability to replicate.
Like biological viruses, computer viruses can spread quickly and are often difficult
to eradicate. They can attach themselves to just about any type of file and are
spread as files that are copied and sent from individual to individual.
In addition to replication, some computer viruses share another commonality: a
damage routine that delivers the virus payload. While payloads may only display
messages or images, they can also destroy files, reformat your hard drive, or
cause other damage. If the virus does not contain a damage routine, it can cause
trouble by consuming storage space and memory, and degrading the overall performance
of your computer.
Several years ago most viruses spread primarily via floppy disk, but the Internet
has introduced new virus distribution mechanisms. With email now used as an essential
business communication tool, viruses are spreading faster than ever. Viruses attached
to email messages can infect an entire enterprise in a matter of minutes, costing
companies millions of dollars annually in lost productivity and clean-up expenses.
Viruses won't go away anytime soon: More than 60,000 have been identified, and
400 new ones are created every month, according to the International Computer
Security Association (ICSA). With numbers like this, it's safe to say that most
organizations will regularly encounter virus outbreaks. No one who uses computers
is immune to viruses. |
|
|
|
| Q: |
WHAT
IS A WORM? |
| A: |
A worm is a computer program
that has the ability to copy itself from machine to machine. Worms normally move
around and infect other machines through computer networks. Using a network, a
worm can expand from a single copy incredibly quickly. For example, the Code Red
worm replicated itself over 250,000 times in approximately nine hours on July
19, 2001. A worm usually exploits some sort of security hole in a piece of software
or the operating system. For example, the Slammer worm (which caused mayhem in
January 2003) exploited a hole in Microsoft's SQL server.
Worms use up computer time and network bandwidth when they are replicating, and
they often have some sort of evil intent. A worm called Code Red made huge headlines
in 2001. Experts predicted that this worm could clog the Internet so effectively
that things would completely grind to a halt.
The Code Red worm slowed down Internet traffic when it began to replicate itself,
but not nearly as badly as predicted. Each copy of the worm scanned the Internet
for Windows NT or Windows 2000 servers that do not have the Microsoft security
patch installed. Each time it found an unsecured server, the worm copied itself
to that server. The new copy then scanned for other servers to infect. Depending
on the number of unsecured servers, a worm could conceivably create hundreds of
thousands of copies. |
|
|
|
| Q: |
WHAT
IS A TROJAN? |
| A: |
A Trojan is a piece of code
that performs unexpected or unauthorized, often malicious, actions. The main difference
between a Trojan and a virus is the inability to replicate. Trojans cause damage,
unexpected system behavior, and compromise the security of systems, but do not
replicate. If it replicates, then it should be classified as a virus.
A Trojan, coined from Greek mythology's Trojan horse, typically comes in good
packaging but has some hidden malicious intent within its code. When a Trojan
is executed users will likely experience unwanted system problems in operation,
and sometimes loss of valuable data. |
|
|
|
| Q: |
HOW
DO I KNOW IF I HAVE A VIRUS? |
| A: |
You must remember that there
are very many things that can go wrong with your computer and a virus is not always
to blame.
The only way you can know whether or not your computer is infected is by scanning
your machine with an up to date anti-virus program. |
|
|
|
| Q: |
WHAT
IS SPYWARE? |
| A: |
Spyware apps sneak onto your
machine when you download many file-sharing services, open infected e-mails, or
click on dubious Internet pop-up ads. They can manipulate your system, record
your habits, and steal your passwords and credit card numbers. Depending on their
degree of aggressiveness, they can steal your privacy or even your identity. And
they can be terribly difficult to remove. |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
