I offer a full line of both hardware and software related in-home tech support. I am available for emergency care such as virus, spyware, or other malware removal as well as planned support such as hard drive upgrades and operating system (OS) migration. Almost all service can be performed in your home and usually in one visit. In addition to home PC support, I can also provide assistance with other technologies including PDAs, Smart Phones, and other mobile devices. My primary background is in system and network administration which will allow me to help you plan out your home or wireless network in additional to troubleshooting network problems and increasing network security.

I understand the importance of quality service. I will work hard to troubleshoot your problem and suggest the best possible course of action to meet your needs and your budget. I believe it is important to treat all of my customers with respect and to never use my knowledge and experience to patronize a customer or to make him/her feel bad during the process. Instead, I will be more than glad to answer all of your questions and to provide sincere guidance. Unlike other home tech support providers, I will not leave you in the dark about how I fixed your problem. Instead, I will help you understand the problem and the possible causes to your support issue in order to help you avoid future support calls. While this may seem counterintuitive to business, I want to earn your long term trust and be your #1 reference when friends and family have computer problems. I also invite you to get to know me better, please feel free to visit my about me page and if you have further question please feel free to contact me.

Technical support issues can vary in their cause and complexity; I am willing to take on the challenge. In keeping with my commitment to quality customer service I will be sure to let you know if there are any problems or if multiple appointments will be needed so I can obtain special tools and software as necessary. Below, I will highlight some of the most common reasons that people need tech support in the home. Please note, service is NOT limited to the below services. If you have a special need or a tricky problem, please contact me and I would be glad to discuss it with you and create a plan of action.

Virus Removal, Spyware, and Emergency Support Services

Viruses can infect your computer in numerous ways. Perhaps someone sent you an infected email attachment or you accidently clicked on a sneaky link or pop-up. Now your computer is running slow or you cannot connect to the Internet. Perhaps your PC can no longer receive updates or its one of the other deadly signs of a virus. If you are infected by a virus, you must take action quickly. Viruses can slow down your computer, making it impossible to use or they may be more sinister and could potentially be stealing your private information and banking credentials. If you have a virus, it is important to first stop the infection and to make sure that it will not spread to your friend, family, and colleagues.

When I come to your home for a suspected virus I will provide full service repair, including education, and tools to limit future problems. In addition to the automated tools that some other technicians use, I know how to further check manually for viruses and other malware. I will evaluate your system with you to ensure that everything is the way it should be and that you only have programs that you know and trust, reducing the possibility for further attack. If you do not already have anti-virus protection, I will help you select either the best commercial or free scanner to help detect attacks earlier. In addition, I will sit down with you and try to identify the behavior or site that caused the attack. I will provide some tips to improve your web safety and will even suggest tools you can use to increase your security and protect your financial data.

Under most circumstances, I am available for emergency visits on the same day. Please note that there may be additional fees for rush service, especially on nights or weekends. I recommend, instead, that you schedule a regular appointment with me for your malware removal session. For a full schedule of fees, please visit the tech support rates page.

If you are interested in reading about computer and IT security, please feel free to visit my security blog articles and reports at EricGoldman.name. Please note that most articles are focused on professional IT security topics and security for businesses and corporations, but your may still find them interesting reads if you are interested in technology.

Computer Slowdown

Your computer isn’t that old and you don’t do anything really processor intensive, but somehow it feels like your PC is getting slower and slower. Is this possible? The answer, surprisingly, is yes! Your computer stores a very large volume of data whenever you do anything, including browsing the web. Over time, you will also install new software and applications which may always be running in the background. Without the proper know-how, it may seem like the computer is just getting lazy. But we can bring your PC back up to speed. If your computer is running slow, please schedule an appointment with me. I will help you identify the culprits causing your computer to run slow and maybe even find hidden viruses lurking in your system. I will optimize your system to bring it back up to speed. If your computer is actually just old or you need more power to run your high-end software, I will help you identify possible upgrade paths in order to give you the speed and power that you need. Please contact me today.

Home Networking & Wi-Fi

In today’s modern home, it seems like everyone has a computer or other Internet connected device. How can all of these devices share information and access the Internet easily and safely? These may be questions which are too difficult or technical to diagnose on your own. My education (BS & MS) in Networking and System Administration combined with my previous experience will allow me to efficiently setup your home network or small-office/home-office (SOHO) network and to ensure that you are protected from threats. Even if you already have a home or wireless network, do you know if it’s secure? Do you suspect your neighbors of stealing your network connection or are you using out-dated security that hacker’s can break in a matter of minutes (Is this true? Check out this article about FBI experiments on Wi-Fi). If you have any questions about the security of your home of WiFi network, please do not hesitate to call me and ask for my advice.

If you need help setting up your first home network, expanding to new PCs, or going wireless securely I am available for in home support and advice. I can help you select the best-of-breed technologies to get you up and connected. I am also experienced configuring these devices and setting up the proper security requirements on your PCs. I can also help you with more advanced topics like file sharing, setting up a home server for backup, or configuring a HTPC/Xbox360/Ps3 for media streaming and sharing on your TV. If you have any questions about anything related to home networking, please feel free to contact me and ask any questions.

If you are a computer enthusiast and are interested in reading some technical articles about networking and security, please visit my blogs at EricGoldman.name