Computer repair
Slow machines, crashes, blue screens and SSD upgrades.
New computer setup · Miami
New computer set up properly, $149 flat
A new laptop out of the box is forty minutes of setup screens, a pile of preinstalled junk, and a real chance of leaving half your life behind on the old machine. I move everything across and make sure it works before I leave.
What gets moved
Files are the easy part, and the part everyone remembers. These are the ones people discover missing three weeks later:
- Documents, photos, music and downloads, in the same folder structure you already know
- Saved passwords living inside the old browser, plus a password manager if you want one
- Email accounts and stored mail, including old messages that only exist on the old machine
- Bookmarks, browser profiles and extensions you actually use
- Printers and scanners, connected and test-printed
- Licensed software, deactivated on the old machine and activated on the new one
- Two-factor apps moved across before the old device is wiped, which is the step that locks people out
What gets removed
New Windows laptops ship with trial antivirus, manufacturer "helper" utilities, game launchers and shopping widgets. Most of it starts with Windows, nags you, and makes a brand new machine feel slow on day one. All of it comes off.
I also turn off the advertising and telemetry settings Windows enables by default, and set up Windows Defender properly so you don't need to buy antivirus.
Your old computer
If you're selling, donating or recycling it, the drive needs wiping properly. Deleting files and emptying the recycle bin does not remove them. Anyone with a free tool can pull them back, including saved passwords and tax documents. Secure wiping is included in the price.
If you're keeping it as a spare, I'll leave it clean and working instead, and it often makes a perfectly good second machine after an SSD upgrade.
Buying advice is free
Tell me your budget and what you actually do on a computer, and I'll tell you what to buy. No charge, and no obligation to book the setup afterwards. I don't sell hardware, so there's nothing in it for me either way.
For most people in Brickell working from home, the honest answer is that a mid-range laptop with a decent processor, 16GB of memory and a 512GB SSD does everything they need, and the money saved by not buying the top model is better spent on a second monitor.
How long it takes
About two hours for a typical transfer, longer if there's a lot of data. I can do it at your place while you get on with your day, and everything is tested with you before I go. If you'd rather not wait around, I can do most of the work and come back to finish.
Wondering whether that's better value than a big-box store's setup service? See the comparison.
Setting up several machines? New hires, an office refresh, or a few identical laptops all get a better per-machine rate. See office IT support.
Questions
Setup FAQs
Can't I just copy my files across myself?
You can, and for files alone it's fine. What catches people out is saved passwords, email history and two-factor apps, because those aren't files and they don't copy. That's usually why people call.
Do you set up Macs?
No. Windows is what I do well, so it's what I stick to.
What if I haven't bought the computer yet?
Even better. Ask me first, the advice is free, and it'll save you buying more machine than you need.
Is the old machine really wiped?
Yes, properly, not just deleted. That's included whenever you're passing the machine on.
Related
Other things I fix
Wi-Fi installation
Mesh setup for concrete high-rises, every room tested.
Backup setup
Automatic backups with a restore tested in front of you.
Got a new machine sitting in the box?
I'll have it set up, transferred and working the same day.