Paul Doherty - PC Services

PC Services

I offer a range of fixed-price services to home PC users and small businesses in Windsor, Egham, Englefield Green, Virginia Water, Ascot, Bracknell and surrounding areas in Surrey, UK. I also cover much of Berkshire, Middlesex and Buckinghamshire.

For a fixed price (typically £80) I'll come to you and sort out a specific PC problem.

I also offer a "remote control" service where, with your permission, I control your PC from my office. This lets me fix problems or show you how to do things.

No fix, no fee. If I come to you and find I can't help you (maybe I do a virus and spyware check, and nothing is found), I won't charge you. If a £40 job unexpectedly takes four hours, it still only costs £40.

Because everyone wants something slightly different, I don't have a pre-set list of tightly-defined services, but I work on the basis that most jobs cost £40, £60, £90, or (rarely) £120.

Typical examples below. All include a visit to you in the price; the price shown (plus the cost of any equipment you want me to supply) is all you pay.

I don't charge travelling costs or a call-out charge if you're within about 15 miles of Egham, Surrey. For longer distances, you and I would agree a standard charge, typically based on a rate of 40p per mile.

If you live locally, you can drop off a PC (usually a laptop) for me to sort out, and collect it later. This can be especially handy if you only have a dial-up Internet connection, because I can put your PC on my broadband line to download Windows updates and so on.

Reasonable amounts of telephone or e-mail advice and guidance – free.

To see how my offerings compare with those of PC World, click here.

For £40, any of:

Choose a new PC for you, order it online for delivery to you, unpack it, install it, set it up and configure it.
Check PC for spyware; remove a few simple infections if found; advise on how to avoid re-infection.
Uninstall Norton; install Spybot, AVG, Netmeter, Startup Monitor, maybe a personal firewall, Firefox.
Advise on broadband: how to get connected, how to choose a good supplier (look beyond BT and AOL), what equipment you need.
Arrange an e-mail hosting account and configure Outlook or Outlook Express to send and receive e-mail using it.
A one-hour lesson on using your PC, Windows, Word or Excel.
A one-hour lesson on using e-mail and the Internet.
Install a new fixed disk.

For £80, any of:

Choose a new PC for you, collect it from PC World, deliver it to you, unpack it, install it, set it up and configure it.
Check PC for spyware; remove multiple infections, install anti-spyware measures and advise on how to avoid re-infection.
Diagnose and fix Windows faults or misconfigurations.
Diagnose and fix hardware faults.
Order and install broadband, and supply and configure a router.
Set-up a home network, a small LAN, a wireless network, or similar.
Configure E-mail (Outlook Express or Thunderbird) for multiple users, obtain domain name and hosting service.
Install, reinstall, or upgrade Windows and one or two applications.

For £120, any of:

Sort out complex problems on PC or network of PCs, including print problems.
Obtain control of domain names, organise transfer of web sites, find lost passwords.
Complete broadband service – advice, ordering and installation.
A one-year maintenance and support contract for a single PC.
Design a small website (one or two pages).

For £160, any of:

Conduct wireless survey and provide wireless broadband and equipment – advise, order, install.
Complete PC and Internet health check and tune-up. Configure several PCs to be fast and stable, and set up the way you want (your icons on the screen, your folders created, etc).
A one-year maintenance contract for a small network of PCs.
Configure a small business network with mail server etc.
A series of lessons on PC and Internet use (similar to ECDL), tailored to your interests and level of knowledge.

Time and materials basis

If you prefer to hire me on a time-based arrangement, a typical price for this sort of work would be £40 per hour, and 40p per mile.

Don't forget ...

I'm always happy to quote a fixed price for any other PC matter — contact me and tell me what you want me to do. Often people want several things done, in which case I'm happy to quote a combined price lower than just adding the individual prices together.

I can offer advice on choosing, buying or upgrading PCs or laptops, and on changing broadband suppliers.

I'm happy to offer advice or guidance over the phone or by e-mail, usually free.

Finally, because I used to be a full-time computer trainer, I pride myself on explaining things to you in simple, clear English. I'm happy to explain any technical terms you encounter. If you want something outside my areas of expertise, I'll tell you so – and if I can't help you myself, I may know someone who can.