Describe what happens before deciding what is broken.
Tell us what you were trying to do, the exact message you saw and whether the computer still starts. Note whether the issue began after a change, affects one program or occurs across several tasks. A description such as “the browser opens, but my email account does not” helps separate a computer problem from an account or connection problem.
Keep an error message or a screenshot if you can capture it without including private information. Do not send passwords or personal documents in the booking notes. We can then discuss a sensible starting point and the work you want to approve. A repair request is not a promise that a particular part has failed, that your files are recoverable or that the computer will be finished within a set time.
Remote troubleshooting or a hands-on visit?
Remote help may fit a computer that starts, connects to the internet and can open the session. It can be useful for checking settings, an email problem or a program that behaves unexpectedly. You remain present and enter your own passwords. Read the remote-session steps before booking if access is unfamiliar.
A hands-on visit is more appropriate when you need someone beside the actual equipment: checking a connection, seeing what happens at startup or sorting out a computer and its nearby devices together. If the computer cannot start or connect, a remote session may not be possible. Describe that in advance. We do not use a remote appointment as a substitute for physical access, and we do not advertise specialist component repair or damaged-drive recovery as part of this hourly computer-help offer.
Back up before a change that could affect your files.
Before repair work, identify the files that matter and the latest copy you can open. Photos, documents and local folders may not all be included in the backup you normally use. Where the computer is still usable, check your selected backup and open a sample file from it. Tell us if there is no backup or if you cannot reach it.
Do not erase or reset the computer simply to see whether that fixes it. Some recovery choices remove files, programs or settings. We discuss the proposed work before making changes and make the file situation part of that discussion. A device that already has inaccessible files needs a careful scope decision; paying for computer help does not establish that missing data can be recovered. Keep the old device and backup until you have checked what you need.
Check what is slowing the computer down.
Storage pressure, startup programs and other software problems can contribute to poor performance. They are possibilities to investigate, not a diagnosis based on age alone. Bring examples of the tasks that have become difficult: opening a document, starting the computer, switching between programs or using the browser. Tell us whether the behavior is constant or comes and goes.
We focus the agreed troubleshooting on the symptoms you can reproduce. Clearing space is not permission to delete personal files, and a computer that opens one program successfully still needs checking against the work you care about. We do not promise a particular speed improvement or recommend additional hardware without considering whether it addresses the actual problem. An account error, a Wi-Fi fault and an aging computer can need different next steps even when all feel like “the computer is slow.”
When replacement is the more sensible conversation.
We may recommend considering replacement when the device cannot support the software you need, the proposed work would leave important limitations unresolved or you prefer to put the budget toward a different computer. That discussion should include your everyday tasks, the condition of the current device and what would have to move across. We consider whether the proposed repair addresses the tasks you need.
If replacement is your choice, new computer or Windows 11 setup is $149 per computer. The setup scope is agreed before work; buying a new device does not mean every old program, license or peripheral will carry over. Keep the old computer until you have checked the files and tasks you rely on. Hardware purchasing and any separate work should be discussed rather than assumed to be included in that setup price.
What the hourly prices mean in dollars.
Home and personal computer help is $99/hour, with a 1-hour minimum. On-site office help is $125/hour, with a 1-hour minimum. Remote help is $65 for the first 30 minutes, then $125/hour. These are the public labor rates, and we agree the work and price before starting.
These examples are arithmetic only, not repair estimates or promises about time: one home hour is $99; two home hours are $198. One office hour is $125; two office hours are $250. A remote session consisting of the first 30 minutes plus one further hour is $190. Any applicable on-site travel fee is separate: $35 for the South Shore and Wellfleet, Truro or Provincetown; none from Bourne to Orleans, including Eastham.
On-site appointments are Saturday 8 am–4 pm and Sunday 10 am–3 pm. Remote appointments are weeknights 6:00–8:30 pm ET. Check your town and travel fee, then describe the problem when booking. Nothing is charged when you book; we invoice after the agreed work.