SERVICES
On-site Services
Concise Computer Consulting specializes in on-site PC and Network service. This is the foundation of our business. If you are having trouble at the home or office, we can have you up and running, often within hours of your call. We charge a tiny destination fee of $1/mile (min $10) to cover gasoline expenses, and our regular rate is $100 per hour.
Whether you are having trouble with your printers, network, or your system won\'t boot at all, give Concise a call. Or if everything is working fine, but you would like to network your computers together, share files or printers, or have a system-wide upgrade, we can analyze your current setup and share our recommendations with you. Whatever you need, ranging from e-mail to high-speed internet, removing viruses to installing Voice-over-IP, we can provide it!
Backup Solutions
Would you like your data backed up in an automated fashion so that you don't have to worry about it?
We are now pleased to offer a secure, off-site backup solution to our clients!
Having an off-site backup allows you to have another measure of data security in case of hardware failure, fire, theft, or any other terrible thing that could happen to your technology.
Even if you already back-up your data, we feel that it is always best to have a redundant backup. When dealing with the important data that you generate with your business, it's better to be safe than sorry!
For a very affordable monthly fee, your data will be backed up, through the internet each night to our secure server. Back-up logs will be automatically e-mailed to both you and Concise daily which will be used to monitor the status of each backup.
Computers are used for an ever-increasing amount of functions today, including storing our personal photographs, e-mails, documents, and other information that is near and dear to us all. We can help put a back-up system in place so that, in the event of hardware failure, your data will not be lost.
There are several different types of in-office or in-home backups that we can help set up for you, including (but not limited to):
- External Hard Drives
- Tape Backup
- CD and DVD Burners
- USB Thumb Drives
- Iomega REV Drives
- Network Backup
- etc.
Credit Card Processing
Would you like to be able to accept all major credit cards at your business? We can provide you with a solution, either by accepting credit cards at your web site over the internet, over the telephone, or using a credit card machine.
If you currently accept credit cards, we can offer you lower rates per swipe than you are currently paying. To date, we have saved our clients over $2500 in annual credit card processing fees.
We are also able to offer gift cards as well as electronic check processing.
Local Area Networks (LAN) - Wired & Wireless
WIRED NETWORKS
We support Windows 95, 98, 98SE, ME, 2000 Professional, 2000 Server, XP Home & XP Professional, and 2003 Server networks.
We install, setup, diagnose, and support LANs, and would be happy to assist you with your networking needs.
In order to create such a network, the following components are required:
- Network Interface Card (in each computer)
- A hub, switch or router (a hardware device which directs data traffic over the network)
- RJ45 Category 5 (CAT5) Cable
- Generally most NICs range between $29 and $69 per card, Switches $59, and Routers from $69-159, depending on features
- RJ45 Category 5E 350MHz rated networking cable, $.47 per foot
- Other hardware costs include: RJ45 Ends, Gang Boxes, Face Plates & Keystone/Leviton Jacks
- Labor: In addition to our regular hourly rate, we charge $50 per cable drop in offices with drywall and drop ceiling.
General Information
A local area network (LAN) is a group of computers and associated devices that share a common communications line or wireless link.
In homes, the most common use for a LAN is for internet sharing. Homes that have multiple computers can share the same high-speed internet connection simultaneously. If you are a home user and have multiple computers but only one internet connection, give us a call and we can have you networked today!
In businesses, a LAN has many uses, including (but not limited to) sharing specific networkable software applications, files, printers, and Internet.
WIRELESS NETWORKS
We have found that most end-users who set up Wireless networks on their own often forget to secure and encrypt their networks. We are very well versed in troubleshooting problems with wireless networks, as well as general set up, configuration, and encryption.
Virus, Spyware & Pop-up Removal
There are several different types of software which can be harmful to your computer. These are generally categorizes as computer viruses, or spyware.
Types of Viruses:
- Viruses - A virus is a small piece of software that replicates itself. A virus might attach itself to a program such as a spreadsheet program. Each time the spreadsheet program runs, the virus runs, too, and it has the chance to reproduce (by attaching to other programs) or wreak havoc.
- E-mail viruses - An e-mail virus moves around in e-mail messages, and usually replicates itself by automatically mailing itself to dozens of people in the victim's e-mail address book.
- Worms - A worm is a small piece of software that uses computer networks and security holes to replicate itself. A copy of the worm scans the network for another machine that has a specific security hole. It copies itself to the new machine using the security hole, and then starts replicating from there, as well.
- Trojan horses - A Trojan horse is simply a computer program. The program claims to do one thing (it may claim to be a game, or a "free" piece of software) but instead does damage when you run it (it may erase your hard disk). Trojan horses have no way to replicate automatically. They are called Trojan horses because they are sometimes disguised as normal computer programs.
Spyware is defined as any software that covertly gathers user information through the user's Internet connection without his or her knowledge, usually for advertising purposes. Spyware applications are typically bundled as a hidden component of freeware or shareware programs that can be downloaded from the Internet; however, it should be noted that the majority of shareware and freeware applications do not come with spyware. Once installed, the spyware monitors user activity on the Internet and transmits that information in the background to someone else. Spyware can also gather information about e-mail addresses and even passwords and credit card numbers.
Spyware often causes "pop-up" advertisements to appear on the user's screen, without the user's knowledge or consent. These pop-ups can be quite a headache, and spyware itself often slows down computers to a slow crawl.
Spyware is similar to a Trojan horse in that users unwittingly install the product when they install something else. A common way to become a victim of spyware is to download certain peer-to-peer file swapping products that are available today, such as Kazaa.
Aside from the questions of ethics and privacy, spyware steals from the user by using the computer's memory resources and also by eating bandwidth as it sends information back to the spyware's home base via the user's Internet connection. Because spyware is using memory and system resources, the applications running in the background can lead to system crashes or general system instability.
Because spyware exists as independent executable programs, they have the ability to monitor keystrokes, scan files on the hard drive, snoop other applications, such as chat programs or word processors, install other spyware programs, read cookies, change the default home page on the Web browser, consistently relaying this information back to the spyware author who will either use it for advertising/marketing purposes or sell the information to another party. When the home page of your web browser changes without your knowledge or consent, this is referred to a home-page hijacking.
Concise Computer Consulting has a range of software utilities and antivirus programs that can be used to clean off the viruses and spyware from your system, or favorite being AVG Anti-Virus.
We are authorized GOLD resellers of Grisoft products.
Sometimes, a computer is so badly infected with viruses and spyware that the harmful software cannot be removed without completely formatting the hard drive (deleting all files) and reinstalling the operating system. Don't worry -- we can back up your data and note which programs you had installed, and then perform a BFR (Backup, Format, Reinstall, Restore) on your system. When we have completed virus and spyware removal, we will teach you how to run the programs that we have installed so as to prevent viruses and spyware from compromising your system in the future. For more information, see the Preventive Maintenance section of our web site.
VHS to DVD Conversion
Do you own video of your most memorable moments? Did you know that with each viewing, and as time passes, tapes degrade and lose quality?
- Don\'t allow those memories to be lost forever. Now you can and save space and add new life to that footage by converting those VHS tapes into high quality DVD format. These DVDs can be played in any DVD player or PC.
- Concise Computer Consulting offers this affordable service for only $25 (per hour of VHS footage). You can have extra copies made to give to family and friends for special occasions, and for a drastically reduced price (only $10 per copy).
Computer Remote Access
Want to access your work PC from home or your home PC from work?
With high speed Internet becoming the norm these days, it has become quite easy to create Virtual Private Networks (VPN) and to configure your computers for remote access. With Remote Access, you can access your PC from anywhere in the world*, as if you were sitting right in front of it!
Depending on what operating system you have, Remote Access functionality may already be built-in (however, it is not enabled nor configured by default). If you do not have built-in Remote Access functionality, we can install a third-party software package on the host PC (the computer that is to be controlled from a remote location) and on the remote PC (the computer that you will use to remotely access the host PC) to facilitate remote access.
* Requires a high speed internet connection.
Computer Recycling
Concise Computer Consulting, LLC is proud to announce that we are now accepting old and used computers for electronics recycling! There are many benefits to recycling your old computer equipment, as opposed to just throwing it away.
- If you throw your old computer equipment in the garbage, personal information stored on your hard drive could be retrieved.
- Computer electronics are harmful to the environment and should be disposed of properly.
By recycling your computer through Concise Computer Consulting, LLC, we will perform a low-level format of your hard drive, eliminating all data and making it irretrievable. We will also recycle of each and every component (Processor, RAM, Hard Drive, Power Supply, Case, etc.), and dispose of non-recyclable parts in an environmentally friendly manner. The cost is $20 per Computer System (We are able to recycle used PCs, Printers, and Monitors), and you can drop the equipment off at our office, or give it to us while we are at your home or business performing on-site computer service.
Data & Disaster Recovery
Have you just turned on your computer this morning and found that it is unresponsive? Is your hard drive clicking, or is the room filled with a faint burning smell? If so, you may be in need of our Disaster Recovery services. We can diagnose your PC hardware on-site or in our office, and replace the defective parts. Many hardware issues are caused by power surges, as well as by general hardware failure. We can help you recover from such technological disasters.
We provide several different levels of data recovery for damaged hard disk drives (both laptop and desktop), as well as other types of storage media, as follows:
1. Basic (Software) Data Recovery $125 – 400
If a client cannot access their data due to file system corruption, accidental format or deletion, virus outbreak, or other reasons, we can often times recover their data using our sophisticated data recovery software. We have also had limited success recovering data from hard drives in the primary stages of mechanical failure using this approach.
2. Advanced (Hardware) Data Recovery $800 – 2500
In extreme cases of hardware failure where drives are non-responsive, we immediately ship the hard disk drive out over-night to the premier data recovery lab in North America, where it is disassembled and diagnosed in an ISO-certified clean room environment. Our affiliate data recovery specialists have a successful recovery rate of 95%.
Pick Up / Drop Off $25
Evaluation $50
The Concise Advantage:
➔ Fast, reliable service . Within hours of your call, we can have a technician on the way to your office to pick up your hard drive for evaluation or immediate shipment.
➔ Excellent customer care . We communicate with the client at every step of the way, providing them with updates on the status of the data recovery.
➔ Secure handling . We handle your hard disk drives with care and ship them in the appropriate protective packaging to eliminate the possibility of further hardware damage.
High Speed Internet
Concise Computer Consulting is a reseller of all types of high-speed internet. We have relationships with all of the local providers of broadband cable-modem service, DSL, T1/T3 lines, and VOIP solutions. Still using that antequated, old-fashioned dial-up internet service? If you would like to supercharge your internet connection, give us a call and we can let you know what is available in your area and set you up with high speed internet.
Tutoring & Training
Concise Computer Consulting is familiar with many hardware and software devices and packages. We can send out a technician to teach you how to use the following:
HARDWARE
- New & Used Computers
- Printers (regular, and multi-function)
- Scanners
- Most Networking Devices
- All Mass Storage Devices (including CD/DVD Burners)
- Zip, Jazz & Tape Back-ups
- Thumb Drives (Small USB flash drives)
- All SCSI Products
- Digital Cameras
- All MP3 devices (i.e. IPODs)
- Microsoft Windows 95,98,98se,ME, 2000 Professional, 2000 Server, XP Home, XP Professional, 2003 Server
- Microsoft Office 95, 97, 2000, XP, 2003
- Microsoft Internet Explorer & Mozilla Firefox (preferred)
- Microsoft Outlook Express, Microsoft Outlook (full version), and Microsoft Exchange
- ACT
- America Online
- Ebay
- iTunes
- Bit Torrent Applications
- All CDRW/CDR Software (including Roxio, Nero, and others)
- All AntiVirus Products (McAfee, Norton, AntiVir, and AVG^)
- Quicken & Quickbooks*
- Peachtree*
Web Design / Development
Does your business need a web site? A web host? E-mail hosting? Assistance with DNS or Domain Name Registrars?
Perhaps your web site, like someone\'s wardrobe, is stuck in the 80\'s? Whether your web site needs an update or a face lift, we can assist you.
We are also able to help you create logos, pamphlets, design business cards, etc. to go along with the theme of your web site.
We can provide you with the most professional web sites, graphics, logos, and other types of branding at very reasonable prices. Call us today for a quote!
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Preventive Maintenance
If everything is running well, and you want to keep it running well, contact us and we can set you up with policies, procedures, software, and training that will keep your systems running smoothly. Clients who utilize our Concise maintenance plans receive a preferred billing rate of half our regular hourly rate.
Computer Sales
In addition to building custom computers, Concise Computer Consulting, LLC is also an authorized reseller of IBM (Lenovo) and Dell products, and we can order an array of other products (printers, cameras, and other peripherals) from our suppliers, often at lower than retail prices.
We know from experience that oftentimes when a client purchases a computer from a sales catalog, it doesn\'t fit their needs very well. This is either because the hardware isn\'t appropriate for their uses, or the software that comes with the computer is incompatible or inadequate.
Give us a call if you need to purchase new hardware and we\'ll help you purchase the appropriate equipment.
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In-office Services
Most services performed in our office are offered for a flat rate of $150. This is particularly popular among residential clients who prefer a flat rate over an hourly rate. If you would like your in-house service escalated to \'next on the bench\' status, the in-house rate increases to a flat rate of $250.
The only additional fees that could be included in an in-office repair would be software subscriptions, hardware upgrades, or hardware replacement. Client approval is always obtained before we proceed with additional charges.
Equipment Rental
Are you looking to rent a projector, laptop, desktop, or other piece of hardware for a period of time? We have a large inventory of hardware available to rent. Contact us for pricing details.