Accepting money to fix a work mate/ friend's computer?

tchan_4 said:
It doesn't take 1 hour of your time though. You can be doing your important stuff while you wait.
Like you said in your post, its only a few clicks and charging your friends to click a few things is just ridiculous.

If I was installing Vista, it would only require no more than 5 mins of my time in front of the computer to install.

- Choose Edition
- Enter Product key
- Install

Thats not even a 5 minute job.
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Amazing, and do all the drivers install and update themselves? (I'm aware this can sometimes be the case, but it doesn't work...) Does decent AV go on during the install? And do all the little extras (Adobe PDF, printers etc) add themselves?
The fact of the matter is, installing an operating system would require more than 5 minutes of your time.

Charging people for computer support is perfectly acceptable, you're taking time out of your life to do work. Coming home from work to then do more work is not good and in real life, windows reinstall is often not the best option and data needs recovered.

Edit: Oh, just read the other pages and realised you're not living in the real world and have come across as a complete tool in every post. Keep on trollin'. :cool:

tchan_4 said:
Again, its not a skill.
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You're an idiot.
 
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tchan_4 said:
I expect my friends to be able to click a few buttons yes.



We're talking about friends here, not customers. :rolleyes:
Or are friends customers now? Business really that bad? :rolleyes:
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Thats weird because I normally like to take a look at said pc before jumping straight for the reinstall discs.

It could be something that has a very quick fix thats troubling the user or something that requires hardware, dodgey ram for example.

You can instruct over the phone how to install an OS but you certainly cannot diagnose a problem over a telephone.
 
BluZiff said:
Thats weird because I normally like to take a look at said pc before jumping straight for the reinstall discs.

It could be something that has a very quick fix thats troubling the user or something that requires hardware, dodgey ram for example.

You can instruct over the phone how to install an OS but you certainly cannot diagnose a problem over a telephone.
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Your breath is being wasted at a rapid rate :)
 
You're clearly doing it wrong.
Get PC, quick format, hit a few buttons. Jobs a good 'un.
5 mins work, max. Fixes all known PC issues (including hardware problems)
 
tchan_4 said:
How would you describe installing an operating system if it's not just clicking a few buttons?
How would you describe installing security software?
If I remember correctly, its just clicking a few buttons. We're not talking about using command line here, there is a GUI.

If that's outside someone's comfort zone, I'm shocked.
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Thats really quite irrelevant though. They are tasks that command a price. Some people dont really like fiddling about with computers believe it or not and to get someone to perform those tasks for them cost money. If a shop will charge £50 to "click a few buttons" then the OP is entitled to charge as well.

I have a cleaner who comes in once a week to clean the kitchen, bathrooms etc and she gets £30 for doing it. Nothing about the job is complex or requires huge amount of training but she is doing something that i, frankly, cant be arsed doing and as such she gets paid accordingly. Now she could easily argue that i am wasting my money cos what she does is simple work and i could easily do it but to me its worth it.

If you are clueless about computers perhaps you would rather get someone else to do it even if it is a simple task. My parents use their computers regularly but would never dream of troubleshooting even the simplest of problems themselves purely for the fear of mesing it up. Im sure there are loads of people in the same boat.
 
Brian Stuart said:
Your breath is being wasted at a rapid rate :)
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nah its always good fun, I have a list of possible responses for MR Chan to come up with next. Place your bets now!!!!!!!

15:1 on him not bothering to respond

7:1 on Remote desktop with phone instructions for memtest with other machine burning the disc.

2:1 on Random comment that has already been addressed on a previous page
 
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Elitejungalist said:
For close friends and families, I do the work for free. But out of good will mates usually buy me a drink etc.

Its a hard to put a price on Pc repair.
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I dont think its about putting a price on it as such more just the taking of something be it a small amount of cash or beers to compensate for time spent.
 
BluZiff said:
I dont think its about putting a price on it as such more just the taking of something be it a small amount of cash or beers to compensate for time spent.
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I'm in a different situation as it is my business but I do some work for friends and don't charge through the company but if they offer any money I accept. (Don't drink so no beers I'm afraid :()
 
If you fix computers for a living you might be offeneded but it is just clicking a few buttons.

Installing Windows - Click a few buttons
Installing Drivers - Load CD, Click a few buttons - ie. Accecpt Terms, Next, OK, Finish
Installing security - Click a few buttons - ie. Accecpt Terms, Next, OK, Finish
Installing Adobe Reader - Clicking a few buttons - ie. Accecpt Terms, Next, OK, Finish

If it's not the case of clicking a few buttons, someone give me a scenario where it isn't.

Why do you people insist on thinking installing software (with a GUI) is a skill?
Call me a tool, I don't care. Installing an operating system is not hard, or a skill.
 
tchan_4 said:
If you fix computers for a living you might be offeneded but it is just clicking a few buttons.

Installing Windows - Click a few buttons
Installing Drivers - Load CD, Click a few buttons - ie. Accecpt Terms, Next, OK, Finish
Installing security - Click a few buttons - ie. Accecpt Terms, Next, OK, Finish
Installing Adobe Reader - Clicking a few buttons - ie. Accecpt Terms, Next, OK, Finish

If it's not the case of clicking a few buttons, someone give me a scenario where it isn't.

Why do you people insist on thinking installing software (with a GUI) is a skill?
Call me a tool, I don't care. Installing an operating system is not hard, or a skill.
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Have you ever considered the work that is needed before the install or reinstall of the OS.
Diagnose the problem. Could be hardware or software related
Backup data. Remove HDD, attach as slave to another PC backup or recover data to external HDD
Replace HDD in client PC
Install OS
Reinstall software as client requires
Locate drivers (can be a lot harder than you think)
Reinstall data
Install updates
Install spellchecker
Test PC for stability.

It is really simple in your world.
 
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An operating system reinstall is not hard, nor is it the correct course of action to take normally.
However, you've dumbed it down so much that it's just become unrealistic.
It takes time, not just the 5 minute button click that you seem to label it as.

What about the backup of the existing files also? Or are they lost for eternity?
 
on a side note I love your sig Emlyn_Dewar, those brawn gp sigs are so annoyingly common now.

Also is this thread going to be closed anytime soon? The discussion seems to have run its course.
 
Brian Stuart said:
Have you ever considered the work that is needed before the install or reinstall of the OS.
Diagnose the problem. Could be hardware or software related
Backup data. Remove HDD, attach as slave to another PC backup or recover data to external HDD
Replace HDD in client PC
Install OS
Reinstall software as client requires
Reinstall data
Install updates
Install spellchecker
Test PC for stability.

It is really simple in your world.
Click to expand...

Software side is simple enough for my friends to do themselves.
Hardware I will probably do myself but I still wouldn't expect to be paid by helping a friend out.

Keep this argument to helping friends and not clients for a living.

Emlyn_Dewar said:
What about the backup of the existing files also? Or are they lost for eternity?
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You could easily explain how to do that over the phone.
 
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