Running / Starting a PC repair business,

edscdk · 7 Nov 2016 at 11:12

EVH said:
£70 for a reinstall? How does that work with licences?

E.g. Mr X brings laptop in with Windows 7. Do you use the same key and a new image?

key is on the machine (usually) so new clean image + the key that's on the laptop.. 30mins later fire up driverpacks, bang in the key from the laptop and copy their docs etc back...

(I usually take an image of the original hdd assuming its not faulty so there is no chance of anything getting lost)

job done

lurkio · 7 Nov 2016 at 13:38

wow you get away with charging 70 , good on ya

Cromulent · 7 Nov 2016 at 13:57

I've seriously considered doing something like this. Maybe I should give it a go. The only problem is that there is a local PC shop that has taken most of the local business so it would be hard to get people to go with me over them since they've been established for about 10 years now.

I know I have some specialist knowledge that they are lacking though particularly when it comes to things like Linux / FreeBSD and OpenBSD.

ChrisD. · 7 Nov 2016 at 14:00

Cromulent said:
I know I have some specialist knowledge that they are lacking though particularly when it comes to things like Linux / FreeBSD and OpenBSD.

The type of people that run these OSs at home will almost invariably know how to fix them themselves.

I'd suggest using the experience and put it to use on Mac's though, as Apple can be quite expensive and using Gloucester as an example, the closest Apple shop is over 30 minutes away and the alternates in Hereford and Cheltenham charge an arm and a leg for just the 'in inspection'.

I fixed a friends Mac as a favour and didn't charge her (I was hoping for a date but alas that never happened) and although it took me some time, I soon got requests from her friends to do the same for them. I turned it down though as I was a bit busy at the time.

edscdk · 7 Nov 2016 at 14:20

Cromulent said:
I've seriously considered doing something like this. Maybe I should give it a go. The only problem is that there is a local PC shop that has taken most of the local business so it would be hard to get people to go with me over them since they've been established for about 10 years now.

I know I have some specialist knowledge that they are lacking though particularly when it comes to things like Linux / FreeBSD and OpenBSD.

anyone running unix will not be calling for help! You can undercut the shop since you don't have a shop to pay for.. Call the shop tell them you PC will not boot windows, ask how much they will charge to collect it, reinstall windows, copy your files back then return it to you.. I doubt there will be change form £140

Just make sure you keep a decent lot of spares, I got a shed load of stuff in my boot! never want to have to revisit for lack of a USB mouse or wireless adapter