Free estimates on computer repair
Before you toss that not too old computer, because you think it's going to be too costly to fix,
bring it to me in Lisle for a free evaluation. I have the time to get into it. Then you'll know
if it's worth fixing and about how much.

Call Bob 630-271-0376

I am often asked what I recommend in case of a computer virus, so I thought I would do this write up.
The trouble with viruses is that you don't know what harm has been done by the attack. Have some of your files
been modified? Have any files been deleted? Has a trojan been added to allow outsiders to control your computer
or access your personal files? We don't know. It wouldn't take long to slip your hard drive into my computer
and remove the virus with a scanner, but that would be superficial and temporary. You could get another virus
after you leave.
The only rational approach is to totally reload the operating system and create, at that time, a
recoverable image of the entire system. For windows based systems, I set up 3 partitions. The 1st partition
holds your operating system and programs. A 2nd partition is created to hold your personal files and keep them
separate from partition 1. A 3rd partition is created to hold the image of partition 1. I call the 3rd partition
"Recovery". A recovery boot disc is provided that will automatically write over the 1st partition with the
recovery image in 4 minutes.*
Should you get a virus in the future, simply overwrite your system with the original software. Partition
3 overwrites partition 1 leaving partition 2 protected. By storing your important work on the 2nd partition, you
have saved it from the recovery process.
By setting up a hard drive in this manner, the client becomes empowered to quickly and easily resolve
their own software issues without further cost or need of a professional computer service. You simply do the
automatic procedure with the boot disc and then reload any programs you added since the original installation