Services

Bob has a vast range of knowledge and experience to help you overcome any technical challenges you may face, from simple questions about PCs or Microsoft® products, to full systems implementations or custom computer applications.

• Web Site Design: Complete Web Site Design with a simple but professional look, custom tailored the way YOU want it, usually for less than $1,000.
• Web Hosting: 1GB (1,000MB) of Web Hosting space with a unique Domain Name or URL (i.e. www.bobsbytes.com), with 650 custom email addresses, plus general maintenance and minor site updating for $120 per year.
• PC Services:
  • Upgrades:  Computer running slow?  You might need more memory.  Can't play the new game you bought for your kids?  You might need a new graphics card.  Running out of space to install new programs?  It's time for a new hard drive.  Wish you could watch TV on your computer then record them to DVD to watch on your TV?  I can help you there too, and for lots less than you think.  Then there's CD R/W, DVD-ROM, CPUs, sound cards, and the list goes on.  I'll help you decide what you need and I'll NEVER talk you into anything you don't need.
    Are you ready to upgrade to the new Windows Vista®? I can help you figure out if your computer will run Microsoft's newest operating system and if you need to upgrade anything to get the most out of Vista. I can also help you decide which of the five versions is right for you, then install it for you and introduce you to some of it's improvements and new features. I've been running pre-release versions of Vista since early fall of 2006, so I know my way around better than most.
  • Cleanup:  Are you overcome by viruses or spyware?  Have pop-ups got you down?  Does everything you do on your computer take twice as long as it used to?  Maybe it's time for a good 'ole spring cleaning!  I'll do what I can to get your computer running the way it should without any expensive hardware. If it's still too slow I'll recommend some ways to help speed it up that will give you more 'bang for your buck'.  First time customers - Half-Price Cleanup!  $25 per hour.  Most cleanups only take an hour or less.
  • Repair:  Is your computer totally dead?  Well before you throw it out and fork out several hundred dollars for a new one, let me try and fix it for you.  Chances are I can get it working again for $50 - $100, and I'll let you know if I think it's even worth fixing or not. 
  • Data Recovery:  If you gave up on an old computer and bought a new one, or if your hard drive crashed, I may be able to help you recover data and files you thought were gone forever.
• Networking:
  • Home/Small Business Networks:  Interested in connecting 2 or more computers to share an internet connection, a printer or a centralized network storage device?  I can help you decide what network equipment you need, and help you install and configure your network, usually for $50 - $100 per device, including the hardware.
  • Wireless Networks:  Wish you could check your email on your laptop while you sip your morning coffee on the back deck, or while you watch TV in the living room?  Then you want to go wireless!  I can help you install and configure your wireless network and make sure that it is secure so that your neighbors can't get in on the fun.
• New Systems:  Have you decided that it's time to get a new PC or perhaps an office full of them?  Then let me help you decide exactly what you need as well as what you don't need, then we will order the perfect system custom made for you.  I generally recommend Dell computers, but their web site can be overwhelming and very frustrating!  I will help you sift through all the options they throw out to help you get exactly what you need (and nothing you don't need) to save yourself hundreds of dollars on your computer purchase.  Then I will be there to help you unpack, hook up and configure all of your new equipment.
• Technical Training:  Are you overwhelmed by some technical task or piece of software?  Having trouble figuring out how to create a spreadsheet or download the pictures from your digital camera?  Maybe you are always saying to yourself "There has got to be a better way!"  Well, chances are there is, and I can help you find it.  I can sit down with you 1-on-1 or make a presentation to a large group and help explain even the most complex tasks in simple layman's terms so you can do whatever you are trying to do easier, quicker and more efficiently.
• Is that all?  Nope, there's a lot more I could help you with if we just put our heads together and use our imaginations! 
• Home Theater:  Do you like big-screen television and movies?  How about a 120" projection screen home theater set-up?  Too expensive you say?  Depending on what equipment you already have, a home theater like this could cost less than $2,000, much less than a 50" plasma TV.  Connect a gaming console or add a powerful media center PC and the entertainment posibilites are mind-blowing!
• Live Webcasting:  Want to share your event with someone across the state or around the world?  Ask me about setting up a live web-cast of your event.
• Internet Phone Service:  You've heard everyone talking about Internet Phone Services, also called IP phone or VoIP or by brand names like Vonage.  If you have broadband internet service (such as cable or DSL), you could save a lot of money by going to an Internet Phone service, and now there is one with local Alex City phone numbers (I have two)!  Ask me about the advantages of this phone service for your home or business.
• High-Tech Devices:  You want to stay connected but you still have a 'plain' cell phone?  Let me show you the possibilities with web-enabled devices that start as a cell phone but lets you do so much more.  You can surf the web, check your email, keep up with your appointments and contacts, play music, watch movies or TV, play cool games, see your location on a map with GPS satellite navigation, and access many features you have on your PC like spreadsheets, word processing, instant messaging and a calculator.
• Custom Applications: I spent 10 years writing custom applications at my last job and I feel I can write just about any program you can dream up. If you have an idea of something you want a computer program to do for you, let's talk about it!
• Point-of-Sale Solutions: Do you need a POS system for your business? Perhaps you have one, but it's outdated. I have about 5 years of experience working on POS systems and I can help you through every phase of the process, from deciding what kind of system you need, to ordering equipment and evaluating the different software packages. Then I will install everything and train your employess on the new system.
• Printing Solutions: I can help you set up business-scale printing of forms, labels or stickers of any size and quantity.

 

(note: some of the prices listed above are typical based on my hourly rate of $50, but final cost may be more or less)