I'm finding out that it's hard to find a computer repair person who even answers the phone these days. Anyone got a good source for such help somewhere in or around Portlandia? I've got a sick, old, cheap desktop computer that I'm willing to drive anywhere either to be fixed or to have its data recovered as best is possible.
Comments (22)
Belmont Computers helped me out in the past, with good results. been around for years.
There's a place on 39th, south of Hawthorne. fixmydeadpc.com. Don't have any experience with them. We might be able to help. Send me an e mail with the particulars.
Dave
At the suggestion of one of our IT guys, I took a CPU to Pacific Solutions at 5118 SE Powell (south side of street), ph: 503-236-2970.
They're on the web at: http://www.pacificsolutions.com/
They were very fair, gave a complete print-out of what they'd done to my machine, and guaranteed their work.
If you want to recover the hard drive data yourself, one possible solution is to buy an external hard drive enclosure and install your desktop's hard drive into the computer. If the hard drive has no problems, then you can just transfer the data from it to another computer with USB.
Alternatively, you could buy a transfer cable that does the same thing. I don't think this would cost more than $25, and you wouldn't need to pay more money if something like this happened again. The one thing to look into is the kind of connection your hard drive has (SATA, IDE, etc.) when buying one of these cables/enclosures, though it's usually not hard to find out.
I go to enuinc to get some parts, if I am in a hurry. They will test a motherboard too. They offer to install stuff that you buy into your box. 4912 NE 122nd
If you have a bad hard drive then you could still boot up from a live CD such as Knoppix.
I've been a PC & A/V service tech for seven years now, working for Intel, Hollywood Entertainment, and now my company, Skyline Technology Solutions. If you need professional computer help feel free to shoot me an email. I'm sure we can diagnose this problem remotely, and I won't charge you a dime (unless you elect to have me fix it for you).
I understand the Portland office of the FBI does great work with hard drives. You can actually leave it in your home. They will come by and take a look at. You probably won't even know they were there.
One warning on Tiger Direct. Never, never, ever buy anything from them that has a rebate involved. They our notious for only honoring about 1/2 of the rebates they promise. I got 2 out of three rebates from them and they burned me for the one that was more than the other two combined. They were absolutley no help what so ever when I tried to get them to honor it. Basically they have a rebate firm that doesn't give the rebates and then they blame each other for the problem even though they are both owned by the same parent.
Make sure you can still hear some cooling fans before doing more trouble shooting with it on. If it's the fans that went out you could cook some more stuff if you run it.
Diagnosing the source of your ills and recovering as much data as possible from your hard drive should be simple enough. I'd gladly handle that task for you pro bono. Chalk it up as subscription fees.
Charamba, Douro 2008
Horse Heaven Hills, Cabernet 2010
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills Pinot Grigio 2011
Avignonesi, Montepulciano 2004
Lorelle, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2011
Villa Antinori, Toscana 2007
Mercedes Eguren, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Lorelle, Columbia Valley Cabernet 2011
Purple Moon, Merlot 2011
Purple Moon, Chardonnnay 2011
Abacela, Vintner's Blend No. 12
Opula Red Blend 2010
Liberte, Pinot Noir 2010
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Indian Wells Red Blend 2010
Woodbridge, Chardonnay 2011
King Estate, Pinot Noir 2011
Famille Perrin, Cotes du Rhone Villages 2010
Columbia Crest, Les Chevaux Red 2010
14 Hands, Hot to Trot White Blend
Familia Bianchi, Malbec 2009
Terrapin Cellars, Pinot Gris 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2009
Campo Viejo, Rioja, Termpranillo 2010
Ravenswood, Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2010
Waterbrook, Reserve Merlot 2009
Lorelle, Horse Heaven Hills, Pinot Grigio 2011
Tarantas, Rose
Chateau Lajarre, Bordeaux 2009
La Vielle Ferme, Rose 2011
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio 2011
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir 2009
Lello, Douro Tinto 2009
Quinson Fils, Cotes de Provence Rose 2011
Anindor, Pinot Gris 2010
Buenas Ondas, Syrah Rose 2010
Les Fiefs d'Anglars, Malbec 2009
14 Hands, Pinot Gris 2011
Conundrum 2012
Condes de Albarei, Albariño 2011
Columbia Crest, Walter Clore Private Reserve 2007
Penelope Sanchez, Garnacha Syrah 2010
Canoe Ridge, Merlot 2007
Atalaya do Mar, Godello 2010
Vega Montan, Mencia
Benvolio, Pinot Grigio
Nobilo Icon, Pinot Noir, Marlborough 2009
Portuga, Rose 2011
Revelation, Chardonnay, Pays d'Oc 2010
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 2005
Monte Alto, Tinto Reserva 2005
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Cabernet, Indian Wells 2009
Espiral, Vinho Rose
Vin-Koru, Pinot Gris 2011
14 Hands, Hot to Trot Red 2009
Rodney Strong, Cabernet, Sonoma 2009
Abacela, Vintner's Blend #11
Portuga, White 2010
La Bourgeoisie, Red 2009
Januik, Red 2009
Three Rivers, River's Red 2008
Kirkland, Alexander Valley Merlot 2008
Muga, Rioja Rose 2010
Quinta das Amoras, Vinho Tinto 2009
Mauro Molino, Barbera d'Alba 2009
Garda Chiaretto Rose
Columbia Crest, Two Vines Vineyard 10 White
Chateau Ste. Michelle, Pinot Gris, Columbia Valley 2009
L'Hortus, Rose de Saignee 2010
Maculan, Pino & Toi 2008
McKinley Springs, Bombing Range Red 2008
Trader Joe's Pinot Gris 2009
Montes Alpha, Cabernet 2007
Gran Sasso, Sangiovese, Terre di Chieti 2009
Garda, Classico Chiaretto Rose
Beaulieu, Cabernet, Rutherford 1999
Picos del Montgo, Tempranillo 2008
Chateau de Montmirail, Vacqueyras 2008
La Granja 360, Syrah 2009
Montgras, Carmenere Reserva 2009
Lange, Pinot Gris 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Cabernet 2008
Kirkland, Pinot Grigio 2010
Trader Joe's Coastal Syrah 2009
Columbia Crest, Horse Heaven Hills Merlot 2008
Trader Joe's Coastal Chardonnay 2009
Vieux Papes Red
Domaine de l'Aujardiere, Chardonnay 2009
Santa Rita, Cabernet, Medalla Real 2007
Penfold's, Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet 2008
Guild, Red, Lot #02 2008
Dievole, Dievolino Sangiovese 2008
Laforet, Burgogne Chardonnay 2009
Columbia Winery, Merlot 2007
Bonterra, Cabernet 2008
Elk Cove, Pinot Gris 2009
Maquis Lien 2006
Scott Paul, Pinot Noir, Le Paulee 2007
The Occasional Book
Neil Young - Waging Heavy Peace
Mark Bego - Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul (2012 ed.)
Jenny Lawson - Let's Pretend This Never Happened
J.D. Salinger - Franny and Zooey
Charles Dickens - A Christmas Carol
Timothy Egan - The Big Burn
Deborah Eisenberg - Transactions in a Foreign Currency
Kurt Vonnegut Jr. - Slaughterhouse Five
Kathryn Lance - Pandora's Genes
Cheryl Strayed - Wild
Fyodor Dostoyevsky - The Brothers Karamazov
Jack London - The House of Pride, and Other Tales of Hawaii
Jack Walker - The Extraordinary Rendition of Vincent Dellamaria
Colum McCann - Let the Great World Spin
Niccolò Machiavelli - The Prince
Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird
Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus - The Nanny Diaries
Brian Selznick - The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Sharon Creech - Walk Two Moons
Keith Richards - Life
F. Sionil Jose - Dusk
Natalie Babbitt - Tuck Everlasting
Justin Halpern - S#*t My Dad Says
Mark Herrmann - The Curmudgeon's Guide to Practicing Law
Barry Glassner - The Gospel of Food
Phil Stanford - The Peyton-Allan Files
Jesse Katz - The Opposite Field
Evelyn Waugh - Brideshead Revisited
J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
David Sedaris - Holidays on Ice
Donald Miller - A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
Mitch Albom - Have a Little Faith
C.S. Lewis - The Magician's Nephew
F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
William Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream
Ivan Doig - Bucking the Sun
Penda Diakité - I Lost My Tooth in Africa
Grace Lin - The Year of the Rat
Oscar Hijuelos - Mr. Ives' Christmas
Madeline L'Engle - A Wrinkle in Time
Steven Hart - The Last Three Miles
David Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One Day
Karen Armstrong - The Spiral Staircase
Charles Larson - The Portland Murders
Adrian Wojnarowski - The Miracle of St. Anthony
William H. Colby - Long Goodbye
Steven D. Stark - Meet the Beatles
Phil Stanford - Portland Confidential
Rick Moody - Garden State
Jonathan Schwartz - All in Good Time
David Sedaris - Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
Anthony Holden - Big Deal
Robert J. Spitzer - The Spirit of Leadership
James McManus - Positively Fifth Street
Jeff Noon - Vurt
Road Work
Miles run year to date: 21
At this date last year: 52
Total run in 2012: 129
In 2011: 113
In 2010: 125
In 2009: 67
In 2008: 28
In 2007: 113
In 2006: 100
In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
In 2003: 269
Comments (22)
Belmont Computers helped me out in the past, with good results. been around for years.
Posted by ecohuman.com | April 30, 2008 2:34 PM
There's a place on 39th, south of Hawthorne. fixmydeadpc.com. Don't have any experience with them. We might be able to help. Send me an e mail with the particulars.
Dave
Posted by Dave Lister | April 30, 2008 2:48 PM
I've had good luck with Computek, at SW 17th and Jefferson.
Posted by mark | April 30, 2008 2:51 PM
I second Mark on Computek. Just take the tower to them sans cables.
Posted by pdxjim | April 30, 2008 2:59 PM
I second ecohuman on Belmont Computers. I've had good luck with them in the past.
Posted by hilsy | April 30, 2008 3:11 PM
I've had successful repairs using Chuck at Clean Systems - 503.253.2648 or chuck@cleansystems.com. Also had good service from Allwayz Computers.
Posted by Musician | April 30, 2008 3:12 PM
At the suggestion of one of our IT guys, I took a CPU to Pacific Solutions at 5118 SE Powell (south side of street), ph: 503-236-2970.
They're on the web at:
http://www.pacificsolutions.com/
They were very fair, gave a complete print-out of what they'd done to my machine, and guaranteed their work.
-ob
Posted by oregbear | April 30, 2008 3:20 PM
These folks did a good job on my laptop--great location near Widmere as well!!
http://www.metrocomputerworks.com/
Posted by jimbo | April 30, 2008 3:46 PM
If you want to recover the hard drive data yourself, one possible solution is to buy an external hard drive enclosure and install your desktop's hard drive into the computer. If the hard drive has no problems, then you can just transfer the data from it to another computer with USB.
Alternatively, you could buy a transfer cable that does the same thing. I don't think this would cost more than $25, and you wouldn't need to pay more money if something like this happened again. The one thing to look into is the kind of connection your hard drive has (SATA, IDE, etc.) when buying one of these cables/enclosures, though it's usually not hard to find out.
Posted by Chris | April 30, 2008 3:51 PM
Burnt smell sounds like Motherboard or Power Supply. Get one of these: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3249952&CatId=448
Pull out your hard drive and hook it up to your lap with it, and you should be able to recover all your files, and use the HDD as a back up storage.
I can step by step you through it by IM or land line.
Posted by dman | April 30, 2008 3:53 PM
I go to enuinc to get some parts, if I am in a hurry. They will test a motherboard too. They offer to install stuff that you buy into your box. 4912 NE 122nd
If you have a bad hard drive then you could still boot up from a live CD such as Knoppix.
http://www.enuinc.com/
http://www.knoppix.net/
If it is a dead motherboard then you will get to have fun asking MS to let you activate Windows on the new system, when it is ready.
Posted by pdxnag | April 30, 2008 4:08 PM
Defenestration. Simple. Very gratifying.
Posted by Gil Slater | April 30, 2008 4:11 PM
Ah . . . the simplest solution first (from experience, but I always seem to forget) . . . bad smell -- get a NEW POWER SUPPLY.
As the very first check.
Posted by pdxnag | April 30, 2008 4:14 PM
I've been a PC & A/V service tech for seven years now, working for Intel, Hollywood Entertainment, and now my company, Skyline Technology Solutions. If you need professional computer help feel free to shoot me an email. I'm sure we can diagnose this problem remotely, and I won't charge you a dime (unless you elect to have me fix it for you).
Posted by Joey Link | April 30, 2008 4:34 PM
I understand the Portland office of the FBI does great work with hard drives. You can actually leave it in your home. They will come by and take a look at. You probably won't even know they were there.
Posted by none | April 30, 2008 4:53 PM
One warning on Tiger Direct. Never, never, ever buy anything from them that has a rebate involved. They our notious for only honoring about 1/2 of the rebates they promise. I got 2 out of three rebates from them and they burned me for the one that was more than the other two combined. They were absolutley no help what so ever when I tried to get them to honor it. Basically they have a rebate firm that doesn't give the rebates and then they blame each other for the problem even though they are both owned by the same parent.
Greg C
Posted by Greg C | April 30, 2008 4:59 PM
Make sure you can still hear some cooling fans before doing more trouble shooting with it on. If it's the fans that went out you could cook some more stuff if you run it.
Posted by Bill McDonald | April 30, 2008 5:05 PM
Report to your nearest Apple dealer (reseller) and live free.
Posted by Abe | April 30, 2008 7:41 PM
jack
call pam at the office and she'll give the number of mike thornburg, he will come to your home or office if desired.
keep up the great blog.
leonard
Posted by leonard girard | April 30, 2008 7:45 PM
One warning on Tiger Direct. Never, never, ever buy anything from them that has a rebate involved.
The same goes for Fry's in Wilsonville.
Posted by Jon | April 30, 2008 9:14 PM
Diagnosing the source of your ills and recovering as much data as possible from your hard drive should be simple enough. I'd gladly handle that task for you pro bono. Chalk it up as subscription fees.
Posted by pcpractitioner | April 30, 2008 9:30 PM
Thank you, everyone! As of this evening, the situation appears to be under control. Still thinking about choices for a replacement computer, though...
Posted by Jack Bog | April 30, 2008 9:50 PM