Thanks for your inquiry on slow computers. There are several things that can cause slowness on computers and networks. It is not always a virus/malware issue. The one issue I see more often is the build up of temporary files. Microsoft standard install has 3 folders that tend to contain a large amount of these and a few others that I try to clean up when I perform a standard software system cleanup. This is a flat fee $75.00 per machine. I offer chamber member to member discount the fourth one is free or I offer a 10% discount on all service labor if charging by the hour. As I stated, I could train you on how to clean these folders or I can offer a software solution that makes it very easy to do on a regular basis. It is not automatic and requires manual execution of the application. I look at it much like changing the oil in my truck. Every 3000 miles or 3 months. Same with computers. . . Once every 3 months or more often if you do a large amount of Internet Searching. Two other problems I have seen is multiple AntiVirus / Malware programs installed on the same machine. Each machine should only have one AntiVirus, one Malware/Spyware tool. This will substantially slow down a desktop computer. Norton with any other program slows computers to a snails pace. Internet based Screen Savers are also prone to slow machines as they typically access the Internet to see what the latest photo series the provider is promoting. I personally only use local screen savers as they do not access the internet which reduces the chance of downloading a virus/malware program. Now regarding Network Support, there are again a number of things that can cause slowness the most frequent is a virus scan across the network during peak business hours. This is a BAD solution to implement, but the defaults on most are during normal business hours. I recommend an after hours day to have all computers left on for this purpose. For example the Lyons Township District Library is set to 7:00 PM Tuesday. It is based on what the business operations needs. Other Point Of Sale (POS) applications can also slow down a network if batch processing is scheduled during peak Internet use. Most POS vendors will work with you to batch or schedule this after hours or at non-peak times – sometimes you need to push for this to happen. I offer a network documentation for 5 or less computers without a file server for $100.00 – This will document the basics of each machine including CPU speed, RAM, Hard Drive size and amount of free space. I try to estimate the age of the computer and suggest a life cycle management between 4 to 6 years depending on the POS applications. I do however have one video store that is using a Windows 95 machine that is 12 years old and it keeps running. They have a spare machine sitting in the closet ready to setup should the one in service fail. They make backups of their daily transactions on a USB Thumb drive and takes it home with them every night. Backups and a basic disaster recovery plan are critical for small businesses. It has been said that 84 percent of small businesses never recover from a major disaster such as a fire, flood, or technology crash. With some basic process and systems documentation, this can be avoided. Priority Network Systems support is $105 per hour. I try to avoid this fee, but in complex networks and critical call service needs I have to. I also provide a competitive price match – or I turn down the work in some cases – must be communicated at the time service is scheduled. I understand the importance of keeping things running for a small business. I purchase support contracts with Microsoft, Intel, HP, Dell, Cisco, Intuit and a few others so I can spread the cost to all my customers rather than having every business pay for these fees which is where I add the most value to my customers. My published price structure is on my web site: http://www.midmi.net/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=4&Itemid=7 Let me know if you have any more questions or would like for me to schedule a network documentation plan or system cleanup program for you. Thanks again for your inquiry, Robert
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