I don't know if this is the correct place to be posting this (sorry if it isn't), but I'm trying to make some sort of computer repair group to start making my own money.
Basically, every summer job around where I lived was full and I suck at mowing lawns, and then I realized everyone around where I lived were having problems with their computers and were tired of sending them to tech support. Just recently I learned about how much of a ginormous rip off Geek Squad is (I think it was $200 up and front just to repair software), so I am deciding to take advantage of the situation and make some decent money.
Question 1: Besides 0xA, 0x1E, 0x24, 0x2E, 0x50, and 0x7B, what are some other very common BSOD error codes, and what causes them and how to fix them?
Question 2: Also on BSODs, if the problem is related to drivers, how do I tell which exact driver is causing said BSOD?
Question 3: How do I tell what error is happening on Windows 8, considering whenever a BSOD happens on there, it doesn't show an error code anymore?
Last Question: Is $20 a good price to repair something or should I be charging more or less?
Hoping I can get these questions answered, also hoping you are having a good day, and good luck on the contest :D
The pay can very by the hour or how much work you have to do on said computer just like any other repair place that is sensible.Most of the BSOD error's you have, you can get information on in an instant if you have the internet near by.As for Windows 8 BSOD will make a dump file on the hard drive, either on the root of C: or in C:\Windows\minidump, then see this page to analyse the dump file http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315263.I'd recommend you google these kind of thing's before you ask on forum's... it's pretty easy and their are plenty of reliable information sight's out their
I think a more important question would be how much income can you take in our state before you need a business licence .. I know my state its very low like 6k and if you want 20 dollars for your time the you will need to charge 40
I would recommend getting paid by the hour (minimum wage?). I find it annoying when I undercharge to fix a simple issue that ends up taking 3 hours to resolve. I would recommend you offer a PC tune up service as well because most of the time when I "fix" a computer the customer simply wants their computer to run faster.
Sounds like a pretty good idea.
Does $10 an hour sounds reasonable enough?
$10-15 would be fair, more fair for them though. Most PC repair shops charge $80-120 per hour. I'm a it tech and we charge $80 an hour at our office. When I do work on the side for my personal customers I'll charge $40 for randoms and $25-30 for family and friends an hour. If you know what you're doing and have the right tools and are a reliable source, good people skill, clean hair cut, all that can go a long way. These people are trusting you with their personal data and photos, they have to trust you before they will even consider it. As far as BSOD, knowing the error codes really isn't too important. When you come across one, just google it.
Also most of the people I get have issue with malware and failed hardware (hard drive and memory), those are the two big ones.
Wish you the best of luck, each new customer just helps you build upon what you know more and more.
Also look into getting your Comptia A+ or at least find study materials for it. (it can help a lot)
you should charge 30 n hour, that's the CHEAP going rate for independent tech support.
Charge on what the job is, people usually prefer picking something that has priced out options rather than by the hour. Virus removal is X$, Basic Clean Up X$ etc. Certifications do look very good, especially for people who have 0 idea to what it is, usually because it looks professional. For bsods there are whole lists of them on microsoft's sight, and in all honesty you aren't going to be able to remember every single one. Yes there are more common ones, but bring a laptop or phone along with you if you are not totally sure, or pick up the computer yourself and bring it to your place. It's a lot less stressful not having someone breath down your back when you are troubleshooting. A good excuse to bring it to your place is that you have more tools and resources there, but if it's an easy fix just do it at the customers place. Another good idea to get more business is to post flyers around, find a community college that you can post flyers for your services. There's bound to be someone out there looking for a new laptop or need an upgrade for school.
just going by your post you sound like a young kid with very little real world experience. (correct me if I'm wrong on that. also this is not meant as a bad thing either)
if I were you I would almost just do all that stuff for free at that age just to get the hands on experience you will need when you look for a real job. I did this all though high school and I just had my friends parents pay me in making me dinner.
also learning how to use Google to search for error codes is a good place to start troubleshooting issues. I don't think you will learn a whole lot if you just post the issues on forums and have other people do the leg work for you.
I'm not saying all this stuff to be mean or anything but if you are serious about doing this you have to be willing to learn. When you get out into the real world the more experience you have the better chance you will stand when it comes to get hired. that why I say just do it even if you are not getting paid.