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Hate your computer? Let us make you fall in love all over again.

We come to your house or office and assess your PC. If it needs taken away to repair we will do it at no extra cost. You only pay for the repair time, nothing else. If you want a quote we will give you one and only charge the amount you were quoted. Sounds sensible? We think so.

“Before we started using Angus PC Repairs, all our IT maintenance had been done in-house. This had led to a  fragmented and inconsistent network. However, after an initial consultation and some work to our  systems, we now have a stable and reliable setup. And we know if there are any problems, Angus PC Repairs will be on hand to sort things out – usually within 24 hours.” - Moira Duncan, Chief Administrator, Carpenter Oak and Woodland, Lintrathen.

Our reputation is built on treating customers as they would want to be treated. Honest advice and prompt service.

If we say someone will be there at 1 o'clock they will be. If they are going to be late they will phone and tell you. It's the little things that make a difference.

Angus PC Repairs is company specialising in home and small business PCs in the Angus region of Scotland. Services include:

Software and Hardware Installation. New PCs supplied at competitive prices. Fault Diagnosis/Repair. Home/Small Office Network Setup. Servicing and Scheduled Maintenance.

There is no call out fee and no charge for collection or delivery. We cover Angus and parts of Perthshire, including Alyth, Arbroath, Brechin, Broughty Ferry, Balbeggie, Carnoustie, Coupar Angus, Dundee, Edzell, Forfar, Friockheim, Glen Clova, Glen Doig, Glen Isla, Glen Moy, Glen Prossen, Inverkeillor, Kirriemuir, Letham, Monifieth, Montrose, Rattray, and all points in between!

Choose a company that cares. Just ask our customers.

Broadband

Here is a quick outline of the essentials. If you need further help or would like Angus PC Repairs to quote for any work, please contact us.

Providers

There are dozens of ISPs offering broadband access packages, almost all of which are cheaper than BTs own retail product.

My provider of choice is Plusnet who are offering an 8Mb connection from £11.99 a month. If you are interested in setting up a connection, including all the necessary security software and configuration, please contact me for a quote. See Plusnet's ad on the left for details of their services.

What has changed recently?

The technology behind broadband (called ADSL) is constantly developing and being improved. If you are connected to an exchange which has broadband, you should be able to get some sort of service no matter how far away you are. The exact speed of this service will, however, depend on factors such as line length and quality. 512Kb used to be the normal speed for broadband, but 8Mb connections are now available from almost all providers.

The exact speed obtained on any given line will vary. Those within 1 mile of an exchange should get a full 8Mb download speed, while those further away will get proportionally lower speeds. All upload speeds will be set at 256Kb.

Equipment

Broadband requires an ADSL modem to be connected to your phone line through a filter and to your computer using an Ethernet, or USB connection. The filter splits the ADSL signal from the phone line signal, sending broadband data to the computer and the phone line to the phone.

If you want to connect additional computers to your broadband connection, see the Networking section below. If you want to move your computer to a different room in the house, all you need is to connect the filter to a different phone point. Additional filters are easily available at about £2.

An ADSL modem is very different from a dial-up modem. It is a good idea to keep your dial-up modem installed as a backup, in case broadband goes down at any time. ADSL modems are generally external units which connect to your PC using an Ethernet or USB cable.

Security

Remember that broadband is 'always on' and therefore Anti-virus and firewall protection are essential.

A good anti-virus product is a must for anyone connected to the internet, but in the case of broadband the importance cannot be overstressed. However, just having it installed is only half the story. Anti-virus programs work by identifying a virus based on its signature, or profile. In order to catch a virus coming in, the program must have a list of all the virus profiles, or definitions as they are known. Keeping this list of definitions up to date is vital.

Norton or MacAfee are popular products, but they charge between £25 and £50 to keep the program updated after the first year. If you have a copy of these older than 12 months and have never paid any money, you are not protected at all. Check the virus definitions, or virus database dates on these programs to find out. If it is older than a month ago, watch out.

The other problem with Norton, MacAfee and other commercial products is their need to produce new versions every year. Norton 2008 is replaced by Norton 2009 and so on. Because there is a new version, there has to be a greater range of features included, or there would be no reason to upgrade. This leads to the programs becoming bigger and more complex every year.

The first problem this creates is the ability of a PC to run this software. Norton 360, for example, will struggle to run on any machine with less than a dual-core processor and 2GB of RAM, which is more than most machines older than 18 months old have.

The second problem is complexity. The more complex a piece of software is, the harder your PC has to work to run it. Free anti-virus programs are available which are just as good. Using free software is not risky as long as it is a trusted and proven piece of software. Please contact us to get details.

A firewall is a piece of software, or hardware in the case of large organisations, which monitors the incoming and outgoing messages on an internet connection. If it detects any unauthorised access, it blocks that attempt and reports it.

Firewalls are also vital for broadband connections. Hackers look for unprotected 'ports' or connections to the internet. If these automated programs detect an unprotected port, they send that info back for the hacker to investigate further. They will then try out passwords or other means of attack to find out if you have anything worth stealing.

A firewall makes your internet ports invisible, thus blocking all attempts at access. It is also configured to allow the traffic you want to go in and out to pass unhindered. The correct configuration of the firewall is the key.

Good free firewall programs are widely available. Again, Please contact us to get details.

Networking

If you want to have more than one computer in the house or office share a broadband connection, there are a couple of ways to do this. You can, of course, pay for two connections and get two broadband modems, but that is an expensive and rather silly solution.

Networking two, or more, machines allows them to share an internet connection. Networking can be done using wired connections, or by wireless. The wireless solution will allow you to access the internet anywhere within a 30 metre radius of the base station in your house, but the signal is easily interrupted by walls and other objects and is not always a practical choice.

Prices for wireless solutions and conventional wired network solutions are available on request. Please contact us to get details.

Finally

Don't let all the jargon and technology put you off. It's not that difficult and Angus PC Repairs can help out with anything you can't handle - at the usual reasonable rates.

Happy surfing

Profile

Angus PC Repairs was founded in 2002. It is a company specialising in PC software and hardware for both domestic users and small businesses, with over 500 customers on the books.

Angus Stewart, the business owner, is a Napier University graduate with qualifications in electronic engineering and marketing. He worked as an engineer before moving into PR and press officer roles with agencies specialising in IT and professional services.

Client companies included  Ernst & Young, Cisco Systems and Adobe. He also worked alongside leading professional services companies such as Deloitte & Touche and Shepherd & Wedderburn.

After returning from working in New Zealand in 2001, he was employed as a freelance IT journalist and technical writer, including working on technical documentation for Microsoft.

His lifelong passion for IT and an obvious need for a reputable local PC company in Angus led to him forming Angus PC Repairs. Angus explains "I am lucky to have been able to combine my skills in engineering and business, with my fascination for computing. This is not work, for me it is having fun fixing computers. Whether they are other peoples or my own, I cannot bear the thought of things not working properly. I am not happy until the job is done right."

Angus's qualifications

Oct 1998 - July 2000
B.A. (Hons) Marketing Management
Napier University Edinburgh

Sept 1996 - July 1997 C.I.M. Certificate in Marketing
Stevenson College, Edinburgh

Sept 1985 - July 1988
B.Sc. Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Napier University Edinburgh

 

Services...

Servicing and maintenance

You get your car serviced so why not your PC? An annual check up can stop problems from developing into disasters and keep your precious data safe. This is a good way to protect your investment and ensure years of trustworthy service. Businesses looking for contract rates should email to arrange a consultation.

New computers

Cheap computers are widely advertised. However, cheap means just that - the build quality and lifespan of these PCs can make them a false economy. Spending a little extra now could mean getting six or seven years from a PC instead of three. Good advice costs nothing and we pride ourselves on ensuring our customers know exactly what the issues are when buying a computer. Even if you decide to go elsewhere after seeing our quote, you will know a lot more about where to go and what to ask for.

Get a quote for a PC which meets your needs rather than one which a salesman wants rid of. You will be pleasantly surprised at the prices and when you include the complete set-up in your office or home, with all software, email and internet working properly from day one.

All PCs include the following as standard:

AVG Anti-Virus 9.0
Comodo Firewall
Open Office 3.11 (free Microsoft Office alternative)
VLC Media Player (free DVD and media player)
GetPaint (free Photoshop alternative)
Adobe Reader
CD/DVD Burning Software
Firefox
Internet Explorer 8
Java
Windows Media Player
iTunes and Quicktime
Real Player
Spybot Search and Destroy

In addition all printers, scanners, cameras etc. will be connected and set up with the latest drivers. Email accounts will be configured and tested. All required data will be transferred from any existing PC to the new one. (This is all documents, pictures, music, emails etc. Programs cannot be transferred and must be re-installed from disk)

Broadband installation and repair

Have you recently bought broadband and connecting is not quite as simple as the salesman made out? Angus PC Repairs will sort things out quickly and safely.

With increasing numbers of households setting up broadband without specialist help, there are a range of issues which can arise. No connection, slow connections, pop-ups and being directed to advertising pages are just some of the frequent problems experienced by customers. Usually caused by insecure PCs, getting it right from the start is our job.

Networks and wireless

Home networks and wireless broadband were once very rare. Such installations are now commonplace and are within the price range of most households. Quotations will depend on the exact layout and construction of your home or office, but prices start from as little as £90 for a wireless network.

Pricing

There is no call out fee for any job and labour is charged at a flat rate of £30 per hour + VAT. Uplift and delivery is free. A minimum charge of one hour is normally levied for small jobs. Quotations will always be given for jobs over £100, in writing if required.

We are not interested in a fast buck, we want regular customers and promise to give the best advice possible in any given situation – even if that means telling you to go elsewhere. Angus PC Repairs has a reputation built on mutual trust and honesty – just ask our customers.