QUICK COST OVERVIEW: The total labor cost is a flat $100 for diagnostic & repair of any internal computer hardware part and/or the Windows operating system. If it becomes necessary to reinstall Windows and you have critical personal data that must be migrated then add $20 for up to 100 GB of used drive space from a healthy hard drive. For laptops only, add $20 for when repairing a laptop monitor or laptop part (such as motherboard) that is not easily accessible via convenient lids, and thus dismantling is required. Parts are simply billed as "reimbursement" for the exact cost including shipping (if any), RMA shipping (if any) and tax (if any). You may opt out of a hardware repair by paying just $35.00 (diagnostic only).

Scroll down further for more detailed pricing.

 

DETAILS ABOUT REINSTALLING WINDOWS AND WHAT IS INCLUDED

AT THE ABOVE QUOTED REPAIR PRICE

Why would reinstalling Windows be necessary? CLICK HERE

	Consider upgrading to a new system hard drive. This is a MUST if not HIGHLY RECOMMENDED if you have critical data that has not been previously backed up and you need to migrate it to the new Windows installation. Why? Because the data on your "old" drive remains untouched and to be kept as a safety backup! There is always some risk of data loss whenever data is migrated and whenever only 1 copy of that data exists. Better to be safe -- Upgrade to a new drive or back up your own data.
Caution	A VALID WINDOWS PRODUCT KEY IS REQUIRED in order to reinstall Windows. Your 25 digit Windows product key is usually found on a certificate sticker taped to the side of or underneath your computer, or inside the battery case of some laptops. PCR can recover your product key if the computer is bootable to the desktop. A product key from another computer will NOT suffice because Microsoft's validation process will fail and the computer would cease to operate after 30 days. An OEM product key is forever licensed to one computer and cannot be transferred. Ask for details. PCR will not install unauthorized or pirated software, whether the customer knowingly or unknowingly acquired it.
Caution	If you do not provide a recovery disc and if PCR is unable to access or utilize the recovery partition (such as due to drive failure) then PCR will use a standard OEM Windows disc (with your legal, valid product key) to reinstall the same version of Windows (such as "Home Premium 32-bit" or "Ultimate 64-bit"). This means that any other software that you may have installed or that may have come bundled with your computer when you purchased it will not be installed. Instead just the default Windows programs that come standard on a Windows disc will be installed (such as Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player). Often this will allow your computer to run faster.
Caution	PERSONALIZED WINDOWS SETTINGS WILL BE LOST or reset to default As a result of reinstalling Windows, logon "user" account settings such as custom mouse speed and customer desktop background image (wallpaper) will all be reset to Windows factory default settings. Sometimes these settings can be backed up. See "Additional redundant data migration options" above. Usually it is easier to just manually change these settings after the re installation of Windows.
FREE	Includes installation of Microsoft Security Essentials free and trusted anti-virus software with latest updates. does NOT do this as part of their $199.00 repair!
FREE	Optionally includes installation of Adobe PDF Reader, Java, QuickTime, Flash Player and any of these other basic freeware of your choice, but there is no support or warranties on these software products after the repair. charges $29.99 per program
First 2 are FREE	Optionally includes installation of 2 commercial software programs that you provide (example: Adobe PhotoShop, TurboTax, Quicken, Microsoft Money, Microsoft Office). Add $5.00 for each additional program. Note that there is no support, guarantees or warranty on software products nor any guarantee that they will even install. IMPORTANT: Typically you will need to provide your software installation CD and product key for each commercial software product. $5.00 price does NOT include installation of complex programs such as professional video editing software, professional audio editing software, Adobe Master Suite Collection or other programs that may require time consuming installations or on-site work. Ask for details. charges $29.99 per program
Caution	NO SUPPORT, GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES REGARDING SOFTWARE AFTER THE REPAIR After the repair there is no support for software programs, including help with installing or troubleshooting such programs. Please contact the vendor with regard to any issues. Software not covered include backup software (such as Carbonite), Virtual Private Network software, drive encryption software, Net 2 Phone, and Skype. does NOT provide support, guarantees or warranties for software as part of their $199.00 repair
Caution	NO SUPPORT OR WARRANTIES REGARDING PERIPHERAL HARDWARE AFTER THE REPAIR After the repair there is no support for peripheral devices (such as a printer, scanner, wireless adapter, external memory devices, modem, router, network of multiple computers, etc), including help with installing or troubleshooting such devices. Please contact the respective vendor or Internet service provider with regard to any issues. Verizon high speed Internet customers can call (888) 625-8111. does NOT do this as part of their $199.00 repair
Included	HIGH SPEED CABLE INTERNET CONNECTIVITY VERIFIED PCR will test your wired cable Internet connectivity in-shop as a standard part of the repair procedure. There is NO need to "install" or "restore" any Time Warner or Charter cable Internet drivers or software in order to re-connect to the Internet as you always did. After a Window reinstallation you should be able to just plug your computer right back into your router (or modem) to reconnect to the Internet without any problem. Sometimes you may need to simply power cycle your modem and router. Occasionally you may need to contact your (ISP) Internet service provider to make adjustments to your modem, router or cabling.  Sorry, this repair does not officially include support for problems outside of your computer itself, such as failed modem, failed router, faulty or incorrect Ethernet wiring, etc. As a courtesy PCR may provide some support in determining the cause of lost wired Internet connectivity.
Included (one user account only)	Thunderbird, Sea Monkey, Outlook, or Outlook Express email data (if any) restored, however this repair does not include support or warranties for these software programs, nor any guarantee that your email profile data will properly import after a new installation of Windows. does NOT do this as part of their $199.00 repair + $99 data backup!
Included (one user account only)	PCR can import and restore your Firefox or Internet Explorer user specific browser data (if any), however there are no guarantees that your browser data will properly import (such as due to file corruption), and there is no tutorial support for these software programs. Because it is part of the Windows operating system, the Internet Explorer program itself is included in the 30-day warranty. Note: Internet explorer form field data (including passwords) is usually not restorable from an unbootable computer. Ask for details. does NOT do this as part of their $199.00 repair + $99 data backup!
Included if you paid for data migration of recovery	FOLDER RESTRUCTURING of your migrated raw data Migrate your raw data to a single folder on your desktop, then move the most common folder contents into the new "user" folder structure, including My Music, My Pictures, My Videos, Desktop, Favorites, My Documents folder contents. NOTE: Does NOT include any reorganization of your files or filtering out of "junk" files. does NOT do this as part of their $199.00 repair + $99.00 backup of 9 GB!
Not Included	NO SUPPORT, GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES REGARDING WIRELESS CONNECTIVITY (if any) Reinstallation of Windows does not include setting up of wireless connectivity, other than to insure that the default hardware drivers on the repaired computer itself are properly installed and working. This means that your computer will run as it did when you opened it new out of the box. If you need assistance is setting up wireless connectity (such as via Sprint wireless, AT&T wireless, Earthlink wireless) then contact your provider. If you need to have wireless connectivity to a local router only, PCR can do this for $15.00 extra. does NOT do this as part of their $199.00 repair
Not Included	NO COURTESY SUPPORT FOR AOL'S PROBLEMATIC, SLUGGISH INTERFACE / BROWSER If you have an AOL email address, you can easily access your email at mail.aol.com with ANY other browser such as FireFox or Internet Explorer. PCR can set AOL as your home page and create a bookmark to AOL email on ANY browser. does NOT support AOL as part of their $199.00 repair
Not included	NO SUPPORT FOR LOCAL AREA NETWORK OF MULTIPLE COMPUTERS This repair does not include support for a customized local area network (LAN) of computers other than to insure that the default network hardware drivers on the repaired computer itself are properly installed. This means that your computer will run as it did when you bought it new out of the box. Do you share printers and documents with other computers throughout your business via a wireless or wired network? Often this is as simple as turning on all computers and using the Windows XP "Network Setup Wizard" or accessing the Vista / Windows 7 "Network and Sharing Center". does NOT do this as part of their $199.00 repair
	NO WARRANTY UNDER CERTAIN SITUATIONS
Not included	The 30-day labor warranty does not cover virus re-infection after reinstalling Windows. Please read up on how to avoid virus infections. Also consider creating backup of your system to make recovery easier and cheaper.
Not included	There is no service guarantee if customer refuses to proceed with replacement of failing parts. Example: When a hard drive fails the S.M.A.R.T. test there is a statistically high probability that the drive may fail very soon.

 

YOUR QUESTION: What exactly do you do to remove viruses? Follow this link for answers to this and many other related questions.

YOUR QUESTION: Tell me more about reinstalling Windows. What does it entail? Follow this link for more details.

YOUR QUESTION: Even after reinstalling Windows is it possible that a virus could re infect the machine after hiding in my back up personal data?  Essentially only in theory is this possible. Realistically this is extremely unlikely. In such an unlikely scenario such a virus would have to lay dormant as an undetected .exe file, waiting until you the user clicked to open and agree to install it. Understand that viruses are sprung into action by instructions in the registry and sometimes by instructions in the boot sector of the hard drive. When reinstalling Windows, PCR zero wipes (erases) the boot sector of the hard drive, and the Windows registry is inherently erased and rebuilt from scratch when re installing Windows. PCR also virus scans backed up personal data.

QUESTION: Is there a way to "back up" and migrate the settings (described above) if it becomes necessary to completely reinstall Windows?  Yes but only from a bootable computer that is healthy enough to backup this data using the Windows XP "Files & Settings Transfer Wizard" or the Windows Vista / Windows 7 "Windows Easy Transfer" tool. If your hard drive or current installation of Windows is beyond repair then the only option is to reconfigure all of these settings such as wireless connection, special local area network settings (such as printer sharing), folder structure, desktop background, mouse speed, etc. Fortunately most computer users don't have any critical settings, or reconfiguring their old settings back to previous state doesn't require much extra work (example: they simply want to add a few desktop shortcuts).

YOUR QUESTION: I have not backed up my critical data. Should I have it backed up? What are the risks? The main risk is that hard drives eventually fail and can fail at any time. Statistically 1 out of 12 drives fail in the first 2 years. After that there is an 8% annual failure rate. If your hard drive stops working due to physical failure, the cost to recover data at high tech recovery labs typically ranges from $1,000 to $3,000.

Also keep in mind that you may THINK that you properly backed up your data BUT you might have improperly backed it up, or you may accidentally delete your own data later, or the backup process itself may fail. It has been reported that Carbonite lost 7,500 people's data in 2009. The "perfect storm" can wipe out all of your data. This is why experts say that you should have at least two safety backups of your critical personal data, each stored at different locations. That's 3 copies in total.  

You are encouraged to visit this page for help on backing up your data prior to bringing your product in. PCR is not liable for data.

YOUR QUESTION: I don't have an external hard drive to provide for a "raw data backup" described above. I want to instead have my data temporarily backed up to one of your in-shop drives. How long will you keep my data on your in-shop drive after the repair is done? Unless instructed otherwise, PCR will leave your data untouched the in-shop drive for 2 weeks, after which it will be zero wiped (permanently erased). Once in a blue moon, a customer manages to lose data shortly after the repair. Having a backup can be a lifesaver if you elected to have your data backed up.

YOUR QUESTION: How much would it cost to fix a non-standard part such as broken laptop monitor, broken laptop monitor hinge, broken AC jack, etc? $120 + cost of part (usually about $100). These are expensive non-standard parts that usually must be pulled off of another used laptop. What seems like a simple, inexpensive repair is anything but. You may be best advised to buy a new computer. Laptop monitor and laptop motherboard replacement is PCR's least competitively priced repair item, although the $120 price is still $80 cheaper than Geek Squad.

QUESTION: Do you provide official support for AOL's interface / browser? No. AOL's problematic, sluggish interface / browser is obsolete and completely unnecessary. If you have an AOL email address, you can easily access your email with ANY browser at mail.aol.com . You can also set AOL to be your home page with ANY browser. There is NO NEED for AOL's browser which is ridiculously bloated, slow, it displays advertisements, it decreases computer startup time, and it even hijacks other browsers on your computer. Understand that it takes about 10 seconds to install Firefox, whereas AOL takes about half an hour to install! That about says it all. You should completely uninstall AOL, then use Firefox or Internet Explorer instead.

Furthermore, some people are unnecessarily paying for both an Internet service provider  PLUS AOL! This is unnecessary! Again, AOL email and AOL's home page can be accessed from ANY browser.

YOUR QUESTION: What causes "blue screen errors"? Statistically about 80% of blue screen errors are related to a piece of software called a "driver", but they can also be caused by faulty hardware, viruses, and other issues.

NOTE: You, the customer, agree that you must back up your data, software, information and/or files. You agree that whether or not you request PCR to back up any data, software, information or other files stored on your product, in no event shall PCR and/or its repair tech be liable under any circumstances for any loss, alteration or corruption of any data, software, information, files, or loss of any other media from your product.

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