Almost every slow computer we see in Oklahoma has one of about five things wrong with it, and none of them mean you need a new one. Here is how to tell which one you have.
It is out of room. A hard drive with less than about 10% free space slows down badly, because the computer has nowhere to put its scratch files. This is the single most common cause we find, and it is also the easiest to fix.
Too much starts up with it. Programs quietly add themselves to the startup list over the years. Twenty of them fighting for the machine during the first two minutes is why it feels slowest right after you turn it on.
The browser is carrying forty tabs and six toolbars. On a lot of computers, the browser IS the slow program, and everything else is fine.
It is still on a spinning hard drive. If the machine is more than about seven years old and has never had an upgrade, this is likely, and it is the one cause where new hardware genuinely is the answer.
Something unwanted is running. Not always a virus. Often it is a 'PC cleaner' or 'driver updater' that came bundled with something else and now runs constantly.
We start by finding out which of the above it is, because the fix is different for each and guessing wastes your money. Then we clear the space, cut the startup list back to what you actually use, clean out the browser, remove anything that installed itself, and make sure the updates that matter are done.
Then we show you what we changed and why, so it does not creep back. Most of these visits take about an hour.
If it turns out the machine really is too old to help, we will tell you that plainly instead of charging you to polish it. We would rather you spend the money on the right thing.
Some of these will fix it outright, and that is fine. We would rather you solved it in ten minutes than paid us to do it.
We are a support and setup service, not a repair shop. Saying so plainly saves everybody a wasted trip.
$39 books an in-person visit, and it comes straight off the price of the visit. Our hourly rate steps up with distance from the town your Local Nerd works from: $110 an hour within 25 miles, $130 in the 25 to 50 mile band, and $145 in the 50 to 75 mile band. That is how we cover the drive, so there is no separate travel fee.
Remote help is $39 for a 30-minute session and starts with a phone call at the time you picked. If you use us a few times a year, Nerd on Call is $14.99 a month and includes two remote sessions and an in-person visit each year.
Cards only. Local Nerds are not permitted to accept cash or checks, so you will never be asked for either at the door. Full detail is on the FAQ.
In-person visits reach up to 75 miles out from the town each Local Nerd works from, whichever state that address is in. Remote help works anywhere. Check your own address on the ZIP checker, or see the whole state on the map.
A sudden change usually means something new. The most common causes are a drive that has just crossed into being nearly full, an update that is still installing in the background, or a program that installed itself alongside something you meant to install. A slow decline over years is usually the startup list and the browser instead.
Sometimes, but it is the wrong first question. If the machine is short on disk space or loaded with startup programs, more memory changes nothing and you have spent the money for no reason. Find out what is actually wrong first. When hardware genuinely is the answer, the upgrade that helps most on an older machine is a solid state drive, not memory.
Usually not. Most of the slow computers we are called out to have years left in them. When a machine really is past it, we will tell you, and we will tell you why rather than just selling you a visit.
Most of it can be done remotely, and a $39 remote session is often enough. We come out when there is more than one device involved, when the machine is too slow to hold a screen share, or when you would simply rather have someone sitting next to you.
A remote session is $39 for 30 minutes. In person, our rate depends on how far we drive: $110 an hour within 25 miles of the town your Local Nerd works from, $130 in the 25 to 50 mile band, $145 in the 50 to 75 mile band. Most speed cleanups take about an hour.
No. In our experience they are the problem more often than the cure. Many of them run constantly, slow the machine down themselves, and charge a subscription to report problems that are not real. If you already pay for one, tell your Nerd and they will show you what it is actually doing.