Computer repairman shares tricks of the trade

From the beginning, Kevin Morris has been intrigued by computers. His first computer was one that hooked up to the TV. After being told the hard drive was irreplaceable, he decided to build his own computer. It took him three days to figure out how to assemble it, and he felt proud of his achievement.

"It kind of opened Pandora's box because I always stayed on the cutting edge," he said.

Morris went on to fix computers for people and then did a 10-year stint in tech support for a dial-up Internet provider. For the last two years, Morris has been in business for himself, repairing computers and doing consulting work.

What is better — a Mac or a PC?

Honestly, it depends on the application. I deal with mostly PCs, but I've done both. There are more programs written for PCs than Macs. A lot of graphic designers like Macs. The market shows there are probably 80 percent more PCs.

What is the toughest problem you have had to repair?

Most things I deal with is if the mother board goes out and it needs to be replaced, but trying to get data off the hard drive if it's damaged is probably the toughest.

What is the weirdest problem you have encountered?

It wasn't a real problem, but we had a person call into the call center whose computer came up with an illegal operation. They panicked and thought they had done something illegal. We had to explain it didn't have anything to do with that.

Kevin Morris at a glance

Age: 48.

Occupation: Computer repair and consultant.
Family: Married for 25 years; has three daughters.
Hobbies: Firearms, shooting handguns.

Source: Kevin Morris

Also, mice like heat in the winter. A mouse had gone into a computer when the cover was off. It was building a nest inside. It had shorted the motherboard.

At what point would you recommend buying a new computer rather than repairing it?

It depends on the quality of the machine. You can get some inexpensive PCs today. You can get packages for about $300 to $400. If you have a Dell laptop, you're not going to replace it for that. It could be up to $3,000.

As a tech support person, what do you do if you can't figure out the problem?

It really depends on what the problem is. If it's in the computer, then there should be a way to find out what it is. If it's connected to the Internet, it could be a circuit problem.

What do you consider the most fascinating thing about computers?

I think what originally attracted me to computers was the rapid change. I started with DOS and just watched it grow. I was always wondering what was going to be next on the horizon. It's phenomenal — the changes.

What is spyware and how does it get on the computer?

Spyware and viruses are similar, but viruses do damage. Spyware comes in and it comes from Web sites that want to trace what you look at. Some will monitor the Web site you are on so it can send advertisements. It can come on HTML on a Web site. Usually, spyware doesn't hurt your computer, but it will slow it down. Once you get it, it can leave a path for more (spyware programs) to come.

How do viruses spread through e-mail?

There are a lot of ways. Sometimes it can be embedded in an HTML code. It's getting to be less prevalent because Internet providers are scanning e-mail, so it's caught.

What is the biggest computer maintenance tip you can provide?

Always do the Windows updates. Windows XP was written five to six years ago. There have been several server packages that have come out that fix problems.

What is the best way to fix a slow computer?

It depends on what the computer is. If you're out of memory, get a new computer. But if it's a good computer that has just gotten slow, that means there are a lot of running processes on it. You need to reformat and install (your operating system again).

What is the safest, best-built PC a person can purchase?

That's almost a personal preference. I like Dells. They have good support and warranty. They supply the products very well.

Is it easy to set up a home network?

It is to a point. To do it right, not necessarily. That's part of the problem. A lot of people aren't doing it right.

Reader Feedback

Pamela B wrote on Aug 20, 2008 8:56 AM:

" The reason we don't publish the company name or contact information is because the learning page articles are supposed to concentrate on someone we can learn from in the community and not to provide free advertisement. We don't want other possible computer repairman getting upset because we didn't include them in the story. On any future story about a business person, I can always be contacted for the information. "

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kevinm96 wrote on Aug 20, 2008 6:44 AM:

" Affordable Computer Repair and Consulting
PO Box 879 Galt CA. 95632
(209) 912-1611 "

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T & C wrote on Aug 18, 2008 3:24 PM:

" How ironic that someone who can help someone that the writer omits the business and phone number! "

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FredB wrote on Aug 18, 2008 11:43 AM:

" It would be nice to know the name of this gentleman's business and/or where it is located. "

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