How much do you charge for computer support?
Do you provide software support?
Do you provide computer education services?
Do you help install software?
Would you help install a data server?
I have an old computer that runs very slowly but I believe it still has some life in it. What can you do to help?
My computer will not power up. Is there any hope for my computer?
How much do you charge for computer support?
We charge a competitive and affordable $20 per hour for computer support assistance; there is a 1 hour minimum charge but is pro-rated after that. For example, If we service your computer for a duration of 1 hour and 40 minutes, you would pay $20 for the first hour and then $20 divided by 60 minutes to provide a per minute rate of 33 cents, multiplied by the 40 actual minutes to equal the partial hour charge of $13.33 (20/60 = $0.33*40 = $13.33). The total charge for 1 hour 40 minutes equals $33.33.
Do you provide software support?
Yes. We do provide support for your software; while we cannot guarantee the performance of any particular piece of software, we will take a best-effort approach toward solving any software problem you may encounter.
Do you provide computer education services?
Yes! We can provide computer education assistance at the same $20 per hour rate as we do for computer support issues. It doesn’t matter if you have a genuine technical problem or if you just require some step-by-step, directed assistance understanding your computer’s hardware, software, or operating system. This education can be helpful because we understand it can be hard to remember all the details sometimes—especially when trying to perform less frequent tasks, or if you are ready to learn more about how to most effectively use your computer.
Do you help install software?
Certainly. We can help you install or reinstall programs, such as the operating system itself, an office suite of software, anti-virus and security packages, or even server software.
Would you help install a data server?
Yes. We can do this for you, too. We would probably recommend an open-source project such as FreeNAS because it is designed to be a lightweight data server but with many configurations to choose from.
I have an old computer that runs very slowly but I believe it still has some life in it. What can you do to help?
There are a couple of options we could choose between to work with this situation… we could run some general maintenance utilities to help provide better performance, we could back up your important data files then format your disk drive and reinstall the operating system (sometimes referred to as a system restore), or we could even consider installing a free Linux operating system which tends to require fewer system resources then Windows.
My computer will not power up. Is there any hope for my computer?
That is a good question; we’re glad you asked! It’s entirely possible your computer may have a significant problem, however it’s always best to assume the best and investigate the worst. Let us take a look at it, so we can help avoid simple problems that could keep you from needing to purchase a new machine altogether. Even in cases of hardware failure, there may only be some components that have failed, making successful computer repair a distinct possibility.
Do you have a data recovery plan?
In addition to the hosted backups, which are automated, and the RAID 10 redundancy, provided within the server environment, I also have a local tower, as well as an additional local data RAID, both of which store individual local backup copies. This is particularly used for our website design clients, but we could also consider providing such off-site backups to others as an additional service. One of the add-ons we install with every Joomla! website we create is a backup utility that backs up and compresses the website and its database from the server-side; these backups can be downloaded via FTP for restoration and duplication purposes. There may also be similar utilities for other Content Management Systems (CMS’s).
Could you tell me about your website security and what you have in place to prevent hackers?
Yes, the final layer of security available is at the website design level, so in our case, this usually means security for Joomla!. We disable the initial administrative user after installation to prevent hacking attempts via the default username of "admin" or the default database table ID of 42. This system also allows us to monitor suspicious activity and block specific IP addresses. These security features and others are easily managed with the help of add-ons specifically designed to heighten security, some of which are free, though the most comprehensive ones come at a reasonable cost.
Are you up 24/7?
Do you make any guarantees for up-time?
What would happen to my website if you upgrade or switch hosting solutions?
Where are your servers located?
Do you have a data recovery plan?
What website security do you provide and what do you have in place to prevent hacking?
What sort of access will I have to your servers for setup and configuration?
Additional questions?
Are you up 24/7?
Yes. Our hosting is 24/7. We are up all day, every day, all year around.
Do you make any guarantees for up-time?
Our up-time is 99.99%, per Pingdom monthly statistics. We guarantee at least 99.9% and are always striving to provide the highest possible up-time to ensure the best possible customer experience. Guaranteed up-time excludes the following circumstances:
Also the virtual hosting environment allows for resource upgrades, such as disk space capacity and CPU power with zero down-time.
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What would happen to my website if you upgrade or switch hosting solutions?
If we were to perform a migration to a different server or data center, we would ensure no down-time during the migration because a copy of the entire site would be established on the new server prior to re-directing traffic.
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Where are your servers located?
Our hosting servers are located in a data center in College Station, TX.
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Do you have a data recovery plan?
Definitely! We have several ways of preserving your data. cPanel, the hosting control panel provides automated weekly and monthly back-ups. Also the server environment is equipped with RAID 10 data redundancy, and we have a local tower, as well as an additional local data RAID, both of which store individual local backup copies. This is particularly used for our website design clients, but we are willing to provide these off-site backups to others for an additional fee, as well. One of the add-ons we install with every Joomla! website we create is a backup utility that backs up and compresses the website and its database from the server-side; these backups can be downloaded via FTP for restoration and duplication purposes. We will also be happy to look into similar utilities for other Content Management Systems (CMS’s) upon request.
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What website security do you provide and what do you have in place to prevent hacking?
We provide multiple layers of hosting security because hacking is unfortunately a distinct possibility in today’s world. While many sites have never been hacked, it can happen, and we genuinely appreciate the strong need for multiple layers of security.
In addition to the hosting method, the web server and the website design methods provide added security: On a basic level, chmod limits are set for read/write/execute access for owner, group, and public categories. SSL certificates can, of course, be set up to create secure connections, a feature which is especially significant for e-commerce sites that do not use Paypal in their transactions, since clients' financial information is then submitted directly via the website in question. Mod_security rules are put in place to enable filtering and post-scanning functionality, but these rules can also be customized in a dynamic way to enable or disable mod_security, per request. The virtual hosting solution is fully managed by system administrators and a support team, so should any problem extend beyond Tier 1 support’s scope of knowledge, it can also be referred to our escalated support group to ensure the highest level of support, as well as the most optimized and specific customized security measures.
Finally, a further layer of security is available at the website design level: in our case, this usually means security for Joomla!. We disable the initial administrative user after installation to prevent hacking attempts via the default username of “admin” or the default database table ID 42. The system we use also allows us to monitor suspicious activity and block specific IP addresses. Security features, such as those mentioned above, as well as others are easily managed with the help of add-ons specifically designed to heighten security. Some of the add-ons are free, though the most comprehensive ones come at a reasonable cost of approximately 30-65 dollars.
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What sort of access will I have to your servers for setup and configuration?
The primary virtual server, a CentOS v6 Linux server, provides you with cPanel accounts for easy access to, as well as creation and configuration of MySQL databases, FTP accounts, e-mail accounts, etc. These accounts can be permitted to provide root access, although due to security concerns this is not typically included in what we provide our clients. Should clients require their own virtual private server (VPS), a dedicated server, or a Windows-based server, this can also be arranged for an appropriate price.
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