Custom PC Systems

A lot of people find it increasingly difficult to choose a system, hyped up advertising does not help because they are pushing a particular product that may not actually suit you. Going into a shop and seeing many makes and models on sale with varying specification and a commision based saleperson is perhaps not the best way to buy - unless you know precisely what you want. Any choice of specification is limited by the manufacturer so you often end up with a compromise, most come pre-installed with an operating system together with lots of additional free and trial software which you will probably never use, this is to give the impression you are getting more for your money, we call it unnecessary bloat, and in the worst cases it slows your system from the outset.

We can build a system to your specification and requirements, if you only run office applications, use email and browse the Internet, there is no need to spend your money on a high specification unit. If however you require a games / multimedia system we can build the system ensuring it will cope with your needs. You can also choose whether you want Linux, Windows, both, or indeed no operating system at all - you may want to install and set up your own system! We'd be happy to install your own (legal) copy of Windows if you have already bought it.

In addition and if required by you, we will install a free anti-virus product i.e. not a trial version that you have to pay for after 30 days, a proper firewall, plus the option of a comprehensive and totally free office suite.

We believe the customer has the right to choose what suits them best, and that they remain in control of their day to day computer activities.

Before buying a new computer

Do you really need to replace it? We have seen perfectly good systems thrown away for no reason other than they have slowed down over time. This slow down is normal for Windows based computers whether it is using the older FAT or later NTFS file systems, it does not mean you have to buy a new one contrary to what you are often led to believe.

Some of the causes of system slowdowns are full hard disks, viruses, spyware, malware, too much stored system history, badly written uninstall routines that leave half the application behind, bloated registry and more. Another factor is the increasing number of applications that add themselves to the start up routine - this is not needed as you can launch them when required, the only exception to this should be anti-virus and firewall.

We can speed up your Windows PC - assuming there are no hardware faults, and in a lot of cases it will run faster than when it was first purchased! How long does your machine take to boot up to a useable state i.e. when you can launch an application? Try timing it, then time a shutdown! Times will vary depending on the system specification, but on average around 30 to 40 seconds to boot and 15 or less seconds to shut down - if you wait a minute or more, then your system has slowed down.

In some cases there is no reliable option but to re-install if your operating system has been seriously damaged through malware, virus, or badly corrupted registry. Unless you have a regular back up routine, possibly the worst thing that can happen is losing all your data. If the machine won't boot up, it can be difficult if not impossible to get at the data, we can retrieve all your data from your hard disk and provide it to you on CD, DVD, or USB memory stick if required.

If your machine is beyond help and it is of no more use to you, do not just take it to your local tip or recycling centre without first ensuring all your personal data is destroyed. Your machine will likely have email accounts, personal documents and photos, saved passwords for web sites and far more! If you are a business you may well have accounts data, customer names, contact details, and confidential informatiuon that you would not want anyone else to access, your customers / clients expect their data that you hold to be secure - it is in fact a legal requirement.

Deleting your files does not remove them and your data is very easily undeleted in a couple of minutes. Formatting your hard disk is also not good enough as it can be unformatted to reveal the contents.

Bear in mind that many used hard disks exchange hands for money and the risk is that your data could end up in the hands of identity thieves and crooks. You can remove the hard disk and destroy it physically if you are literally scrapping the machine, if you wish to sell or give it away we can totally erase your hard disk using specialist software so there is no trace of anything on the hard disk then re-install the original operating system, this will ensure that none of your data can be retrieved.

We offer a secure hard disk wiping service to anyone. Due to the confidential nature of this, we generally perform this at your premises so you are assured that your data will not be at risk in any way, call for details.