“Those parts of the system that you can hit with a hammer are called hardware; those program instructions that you can only curse at are called software.” – from Levitating Trains and Kamikaze Genes: Technological Literacy for the Future…. Have you ever wanted to hit your computer with a hammer, bang your head against the keyboard, or just toss it out the window and give up? If you have used a computer for more than a few hours in your life, I’m willing to bet that the odds are good that you’ve felt that way at least once, lol.  Well, I have a solution to share with you – a tip that will totally simply your life, save you from tech headaches, and keep that computer from landing in the front lawn this year. Keep reading to learn about my favorite geek solution….

How to Simplify HOme Computer Maintenance

Obviously, since I work online all day, having a computer that is working as fast and efficiently as possible is an absolute must for me. But even if all you use yours for is stalking ex boyfriends on Facebook – err, I mean, seeing what old high school friends are up to these days – or doing tasks like paying bills, emailing friends, or saving photos – you still want to make sure you’re keeping your tech investment free from viruses, and that’s it’s reliable when you need it. Getting rid of a virus, cleaning up outdated files, doing updates – that stuff can be confusing, time consuming, and often times a big hassle. So what’s a busy momma to do? Well, if you want to simplify all of that stuff, and have your own personal geek on hand, 24 hours a day, in case of an emergency, then what you do is turn to the Geek Squad, at Best Buy!

Deep thought….”How much net work could a network work, if a network could net work?” – Unknown, but funny.

So what is this whole Geek Squad thing all about? Well, while you can use these amazing geniuses at Best Buy at any time for help with a ton of different things, what I’m recommending is the Geek Squad Tech Support Membership. It’s $199 for a year – and yes, I know that might feel a little spendy all at once. But how much would you spend to get your computer fixed if something crashes? What would you spend if you got a virus that you couldn’t remove? {$199 at Best Buy, without this service.} And what’s it worth to you to have someone available to upgrade, update, secure, and clean up your computer when it gets slow and glitchy? {AND – you get this service on up to 3 computers, for the one low price.} The computers do NOT have to be purchased at Best Buy to be able to get this service, but if you are thinking of buying a new computer at Best Buy – you can add on the Geek Squad service for only $99! Now, let me show you more about why it is SO worth it….

How to get computer help – fast! – when you need it

As you can see – there are TONS of options for what Geek Squad can do for you. It’s so easy to get started – you can read about my very first time using them, when I had them do a basic clean up of my computer. My laptop is pretty new, and I didn’t have any issues with it, but since I had gotten a subscription to the Geek Squad tech support as part of my Best Buy Blogging Ambassadorship, I wanted to see how it all worked. I was AMAZED at how much faster my computer was after the agent cleaned it all up for me!! And I was hooked. So this month, we had them do the same thing to Mike’s computer – {remember I said that one subscription is good on up to three computers?} Want to know what they did for him?

“If at first you don’t succeed; call it version 1.0” – Unknown, but again, super funny…

First of all – Mike’s desktop computer is oooooold. I mean, he’s old too {he turns 36 in a few weeks, and I keep reminding him that that’s almost 40, lol. He hates it. But I’m only 32, which is like, barely 30. So I win…} – and it’s been through a lot, so it’s kind of beat up. But he relies on his almost as much as I do, since he runs a vinyl cutting business on the side {shameless plug – find him at Taboo Designs.} He was pretty skeptical that Geek Squad could really do much for his old beast – But I knew it would amaze him. So, we logged in online, quickly set up a session with an agent – and they took remote control of his computer and got to work for a couple of hours. After we’d used the indoor grill to make dinner, eaten, and then cleaned up – he went back to see what they’d done. He read the messages they left him, and was impressed that they’d found so many things to fix up. Then – the moment of truth… He surfed the web a bit, tried out a few of his programs, printed a few docs, and saved a couple of files. Then – {this is the best part!} – he sheepishly turned to me, and said it was like using a whole new computer.

Ahhhh…. I SO love being right.

Best Buy Geek Squad:

{Disclaimer: I received a complimentary one year subscription to Geek Squad. But, this in no way sways my opinion – you ladies know I’m not influenced by free swag! Lol. I honestly love this, and know you will too! Photo credit: Paul Worthington via photopin cc.}