http://computermamas.com At Computer Mamas, Computer Repair and Support, we specialize in virus removals and computer tune-ups. We offer a local, personalized alternative to the big box stores, at a fraction of the price. Thu, 24 Mar 2011 14:32:00 +0000 http://snappages.com en http://computermamas.com/blog/2011/03/24/world-backup-day-is-march-31 http://computermamas.com/blog/2011/03/24/world-backup-day-is-march-31 Thu, 24 Mar 2011 14:32:00 +0000 http://computermamas.com/blog/2011/03/24/world-backup-day-is-march-31
Please see our Facebook page for more information:
Please see our Facebook page for more information: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Computer-Mamas/81646548749

]]> http://computermamas.com/blog/2011/01/22/the-story-of-computer-mamas http://computermamas.com/blog/2011/01/22/the-story-of-computer-mamas Sat, 22 Jan 2011 09:16:00 +0000 http://computermamas.com/blog/2011/01/22/the-story-of-computer-mamas
Shortly after that our children were born, and learning to be a mom took up all my time and energy for awhile, so I put consulting on the back burner. We moved to another city, and I started to think about what my next business would look like. I was sure I wanted to stay in technology, so I took a job with a local tech support company, and started gaining deeper level skills.

Knowing that I wanted to be self-employed again, I had been tossing around company names for years without hitting on anything I loved, but one Saturday morning I decided to do a Google search for "Computer Repair" in my zip code. I was quite intimidated to find that there was someone fixing computers out of their home every 10 blocks or so, it seemed.

I thought, "How on earth am I going to stand out from all these guys? And who is going to want to call 'Middle-Age-Mom-Lady' when they could throw a rock in any direction and hit a 20 something geek guy?" The answer hit me so hard that I think I yelled out loud: Other Moms! Other moms will want to call me. I rushed breathlessly over to my friend's house: "I know what business we should do!!!!" Then I told anyone who would listen about my idea of mom-to-mom tech support. The name "Computer Mamas" came out of wanting the business name to show off that we're women, and wanting to attract other moms to our brand.

In reality, the business has turned out to be broader than that. I completely underestimated how far the U.S. has come since the 70's and 80's. Nearly half our calls are from men. It turns out that people just want reliable tech support, and they don't actually care whether it's from a man or woman. Awesome.

The first year of Computer Mamas was a whirlwind of fixing tons of computers while also learning how much work is involved in running a business. I call it the "Year of learning how much we didn't know." The second year was similar, but more intense. We more than doubled our client list, but that led to serious business development needs. Like many small businesses, unanticipated rapid growth nearly took us under. It was a learning experience to find that being too successful too quickly can be just as deadly as not getting enough business.

We're beginning year number 3 now, and things are starting to calm down. Clearly, we have a workable business idea, now we just have to corral the loose ends, and turn what we do into an efficient and predictable process. We still have haphazard moments sometimes, but we are smart, ethical, passionate people, and we love what we're doing, so I expect more success. I can't wait to see what the future brings.

Mary Ryan
Owner, Computer Mamas

]]> http://computermamas.com/blog/2010/12/07/tech-support-for-our-parents http://computermamas.com/blog/2010/12/07/tech-support-for-our-parents Tue, 07 Dec 2010 21:43:00 +0000 http://computermamas.com/blog/2010/12/07/tech-support-for-our-parents
What do you do when your folks call you for technical help?

A lot of people call me. It's not a market that I originally thought about, but it fits so nicely with our overall business plan that I couldn't help noticing... this is a service I should specifically point out to people.

We're all busy, we're all trying to balance family and work and life. Tech support for your parents is an area where I can help you. We are available for simple things like setting up email or a printer, all the way up to complete computer replacements. We don't sell computers, but we can pick one out, have it delivered, and then set it all up.

We service the San Jose Metro Area, we accept all major credit cards, and we can save you hours and hours of fighting with your parent's computer.

For future reference, become a fan of Computer Mamas on Facebook. Then you'll always know where to find us when Mom or Dad call for help.

]]> http://computermamas.com/blog/2010/11/05/automation-leads-to-lower-prices http://computermamas.com/blog/2010/11/05/automation-leads-to-lower-prices Fri, 05 Nov 2010 10:58:00 +0000 http://computermamas.com/blog/2010/11/05/automation-leads-to-lower-prices






]]> http://computermamas.com/blog/2010/10/06/preparing-for-controlled-growth http://computermamas.com/blog/2010/10/06/preparing-for-controlled-growth Wed, 06 Oct 2010 08:44:00 +0000 http://computermamas.com/blog/2010/10/06/preparing-for-controlled-growth Debbie Quintana, owner of Simply Coaching, Gourmet Gifts, and several other sucessful small [...]]]> Debbie Quintana, owner of Simply Coaching, Gourmet Gifts, and several other sucessful small businesses. Getting some real business coaching left my brain spinning with possibilities for the future. Debbie helped me clarify what it is I want to do over the next three years, and gave me some solid first steps to start moving that direction. If you have a small business, I can't recommend DebbieQ enough. Working with her was exciting and empowering!

Right now, by necessity, Computer Mamas is a relatively small operation. I'm a working mom, and there are only so many hours in the day, but the last few years have proven that this is a viable business idea. People like the business model, and love the personal service we provide.

We have become the primary technical support for 17 small business, and hundreds of home users, with new clients calling everyday. Planning for future growth is suddenly less of an abstraction and more of a pressing need. Which is wonderful and humbling.

So as we slowly branch out, and find our way to becoming a *slightly* larger small business, our goal is to provide more personalization, not less; more appointment options, not less; and more client satisfaction, not less. I can't wait to see what the future brings!

Have a computer problem? Call us. We'll make it all better!

Mary Ryan
Owner, Computer Mamas
(408) 315-3517



]]> http://computermamas.com/blog/2010/08/22/back-up-back-up-back-up http://computermamas.com/blog/2010/08/22/back-up-back-up-back-up Sun, 22 Aug 2010 13:31:00 +0000 http://computermamas.com/blog/2010/08/22/back-up-back-up-back-up
You can pay an online service to back up your whole computer (Carbonite, Mozy, [...]]]>
You can pay an online service to back up your whole computer (Carbonite, Mozy, DropBox, etc.), or you can back things up by catagory. Pictures can be uploaded to Picassa, Flickr, Shutterfly, etc. Videos can go on YouTube. Key documents can be uploaded to Google Docs, or you can email them to yourself at gmail or yahoo or wherever. Take a few minutes to plan now, and you'll save yourself some heartbreak later!

]]> http://computermamas.com/blog/2010/07/21/remote-access http://computermamas.com/blog/2010/07/21/remote-access Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:25:00 +0000 http://computermamas.com/blog/2010/07/21/remote-access
You can reach us for a free estimate at (408) 315-3517 or info@computermamas.com




]]> http://computermamas.com/blog/2010/06/11/online-back-ups http://computermamas.com/blog/2010/06/11/online-back-ups Fri, 11 Jun 2010 10:04:00 +0000 http://computermamas.com/blog/2010/06/11/online-back-ups http://www.dropbox.com. [...]]]> http://www.dropbox.com. For an extra 250 MB for free, use this link: https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTU5NjcxMzI5

Enjoy!

]]> http://computermamas.com/blog/2010/03/07/the-do-it-yourself-computer-tune-up http://computermamas.com/blog/2010/03/07/the-do-it-yourself-computer-tune-up Sun, 07 Mar 2010 10:38:00 +0000 Mary http://computermamas.com/blog/2010/03/07/the-do-it-yourself-computer-tune-up
The following is a basic run-down of many of the things we do to make older computers run faster. Your milage may vary. Computer Mamas is not responsible for your results. Changing computer settings may cause unexpected results. That said, if you're a little brave, and a little adventurous, and you do a full back up before you start, it's likely that you'll have good results with the following advice:

Before you start, we recommend setting a System Restore point and backing up any important data you have. The best way to back up your data is to buy an external hard drive. You can get a great back-up drive for under a $100 now. Be sure you back up your pictures, music, documents, email (if it's on the computer), and the data for any programs like Quicken, Turbo Tax, iTunes, etc.

Now that you have a back up and a restore point set, it's time to start:

1. Anti-Virus

If your computer is running XP or Vista, the first thing we recommend is going to Add/Remove Programs and uninstalling whatever anti-virus program came with your computer. Most of the really big programs just don't run well on the average older home machine. For XP, our two favorite free Anti-Virus programs are AVG Free and Avast. Avast tends to run faster on very old computers. For Vista and Windows 7, we've started using Microsoft Security Essentials. So far it seems to be very good, and it's light weight, so it doesn't slow your machine down. Once you've got an updated anti-virus program on your computer, run it. Follow the instructions to remove any infections.

Do not install more than one Anti-Virus program on your computer at the same time. It will slow everything down. It's ok to use one, uninstall it, and use another though.

2. Anti-Spyware

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a fantastic piece of software. You should run it manually now and then. Spybot is another program we use quite a bit. We never install the "Tea Timer" feature because it seems to slow everything down too much. Both of these programs are ok to leave on your machine. They won't interfere with your other security programs. Run these programs one at a time, and follow the instructions to remove infections.

3. Microsoft Updates

Start Internet Explorer, go to Tools, and then to Windows Update. Look for the link that says, Microsoft Update, and click that. It will take you to a new window. Follow the instructions and do all the updates for your machine. Be sure to check the boxes for the Hardware updates, and for any optional updates you want to do. When this process is finished (it may take minutes or hours), you need to restart your computer. Then go back and repeat this process over and over until no new updates show up. Each set of updates makes the computer ready for more updates, so if you're not up to date, it may take several times to get completely caught up.

If your computer needs Service Pack 3 installed, you can end up with some hardware complications. Call us if you get stuck.

4. Manufacterer Updates

If you go to the website for your brand of computer, you can often enter what model computer you have, and they will tell you if there are any updates for your computer. These updates sometimes fix hardware problems and driver conflicts. Follow their instructions and get everything up to date.

5. Get Rid of Extra Programs

Go to Add/Remove Programs on your computer and uninstall any programs that you don't ever use. If you don't recognize the name of the program, you can Google it to find out what it is.

6. Stop Autostarting Programs (Advanced)

Spybot has a nice feature in the Advanced Tools section that allows you to see a list of all the programs that are autostarting everytime you turn on your computer. This can really slow things down. First, look at the list and see if there are any programs that you can just uninstall, and then go do that. Next, uncheck the boxes of the programs that you don't need to be "on" all the time. Restart your computer. It should load up quicker now.


This process can take several hours or a couple of days, depending on your computer, but it can be well worth it. Best wishes, and good luck!!

-Mary



]]> http://computermamas.com/blog/2010/02/24/are-you-using-google-docs-yet http://computermamas.com/blog/2010/02/24/are-you-using-google-docs-yet Wed, 24 Feb 2010 16:06:00 +0000 Mary http://computermamas.com/blog/2010/02/24/are-you-using-google-docs-yet Gmail account, you not only get Mail and a Calendar, but also an online productivity suite with a GB of storage. There is a word processor, spreadsheet software, and a few other fun gadgets. I just [...]]]> Gmail account, you not only get Mail and a Calendar, but also an online productivity suite with a GB of storage. There is a word processor, spreadsheet software, and a few other fun gadgets. I just uploaded 21 business documents from my home computer to my gmail account in about 5 minutes. I can now access them from anywhere, and I don't have to worry about losing them if my hard drive were to crash.

]]> http://computermamas.com/blog/2010/02/05/moving-to-a-new-format http://computermamas.com/blog/2010/02/05/moving-to-a-new-format Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:11:00 +0000 Mary http://computermamas.com/blog/2010/02/05/moving-to-a-new-format here. Our facebook page is here. More to come... later... when I'm over this cold!! :) [...]]]> here. Our facebook page is here. More to come... later... when I'm over this cold!! :)

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