ELEPHANT BOY COMPUTERS
Marian Routh, Prop.
Located in the Wonderland of Fresno, California, United States, Earth, The Multiverse
(559) 435-1224
Serving Businesses and Individuals in the Fresno/Clovis Area with Quiet Dignity and Grace
Our Motto is "Don't Panic"
*
Troubleshooting * Training * Data Recovery
* Networking * Virus/Malware Removal
* Repairs/Upgrades * Whatever * Groveling Upon Request
About The Company
What We Do Rates Begging & Pleading Who We Are FAQ
General Computer Information
Main Page
What We Do
Troubleshooting, virus/spyware
removal, data recovery, repairs and
upgrades, networking, computer training,
software/hardware installation, and
generally
whatever else is needed to make you and your computer happy. We
don't have a retail store, so we can
provide an objective idea of what will work best for our
clients. Basically, we provide freelance technical support to home
users and small businesses. Although we can provide any necessary
hardware for clients, we do not sell hardware. Therefore, if we
recommend that you buy a new hard drive or even a new computer you can
be assured we are not saying this just to move inventory.
Rates
In-Shop Service
$40/hr., 1 hour minimum
Additional time after the first hour is charged in 30-minute increments
On-site Service
Within Fresno (Standard Service Area)
$60 for the first hour, 1 hour minimum
$40/hr. for additional time, charged in 30-minute increments
Outside Fresno (and outside Standard Service Area)
$60 travel time charge - if travel time exceeds 1
hour round-trip it is billed at $60/hr., charged in 30-minute increments
$60/hr., 1 hour minimum - additional hours charged in 30-minute increments
Our Standard Service Area is:
* From Marks to Cedar to the east
* From Marks to Hayes to the west
* From Bullard to the Fort Washington area to the north
* From Bullard to Belmont to the south
We do not normally bill and payment is required when the service is
rendered. We've tried to explain to the children about waiting 30 days
to eat, but they don't seem to understand.
For home users, you really should consider bringing the computer in,
especially if it is probable that your computer is infected by viruses
and/or spyware. Since Elephant Boy Computers was started many years ago, removing viruses and other malware has gone from being
relatively quick and easy to a complex and time-consuming
process. The number of malware programs commonly known as
"spyware" has exploded. These evil programs can also be difficult
to remove, and the necessary scanning with antivirus and spyware
removal tools can take a long time. If the computer is being
scanned here, you are not being charged for that time because I'm not
actively working on your machine. If I am sitting at your house
waiting for various scans to finish, my meter is running. Also,
there are other factors in computer repair that make having the machine
in the shop a better idea.
If you are unable to bring the computer in and are in the Standard
Service Area, pickup and delivery can be arranged for an additional fee
of $60.
Begging & Pleading
You should hire Elephant Boy Computers because:
* We're honest.
* We're good.
* We need the money.
We'll take good care of your silicon-based life
forms. Our rates are extremely competitive, and we are
shamelessly
eager to please.
Who We Are
Marian Routh
is a native New
Yorker who has been living in Fresno, California since 1982.
She's really, really, really good with computers. Really.
Her true identity is the Empress of the
World. Regrettably, she is currently in exile.
However, one of these days she'll gather her armies and take her
rightful place on a really spiffy throne and get to wear a tiara.
Then the world will be filled with peace, harmony, and lots of
chocolate. The Empress doesn't care whether the trains run on
time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Who is the Elephant Boy? Is he a small
spirit who fixes
computers at night if you leave him a little snack of milk and cookies?
A. No.
Q. Are you the Elephant Boy?
A. No.
Q. Can you send me a picture of the "real" Elephant Boy?
A. No.
Q. Why?
A. Because.
Q. Do you have any of those fancy certifications?
A. Alas, no. The Empress has gained her knowledge from many years of
working with computers. In January of 2004, Microsoft gave her their
Most Valued
Professional award for her work in the Windows XP
newsgroup. The award was renewed in January of 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008. Microsoft
MVPs are acknowledged by
peers and also
by Microsoft for their active participation in Microsoft technical
communities. The Empress gets all pink and flustered about this, but
she is fiercely pleased. W00t!
Q. Why don't you list your email address on this website?
A. Because of the nature of freelance technical support, people call us
when they need a job done; they don't send an email. The only
people who would benefit from our putting an email address on this
website are spammers, because their spambots will harvest the
address. We don't need body part enlargers. We certainly
could use a few million dollars, but we know we're not going to get it
from the cousin of a deposed Nigerian dictator.
Q. Why don't you know everything about [insert name of Some Program here]? Luser.
A. Go into any big computer store and look at the software for sale.
You will see hundreds of different programs, some of which are
extremely complicated. Many people spend years - even go to school - to
learn some of these programs like Photoshop and the Microsoft Office
programs. Microsoft Access can bring even a strong person to tears at
times. While I know DOS/Windows 3.1, Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP/Vista, Windows
Server 2000/2003, Linux and Mac OS X - I don't know everything. More's the
pity. If I knew everything, I would Rule The World!!! See what you made
me do? Now I have to go lie down for awhile.
Q. Why are you writing in the third person?
A. Because I like to pretend that Elephant Boy Computers consists of
more than one person. It's affected, OK? Now you've made me
cry.
Q. Why aren't there more questions and answers on this FAQ?
A. Because I got tired of making them up.
Back to top
Gen'l. Computer Info. EBC Reports Extras Links