My name is Jim Pierce and I help my clients with their
computers and software. My service is both personal and affordable and covers Carson City-Gardnerville.
I
also provide website development and webhosting services for "info-sites".
Check out some of my client's websites.
(On the left side of this page)
I do not sell computers,
accessories, or software and do not have a business relationship with any
company. This means:
I only work for you and
Will only recommend the best for your
needs.
Give me a call. I would like to meet you.
E-mail with questions. I want to help.
Client Benefits
Priority response times to fix problems. E-mail and phone
support at no charge: I must limit email solutions to simple problems.
Items requiring lengthy responses are better suited
for "In-Home" service or phone support.
Advice is free for existing clients and includes
consultations regarding PC specs, software needs, and research into products
and services you might need.
Prices
Reasonable hourly costs from $40 to $50.
Individual and business on-site charges are for locations in the Carson
City/Dayton/Minden-Gardnerville areas. There is an additional travel charge
for on-site visits to businesses and individuals outside this area.
Non-business and individual rates are lower.
The ultimate price depends on the number of hours it takes to
complete the service call plus travel time to your home or business. To see
examples of how much time it
takes to perform certain services
click here
for an idea of what a service call might cost.
Website Hosting and
Development
I focus on "info-sites", where the main
purpose is to provide information about you or your business. It is easy to
get started, just first step can be
contact me with questions and comments. The basic areas are
explained below:
If you do not already have one, you will
need a domain name. There are many registrars and you can do this
yourself or I can reserve a name for you. The fee for this is $50.
For an active website you will need a
webhost who will store your pages and documents on a server so the
public can see them on the Internet. My current annual hosting fee is
$150. I can even work with your current webhost/registrar to change
everything to point to my server.
If you need a website and don't know how
to develop one, I can do the work for you or redesign your current
website. The current hourly rate is $40.
Check the links to the left to see what I have
done. Again, E-mail me
for more information. There is never any obligation when asking for help.
PC Services
PC Tune-ups
Cars can benefit from a tune-up, so can computers. For
peak performance and security, I can check your computer for things that
can make it slow down, take hard drive space and use RAM.
more....
Hardware Upgrades
Many computers can be upgraded to improve performance.
We can add more memory, hard disks and even change the processor.
more....
Install peripherals
I can install many types of devices for you.
more....
PC Setups/Relocations
A new computer can be a hassle to set up. Especially if
you have an old one that must be disconnected first. I can do this for
you at your convenience at home or at your place of business.
more....
Software
Install or upgrade your Operating System (OS) such as
Windows XP. more....
Copyright 2004-2012 Sierra
Horizons Inc. All rights reserved.
News to Use
Windows XP
An Alternative to Windows Internet Explorer (IE)
Many don't know there are alternatives to the Internet
Explorer that came with their PC.
A great browser is Google's Chrome. It is fast and
works very well. I almost exclusively use Chrome now. Transitioning was
easy. It has a stealth browser which leaves no record of your on-line
activities.
You might
want to try Firefox. It
does not have the hacker/spyware vulnerabilities that IE has and its
"Easy Transition" system will import all your favorites, passwords and
other data from IE. I have used it and it works very well.
Spyware
Spyware
The average PC has
been infected with two dozen spyware applications that secretly
provide websites and advertisers with information about the PC
users habits, including websites visited, on-line purchases, and
other personal information.
Spyware is
unknowingly downloaded when you browse the web or share files such
as music. It can also be part of "normal looking" software. Some
even claim they will get rid of spyware while installing their
own. Then when you run the program it will get rid of all spyware
except theirs!
What to do? Well,
I regularly use two programs and they are:
It is free. (I
like free) The full version will protect you in
real time and add additional features and programs. The free
version requires you to manually check your PC.
This program is
also free. The author asks for donations. It is up to you.
Both programs need regular updates and this can be done manually
through the software.
If in doubt about a website which allows software downloads,
I advise going to cnet.com and search for the software you need.
The website is an excellent resource for all sorts of things.
A Good Small Virus Checker
AVG
Free antivirus
For a very good and basic antivirus software, I use:
AVG Free. It is easy to install and use. It also is not a
resource hog.
McAfee
Stinger
Every PC user should have an antivirus program installed
and configured to detect viruses on their system.
Go to site.
If you want to check quickly and see if something slipped
by, as a first step in cleaning an infected PC, you should download
and try Stinger.
Stinger is a small stand alone program that does not need
to be installed. After downloading it to the desktop, just double click
and it will check for dozens of problems.
McAfee updates the program often so check their site for
the latest version.
This is not an endorsement of McAfee and its produces
except Stinger. McAfee and Norton have excellent antivirus products.
An Alternative to Windows Internet Explorer (IE)