I generally don't like strangers poking around in my computer, especially when they're hundreds of miles away on the Internet. But a malfunctioning computer can be maddening. So, late one night last week, after searching in vain for the glitch that was keeping Microsoft Word from printing on my PC, I took the plunge. I paid $15 for a service called PC Pinpoint to dig through the machine over my broadband connection. PC Pinpoint is one of many independent tech services that make a living from the frailty of the modern PC, which is so wonderfully flexible and versatile, yet so very complex and buggy.
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I'm happy to say that PC Pinpoint fixed my problem. Other frustrated users could also benefit from third-party tech services, which can diagnose problems and make fixes by phone, online, or in person. It's unrealistic to expect good support from hardware makers selling at today's all-time-low prices, and I've not had much luck with software companies, either.
PC Pinpoint offers a year's service for $50. Other well-established options include LiveRepair.com at $12 a month; Tech24, which charges $20 per incident; "ask dr. tech", whose plans start at $90 a year; and Speak with a Geek, starting at $35 monthly. All are available 24 hours a day, and most offer phone as well as online support. LiveRepair and Tech24, however, depend on Web-based chats, in which you type in one box as a technician responds in another, and neither service supports Apple computers, unlike the others.
Some of the services can fix many software problems by remote control, which works better if you have a broadband connection. They can also identify a piece of broken hardware, whether it's a CD drive or a sound card, but of course a remote service can't make a hardware repair. You may still end up toting the computer to a local shop. PC Pinpoint, however, will send a technician to your house for $85 per incident, and dr. tech's premium plan ($280 a year) includes on-site service.
I chose PC Pinpoint because of its one-week trial at $15, and because I wanted to see how well its software can automatically diagnose problems. While the software robot did not pinpoint the problem, it gave a technician a thorough look at my system. After several Web chats over the course of an hour, he persuaded me to reload the printer driver. I had not suspected the driver because programs other than Word were printing, but that did the trick.
Having a piece of software peer inside your PC may be unsettling, but it's better than pitching the blasted thing.
