Insight Data - Our Services


						Our track record is one of integrity, knowledge, and caring support. We are dedicated to helping Mac owners get the Mac experience -- that's why we give hours of free support to M.A.C.S. (Macintosh Asheville Computer Society in Asheville, North Carolina) at their monthly meetings. We want everyone to have the fun as well as the function. USING A MACINTOSH Training. We are experienced with teaching beginners -- we speak everyday English, not 'geek' technical. (Check out the sample pages of our books: "Macintosh Efficiency" and "Macintosh Troubleshooting Efficiency" book) One-on-one training customized to your needs, at your location. Information and step-by-step instructions are notated by an assistant during the training -- at no extra charge. This means, you can concentrate on what you are being taught -- knowing that notes are constantly being taken during the lesson. At the end of the session, these notes are printed (on our printer) and left with you for future reference. ABOUT OUR EMAIL RESPONSES Have you ever contacted the tech support department for a software or hardware product you purchased? Most of the time the response you receive is either far too brief, too technical to understand or they only answered one of your important questions. We don't work that way. Our eMail responses are: Researched and verified, Thoroughly spelled out with complete step-by-step instructions and Web links when appropriate, and Written for the beginner. As an example, here's an actual response to an eMail we received... Customer's Question: "I want to save images from various web sites to my hard drive. I also want to be able to save the settings I've made in different programs. How do I do this?" Our Response: Although there are different ways to accomplish this, the following three techniques are the most universal... To take a picture of the entire screen… 1 - Hold down the Command (Apple) and Shift keys. 2 - While holding them down, touch the number "3", then release all three keys. At that point, you will hear the sound of a camera-shutter clicking and a new file will appear on the Desktop. This new file will be called "Picture 1". (If there was already a "Picture 1" file on the Desktop, the new file will be called "Picture 2", and so on.) To take a picture of part of the screen… 1 - Hold down the Command (Apple) and Shift keys. 2 - While holding them down, touch the number "4", then release all three keys. The Pointer should now look like a large Plus Sign (+) with a gray circle in its center. 3 - Move the Pointer (without pressing the mouse button) to the top-left area that you want to take a picture of. 4 - Hold down the mouse button and drag to the bottom-right part of the area you want to take a picture of. (At this point, if you change your mind and do not want to take a picture, leave the mouse button "down" and simply press the Escape key. At that point, the Pointer will change back into a normal "Pointer". Then you can release the mouse button.) 5 - When you release the mouse button a picture will be taken. At that point, you will hear the sound of a camera-shutter clicking and a new file will appear on the Desktop. This new file will be called "Picture 1". (If there was already a "Picture 1" file on the Desktop, the new file will be called "Picture 2", and so on.) To take a picture of a specific window or dialog box… (This is a variation on the partial picture-taking method above.) 1 - Hold down the Command (Apple) and Shift keys. 2 - While holding them down, touch the number "4", then release all three keys. The Pointer should now look like a large Plus Sign (+) with a gray circle in its center. 3 - Press the Spacebar once and the Pointer will change into a camera. Move the Pointer around the screen (without pressing the mouse button) and any window or dialog box it is over will turn a light blue. This tells you, if you click the mouse button, it will take a picture of that particular window. (Before clicking the mouse button, if you change your mind and do not want to take a picture, simply press the Escape key. At that point, the Pointer will change back into a normal "Pointer".) When you do click the mouse button a picture will be taken. At that point, you will hear the sound of a camera-shutter clicking and a new file will appear on the Desktop. This new file will be called "Picture 1". (If there was already a "Picture 1" file on the Desktop, the new file will be called "Picture 2", and so on.) Any of these "Picture 1" files can be stored on the hard drive, backed up to a CD or DVD, printed and even eMailed as an attachment. Double-clicking these files will open them (probably in Apple's "Preview" program) and allow you to view them. ABOUT OUR PHONE CONSULTING Even though Paul has most systems visualized in his head, our phone support is backed by having the actual screens up during hand-holding sessions. This makes communication more accurate than only relying on terminology. KEEPING IT GOING Macintosh problem solving. Software installation and restoration. It's surprising how this foundation can often fix what even appears to be a hardware defect! We are an independent entrepreneur with no commercial ties to any other business. This enables us to give you advice that is in your best interest -- not biased to our best sale situation. You can count on our integrity. Although you can request our services, should anything go wrong with your Macintosh in the future, we want to empower YOU. Because of this, we will be happy to share any and all of the "magic" we use to diagnose and repair your Macintosh. We can explain the software we use and where you can purchase your own copy. MAKING IT BETTER RAM installation -- most models. Operating System installation, updating and setup. Data transfer between two Macs. When you purchase a new Macintosh, this part of our service can come in handy. It means you won't lose your important files -- including your address book and Web page bookmarks (sometimes called "Favorites"). THE WAY WE WORK We work by REFERRAL ONLY, from nice people to other nice people. We don't use cellphones! We plan our appointments ahead of time and create our own map to your location. This means we are not going to cancel or reschedule your appointment "because another more-urgent client called us on our way to your home or business". It also means, while we're at your location, you have our full attention. We work open-ended. When we arrive at your location, our time is your time. Whether you'd like to have a two-hour lesson on Mac OS X or your Macintosh requires several hours to restore, we want to be sure your needs are met. Over the phone, via eMail or in person, after we have evaluated your Mac's situation we can either do the repair/restore work for you or provide you with the information needed so you can remedy the problem yourself. TRAINING / TROUBLESHOOTING / CONSULTING You get more for your money We do constant wide-reaching research to do our best to not only stay on top of Apple and its products, but also the companies which provide software, service, and products for the Mac. Over time, this wide-ranging analysis has proven valuable for helping clients avoid problems and get the best value for their investment. At Your Location $65 per hour, for Apple-brand Macintosh computers -- within Asheville and Enka-Candler, 1-hour minimum. Outside of Asheville and Enka-Candler 2-hour minimum. (30-mile limit, one-way) Availablity: Monday - Friday, afternoons and evenings. Our time starts when we arrive at your location. After the minimum time, extra time for that session is based on quarter-hour increments. Includes customized note-taking, on our Macintosh. These are then printed out, on our printer, at the end of that session. To make an appointment... We do not work on PCs or Macintosh clones (non Apple-brand computers) We do not work on the microsoft Operating System called "windows". Phone Consulting Tech support calls will be charged $10 per quarter hour, $10 minimum. Hours: afternoons & evenings until 9pm (EST) eMail Consulting $15 per question Send us a question now... For FREE information... M.A.C.S. (Macintosh Asheville Computer Society. A Macintosh-only user's group located in Asheville, North Carolina.) The M.A.C.S. "WebLinks" page lists several sources for free or alternative Macintosh assistance. If you are experiencing problems, or have questions about your Internet access or eMail, contact your Internet Service Provider (ISP). (Such as America Online, BellSouth, EarthLink, Charter Cable, etc.) Your monthly fee to them pays for technical support. This is most likely free and available to you 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. By using this option before you contact us, your Internet-related problem may be solved at no extra charge and you may not need our services at all. Your owner's manual. The company who makes the product with which you need assistance. No one knows a product better than the manufacturer. Most of the time software and hardware companies offer free technical assistance. Calling them first may get you the best and quickest answers. The built-in, online help system. (The "Finder", as well as most programs, provide a "Help" menu, located in the menubar at the top of the screen. This can answer a number of your questions.) Apple's Internet help. (Go to www.apple.com) then click on the "Support" tab at the top. This brings you to the Apple's product specifications, discussion forums and manuals on various Apple products. This site contains a wealth of information regarding everything Macintosh.) Use Sherlock to search AppleCare. (The Mac OS X-version of Sherlock allows you to search AppleCare -- Apple's troubleshooting database of information. You don't have to be a member of AppleCare to search it.)