computer repair estimate costs???

September 14, 2009

Roughly how much would it cost for a small business to get the following done to their HP laptops by a computer repair firm (11 HP laptops):

-reformat HDDs
-install windows XP
-install adobe acrobat
-install an anti-virus programme
-install MS office
-run a full diagnostic
-clean the exterior of the PCs

how much would it cost, excluding any transportation costs, and costs of buying the software?
what would be the average cost? is per PC (0 total) a good deal for buyer and seller?
i know i could do all this by myself…i am doing it for someone else…just wanted to make sure i was giving them a good deal, but not too good.

oh well, no such thing as too low of a price as long as we stay afloat.

if you want my help, email me at nick@flamesync.com, or visit www.flamesync.com

Cryptographic services missing even after Windows 2000 reinstalled. Is it worth it to try XP OEM instead?

July 23, 2009

My girlfriend’s laptop had some viruses, and I removed most of them using some tools and tips I got off the internet. (The laptop had three-year-old virus definitions.). Windows 2000 has been corrupted: the cryptographic services are missing.

I’ve tried to reinstall Windows 2000 from the recovery CD, and it doesn’t work! I’ve tried to "repair this version of windows" and also to start with a clean install. I still get the same problems after each install: cryptographic services are missing from the Services under Administrative Tools. This prevents me from reinstalling MS Office or the software for the wireless card (which have both been corrupted as well). I’ve tried renaming the directory %systemroot%system32Catroot2, re-registering the DLLs associated with cryptography, renaming the EDB.LOG file and every other solution I’ve found on the web.

Is it worth it to pay 0 for XP OEM and try installing that, or is that $ better spent on a computer tech?