I just started using a product called
Reimage with my client computers and I'm amazed at how it works. It makes me wonder why Microsoft doesn't have a similar feature built-into their Windows Repair process. It really makes life so much easier.
I find that most people are good at keeping their anti-virus software up-to-date, but somehow malware still finds its way in by deactivating the most popular security products. Or, they are unaware about hard drive fragmentation and eventually start having Windows problems once critical system files get corrupted by heavy fragmentation. So, I usually get called-out once the system is really out of control or dead. And, of course, they want a full repair (or perhaps even a rebuild) done in less than an hour. ....ya right...
In the past, I had to figure-out what version of Windows the client was running (ie: Retail, OEM, Volume License), find an original install media (cause they lost theirs), and start a repair process; all the while crossing my fingers that I wasn't going to mess-up the client activation. (The last thing a client wants to do is to have to pay for Windows a second time on the same machine.)
This is where
Reimage comes in. I'm now able to fix a computer in less time, without worrying about finding the restore media. Or, even better, the client can run the software themself at a fraction of the cost of getting me to do it.
The thing that makes this software so unique is how
it is the only one that actually replaces damaged or corrupt system files by fetching 'clean' versions online. I've tried other products like System Mechanic and TuneUp Utilities, but they are useless at repairing damaged files because they don't have the same ability to replace files with 'clean' ones.
I can tell when a client calls me out of pure frustration to fix their computer. There are so many icons for so-called 'cleaning' products on their desktop that I usually have to start removing those first. I also don't like knowing that I was called-out reluctantly, out of their feeling of defeat at being unable to resolve their own problem.
That is why I don't mind having these repair jobs taken away from me with an easy to use automated software solution. These jobs are just time consuming for me, with little room for profit; and real expensive for the client. My only hope is that by referring my clients to
Reimage, that they will keep me in mind when they have any future IT needs.
