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PC Support on Call

When technology glitches have you stumped, who can you turn to? We tried services that come to you--in person or over the Internet--and found ones that do the job right.

Laurianne McLaughlin

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Parting Lessons

We learned some important lessons from our online PC repair experiences. First, as common as spyware is, it poses a unique repair conundrum for online support: The computer may be too flaky for online repair to work.

For smaller problems, PlumChoice is an affordable option at $23 for 15 minutes or $46 for a half-hour. Given the knowledgeable, honest representatives we encountered at PlumChoice and PC Pinpoint, we would advise against paying for on-site support if you just need to resolve small glitches.

On the other hand, if you're the "safe bet" type, or if a serious spyware problem confronts you, PC Pinpoint delivers a good deal at $75 for a yearlong subscription to its 24/7 tech support, plus $25 per remote-control session. Remember, the $25 we invested on top of our subscription bought us 3 hours with a fantastic rep. And a good support technician is worth far more than that.

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With HP wireless printers, you could have printed this from any room in the house. Live wirelessly. Print wirelessly.

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