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Computer help: Can I optimize my own PC not pay the best buy geek squad?
Can I optimize my own PC not pay the best buy geek squad?
by thomasterrible - 5/19/09 10:10 PMI just bought a new desktop computer from Best Buy. Just as an FYI it is an HP Pavillion running Vista Home Premium 64 bit. Best buy offers to have their "Geek Squad" "Optimize" your computer for 60 plus bucks.
Just what does the Geeek Squad at Best Buy do to "optimize" my computer to make it run faster for upwards of 60 bucks and can I do these things myself?
Are these things that I can do myself and if so how?
If I am buying a brand new item from a store and it is not working at its best when it is sold to me I question the ethics of paying more to make that product work better for extra money.
It is sort of like buying a brand new car and they will give it a tune up after you buy it for extra money, I expect it to not need a tune up the second I drive it off the lot.
Thanks Much,
Tom
It would seem you could do it yourself
by lacsr - 5/20/09 4:00 AM In reply to: Can I optimize my own PC not pay the best buy geek squad? by thomasterribleThe "gimmick" they are selling is useful to people that are not DIY on computer stuff. See here:
http://blogs.chron.com/techblog/archives/2008/08/pay_30_and_best_buy_will_remove_your_new_pcs.html
Most people will either opt to do buy the service rater than risk any problems with the computer or leave it as is.
U pay for their studies. See this
by Cursorcowboy - 5/20/09 4:14 AM In reply to: Can I optimize my own PC not pay the best buy geek squad? by thomasterrible"Forum" post.
Yep. I think that should cover it.
by MarkFlax
- 5/20/09 5:05 AM
In reply to: U pay for their studies. See this by Cursorcowboy
![]:)](http://www.cnet.com/i/mb/emoticons/devil.gif)
Mark
Geek Squad
by thomasterrible - 5/20/09 5:30 AM In reply to: Yep. I think that should cover it. by MarkFlax
Well I am glad I did not pay them to do this mysterious service that all the salesmen say is that it makes the computer run 20-30% faster.
When I read the warranty information it talked about removing trial programs etc. as part of their extended warranty service. I am not expert but I can install and remove programs myself and most anything that you dont need to go to computer school to learn how to do such as programming. Windows vista is close enough to XP that I did not have to have any help using that with no problem. I have heard that some people dont live Vista or the 64 bit version but so far it is all working fine for me.
Not having had any special computer training I had no idea what exactly they do that they charge you for. Since I could have it done later I thought I would see what I would be paying for before shelling out the loot. It sounds like just the usual sort of stuff that you do to maintain your computer with taking off programs you dont need, which it came with next to none, and things such as that.
Sounds like I should just save my money.
Thanks,
Tom
Just a thought . . .
by Coryphaeus - 5/20/09 6:35 AM In reply to: Geek Squad by thomasterribleYou sound pretty savvy, so just do the Add/Remove. Go through the list and find what you don't want or need. Just uninstall it. Then get a free copy of Code Stuff's Starter (Google) and it'll list everything running at startup, in plain English. Stop or remove, your choice.
Done.
Depends on your skills
by Willy - 5/20/09 7:37 AM In reply to: Geek Squad by thomasterribleLike anything else that has someone do a service for you, you have to pay. While you maybe capable others aren't or feel the time is well spend having it all done by someone else. I can replace the muffler on my car, but heck I'll let someone else do it because of the girt and grime of it all and quick return due to the tools they have to install the muffler. In light of s/w removal and such, while it may appear easy, once you actually find an issue or unknown problem(AV removal) that a quick uninstall may not cover, its nice to know they can handle it with reasonable assurance. But yeah, its another way to get some money out of you but you have the knowledge it was working before leaving the store, others aren't so lucky(it happens). You may want to check out, "DECRAPPIER", google for it and see if a 64-bit version or works on 64-bit based systems will help further in your quest.
tada -----Willy 
I Think...
by 1shado1 - 5/20/09 5:08 PM In reply to: Depends on your skills by Willythat is "DECRAPIFIER". : )
www.pcdecrapifier.com/download
Pay the Geeks
by thomasterrible - 5/20/09 6:52 PM In reply to: Depends on your skills by WillyThe issue I have with this Geek Squad "Optimization" is that they dont explain what it consists of. They simply say they will make it run 20-30% faster but dont explain how. If I need to install a muffler on my car I can make the decision to do it myself or pay someone, but if the repair shop says we can make your car run 20-30% better even though it is brand new but we wont tell you what we will do to make that happen is a different story. That is why I put this thread up here, I did not know what the Geek Squad service consisted of so I could make an informed decision. It sounds like it is just pretty basic stuff. Remove the junk you dont use. I did look up the decrapifier deal and it was not free.
Go to 'Start' then 'Run' and type 'msconfig.exe'
by VAPCMD - 5/20/09 7:10 PM In reply to: Pay the Geeks by thomasterribleGo to the startup tab. It will show you what's running at startup... you can disable anything you recognize that you don't need or want to run at startup by unchecking the applicable box.
VAPCMD
thomasterrible wrote:
by 1shado1 - 5/21/09 4:15 AM In reply to: Pay the Geeks by thomasterrible"I did look up the decrapifier deal and it was not free"
According to this, it is free for personal use:
http://www.pcdecrapifier.com/product
I saw that.
by R. Proffitt - 5/21/09 6:03 AM
In reply to: thomasterrible wrote: by 1shado1
The download and use is still free!
optimizing computer at purchase
by maggiedev - 5/25/09 5:40 AM In reply to: Pay the Geeks by thomasterriblesome people buy computers and are total novices. those are the ones that need geek squad to optimize their computers. those of us who have had computers are savvy enough to do it ourselves.. just remember, there are those who are not. it is not a money grabber.. it is not geek squads fault that new computers come with so much garbage. my grandson is geek squad and he will and does explain to each customer exactly what he will do to their computer and why he does it. if a geek squad does not at the outset, ask them to explain. if they give run around, demand they explain or provide you with access to a manager that will satisfy your demand. so far, i have never run across a geek squad employee that would not explain. as my grandson tells me, it is my computer and i have the right to know exactly what is being done to it.. be a bit aggressive with the money you have spent... DEMAND!
Service or lessons
by Willy - 5/25/09 3:22 PM In reply to: Pay the Geeks by thomasterribleSorry, took so long to come back and revisit the thread.
As for your quest, you are paying for the service NOT an educational lesson on how things are done. If you look at it that way, you'll see the difference. Plus, if you consider once the cat is out of the bag, the secret is out, that will cut into the "Geek Squad" secrets 
. Don't be surprised they won't provide those step by step instructions because that's not what they're selling and would cut into their business.
The PC Decrapifier is free its the "commercial version" that is a cost.
http://www.pcdecrapifier.com/download
tada -----Willy
I wouldn't
by Zouch - 5/22/09 6:58 PM In reply to: Can I optimize my own PC not pay the best buy geek squad? by thomasterribleYou are well on your way to doing it yourself already, since you subscribe to this newsletter. Check out CNET, Techrepublic and ZDNet and you will find all the articles you need on cleaning all the junk off your new machine, the "10 things" series for optimizing at Boot, Operational Running and Shutdown. They are all very well explained and straightforward to follow. Better yet, by doing it yourself with their help, you will gain a very good understanding of what does and doesn't influence the performance of your PC - for sure, the geek squad won't tell you and programs like decrappifier are "black boxes".
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