Computer and laptop repair in Paarl

How it works

1. Tell me what it is doing. WhatsApp is easiest, because you can send a photo of the error.
2. Get it to me. Drop it off in Paarl, I come to you within 40 km, or we do it remotely if it is a software problem.
3. R200 diagnostic and a written quote. The R200 comes off the repair if you accept within 14 days. If I cannot find the fault, there is nothing to pay.
4. I fix it and you pay on collection. Typical turnaround is 2 to 5 days.

There is no walk-in shop, so drop-off is arranged per job. Tell me when suits you and I will send you the address.

What I fix

Laptop repairs

Screens, keyboards, batteries, charging problems, hinges and overheating. Labour is R350 labour on a screen, keyboard or battery; the part is quoted separately before I order anything. A laptop that runs hot and shuts down usually needs a strip, a dust-out and new thermal paste: R450.

Desktop repairs and upgrades

Fitting RAM, drives, graphics cards and power supplies is R200 per item. A full build, cabled, installed and stress tested, is R800 labour. A desktop clean and repaste is R300.

SSD and RAM upgrades, the cheapest way to keep an old laptop

Most machines that feel unusable are not broken, they are on a mechanical hard drive. Fitting an SSD and cloning what is on the old drive across is R400 plus the drive, and it is the single biggest difference you can buy for the money. More RAM helps if you keep many browser tabs open. I will tell you honestly if a machine is too old to be worth either.

Windows reinstall

A clean Windows 10 or 11 install with drivers and updates is R450, or R550 with your files backed up first and put back afterwards. You supply the licence or I supply it at cost, and I tell you the cost before I buy it.

Get a quote for this

What it costs

The full repair price list

Parts and warranty

• Parts are supplied at the supplier price plus 15%, with a minimum of R50 and a maximum of R500 on that markup. That covers sourcing, collection and handling returns.
• Parts you supply yourself are fitted at the labour price only, and I cannot warrant a part I did not supply.
• My work carries a 30-day workmanship warranty. Parts carry the supplier's own warranty.
• Quotes are valid for 14 days.

What I do not do

• No walk-in, same-day service. I work evenings and weekends, so a job takes the time it takes.
• No 24/7 business IT and no service level agreements. I am one person.
• No component-level soldering on motherboards. I refer those out.
• No physical or cleanroom data recovery. If a drive is clicking or not detected, that goes to a lab, and I handle the referral free.
• Nothing on-site beyond 40 km from Paarl. Past that it is remote support only.

Your data

Handing a stranger your laptop means handing over your photos, your email and possibly your banking. How I handle that:

• I access only what the job needs, and I ask for that in writing at drop-off.
• I offer a backup before any reinstall or wipe. On the R550 job it is included, not an extra.
• I keep no copies after the job. Working copies are deleted and the date is written on the job card.
• Remote sessions are attended: you can see the screen, and it ends when you close it. Nothing stays installed.

How I handle data on devices I repair

Virus and malware removal

Pop-ups you cannot close, a browser that opens pages you did not ask for, or a machine that suddenly crawls. Removal, a browser reset and security set up properly afterwards is R450. If the infection is deep enough that a reinstall is the honest answer, the reinstall price replaces this one. You are never charged for both.

Get a quote for virus removal

Slow computer? It is usually not a virus

Four things cause most of it, and only one of them is a virus:

1. Too much loading at startup.
2. A mechanical hard drive that has had enough. This is the most common one by a distance.
3. Too little RAM for the way you actually work.
4. A disk that is nearly full, so Windows has nowhere to breathe.

A tune-up at R350 covers the startup clutter, updates, drivers, a malware scan and a disk health report. If the report says the drive is failing, I will tell you that instead of taking the R350 and letting you find out in a month.

Data recovery

Stop. Do this first.

1. Power the drive or computer down now and leave it off.
2. Do not keep restarting it to see if it works this time.
3. Do not save anything new to that drive.
4. Do not run recovery software on the drive you are trying to recover.
5. If it clicks, beeps or is not detected at all, stop completely. That is physical and it needs a lab.

Every extra boot writes to the drive, and what gets written over is the thing you are trying to get back.

What I can recover

Deleted files, drives formatted by mistake, corrupted partitions, RAW drives, and files off a PC that will not boot.

No data, no fee. If I recover nothing, only the R200 diagnostic applies. You supply a destination drive, or buy one at parts price.

What I refer to a lab

Clicking, beeping, not detected, burnt, dropped or water damaged. Those need a clean room and I do not open drives. I refer them to a lab, and I do not charge for handling the referral.

Get a quote for data recovery

I can come to you

Wi-Fi that drops in half the house, a printer that will not talk to a laptop, email that stopped working, a new machine to set up, or the handful of PCs in a small shop. On-site labour is R350 per hour, one hour minimum, then 15-minute steps at R90.

I come out in Paarl, Wellington, Klapmuts, Simondium and the Franschhoek edge, and to Stellenbosch by arrangement.

Travel time is never charged, only the band above. Beyond 40 km it is remote support.

Remote support, anywhere in South Africa

Anything that is software can usually be done over a remote connection, the same evening, without either of us travelling. R180 for the first 30 minutes, or R330 for an hour booked upfront.

What you need: an internet connection and the ability to click one link. What it cannot do: anything physical. A screen, a battery or a dead drive needs hands.

You watch the whole session, it ends when you close it, and nothing stays installed afterwards.

Book remote support

Common questions

How long will you have my laptop?

Typically 2 to 5 days. I work evenings and weekends, so a job booked on a Monday is usually back by the weekend. If a part has to be ordered, I tell you that with the quote.

What if you cannot fix it?

If I cannot find the fault, there is nothing to pay. If I find it and you decide not to go ahead, the R200 diagnostic is payable and nothing else.

Do I lose my files if Windows is reinstalled?

Not on the R550 job: your files are backed up first and copied back afterwards, up to 100 GB. R100 per extra 100 GB.

Is it cheaper in the evening or on a weekend?

It is the same price. Those are my normal hours. A premium of 50% applies only if you ask me to jump the queue for a same-day job, for work after 21:00, or on a public holiday.

Do you take card?

Cash, EFT or a card payment link, on collection.

While I am at it

If you run a small business, the same visit can cover the branded side of it: logo mugs printed in Paarl, a logo and business cards, or a one-page website. The Small Business Starter bundle puts the logo, cards, site and ten mugs together.