Computer Repair Services
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In an era of high-speed Internet access, telecommuting, and virtually instantaneous communication world-wide, it's unbelievable that most computer service companies still require you to bring your computer in to the store, or pay exhorbitant amounts to have someone come to your home or business to service your system.
Certainly there are times when this is necessary, such as a hardware problem that prevents the computer from turning on, incorrect network settings that are preventing you from connecting to the Internet at all, or a virus that has done enough damage that Windows will either not boot, or crashes after a very short time.
Q: How does this remote service work?
A: First, you need to install a couple of small software packages provided by CB Services. When you run these, you are connected directly to CB Services' business network, and your computer screen and mouse/keyboard control are shared over the Internet to a technician's computer. That way, we can control your computer just as if we were sitting in front of it, from our location.
Q: That doesn't seem safe. Does that mean you can take over my computer whenever you want?
A: No. CB Services cannot take over your computer without your permission. None of the software involved starts automatically with Windows. You have to specifically and manually start two separate programs in order for CB Services to control your system. It is CB Services policy to shut down one of these when finished repairing your computer. This immediately prevents CB Services from controlling your system. You can shut down the other one yourself, or simply reboot your machine, which will completely turn it off.
Q: Can anybody else control my computer using this software? How safe is it?
A: No. No one else can take over your computer, and it is perfectly safe to use. A VPN is used to connect your computer to the CB Services network. This is the same technology that many large and even multinational companies use to allow offsite workers to access business networks. Depending on your version of Windows, one of two different VPN technologies is used, both of which use 128 bit encryption. This is the same level of encryption that banks use for their online banking sites.
The remote control program is protected with a password that's equivalent to a 136-bit key.
Q: What if my computer won't turn on? Can you still fix it remotely?
A: Unfortunately, a problem which prevents Windows from booting, or prevents you from connecting to the Internet at all - for example, a hardware issue, a virus which has damaged the Windows boot sequence, or incorrect network settings - will also stop Remote Support from working.
Most other problems like viruses, adware/spyware popups, security issues, software installation, bizarre error messages, and more, can all be solved using this cost-effective Remote Support solution. If you do have a more serious problem, you can always take advantage of CB Services' guaranteed lowest service rates for in-store or on-site service.
Q: Why aren't other companies doing this?
A: There are two possible reasons for this - what could be called the practical and cynical reasons.
Pratical: Most larger service companies are either franchises, or have several locations spread across a large area. The corporate network isn't directly accessible for employees or franchisees in a way that easily lends itself to this type of service. This means you couldn't connect your computer to the service technician's network securely, so, while this remote control would be possible, it wouldn't be safe to do so.
Cynical: They also make more money by doing on-site service.
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Remote computer service seems like a given in an era of high-speed Internet access, telecommuting, and virtually instantaneous communication world-wide. However, the vast majority of computer service companies still require you to bring your computer in to the store, or pay exhorbitant amounts to have someone come to your home or business to service your system.
Viruses, adware and spyware popups, security issues, error messages, and more are all problems that can be solved easily without disconnecting your entire computer, or paying someone three figures to walk in the door, before they even get to your computer.
Give CB Services a call at 519-476-2770 to see if Remote Support is the answer to your computer problem. If not, you can always schedule a service call or drop your computer at the shop to take advantage of our guaranteed low service rates.
Why is CB Services Remote Support better?
Since CB Services started doing remote support years ago, there are more companies in the London area that have started doing the same. What makes ours better?
CB Services Remote Support ensures that customer data is secure. You can't safely remove spyware embedded into Internet Explorer with a remote solution that requires Internet Explorer. That's what the majority of companies use. It's a little easier for the customer, but allows for spyware to gain the upper hand over your remote control session. Not good.
CB Services Remote Support technology also enables the only solution available in SW Ontario, possibly Canada and the world, which allows for remote repair of certain problems on a computer that won't even boot. This is currently in internal beta testing, and will be available shortly.
How does it work?
CB Services Remote Support uses two technologies to allow a technician to safely and securely control your computer anywhere in the world just as if we were sitting in front of it, all from our offices in London, Ontario.
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) provides encryption between your computer and the CB Services network. That means no communication between your computer and the CB Services technician working on your machine can be intercepted.
CB Services Remote Control Server is based on an open source remote management program, and, once activated by the customer, gives CB Services technicians the ability to control your machine anywhere in the world.
Software Downloads
Locate your operating system, and download all software listed for it.
Beta Software
A new single-click installer is currently in beta. You can download it here to try it out.
Previous Users
Note: For security reasons, any encryption certificate expires after a set period of time. The most recent expiry means encryption certificates have been regenerated as of December 20, 2011. If you have used CB Services Remote Support prior to this on Windows 2000, XP, Vista, or 7 you will need to download and run the VPN Configuration Cleanup Tool and then install the new Authentication Certificates.
Custom Users
If you've been informed that you have a personalized authentication certificate, you can probably find it here.
Windows 8
Windows 8 support is currently in beta testing. There are some bugs to work out, but it's getting there. The current downloads (with bugs) for Windows 8 are:
Note: All Windows 8 testing so far has been on 32 bit versions. No 64 bit testing has been done. It might work, or it might not.
Windows Vista or 7
Windows 2000 or XP
Windows 95, 98, Me
Remote Service support for Windows 95, 98, and Millenium has been disabled due to lack of demand. It is still available, and will not be discontinued for the forseeable future, however, you must request it to be activated before Remote Service can be performed on these operating systems.
Once the software is downloaded....
Call CB Services at 519-471-2138, and a technician will be able to help you install the software, and show you how to activate it. Then, the tech will get into solving your problem.
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Why does CB Services use the word "competent," instead of "expert" like most businesses?
Well, because recently, the word "expert" seems to have been corrupted to the point of being meaningless.
"Experts" were in charge of the banks and economy when it collapsed due to ridiculous financial speculation in the US housing market.
"Experts" were in charge of the 5000+ computer systems listed on privacyrights.org that were breached by criminals to steal over 11.5 billion (and counting) customer records for identity theft. Incidentally, the largest of these data breaches have been nicely graphed by comparitech.
"Experts" were in charge of eHealth Ontario when it doled out $4.8 million in untendered contracts in its operation; paying consultants for such activities as watching TV, and having a conversation on the subway.
No, "expert" seems to imply lots of paper credentials, which may not really mean anything in the real world.
CB Services prefers "competence," which implies actually getting the job done properly with useful knowledge.
Having said that, there are more than a dozen different applicable industry certifications held by employees.
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