Guides
Plain-English answers to the questions we get asked most.
Written by Rodri, the technician who fixes these for a living. No sign-up, no upsell — read one and fix it yourself if you can.
New here? Start with this one.
Helping your parents in Honolulu with their tech — from the mainland
A practical plan for mainland families: secure the basics remotely, set up trusted local help in Honolulu, and end the tech-support phone calls.
For families
For the person handling a parent's tech from another time zone.
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Helping your parents in Honolulu with their tech — from the mainland
A practical plan for mainland families: secure the basics remotely, set up trusted local help in Honolulu, and end the tech-support phone calls.
In plain English: You can fix most of it from 2,500 miles away — just not over the phone.
Stay safe
What the scams look like, and what to do the moment one appears.
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That scary pop-up on your Mac: what it is and what to do
Fake virus warnings want you to panic and call. How to close one safely, check whether anything real is wrong, and what to do if you already called.
In plain English: That alarm saying your Mac is infected — with a phone number to call — is almost certainly a scam webpage, not a virus.
Fix it yourself
Try it yourself first. These are the fixes we'd start with too.
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Why your computer is slow — and what actually fixes it
Most slow computers are crowded, not broken. The real causes in order, fixes you can do this afternoon, and the 'speed-up' apps to avoid.
In plain English: A slow computer is usually one of four things: storage nearly full, too many programs launching at startup, a browser drowning in tabs and extensions, or a machine being asked to do a newer job than it was built for.
Buying advice
Straight answers about spending money — including when not to.
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Repair it or replace it? The honest math
Three doors when a computer misbehaves: fix the software, repair the hardware, or replace it. The honest way to pick, and the costs nobody mentions.
In plain English: First find out which problem you actually have — most 'dying' computers are software-sick, not hardware-dead, and that fix costs an hour, not a machine.
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What actually happens in a remote session
You click a link, approve the connection, and watch the fix on your own screen from any island. The whole ceremony step by step — and what remote can't do.
In plain English: A remote session means we fix your computer over the internet while you watch every move on your own screen — no visit needed, from any island.