Hello everyone

[techgeek88]

Hi!

I was invited by Jack to come here. He and I met on another forum and he kindly invited me here to this great forum to share my knowledge of computers and of course security. You can see my Config in the appropriate thread. I will copy/paste my Bio from my profile here but I wanted to formally say hello to everyone! I've been working in professional computer repair for quite a few years now, since my late teens/early adulthood.

I've been working on PC's since I was little. I remember being VERY young and my parents taking me to people's houses so I could fix their Windows 3.1 PC and they would pay me with food. I took to computers very easily, both PC and Mac and became very good with them early on. By age 8 or so I was making registry changes and reformatting and reinstalling OS's. I got my first computer at age 10, an Apple Macintosh Performa and then later on also a Compaq Presario running Windows 95. The first computer I ever used was an Apple IIGS. I have been repairing PC's professionally for about 4 years now. I consider myself an advanced user on computers. I use Kaspersky because I've tried them all and always come back. I'm a KIS fanboy for sure and proud of it. I love Macs also and have an iMac and plan on getting a MacBook Pro later this year. I am as much of a fanboy of Apple as I am of Microsoft, I love and use both. I love Windows 7, it's the best Windows yet IMO. I love Mac OS X Snow Leopard too and it's the best version of OS X. I repair computers out of home, or onsite. I also do some basic stuff through Remote Access (TeamViewer). I love Technology in general. I use it and repair it daily.

 

[jamescv7]

Hi and Welcome techgeek88

 

[techgeek88]

Hi and Welcome techgeek88

Thank you!

 

[bogdan]

Welcome to the forums.

 

[Jack]

Welcome , I hope that you'll feel like at home here

 

[LaserWraith]

Howdydo...or something like that.

Since you were discussing your PC history.... At 3, I broke my first computer (oops). At 5, I didn't play normal computer games...but I played with Excel.

 

[techgeek88]

Howdydo...or something like that.

Since you were discussing your PC history.... At 3, I broke my first computer (oops). At 5, I didn't play normal computer games...but I played with Excel.

LOL I've never been into computer games... Ever... Only when I was a kid. The first computer I ever used was an Apple IIGS and it had Oregon Trail I think and I played that as a BABY. I used to bang on the keys. By 5 or so, I was using a Compaq and monkeying around with system settings (YES, I did crash a few PC's, but you gotta learn somehow! ). By 10 I was taking apart hard drives and CD Rom Drives.

I got my first computer of my VERY OWN at 12. Pretty young for my own computer. Not my parents, but my own in my room. I had internet access on it at 13. Never had any parental controls or anything. My parents knew I was smart and knew I was trustable. They never snooped, etc. I even had a password on my computer. I of course like all teenagers "experimented" with certain sites when I got older (heheh) but I always kept myself SAFE. Never talked to strangers, never gave out personal info.

I joined a tech support forum at 16, became a JR moderator and was helping people with their PCs and Macs. I at 17 had 4 computers of my own. Now I have closer to 6. But I've always been eaten up in technology. From day one - I always was a tinkerer and loved to try this and that. I was modifing the registry by age 10 fer christ sakes LOL. Sometimes it turned out good, and sometimes they'd have to reformat LOL. I also ended up killing a CD drive once. But I learned how to become a pro tech and by 18 I was having multiple clients and my name was getting out there.

I'm 22 and today I consider myself a Computer Expert and Professional Technologist. I know that may sound a bit cocky but that's not my intention. I am very proud of my upbringings and the privileges I had on PC's as a youngster. It made me learn. That's how I got good at fixing them. I now see many clients a week. I love it - it's a dream job. If I didn't have my own PC of my very own at a young age - I don't think I would be as good today as I am. I'm very proud of the fact my parents trusted me to have a computer with internet access at 13 with no parental controls, snooping, and had my own password. If I ever have kids (and I don't plan to, I'm an old soul and feel like I was born in the wrong generation and am more attracted to older members of the opposite sex), I will do the same for them if I feel they are as trustworthy as my parents knew I was back then. It's all good IMO.

-Austin

 

[bogdan]

Glad to have you on our forum, then.

 

[LoftedAphid86]

Welcome to the forums.

 

[LaserWraith]

Howdydo...or something like that.

Since you were discussing your PC history.... At 3, I broke my first computer (oops). At 5, I didn't play normal computer games...but I played with Excel.

LOL I've never been into computer games... Ever... Only when I was a kid. The first computer I ever used was an Apple IIGS and it had Oregon Trail I think and I played that as a BABY. I used to bang on the keys. By 5 or so, I was using a Compaq and monkeying around with system settings (YES, I did crash a few PC's, but you gotta learn somehow! ). By 10 I was taking apart hard drives and CD Rom Drives.

I got my first computer of my VERY OWN at 12. Pretty young for my own computer. Not my parents, but my own in my room. I had internet access on it at 13. Never had any parental controls or anything. My parents knew I was smart and knew I was trustable. They never snooped, etc. I even had a password on my computer. I of course like all teenagers "experimented" with certain sites when I got older (heheh) but I always kept myself SAFE. Never talked to strangers, never gave out personal info.

I joined a tech support forum at 16, became a JR moderator and was helping people with their PCs and Macs. I at 17 had 4 computers of my own. Now I have closer to 6. But I've always been eaten up in technology. From day one - I always was a tinkerer and loved to try this and that. I was modifing the registry by age 10 fer christ sakes LOL. Sometimes it turned out good, and sometimes they'd have to reformat LOL. I also ended up killing a CD drive once. But I learned how to become a pro tech and by 18 I was having multiple clients and my name was getting out there.

I'm 22 and today I consider myself a Computer Expert and Professional Technologist. I know that may sound a bit cocky but that's not my intention. I am very proud of my upbringings and the privileges I had on PC's as a youngster. It made me learn. That's how I got good at fixing them. I now see many clients a week. I love it - it's a dream job. If I didn't have my own PC of my very own at a young age - I don't think I would be as good today as I am. I'm very proud of the fact my parents trusted me to have a computer with internet access at 13 with no parental controls, snooping, and had my own password. If I ever have kids (and I don't plan to, I'm an old soul and feel like I was born in the wrong generation and am more attracted to older members of the opposite sex), I will do the same for them if I feel they are as trustworthy as my parents knew I was back then. It's all good IMO.

-Austin

Funny how you are similar to me...only I'm younger. I got my first computer (a laptop) on my 12 birthday (my first ebook reader on my 14th). I had a filter for a month until I busted it up (haha). Even before that, I'm happy to say that I found the Comodo forums and learned a lot from them. It was probably quicker, better, and funner than any school/college course (even though you learn useful things there [and I want to take a course soon], I think the forum taught me more practical things). I bet I would have found out plenty on my own...but it was nice to read about the experiences and advice of others.

So I then educated some of the others in my family on technology stuff (though they still have to ask me questions occasionally), and installed CIS (in parental mode...never had any trouble). And now, in high school, I'm also earning some money helping a friend with web design/SEO/blogging/social networking.

My current goals are to learn how to program more besides HTML, CSS, and Javascript (okay, HTML isn't really a programming language, and I'm not sure if CSS counts as one either). I know some Java and Python, but never went far... :-/

I have bad issues with will power. There are always more fun things to do than programming, like playing some games (I've broken and remade some addictions...wish I could suddenly lose interest in them like a few others do) and reading fantasy/sci-fi books.

If only I could resist them better...

 

[Linuxfever]

Hello! ;D

 

[techgeek88]

Thanks everyone!

Laser- I'm sure you already probably hate my guts when you read the KIS 2012 thread but I didn't mean any harm by it!

 

[LaserWraith]

Wut?

No, I just like arguing. I like using my brain for things like that.

 

[techgeek88]

Wut?

No, I just like arguing. I like using my brain for things like that.

LOL. That's nice.