And the Saints came marching in The "saints" in question would be Saint Alex and Saint Dave. (Computer Dave, not Doctor Dave). This post has nothing at all to do with being homeless, beyond the fact I have great sympathy for all of us in the homeless community. I'll always be a homeless guy as long as there are legal Americans without a roof, a bed and food to eat. However, there's no written law saying 100% of what I write must be on that topic. Instead, I'll use this post to offer my heartfelt thank-you to a couple of guys on charging white horses. A couple of guys, I might add, nicely clad in shining armor with jousting lances in hand and saving my scrufty butt in mind. Over a 3-4 day period, my laptop was refusing to charge if I ran more than 1-2 programs at a time. Then it began discharging whenever I used it, so I'd have to shut down, charge an hour or two, use the power to write a while, then repeat the cycle. Finally, it quit charging at all. I was without a computer. It reminded me of that military guy, Major Bummer! The first knight, Alex Irving, came charging in. He insisted I take it to those guys who saved my butt the last time for practically no money at all, Computer Troubleshooters of Encinitas, California. The knight charging in right after Alex was Dave Wood, the same guy who saved my shabby posterior before. Alex dropped his lance and picked up another weapon known as a Credit Card. Wielding it deftly and with an incredible expertise, he bypassed me and had a conversation with Dave where I was non-essential personnel. The probable cause of the failure would mean redoing the soldered connections in my computer, but it also "had other issues", such as a crack in the case and a keyboard so worn out some letters were indecipherable. It turns out, in addition to fixing computers thought to have breathed their last, Dave and the guys also rebuild and sell desktop and laptop computers. With a mighty swing of his credit card, Alex lunged. The move was artfully countered by Dave, who was armed with a huge discount system that's only available to me and the rest of the known world. (That includes you, in case I took that last corner too fast and lost you for a moment). Striking with a dazzling price of $349.00, Dave and the guys delivered a Dell laptop that works in a manner known as "gooder'n good" among those who speak Billisms. When the battle was wrapped up pretty much $1,700.00 cheaper than the foray when I first bought my Fujitsu laptop and the goodies accompanying it, these were the results: Alex spent $349.00 to save a friend who'd discovered 80+% of his life revolved around that freaking computer, (me); Dave made a sale, ensuring his children will continue to eat and his business will remain open and somewhat profitable, and; I ended up with a great Dell laptop computer that's actually better than my Fujitsu. Consequently, much as was true hundreds of years ago during the Crusades in Europe, we see once again a knight of the realm can also be a saint. The classifications are not mutually exclusive. I can't, (and won't), suggest Alex be your "financial savior". If you need one, I suggest you cull your own list of friends. I CAN, and will, suggest you look into doing business with Dave and the guys at Computer Troubleshooters of Encinitas, California. If you live almost anywhere in San Diego County, it'll be worth the drive. Beyond that, if you can't find top talent repair people and-or a computer store near where you live, it might not hurt you to call Dave. There's a number listed on his website. I'm pretty sure, with a valid credit card when you place the order, he can see the product is delivered to your door. Both heroes listed above have my unqualified endorsement. I'm just sayin'. read more

MEET "THE BEAST" We use our system as a professional video editing suite and it is a dream of a video game development machine. Our 75W ASUS Notebook system was named "The Beast" by one of the developers of Visual Effects for Film in the successful tv series "The Newsroom" on HBO; after we worked on a contract generating 3D graphics for them. They saw it perform magically and without a sweat, several 3D calculation while at the same time playing a sweet online video game cracked up to max on all shadows and graphics! AND... while also having several Adobe's creative cloud programs open at the same time. After enjoying the system for a few months, and on our way back from a successful business trip to Naples, Florida; the laptop would no longer reboot at all. (We are also considering never flying with it ever again...) We brought in our Asus Notebook to Dave, owner of "Computer Problem Solvers" a computer repair business located in Encinitas, California to have him take a look. GREAT DISAPPOINTMENT TURNS INTO HOPE We were at a loss for words just thinking about what we would do without our system. It is our business' bread winner. Replacing it was not an option we wanted to consider at that point; and we had been extremely happy with its performance. After a few hours, Dave quickly identified the problem as being caused by a faulty motherboard and called us to report the issue. Dave suggested exploring the option of sending the notebook to the manufacturer after noticing that it may still be under warranty. He did everything for us, he contacted them, shipped "The Beast" to the manufacturer and kept us informed regularly.After a few weeks, the issue was resolved and the cost for all that trouble was very reasonable. (Dave really knows his info.) ABOVE AND BEYOND, THE CALL OF DUTY! Suddenly one morning, "The Beast" stopped booting up again. It would only work if restarted. We took it back to Dave and he received it with a smile. He has a great attitude and in business, attitude is EVERYTHING! he quickly suggested we change the Start up button's circuit board. He conducted all the research, found the part online, purchased it and kept us abreast of all pertinent information in regards to the shipping and installment of the parts and... "The Beast" would not start up. WE CALL THIS, GREAT SERVICE! So Dave again, suggested contacting ASUS; the manufacturer. Because after changing the Startup button's circuit board and replacing it with brand new parts, he then knew for certain, the new motherboard was causing the problem again. He spoke with a supervisor at ASUS, shipped the computer back, negotiated all repairs (which were still under warranty and at no extra cost.) and because of the holidays there was a bit of a delay... without hesitation and because we needed a loaner laptop... yes, Dave came to the rescue and let us borrow one of his computers which made a huge difference in the world!! Oh and... we are writing this note as a huge Thank You! to Dave because not only did Dave NOT charge us for the use of his loaner computer, he also did not charge for the "Startup circuit board" parts either. So if you have computer troubles and do not know what to do, feel free to contact us at skyrockproductions@gmail.com and ask Angel Marckwordt how to get to Dave's because we here at SKYROCK Productions now consider him our Computer solutions and would be very happy to show you the way to his place of business. 0:o) 4407 Manchester Avenue Suite 101 Encinitas, CA 92024 Sincerely, Angel Marckwordt Founder/CEO SKYROCK Productions www.skyrockproductions.com read more

First off, I apologize to Kevin for this review taking so long to write. Secondly, I am a complete idiot when it comes to pretty much anything with a cord...ESPECIALLY A COMPUTER!! My laptop was just shutting off mid-stroke after about 15 minutes of use b/c of overheating. Kevin spoke in a manner in which I could comprehend, used words that I understood and explained everything in great detail for me; all without talking down to me. I thought all I needed was for him to take off the back of my laptop and give it a good air spraying; that's why he's the expert! He showed me how my computer was running at nearly 100% meaning it was running as hard as it could..thus overheating. When I left, he had brought it down to less than 35% because he had de-fragged it and found so many viruses and bugs which were taking up so much juice to run. I had my service with him over two months ago and my computer has not shut off once because it has not even gotten close to becoming hot. His price was sooo reasonable too. When I get a SurfacePro, I'm going to hire him just as a tutor as he does that too! Even as I was leaving and had paid my bill, he said if I was unsure about downloading anything (b/c it might be a virus,) to call him before I did to check it out. I'm sure I could call him tomorrow (two months after my service) and he'd still help me! Forget about BestBuy or the big stores. I knew I had viruses and it was getting really hot for over a year and started shutting off the past three months. I was dragging my feet about going to the big stores because of the huge expense and the time it takes them for their repairs. As stated, Kevin's price was definitely in my budget and he threw in some free pointers. And the entire process was less than two hours. I apologize for the length of this review, but everything about him and his business deserves to be praised and recognized!! read more

Kevin did a wonderful job helping my mother-in-law since I am long distance (in Montana) and could not put my hands on the computer for a physical issue. I'm the Network Administrator for the largest private Family Practice clinic in the state of Montana so I have a pretty high bar for computer and network related support. Kevin met and exceeded my expectations by keeping me in the loop, thinking a step ahead, and making himself available at what I consider to be crazy hours for pickup/dropoff. He didn't upsell me when he had the opportunity and recommended what was needed to get the job done. If you haven't found a reliable computer guy in the Oceanside area I would recommend coming here first and not thinking twice about it. Thanks Kevin! read more

I was trying to watch the world cup on my computer at the office and although I know better, when it asked me to upgrade my flash player I hi "ok". At that moment, my computer became overrun with popups and it is apparent that a virus had made its way onto my computer. I called Kevin at Lab 5-8 and he responded quickly helping me identify and fix the problem. Since this incident, I signed up for the monthly monitoring system. It is amazing. Rather than waiting until a problem is evident on my computer, Kevin is able to catch and repair the program quickly and painlessly. I will continue to use Kevin and Lab 5-8 for my computer needs and highly recommend you do too. read more

Having just recently purchased my 3rd customized computer from Kevin I find it is amazing all the knowledge he has! His suggestions for what will meet my needs has been spot on plus the outstanding service that he and his team provide has created a customer for life. Costs are very reasonable, responses are quick and efficient, and being able to trust an organization with personal information in this day and age is truly a blessing. I am NOT computer savvy. I simply know what works for me and what does not. I will recommend Kevin and Lab 5-8 to any personal family member as well as personal friends as the company to call! read more

I cannot say enough good things about Kevin and Lab 5-8. I'd only had my computer repaired once before, and I paid ~250 for virus removal and it took about a week and a half to get my computer back. Kevin had my computer cleaned and running better than it ever had in a matter of hours, and only charged me 75. Kevin was honest, kind, direct and very knowledgable. Didn't try and upsell me on services I didn't need, or try and scare me into extra work. Highest possible rating, I don't expect to have any more computer troubles, but if I do I know right where to take it. Great job! read more

There's nothing worse than having your computer break down when you're in the middle of important business projects. Lab5-8 is not only the most well-informed and knowledgeable IT service provider I have encountered, but they are also super sensitive to my down time and work tirelessly to get me back up and running as quickly as possible. I feel so well taken care of because they not only fix my issues, but they coach me along the way so that I'm less likely to encounter difficulties in the future. We use them for both my computer and my wife's. read more

My experience with Kevin and Au Technology Solutions could not have been more amazing. Everyone knows that having laptop and computer trouble is extremely inconvenient, and as someone who works remotely from my machine, I was stressed. But the service and help I received from Kevin and the team quickly put me at ease. Within hours of dropping my laptop off I received a call explaining what was going on and what my next steps were. This was by far the best experience I have ever had with tech repair!!! I highly recommend Au Tech Solutions! read more

Brought my broken Lenovo laptop to Lab5-8 in Encinitas. They were able to quickly assess the computer and determine what the problem was. Unfortunately, the cost to repair was higher than the cost to replace but they provided me with a tech report free of charge so that I could make a claim on my renters insurance and offered to retrieve the data on my hard disk for a very reasonable price. Their services are friendly, quick, and very professional. Thank you Lab5-8! read more

Kevin and his team at Lab 5-8 are the best. You talk to a live person, who cares about your issue. My hard drive crashed and they recovered the data and installed a new hard drive for 1/3 the price of a data recovery center and even offered a monitoring program that gave me 50% off my bill ... I love that I found IT techs who care and am very excited to be a part of their IT ecosystem! Thank you for upgrading my electronic world and for keeping me powered up! read more

I met Kevin at my TEAM group in Carlsbad. Not only is he personable, and honest, he KNOWS what he is doing. My other guy kept charging me to FIX the computer I had, Kevin said "don't bother". He didn't TAKE my money and keep fixing a computer that should be retired. It is refreshing to have a person be honest and help me. I know he will be VERY successful, and I would recommend him to every friend and family member. Kat read more

Wow, Kevin is a great find. He's worked with us on a number of computer and network projects and has not only always done a great job, he's very friendly, trustworthy, and efficient. Most recently, he fixed our broken iMac that had a blown video board. I watched him take it apart, which was not for the faint of heart with so many screws and parts, but once it was back together it was working like new again. read more

This is a fabulous family business! Kevin, the owner, really knows his stuff. He "renovated" my old lap top and what a difference! He had my computer back to me in 24 hours. He has advised me on all aspects of the computer world. Kevin is extremely knowledgeable, experienced in his field, and the customer service was excellent. I am recommending him to all of my friends and business associates. read more

As a gamer, my computer is an integral part of my daily life. Thankfully, Kevin at Lab 5-8 saved the day when my attempts to upgrade my CPU, motherboard and memory didn't go as planned. Not only is this guy fast, knowledgeable, personable, but he is reasonably priced to boot. I would recommend Kevin and Lab 5-8 to anyone with any computer problem! Thanks Kevin! read more