how much to charge to re-install windows

thebourke · 07-08-2009 03:19PM #1

how much would you charge somebody to erase a hard drive and re-install winodws on the laptop?

petes · 07-08-2009 03:24PM

Depends, is it a stranger or a mate?

thebourke · 07-08-2009 03:25PM

one of the guys at work here..dont know him that well though

B0X · 07-08-2009 03:26PM

Not much, you may have to bare in mind that a decent amount of people know someone who could do it for them for free.

cpu-dude · 07-08-2009 03:27PM

B0X wrote: »

Not much, you may have to bare in mind that a decent amount of people know someone who could do it for them for free.

€50 nixer for saving them the hassle, throw in some software to sweeten the deal.

g5fd6ow0hseima · 07-08-2009 03:27PM

thebourke wrote: »

one of the guys at work here..dont know him that well though

Would you actually charge him or is this a joke?

Gone Drinking · 07-08-2009 03:30PM

Mary Unkempt Bargain wrote: »

Would you actually charge him or is this a joke?

Bollocks to that, if the guy wasn't a friend id charge.. probably around 50 quid. Have to backup all their stuff, install windows, root out all the drivers, install anti virus, install windows updates and make sure everythings working.

Its handy and you can do it while half watching tv but there's still a few hours in it.

gillo_100 · 07-08-2009 03:33PM

Mary Unkempt Bargain wrote: »

Would you actually charge him or is this a joke?

My thoughts exactly, I mean come on its not that hard. Bar the time it spends actually installing its what, 5 minutes interactive work. If he brings the laptop in and you just have it sitting besided you thats feck all.

I'd be happy to have them buy a drink for me.

Better still tell them to do it themselves, anyone with half a brain can follow the instrctions that come with the installation.

g5fd6ow0hseima · 07-08-2009 03:37PM

Gone Drinking wrote: »

Bollocks to that, if the guy wasn't a friend id charge.. probably around 50 quid. Have to backup all their stuff, install windows, root out all the drivers, install anti virus, install windows updates and make sure everythings working.

Its handy and you can do it while half watching tv but there's still a few hours in it.

I done it myself with the help of a quick phonecall to a mate regards the partitions, and im fairly useless with computers..... To honestly charge 50 quid is a pisstake, how money-hungry can one get?

A few hours? No. More like half an hour at most.

Carsinian Thau · 07-08-2009 03:40PM

I wouldn't charge for something like that tbh.

WIZE · 07-08-2009 03:41PM

Do it for free. Its karma.

joolsveer · 07-08-2009 03:42PM

What if they have no media i.e. the PC was not supplied with a copy of Vista/XP? More than half an hour's work there.

Mena · 07-08-2009 03:43PM

Gone Drinking wrote: »

Bollocks to that, if the guy wasn't a friend id charge.. probably around 50 quid. Have to backup all their stuff, install windows, root out all the drivers, install anti virus, install windows updates and make sure everythings working.

Its handy and you can do it while half watching tv but there's still a few hours in it.

This.

Mary Unkempt Bargain wrote: »

I done it myself with the help of a quick phonecall to a mate regards the partitions, and im fairly useless with computers..... To honestly charge 50 quid is a pisstake, how money-hungry can one get?

A few hours? No. More like half an hour at most.

However this is almost laughable. 30 minutes? Sure, that's a job done correctly... :rolleyes:

Itsdacraic · 07-08-2009 03:43PM

Mary Unkempt Bargain wrote: »

I done it myself with the help of a quick phonecall to a mate regards the partitions, and im fairly useless with computers..... To honestly charge 50 quid is a pisstake, how money-hungry can one get?

A few hours? No. More like half an hour at most.

I think the OP is right to charge. Too often I've done favours for people cause I "know about computers" and spents hours trying to fix problems. I don't mind doing it for friends, but for people I wouldn't know that well I would often charge them €40/50, people take you for granted otherwise.

cpu-dude · 07-08-2009 03:43PM

Mary Unkempt Bargain wrote: »

I done it myself with the help of a quick phonecall to a mate regards the partitions, and im fairly useless with computers..... To honestly charge 50 quid is a pisstake, how money-hungry can one get?

A few hours? No. More like half an hour at most.

To backup and reinstall Windows, software, drivers, files and settings does not take 30 minutes. It would take a minimum of an hour and a half, could be much more depending how much data is on the computer itself. Superman couldn't do it that quick.

thebourke · 07-08-2009 03:43PM

half an hour to re-install windows and make sure all the drivers are installed..youmust be good.....

fasty · 07-08-2009 03:45PM

Don't do it at all! Anytime there's a slight problem with it, he'll expect you to fix it for nothing since you installed the OS. I've seen it a million times.

Gone Drinking · 07-08-2009 03:46PM

Mary Unkempt Bargain wrote: »

A few hours? No. More like half an hour at most.

Half an hour to backup someones pc (at least a few gigs), install windows, root out all their device drivers from the internet (lets be honest, no one ever has their CDs), install virus software, install all the windows updates (including numerous reboots involved in that).

I'll pay you to do it to my PC if you can do it in half an hour.

Carsinian Thau · 07-08-2009 03:48PM

thebourke wrote: »

half an hour to re-install windows and make sure all the drivers are installed..youmust be good.....

If it's an off the shelf computer, there are commonly CDs supplied that contain the drivers so you can just pop them on pretty quickly.

But even with the CD, it would still take a while to make sure everything was working properly etc. So half an hour doesn't sound exactly right to me. Of course, I don't know a huge amount about computers so maybe it just takes me longer.

g5fd6ow0hseima · 07-08-2009 03:53PM

cpu-dude wrote: »

To backup and reinstall Windows, software, drivers, files and settings does not take 30 minutes. It would take a minimum of an hour and a half, could be much more depending how much data is on the computer itself. Superman couldn't do it that quick.

perhaps 30 minutes was a bit of an understatement. I admit defeat on that one. It was longer. But an almost computer illiterate person like myself succeeded in doing something that people would like to thik requires a lot of expertise. How ergonomic is the whole process?

Gone Drinking · 07-08-2009 03:56PM

Mary Unkempt Bargain wrote: »

perhaps 30 minutes was a bit of an understatement. I admit defeat on that one. It was longer. But an almost computer illiterate person like myself succeeded in doing something that people would like to thik requires a lot of expertise. How ergonomic is the whole process?

How easy the process is, is beyond the point. Everyone can cut their own grass, but sometimes they choose to pay someone else to do it.

If a guy i don't know asked me to spend a couple of hours cleaning out his shed for free, id tell him no thanks.

g5fd6ow0hseima · 07-08-2009 04:05PM

Gone Drinking wrote: »

If a guy i don't know asked me to spend a couple of hours cleaning out his shed for free, id tell him no thanks.

If I was a smoker, lets say, id say 'sure throw me a box of fags'. But you see this person as a source of income, whereas I wouldnt. Ive often done favours for people, and gotten one back.

Im sure this person would buy you a few pints if he/she seen you when you were out.

€50? if you have the relevant qualifications, then thats grand I suppose.

Galen · 07-08-2009 04:07PM

Do the job for free. Have you heard of the saying "keep your friends close but keep you enemies closer" you never know.

Gone Drinking · 07-08-2009 04:12PM

Mary Unkempt Bargain wrote: »

But you see this person as a source of income, whereas I wouldnt.

Alright there Mother Theresa, if you want to go around helping strangers for nothing in your own time.. thats fair enough.

Like i said, if the guys a friend i'd gladly do it for free (as i have done in the past) but im not going to spend a few hours of my own spare time fixing a computer for some guy i don't know, for free.

macken · 07-08-2009 04:22PM

My opinion on this is who would want to do a sh*tty job like install windows for free. It's about as boring as washing windows on your house.

I can understand how there might be a few young lads out there who don't have to sit in front of a computer solving IT issues for 8 or 9 hours a day might love to do it for nothing.

Me, I do it for 20 quid if I knew the person. 40 if I didn't. I have some qualifications though. Not that you need them to install windows.

wolfric · 07-08-2009 08:56PM

I think most people here who are into computers forget exactly how many hours we spend in them. The reason why we find it easy is because we spend so many damn hours on them. A doctor does what... asks you to cough and checks if your chest sounds groggy and charges you a 50 upwards and that's a 10 min job (with a signed note) i mean come on.

Even if you're still a child or only self taught, you're still a professional. The reason why he's asking you is because he can't do it himself.

If he doesn't know how to do it himself and you offer it for free, that's not a favor that's under appreciating your art. If all the doctors offered to do your checkup for free you'd probably think a lot less of their skills. Now if you tell him you're charging him less if he'll throw in a pint then THAT's going to build something up. If he keeps asking you favors and you throw in one or two for free that's similarly good.
In my books it's €50 upfront for purely professional jobs (such as in a repair shop or technician call out etc) €20 for a friend or someone who got in contact with you more casually (ie friend of a friend) and i wouldn't charge family unless they were big jobs or very frequent jobs/distant relatives etc.

Simple answer: say you're going from 50 to 20 and mention a pint if you want to build a relationship.

Galen · 08-08-2009 08:10AM

There is just something odd about charging friends for work, I would have a hard time charging friends but wolfric is right.

PogMoThoin · 08-08-2009 08:58AM

I've built pc's for friends for free, sometimes being owed a favour outweighs the €50 You'd spend in a few hours in the pub

DonkeyStyle \o/ · 08-08-2009 09:09AM

A lot of people feel more comfortable paying something, even a token, knowing they've settled the debt and don't owe you any favours in future.

Gone Drinking wrote: »

If a guy i don't know asked me to spend a couple of hours cleaning out his shed for free, id tell him no thanks.

And on the other side, if someone you didn't know cleaned out your shed and refused any payment, that could be creepy and uncomfortable.
Unless the person is a shameless leech or your bestest buddy, you're being kinder to them by letting them give you something for it.

If you start doing this stuff for free, you're sending out a message that you enjoy doing this work so much that you'll do it for nothing... as word spreads, eventually you turn into someone who does phone tech support in his spare time for free, for people he hardly knows... been there, done that... had the 45 minute long sessions on the phone hand-holding people who aren't friends/family through computer problems.
Which is fine if you want to get into the business of PC repair and want referals... otherwise it's just a big pain in the arse.

There are leeches out there who just want everything they can get for free, who wouldn't return any favours, and are probably laughing at how much of a fúcking sucker/soft touch you are to work for them for free... or patting themselves on the back for being charming enough to get you to do it for nothing.

By all means take care of people already close to you, but handle everyone else with care IMO.

calex71 · 08-08-2009 10:14AM

fasty wrote: »

Don't do it at all! Anytime there's a slight problem with it, he'll expect you to fix it for nothing since you installed the OS. I've seen it a million times.

Oooooo massive +1 on this one, got stunk with this before.

Friend of a friend , after i fixed it the 1st time got a call a few weeks later to deal with a firefox issue was around 8pm. No problem I thought, fixes in 60 seconds over the phone.

over 3 hours later , around 11:30 pm going to bed , answered the phone to the same guy who was screaming and roaring about how he couldnt get onto his poker site , he was politely told **** off :mad:

If you do it for a stranger OP at least charge something for your time, It might put them off taking the piss. Used to get it everyday at lunch in the canteen also , "i have this or that wrong, what sould i do " from various people. Then im the asshole when i tell them im on my break / eating etc

unnameduser · 08-08-2009 11:08AM

Gone Drinking wrote: »

How easy the process is, is beyond the point. Everyone can cut their own grass, but sometimes they choose to pay someone else to do it.

Exactly. I can change the oil in my car, its a quick job. I don't go expecting my mechanic to do if for free because its an easy job.

Galen · 08-08-2009 11:13AM

It's six of one and half a dozen of the other. It is just no right to charge friends because no doubt they will return the favour.

It is a different matter if it is a friend of a friend. Do you know the saying "no good deed goes unpunished"? I build a computer for a friend of a mate, the guy did some computer classes then decided he knew everything and dragged me out to his house three times on the one day and all over yahoo webmail. In the end I just lost it, I'm a bit peeved that I lost my cool but at least I don't have any more headaches because of him.

ElBarco · 08-08-2009 11:20AM

fasty wrote: »

Don't do it at all! Anytime there's a slight problem with it, he'll expect you to fix it for nothing since you installed the OS. I've seen it a million times.

Oh yes. I've been stung on this more than once. I fixed one for a friends father. All was well for a month or two until I got an abusive phone call that I hadn't installed any antivirus (I had) and he'd just had to give his credit card details to some website to get it sorted out. I explained he should cancel that card and get someone else to do the work in future.

BopNiblets · 08-08-2009 04:27PM

Unless you have some fetish with installing operating systems, charge 'em, it's your time after all and it's a service.
I don't charge friends of the family but they give me some money anyway when I fix something.

mukki · 09-08-2009 09:35PM

what if the OP does the job and the owner doesn't return the favour

just set a price be it €50 for the job or €30 per hour in case of problems, just charge something, then its a done deal and when all is paid up no one is left owing anything

Shane St. · 09-08-2009 09:36PM

Free Man. Do u have the installation cd. do it urself

petes · 10-08-2009 08:04AM

I couldn't count the amount of times I have installed windows for people for nothing. It's alway a mate that I do this for. If not it's €50. It's my time you are paying for. You don't know how to fix it that's why you look for someone that knows how to do it.

Same goes for setting up a wireless router in someone's house. Easy enough but if you haven't a clue about computers it's not viable as you could leave the connection open so you need someone in to do it.

As an aside, I'm not sure what poster said it about PC World but was the user's files backed up and restored before they did anything or did they just wipe it?

witnessmenow · 10-08-2009 08:45AM

If you dont know him well charge him to f/ck, €50 is not over the odds for 2+ hours work , you'll do enough free ones for people you know to keep "karma" happy.

AlmightyCushion · 10-08-2009 10:38PM

Installing windows can be a pain in the arse if you can't find the proper drivers. I had to do it once and spent ages trying to find the driver for the network card and sound card (packard bell didn't have them available on the site). If it's a friend I'd gladly do it for free. If I don't know them or don't know them that well then they get charged simple as that.

how much to charge to re-install windows

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