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PC hardware--CPU & Motherboard & RAM/Expert Profile
Expertise
Areas of expertise: PC Hardware, Peripherals, Barcode Scanners, Printers, and Applications, Networking, Microsoft Applications. I am good at researching issues and have a lot of contacts in the IT industry. So, if I can't directly answer a question I can likely find the answer. Areas I won't be much help in: Apple Computers, Linux, older Networking technologies like Token Ring, or Thick/Thinnet.
Experience in the area
I'm currently a Network Administrator for a contract circuit board manufacturer in Oregon, USA. I've been working on PCs from a hobby standpoint for better than 25 years. I've been doing it professionally for 4+ years.
Education/Credentials
A+ Certification, Network + Certification, MCP, MCDST, MCITP (in process)
What do you like about this subject?
I've always enjoyed troubleshooting issues and working with my hands so I'm definitely more of an hands on technician. Programming or general coding would drive me mad in short order. I've also always liked being involved with new technology.
What do you still hope to achieve/learn in this field?
I plan on furthering my certifications and experience in all hardware related aspects of IT. I will also likely start getting more Networking and Server level skills and moving into a Systems Administrator role.
Something interesting about this subject that others may not know:
Computers are possessed! If you're a PC Technician you're also part Witch Doctor. If you manage to fix something, don't knock yourself out trying to figure out why it happened, just settle for it being fixed. Sometimes weird things just happen.
Something controversial or provocative about this subject
Just the usual Apple/Linux vs. Microsoft/PC debates. Both sides have their die-hard followers who will never change their minds about what they prefer. I personally am on the Microsoft/PC side of things but I'll give the other guys their kudos. Both sides have their definite advantages and strong points.
Average Ratings
Recent Reviews from Users
K = Knowledgeability C = Clarity of Response P = Politeness| User | Date | K | C | P | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amber | 02/07/12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | Great! Thanks so much! Always a help! |
| amber | 02/02/12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | Very quick response. Very detailed and informative ..... |
| am | 01/29/12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | |
| Gabe | 01/19/12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | |
| Chris | 01/11/12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | Perfect response. Clear, concise, helpful. Thanks Mike ..... |
Recent Answers from Mike Rigsby
2012-02-02 Blue screen appears and restarts:
Chances are the blue screen error is a result of whatever that technician did to your laptop because they lied to you. It's impossible to have "BIOS files missing" because the BIOS is code built
2012-01-30 BIOS Problem:
Generally speaking issues with saving your BIOS settings are related to the onboard BIOS battery. Somewhere on the board is a small coin sized battery that is most likely dead. Especially since that's
2012-01-23 motherboard compability:
Unless you've got real confidence in your skills I wouldn't be messing with trying to change the motherboard in a laptop. That's not meant as some kind of insult or anything. That's just something I wouldn't
2012-01-20 Old Dell boot problem:
Generally speaking that message always means one of your bootable drives is dead. However, it could be one of the CD-ROM drives, one of the Hard Drives, or the Floppy Drive. I would unplug all the
2012-01-19 ! in my backup files...:
I'm afraid I won't be much help on that because those icons are related to the Info Select software, not Windows, and I've never used that software before. You should be able to get answers from the
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