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D1 / Tool / Symptom index

Describe the fault in your own words and this says whether it is a remote job.

Type a symptom ("printer offline", "Outlook keeps asking for password"), a model ("Brother HL-L2350DW", "Dell WD19 dock", "TP-Link Archer AX55") or a part ("dock", "SSD", "router"). The lookup returns the three closest matches, a one-line answer, a typical session length and the page that covers it. Hardware faults get routed to the verdict list instead, because those need a local bench.

Free to use Around 60 indexed entries No sign-in
A person photographing an error message to describe the problem
D1 / The photo of the error is usually enough
Symptom / model / part Index D1 / top 3 shown

Start typing. Results appear as you go.

    Durations are what these jobs usually take, not a quote. Every price on this site reads “from” and is confirmed in writing before a session starts. Nothing is sold here.

    D2 / Index

    The full symptom index, in plain words

    Everything the lookup can match, grouped the way the catalogue is grouped. If you prefer to read rather than type, the answer is probably on this page already.

    Mail, accounts and sign-in
    You would typeWhat it usually isTypicalPage
    outlook keeps asking for passwordStale cached credential, or modern authentication not enabled on the profile30 minMail and accounts
    cannot send mail, receives fineOutbound server or port blocked by the connection, or a send-as permission30 minMail and accounts
    moving mailbox to microsoft 365Mailbox move plus client reconfiguration afterwards2–3 blocksMail and accounts
    shared mailbox missing in outlookAutomapping not applied, or permission given to the wrong account30 minMail and accounts
    google workspace to outlookProfile setup with app-specific sign-in and calendar sync60 minMail and accounts
    leaver's mailbox, what nowConvert to shared, forward, remove the licence without losing mail30 minRemote access audit
    Printers, scanners and labels
    You would typeWhat it usually isTypicalPage
    printer offlineWindows Update replaced the maker's driver with a generic one, or the port changed30 minPrinters and scanners
    brother hl-l2350dwDriver and wireless setup, the model most often asked about30 minPrinters and scanners
    scan to email stopped workingMail provider stopped accepting the copier's old sign-in method60 minPrinters and scanners
    label printer prints blankWrong media size in the driver, or the label stock is the wrong way up30 minPrinters and scanners
    printer prints garbage charactersWrong driver language for the model, PCL against PostScript30 minPrinters and scanners
    paper jam, rollers wornMechanical. Needs hands inside the machineVerdictHardware verdict
    Speed, startup and clean-up
    You would typeWhat it usually isTypicalPage
    computer takes forever to startTwenty-plus startup items, or a spinning hard disk doing its best45–75 minSlow PC cleanup
    disk at 100 percentMechanical drive plus indexing or an update running underneath45 minSlow PC cleanup
    pop ups in browserAn extension or a bundled installer that brought a hijacker along45 minSlow PC cleanup
    search engine changed by itselfBrowser policy set by adware, usually removable in one session30 minSlow PC cleanup
    drive nearly fullOld update files and a duplicated photo library30 minSlow PC cleanup
    should i put an ssd inUsually yes, and we will say so plainly. Fitting it is a local bench jobVerdictHardware verdict
    Network, Wi-Fi, VPN and desks
    You would typeWhat it usually isTypicalPage
    wifi drops in back bedroomPlacement and band steering, sometimes a mesh node in the wrong room60 minRouter, Wi-Fi and VPN
    tp-link archer ax55Router admin setup, guest network, firmware60 minRouter, Wi-Fi and VPN
    vpn connects but nothing loadsSplit tunnel or DNS handed out by the VPN profile30–60 minRouter, Wi-Fi and VPN
    dell wd19 dockDock firmware and display output limits on the laptop's USB-C port60 minHome office kit
    second monitor not detectedDock bandwidth, cable standard, or the display profile after a sleep30–60 minHome office kit
    teams picks the wrong microphoneDefault device set per app, headset enumerating twice30 minHome office kit
    Setup, backup and access
    You would typeWhat it usually isTypicalPage
    new laptop arriving tuesdayDay-one setup: accounts, mail, shared drives, printers, bloat removed2–3 blocksNew workstation setup
    macbook air m2 first setupmacOS day-one list, iCloud decisions made deliberately2 blocksNew workstation setup
    deleted a file, need it backCloud version history or a recycle bin, if the backup was running30 minBackup and recovery
    set up a proper backup3-2-1 configured and then tested with a real restore60–90 minBackup and recovery
    who can get into our computersInventory of remote tools and credential holders, then a removal list15 min / machineRemote access audit
    need you to connect without meA named agent with its own password and an access list30 min / machineUnattended access
    office of nine machines, nobody patches themA monthly evening window with a one-page reportMonthlySmall fleet care
    i'm a technician, need a handWe run the screen-side session under your shop's name30 min blocksSecond pair of hands
    A failed drive and a swollen battery, the kind of fault SPLE sends to a local bench
    D3 / Both of these end the session
    D3 / Hardware verdict

    The words that send you to a local bench instead

    Type any of these and the lookup stops trying to be clever. A remote session cannot fix something that needs a screwdriver, and pretending otherwise wastes your money and our afternoon.

    What we do instead: connect for up to ten minutes, confirm what it looks like, write a short note of the symptom and the evidence, and tell you what to say at the counter. That costs nothing. Hand the note over at the counter and the bench starts from our evidence instead of from zero.

    Routed to the verdict, not to a session

    • Drive clicking, ticking or grindingBENCH
    • Liquid spilled on the machineBENCH
    • Battery swollen, trackpad liftingBENCH
    • No power, no lights, no fanBENCH
    • Cracked hinge, broken screen, bent portBENCH
    • Overheating, shuts off under loadBENCH
    • Burning smell, scorch marksSTOP
    • Machine will not reach the sign-in screenBENCH

    A swollen battery should be unplugged and taken out of a bag, not carried around and not charged overnight. That is the one piece of advice we will give before anyone connects to anything.

    D4 / How to get a good answer

    Four words beat four sentences

    The index is keyword-weighted with synonyms, so the make and the verb matter more than the grammar around them.

    1. Name the thing and what it does

      "Brother printer offline" works. "My computer has been playing up since the weekend" matches nothing, because there is no noun in it we can score.

    2. Include the model if you can see it

      Model numbers are indexed for the hardware people ask about most: common Brother laser printers, Dell docks, TP-Link routers, recent MacBook Air models.

    3. Say when it started

      "After an update" changes the answer. It usually means a driver was replaced, which is a different fix from a device that never worked.

    4. If nothing fits, send it anyway

      Press the button with no match and your words travel into the contact form's notes field. A person reads it during booking hours and answers whether it is a remote job.

    D5 / About the tool

    It is a keyword index, not an assistant. It does not guess, it does not learn, and it will tell you when it has nothing.

    See all 12 service lines

    It offers the contact form with your query already in the notes field. Nothing is sent anywhere until you press the button on that form yourself.

    It shows a typical session length. The page it links to carries the price basis. Every figure on this site reads from and is confirmed in writing before we connect.

    The matching happens in your browser against a list built into the page's script. Nothing leaves your device until you submit a form. The privacy policy sets out what a submitted inquiry stores.

    Yes, and the results list works with a keyboard too: arrow down through the matches and press Enter on the one you want. Useful when the broken machine is the one in front of you.

    Error codes are not indexed. There are too many and most are generic. Describe what the machine does instead, or send the code through the form and a technician will read it.

    D6 / Still stuck

    Send the words you would have typed.

    We read every one during booking hours and reply with whether it is a 30-minute job, a 60-minute job, or a bench job.

    Tell us who we're talking to.

    That phone number looks too short. Check the digits.

    That email address is missing a part. Check it.

    Keep the address under one line, or leave it blank.

    Tick the box so we can store this and reply.

    A phone number or an email, either one, so we can answer. Prices read from and are confirmed in writing before we connect.