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What is iYogi?

clip_image002Stump the PC Club is a free tech-advice column written by members of the North Orange County Computer Club, which has been in existence since 1976. Visit the club’s site at noccc.org.

QUESTION: I recently had a problem with my antivirus software and called the manufacturer’s support line. I ended up speaking with a man from India who worked for iYogi. When he tried to sell me a plan for $169 I hung up. What is this about?

PC CLUB:  Several companies including McAfee and Symantec have possibly out-sourced their technical support to iYogi, a company headquartered in India. They typically troubleshoot your PC by taking control of it through remote access software. It’s no substitute for interacting with a service technician in person but several types of problems can be resolved remotely.

From talking with PC users that have come in contact with iYogi I hear both good and bad things about them. Most of the people indicated that they hung up before succumbing to their sales pitch. Others stated that they were on the phone with them for hours.

From what I can tell, their service is only as good as the questions that the user can ask. In other words, if you are a novice and don’t know what questions to ask, you may end up not having all of your issues resolved or, paying too much. You have to be vigilant while they take over your PC and watch everything they do or you may end up disappointed.

Several competitors to iYogi include FixFlash at www.fixflash.com, GeekSquad at www.geeksquad.com and HiWired at www.hiwired.com. If you search Google for pc remote repairs you will find many others.

For those of you who wish to use remote access software yourself to access your own PC while away from home or to access another user’s PC for troubleshooting, you can use one of the following products:

· LogMeIn available at www.logmein.com. There’s a free version with limited features and a Pro version for $69.95 annually.

· TeamViewer at www.teamviewer.com. This is available for free for private users.

· GoToMyPC at www.gotomypc.com. Pricing starts at $9.95 per month.

· pcAnywhere at http://bit.ly/pcanywhere. The software is available from Amazon.com for as little as $59.89.

I have personally used TeamViewer for free to access various PCs and it has worked without a hitch.

Ed Schwartz is a member of the North Orange County Computer Club. To send in a question, go to edwardns.com and click the Contact Me menu. Archives of previous columns are also on the website.

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