Selling "Children's PCs"

[PCmechanic]

A lot of my repeat malware removal jobs come from children constantly infecting their parents' computers

One idea I have been considering is selling an old used/refurbed box with a child-friendly Linux distro installed and advertising it as being locked down, which would make its lack of Windows a feature instead of a negative.

Has anyone attempted selling a computer running Linux to an average user?

 

[Kitten Kong]

Why not simply lock down the windows OS?

There are numerous programs which would also aid, ie netnanny, k9 etc.

 

[PBComputer]

What about Microsoft system state, I installed it on a pc a few years ago and they have not had any problem since, but they don't need to keep any documents so it works well

 

[PCmechanic]

I'm thinking selling another piece of older hardware that may have no/an outdated operating system.

 

[GoHighVoltage]

K9 is the best I have used yet.

 

[PCmechanic]

Thanks guys, these are alternatives I didn't know about!

 

[TimJacobs]

What about Microsoft system state, I installed it on a pc a few years ago and they have not had any problem since, but they don't need to keep any documents so it works well

System state doesn't work for Win7

 

[Platte Computer Repair]

Steady State is supported until June 30 2011 but is no longer available for download.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2390706/en-us

 

[PCS]

This is on my mind at the mo. I have a cust that see often and it's due to her kid infecting the pc constantly. If i setup a sandboxed browser, i would see her less, but get paid less!

My thought is now to maybe sell her a small support contract, i'm then guaranteeing she will have less problems but i will still make something from not seeing her every 3 months.

 

[Methical]

This is on my mind at the mo. I have a cust that see often and it's due to her kid infecting the pc constantly. If i setup a sandboxed browser, i would see her less, but get paid less!

My thought is now to maybe sell her a small support contract, i'm then guaranteeing she will have less problems but i will still make something from not seeing her every 3 months.

You should at least provide her with the option; it sounds like a used-car salesman technique, and that your trying to squeeze blood out of a stone.

 

[NeutronTech]

Steady State was a great product. I use it on my kids' computer. I have 3 boys, ages 4, 6, and 8. I have preset bookmarks for a bunch of games for them. I can't count how many times I look at that computer and is loaded with toolbars, adware, crap norton products, and other "free" software. A quick reboot, and everything is as good as new. Perfect for kids.

It's a shame MS dumped it.

 

[Xander]

This is on my mind at the mo. I have a cust that see often and it's due to her kid infecting the pc constantly. If i setup a sandboxed browser, i would see her less, but get paid less!

My thought is now to maybe sell her a small support contract, i'm then guaranteeing she will have less problems but i will still make something from not seeing her every 3 months.

I've said it before and I'll say it again:

I would rather have 1000 happy customers that I see once a year than 100 miserable customers that I see 10x a year.

 

[JW The Computer Guy]

You could use Faronics Deep Freeze, however its not free. I have used this software when my sister was visiting for a few weeks.

 

[lowbudgetlaptops]

kid's PC'S

how old are they ? I've made 1 with the Qimo educational software on it check it out

 

[RichmondTech]

This is on my mind at the mo. I have a cust that see often and it's due to her kid infecting the pc constantly. If i setup a sandboxed browser, i would see her less, but get paid less!

My thought is now to maybe sell her a small support contract, i'm then guaranteeing she will have less problems but i will still make something from not seeing her every 3 months.

Wow, your customers sure are lucky to have support like that!

 

[OldSchoolPC]

I like the Linux idea. The combination of K9, Malwarebytes, and Sandboxie might be effective too. But then you'd need the paid version of Sandboxie which isn't cheap.

 

[RichmondTech]

I like the Linux idea. The combination of K9, Malwarebytes, and Sandboxie might be effective too. But then you'd need the paid version of Sandboxie which isn't cheap.

Sandboxie is $40 for a lifetime license. I have it on a few customers that had virus problems and the problems went away. If you can't justify a $40 piece of software that will save them a lot more money and hassles in the long run, something is wrong.

 

[Lon@CCCR]

I just did a refurbish on a customers Dell 4600 for her grandkids (that live with her). We talked it over and she made the decision to try Linux because of it's resistance to virus infections.

I chose Linux Mint 12 and loaded it with educational software and games suitable for primary school kids.

I also set it up so I can ssh into the computer for any software additions, administrative help and repair that is needed to ease the transition to Linux for her.

My customer is tickled pink with her "new" computer and my ability to do remote assistance eases her mind about switching to Linux.

I used the linux software known as "aptoncd" to make a install DVD disk of the whole package (1.7 Gb). I plan on making a similar disk with a package for secondary school students - with additional "teen centered" software.

Given the hours I spent setting up the package - and what her overall cost would be to pay for the hours I put into developing the package - I decided to make the install disk so I can sell to other customers and spread the initial cost.