Please consider joining and donating to the Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides! This Eugene-based organization is fighting for your health and mine, and is an excellent source of information on both pest control and pesticides.
Hi Everybody, Thanks for visiting my website. Check the About section if you want to see a picture of my baby boy.
I have let this site get older and older and I still haven't taken the time to go through it and fix it all up. This will probably always be the case, so don't hold your breath. The main thing is that if you have a question you should just give me a call and I'll try to help based on what's current today. Most of my site is getting really out of date. Go ahead and read it for fun but don't rely on the advice. Give me a call and we can discuss what's current.
I operate by appointment. Give me a call and we'll meet up at my store or at your place. My store is located below Borders in the Cannery Mall.
My new computer recommendations:
*Desktop computers built by Rix Computer Magic. I currently use Asus or Intel motherboards with Intel chipsets; Intel Dual- or Quad- core CPUs; PC Power and Cooling power supplies; Crucial memory; and F-Secure Internet Security. I use the best parts I can find. I do not use Celeron processors. I like Asus flat-panel monitors. I no longer use AMD products in new computers because they are trying to sell a large stake in their company to foreign investors. You may find that Dell Vostro desktops are adequate for simple needs, and relatively inexpensive.
*Laptops - Asus and Lenovo make good laptops. You can buy Lenovo laptops at Bellevue Computer in Corvallis. You can buy Asus laptops online at newegg.com. Those Asus laptops often come with a strange partition structure and with the drives formatted as FAT32. This is something that's not too hard to fix, if you address it immediately after getting the computer. I can explain all this if you call me.
*Do not buy: HP, Acer, Gateway, E-Machines, or Sony. Or anything at Wal-Mart or Costco. You have been warned. If you buy a Dell you may be better off buying from their small-business site. I cannot make any promises about Dell but they seem better than their competitors for a low-priced computer. HP makes excellent printers (buy from their business line) but terrible computers.
Any of these computers not built by me will come with some pre-installed garbage and second-rate security software. My recommendation is to go to the Programs control panel and remove anything that says "toolbar" or sounds like junk, remove whatever antivirus it came with, and install F-Secure Internet Security (which you can buy from me or at f-secure.com). Again, call me and I can explain this in more detail or you can have me do it for you.
You can still get Windows XP from most vendors. You basically have to purchase Windows Vista Business but they pre-load XP Pro. It's called a downgrade. There is a new version of Windows coming out called Windows 7. It is a big improvement over Vista. Hopefully soon there will be an "express upgrade" available, which means you buy Vista but they send you an upgrade disc later for a reasonable price.
Rix Computer Magic
Rick Shafer, Owner & Technician
777 NW 9th St. #100
Corvallis, OR 97330
541-738-0282
602-3816 (Cell)
www.rixcomputermagic.com