The new laptop is on the kitchen table. The old one's still on the desk. Everything you care about is still on the old one. That's where I come in.
Call Jerry: 540.303.2410
The hardest part of getting a new computer isn't buying it — it's making the new one feel like yours. Fifteen years of photos. Email accounts that just work. Bookmarks. Passwords saved in the browser. Old documents you might need one day. The printer that finally connects. The bloatware the manufacturer crammed onto the new machine and you can't figure out how to uninstall. The popups telling you to "upgrade to McAfee" you didn't ask for. The new operating system that's just different enough to be confusing. Most folks hand off a new computer to the family teenager and hope for the best. That works sometimes. When it doesn't, that's where I come in.
Everything below is part of a standard new-computer setup. No upsells, no surprises.
Photos, documents, music, videos, downloads — whatever's in your folders comes across to the new machine, organized the same way you had it. I work from copies; the old computer stays intact until you say it's safe to wipe.
Webmail accounts (Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook.com, iCloud) come across when you log in. Outlook desktop with a Microsoft 365 account is the same. Old POP3 mail with locally-stored folders gets manual migration so nothing gets lost.
Browser bookmarks transferred. Saved passwords too — either via browser sync if you're using it, or exported-and-imported securely if you're not. If you want to upgrade to a real password manager (Bitwarden, 1Password), that's included.
Office, Photoshop Elements, QuickReader, the Brother label-maker software, whatever's been on the old computer that you actually want on the new one — reinstalled with your license keys preserved. The stuff you never used? Gone.
The 30-day antivirus trial, the McAfee popups, the manufacturer "helper" apps, the Microsoft Store junk. All uninstalled. The new computer starts feeling like yours, not like a showroom display.
Printer drivers installed and tested. Scanner configured. Second monitor, USB peripherals, anything else plugged in and confirmed working. Wi-Fi joined, Bluetooth devices paired.
Windows updated to current. Real antivirus installed (not the trial). Built-in firewall verified. Backup setup configured to a cloud service you control. The "ransomware tomorrow" question becomes "no thanks, we're prepared."
Before I leave, we sit down with the new machine and you show me you can find your stuff, log into email, print a page, and open the programs you use every day. If anything's missing or weird, we fix it on the spot.
Setting up a new computer yourself works fine — until it doesn't. Here are the four traps I see most.
Documents-folder copy misses: email stored locally, browser bookmarks and passwords, license keys for software, contacts and calendars not in the cloud, app-specific data hidden in AppData. Three weeks later you realize something important didn't make the trip.
Modern Windows setup wizards work great if you're 28 and have done it 50 times. If you're 70 and the wizard wants you to create a Microsoft account to use the computer at all, that's where most people stop — and then there's a new laptop sitting in the box for six months.
This works sometimes. When it doesn't, you get a setup tailored to a 19-year-old's preferences (dark mode, weird default apps, Discord running at startup) and not yours. And the grandkid leaves Sunday afternoon before you've used it for real and discovered what's wrong.
The big-box store's setup is usually just account creation and Windows updates. They don't migrate from your old computer, they don't remove bloatware, they don't set up your printer or your email, and they don't sit with you afterward. Different service, different price.
$125/hr standard rate. Most residential setups are a 1.5-hour flat-rate bench setup at SKTS.
Prefer on-site instead? If you'd rather have me come to you, it's billed by the time spent on-site at $125/hour standard ($95/hour for SKTS managed-IT clients), instead of the bench flat rate. SKTS managed IT clients: new-employee onboarding is included as part of the $35/device monthly plan — no separate setup charge.
Worth a look before, during, or after the new-computer transition.
The single most useful skill on a Windows computer — finding files, organizing folders, the Quick Access menu, and the search box that solves most "where did I save it" panics. 10 minutes, no signup.
Start Free CourseThe 3-2-1 backup rule explained without jargon. After we've set up the new computer, this is the 10 minutes that protects everything we just moved across.
Start Free CourseIf we set up a password manager during the new-computer migration, this is the course that explains why and how to use it well. Strong passwords, 2FA, the works.
Start Free CourseThe most common path is a bench setup at SKTS — you drop off the old computer along with the new one, and I have both on my desk for the migration. That's a 1.5-hour flat rate ($187.50). If you'd rather have it done on-site at your home or office, it's billed by the actual time spent — typically still in the 2 to 4 hour range, but it depends on how much is on the old machine and how many programs need to come over. Either way, I give you an estimate before starting based on what's on the old computer.
In a properly done migration, no. I work from copies — the old computer stays intact until you've used the new one for a couple of weeks and confirmed everything's there. Then we wipe the old machine securely (so it can be donated, recycled, or trashed safely) only after you say go. Standard migration brings over: photos, documents, music, email, contacts, calendar, browser bookmarks, saved passwords, and license keys for the software you own.
Yes. Webmail accounts (Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook.com, iCloud) carry across automatically once you log in on the new machine — your inbox is in the cloud, not on the old computer. Outlook desktop with a Microsoft 365 / Exchange account is the same — log in, mail returns. The one that needs hands-on migration is Outlook with a POP3 account or an old IMAP setup with locally-saved folders. I handle all four scenarios.
If you're using Chrome, Edge, or Firefox with sync turned on, passwords come across when you sign in on the new machine. If you've been letting the browser save passwords without syncing, I export the password list from the old browser and import it on the new one — encrypted both ways. If you've never thought about a password manager and now is a good time, I can also set up Bitwarden or 1Password and migrate everything into it. Plain English walkthrough included.
Yes. Most new Windows PCs ship with 30-day antivirus trials, McAfee or Norton popups that won't quit, manufacturer "helper apps" you don't need, and a dozen Microsoft Store games and links you didn't ask for. I uninstall the junk, disable the trial popups, and replace whatever needs replacing (real antivirus instead of the trial, your actual browser instead of the default). The new computer starts feeling like yours instead of like a showroom.
Included in setup. New printer drivers installed, scanner configured, any specialty hardware (label printer, signature pad, USB peripherals, second monitor) hooked up and tested. If your printer is older and the manufacturer no longer offers Windows 11 drivers, I'll tell you and we'll figure out a workaround or a replacement. More on printer help.
Standard rate is $125/hour. The typical residential setup is a bench setup at SKTS at a 1.5-hour flat rate, so $187.50 total. On-site setups are billed by actual time spent (typically 2-4 hours but variable). Business setups with domain joins, networked drives, and multiple software installs run longer. If you're a SKTS managed-IT client, new-employee onboarding is included as part of the managed plan. Estimate before any work begins. Free assessment of what's on the old computer if you're not sure how much there is to move.
After we've confirmed everything migrated correctly (give it a couple of weeks of real use), I can securely wipe the old drive so it's safe to donate, recycle, or trash. A simple delete doesn't actually erase data — anyone with a $20 piece of software can recover deleted files. A proper wipe overwrites the drive so it's gone for good. Included in the setup service when you're ready ($75 add-on).
Most new-computer setups are a bench setup at SKTS — drop off the new and the old one at a 1.5-hour flat rate, and I'll call when it's ready. Prefer on-site? That option's there too. Everything from the old computer comes across, the new one feels like yours, and you walk away knowing how to use it.
540.303.2410