Taproot TechnologyPC REPAIR & IT SERVICES — WAKE COUNTY, NC

Slow PC? Won’t turn on? Fixed locally — without the big-box bill.

I’m Rick. I’ve been building PCs since 2013, and I’ve spent 11+ years working in tech — including inside the IT services industry. No shop overhead, no upsell, no handing your computer to a different stranger every time. You talk directly to the person doing the work.

Building PCs since 2013 11+ years in tech Raleigh · Cary · Apex · Wake County
The deal, up front:

Consulting is free. You get a firm price before any work starts — no surprises, nothing done without your OK. You buy parts direct, at no markup from me. And yes — get a Geek Squad quote if you want. I’ll beat their pricing.

A clean custom-built gaming PC with tidy cable management and blue-lit fans behind a glass panel

Not sure what you need? Start with the symptom.

Pick what’s happening and I’ll tell you honestly what it usually is — and whether it’s worth fixing.

Three ways I can help

One local person for your computer, your office, and how you work day to day. Every job starts with a free consult and a firm price you approve first.

A technician testing a desktop motherboard on a repair bench

PC Repair, Upgrades & Custom Builds

The stuff people normally take to Geek Squad — done by one person who’ll explain what’s actually wrong, in plain English.

Repairs

  • PC won’t turn on, won’t boot, or black screen / no display
  • Blue screens, crashing, freezing, or random restarts
  • Painfully slow computer — full tune-up & cleanup
  • Virus, malware, and pop-up removal
  • Windows won’t load — OS repair or clean reinstall
  • Overheating, loud fans, or shutting down under load
  • Failing hard drive — diagnosis, replacement, and data transfer to a new drive
  • Dead power supply, bad RAM, or faulty GPU diagnosed & replaced
  • New PC setup — data, files, and settings moved from your old computer
  • Wi-Fi / internet dropping, driver problems, software & printer setup

Upgrades

  • SSD — the #1 upgrade to make an old PC feel new — plus RAM, GPU, CPU, motherboard, power supply, case, fans & liquid cooling / AIO
  • HDD too… though honestly, why? Unless you need cheap bulk storage, I’ll talk you into an SSD and you’ll thank me
  • Not sure what’s compatible with what you have? That’s exactly what the free consult is for

Custom Builds from Scratch

  • Built for what you do — gaming, streaming, video editing, workstation, or home office
  • A parts list that makes sense — tell me what you play or do and your budget, and I’ll help you avoid wasting money on the wrong parts
  • Clean, careful assembly — built with proper cable management
Straight talk: if I can’t fix it, I’ll tell you straight — and tell you if it’s even worth fixing before you spend a dime.
A small office network installation with a tidy patch panel, rack, and dual-monitor workstations

Small Business IT — Office Setup & Contracted Help

No IT department? Too small to hire one full-time, too big to keep winging it? I can be your on-call IT guy — without the full-time salary.

  • New office setup — workstations, monitors, docks, printers, and Wi-Fi / network up and running right
  • Office moves — computers, network, and printers broken down and set back up at the new location
  • New employee setup — computer, email, accounts, and access ready on day one
  • Departing employee offboarding — accounts, passwords, and access cleaned up properly
  • Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace — email, Teams / Drive, shared files, and permissions set up clean
  • Wi-Fi dead spots, slow network, router / mesh Wi-Fi installs
  • Printer, scanner, and shared file setup for the whole office
  • Backups — set up properly, and actually checked that they’re working
  • Fleet upgrades — SSD / RAM upgrades to stretch your current computers a few more years
  • Ongoing contracted help — regular check-ins, tune-ups, and priority troubleshooting, month-to-month. No long-term contract required to start
Simple terms: month-to-month support with a 30-day out for either side, a firm written quote before any project work, and parts at no markup. Read the one-page support agreement — it’s short on purpose. And I’ll deal with your internet and software vendors so you don’t have to sit on hold with them.
One-on-one coaching at a desk, working through a task together on a computer

Tech Coaching & Automation

For owners and professionals losing hours to clunky daily processes. I sit with you while you work, find where the time is going, and fix it — with the tools you already have.

  • Shadow your workflow — I watch you do the real task, you stop me at any step, and we make that step faster or make it disappear
  • Automate the repetitive stuff — spreadsheets, forms, email, reports, and copy-paste work turned into shortcuts and simple automations
  • AI, without the fear — what it’s actually good at, how to use it safely in your work, and how to get a leg up on competitors who aren’t using it yet
  • Employee training — practical, plain-English training on the applications and processes your team uses every day
  • Honest tech advice — which tool fits the job, what’s worth paying for, and what’s a waste — down to basics like whether something should be an email or a text
  • Bottleneck hunting — the recurring snags that slow you and your team down, found and removed, so the hours go back to the work that makes money
Scope I’ll promise: coaching, training, and automation built on the tools you already use. If what you need is a custom software build, I’ll tell you that honestly — and what it would really take — instead of selling you something that eats us both alive.

How it works

1

Text or message me

Tell me what you have, what’s wrong or what you want — and your budget if it’s a build. A photo of the problem helps.

2

Free consult

I’ll explain your options in plain English, not jargon — including the option of not fixing it, if that’s the honest answer.

3

You approve the price first

A set price before anything happens. You buy parts direct (no markup from me) or I help you order the right ones. No approval, no work, no bill.

Why not just go to Geek Squad?

Fair question. Get their quote — seriously. Then compare what the experience is actually like.

The big-box counter

  • A different technician every visit — you re-explain everything, every time
  • Membership plans and add-ons pitched at the counter
  • Your PC shipped off or sitting in a queue for days
  • Jargon, a ticket number, and a receipt

Working with Rick

  • One person — the same person, who remembers your setup
  • Firm price up front, approved by you before work starts — and I’ll beat their quote
  • Local, in Wake County — help that comes to you
  • Plain English — happy to teach you every step, or just handle the hassle completely

About Rick

I’ve built my own PCs since 2013 and spent 11+ years in professional tech — customer success and technical services in cybersecurity and SaaS, and years working inside the MSP / IT services world itself (BrightGauge, ConnectWise, MSPbots). That’s the background you’re getting: real IT experience, not just a hobbyist — offered locally, at a workbench scale, with no agency or shop markup in between.

Local, honest, and happy to explain every step if you want to learn — or just handle it completely if you don’t.

Taproot Technology was founded by Rick Aquiliaa>.

Common questions

How much will it cost?

The consult is free, and you approve a firm price before any work starts — so the honest answer is: you’ll know exactly, before you’ve spent anything. Labor depends on the job; parts you buy direct at no markup from me, so there’s nothing padded into the price.

What if my computer isn’t worth fixing?

Then I’ll tell you that, straight — and help you put the money toward the right replacement instead, including moving your files and settings over to it. I don’t make more money by talking you into a repair you shouldn’t do; I make it by being the person you call next time.

Do you come to me?

Yes — I serve Raleigh, Cary, Apex, Wake Forest, Holly Springs, and the wider Wake County area. Some diagnosis and coaching can start by text or a call; hands-on work happens at your home or office.

I want a gaming PC but don’t know anything about parts. Is that OK?

That’s the most common starting point, and it’s exactly what the free consult is for. Tell me what you play and your budget; I’ll build the parts list, explain the choices in plain English, and assemble it clean.

For businesses: is there a long-term contract?

No. Contracted IT is month-to-month with a 30-day out for either side — you can read the whole one-page agreement linked in the Small Business IT section above. Project work (office moves, new setups) is quoted firm, in writing, before it begins.

Can you help my team actually use our software better?

Yes — that’s the Tech Coaching & Automation service. I shadow real work, find the bottlenecks, automate the repetitive steps in the tools you already own, and train your people on the result.

Start with a free consult

Tell me what’s going on. The form below just drafts your text or email for you — nothing is sent until you hit send in your own app.