Radio Shack has recently hired Nick Graham as a computer repair technician for the Fort Scott location. Graham works on both Macs and PCs, and provides both hardware and software repair to customers. He has over a decade of experience in the field of information technology, a definite asset to those in need of computer repair.We caught up with Nick for an interview about the services he offers at Radio Shack and his past experiences in the field of Information Technology.

We asked how Graham got started in the field, and his reply reveals lots of experience with the foundation of computer technology and how things have changed. He mentioned that the first computer he used was a friend’s 1993-1994 Acer desktop computer with an Intel 486 33 Mhz processor. Graham said, “Computers honestly haven’t changed fundamentally at the base level in the nearly 20 years since that Acer, but how much they can do and how fast they can do it is what continually astonishes me. The technology evolves so fast that you can easily get left behind.”

When asked what he works on most, Graham replied that he often works on software issues for customers. Graham said, “Our main business is definitely malware and virus removal.” Graham mentioned that most free downloads come with extra things attached, and that most of these things slow down the user’s computer. Graham said, “Combine that with actual viruses that are *designed* to make your computing life miserable, and a PC can start running like it’s pedal powered pretty quickly.” Graham explained that many recent pop-up ads are designed to look like legitimate computer programs, and that the program the pop-up installs typically contains spyware that compromises the security of the computer user. He mentioned that he does a “fair amount” of hardware replacement, too.

Graham also mentioned that while computer technology has become affordable, that affordability sometimes comes at a price: “As technology like PCs and printers have gotten cheaper, so have their construction and quality. There are computer brands out there I used to swear by that I now advise people to avoid like the plague,” Graham said.

While Graham works on both Macs and PCs, we also asked about the extent of repair he offers for Macs. Graham said that he provides the “bare basics” on repairs for Macs, such as “system restorations/operating system reloads, hard drive and RAM replacement.” Graham said, “Macs these days are more and more built to only be worked on by Mac techs, and can’t have a lot of off the shelf repairs done on them. . . A good example of this is the new Mac Pro Apple unveiled last week. Don’t get me wrong, it’s beautiful, but not exactly service-friendly, which is by design.”

However, the good news for Fort Scott residents is that we now have full computer repair  for PCs and basic repair for Macs available in town. Stop by Radio Shack and see Nick Graham to fix a software issue or to have a hardware problem resolved!