Geek Squad "tweaks computers" free of charge

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Stefanie Torres
  • 35th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan --  Having problems with your personal home computer? The Geek Squad is at your service. Just tune in to AM1575 and listen. 

The Armed Forces Network here has been hosting the Geek Squad show Fridays from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. to discuss topics dealing with PCs, to include troubleshooting and upgrades, for free. 

The computer gurus work step-by-step with callers to resolve their computer issues from home. This does not include government computers from work. Discussed topics are posted on SharePoint's that are accessible by military personnel within 24 hours. 

Tech. Sgt. Erick Tyndall and Airman 1st Class Donnie Lang, with the 35th Communications Squadron, are the minds behind the mic who didn't mind providing their assistance for free. 

"Fixing computer problems takes time and money," said Senior Airman Emrys Maier, who was a part of the show but is leaving due to PCS. "But we are here to help because we want to." 

But help doesn't just stop on the air or at a phone call. 

"Two of us actually went to a caller's home to fix a computer issue," said Sergeant Tyndall. "They heard about us from Verizon." 

The idea for a show was presented from leadership to Sergeant Tyndall based on his expertise, the NCO explained. "I have a home network consisting of 11 systems, most of them running customized Linux distros that I built," he said. 

Airman Lang also has nine years of computer skills behind him before he joined the military. 

Having Airman Lang on the show brings a ton of knowledge to the show, explained Sergeant Tyndall. The areas of expertise he can't cover can be picked up by Airman Lang and vice versa. Their skills together are like "two different ends of the same spectrum," he said. 

On-air topics are developed two weeks in advance but can change according to a common theme of problems they hear about. 

"If we see a trend, we will try to put out something useful for them," said Airman Maier.
"We try to talk about relevant topics," said Sergeant Tyndall. "So far we have provided training on upgrades and discussed software pitfalls." 

An official Geek Squad e-mail is being worked and is expected to be up within the next month. The e-mail will allow problems to be answered in a round-robin type fashion to ensure everyone's issue is answered as quickly as possible.