About
Hello, and welcome to Help from a Geek!
My name is Jerry Voelker. Some time ago, I used to work at OfficeMax as a Tech Specialist – now a non-existent position. I encountered many people every day that were having computer and technology related problems. Since management frowned upon me telling people how fix problems, rather than buying solutions (and sometimes further problems), I came up with the idea for this site.
I realized that many of the problems that people were having were similar to each other. I thought that there should be a place where people could go to learn how to solve their problems, for free. The solutions that I provide are exactly what I would do in that situation. I don’t want people to spend money unnecessarily. My intent is to educate users in how to solve their technology related problems, how to prevent problems from occuring, ways to stay safe online, and to empower people.
Like many people my age, I grew up watching Leo Laporte and TechTV. From that point on, I was a budding geek. I love helping people understand how to fix and interact with their technology. I don’t expect people to live and breathe this stuff as I do, but I am here to tell people that they don’t have to be intimidated. Technology doesn’t have to be scary.
About the Site
If you are experiencing a problem, I suggest you go to the Troubleshoot section of this page. Begin with the General Troubleshooting section to learn some of the fundamentals, and to find solutions to the most common problems. If you are experiencing a more advanced issue, then head over to the Advanced Troubleshooting section. There is a networking section, since I get so many questions specific to this topic. It makes sense really, as nearly every electronic device you can buy currently has some form of networking functionality.
There are three areas of the site that I strongly encourage everyone to check out. I implore you to read the Secure Computing Habits page. This page details the steps you can take to stay safe online and the things you can do to protect your computer. The Software to Prevent Problems page is a must read. It details what software you should be using to prevent problems from invading your computers. Sometimes, computer problems happen. That is why you are here, isn’t it? Whether it is a hardware failure, a software issue, or a malware infestation, please check out the Software to Fix Problems page to see a listing of some of the software you can use to fix problems after they occur.
For the budding geeks out there, head over to the GeeksCorner. The GeeksCorner is the section of the site where I dive into the more advanced topics of computing. I post my tech articles in this section. This is where you will find my lecture series that takes complex topics such as networking, encryption, and cpu’s and explains how they work in detail. I post white papers here that explain how certain pieces of technology work.
About Me
In exchange for having a life, I have come to possess eerie geek powers. Just kidding – but not really. I love this stuff. Don’t believe me? Check out my office!
I absolutely love learning. I try to learn all that I can about the things that interest me. This has led to a wonderful knowledgebase – but also 11 years spent in college. I have a degree in Finance, Technical Management, Computer Science, MISM, and I will soon have a degree in Physics with a solid state emphasis.
I am an Adobe Certified Expert, a Microsoft Office Specialist and I am studying to take my PMP exam. For more about me personally, check out my homepage.