Who are we?
It all starts when I was 8 years old and my Grandparents gave my Mom and Dad the money to buy me my first real "Computer." It was an IBM Personal Computer XT with a monochrome monitor, 5.25" floppy drive, and a 10MB Hard Drive. I didn't know anything about computer other than it looked a little more complicated than a VCR (I had taken several of these apart.) I remember the first thing I did right after turning it on for the first time was immediately turning it off and taking it apart to see how the insides worked. My father seeing how well I enjoyed my time with my new found "Tech Toy" thought it wise to give me reading materials to further my experience of this new wonder. He gave me a copy of "PC's for Dummies" and a D.O.S. (Disk Operating System) pamphlet that had all the current commands and options switches for DOS 5.0. I promptly threw the For Dummies book aside and went straight to the DOS pamphlet. I memorized each and every one of them experimenting to the fullest what each commands switches were capable of and pretty soon I was making my new found Tech Toy purr like a kitten with all sorts of data. By the time I reached the age of 9 I had become interested in the functions of "Batch Files" and what all I could do with them. The prospect of using one command to do several in successions was like a breakthrough to me! So I began experimenting with all sorts of ways to make things simpler including re-writing the small text selection menu that came with the system that would allow you to pick the DOS Prompt, a game, and even a word processor. I loved how I could make these simple little files do what normally would take me minuets to accomplish in mere seconds! Keep in mind that at the time the only editor I had on hand was Edlin. It was a very limited text editor that would only allow you to see one line of the file at a time and edit it one line at a time. If you made a mistake the batch file wouldn't run correctly and you would have to go through each line trying to "Debug" until you found the error(s). It was tedious but I loved it!
I continued educating myself on different computer system all through elementary becoming the Computer Lab Assistant in 6th grade. At this point I had crossed over to another side of computing...Apple, Inc. The elementary had Apple IIe systems with green monochrome monitors and fancy games like Number Munchers and Oregon Trail, we even had printers! I loved every aspect of these machines just as much as their IBM counterparts. I took any spare time I had in the classroom to spend extra time with these systems learning as much as I could. When I reached Jr. High the hot machines at school were IBM PS/2 Models running Windows 3.11 for Workgroups. This is where I was introduced to networking and the grand game of "Hacking." Between 7th and 8th grade I was learning at a pace so fast that the teachers couldn't keep up with me. Before my 7th grade year was over I was having my way with the schools network and servers. Creating BASIC programs and I even figured out a way to hack the old IPX/SPX network protocol so you could play networked games of "Heretic" from any PC on the network while bypassing the security (which was a joke.) When I reached 9th grade I gained access to the High Schools "big" network and allowed me more access to all sorts of data. I of course never used this for any kind of advantage only as bragging rights in my circle of friends. When I reach this grade the system administrator for the school implemented a new security system on each PC that would only allow you access to certain things unless you had a master password of a teachers password. Naturally I figured out a way to get passed this with ease. Around this same time I began tutoring adults on how t use different computer programs and even how to update and install hardware. That is right my first job was as a helpdesk/trainer for computer systems.
In 2000 I acquired my CompTIA A+ certification a couple short years after dropping out of high school and getting my GED. This certification tells people I know anything about personal computers, networking, and all versions of Windows. This was a natural step for me since I didn't want to attend college (I thought it was a waste of time and money just like high school.) In 2004 I was helping out my grandmother after my grandfather died and took it upon myself to go back to school. I decided to take a few classes to become a full time student. I took a few computer classes and found them to be boring and the material to be stale. In most cases I quite literally hade more knowledge about the subject being taught than the teachers did. I ended up teaching the class on several occasions with my years of experience both personally and on the job. Fast forward another 11 years and here I am after several jobs and contracts in the IT industry typing out this nice little about me section of my business website. I love helping others with anything electronic especially computers. It is my passion and calling in life and I would not trade it for anything else. So to bring things to a close I am a completely self taught IT Professional that has been in the game since 1987 at the tender age of 8 and I wish to help others by providing free assistance when and where I can while not charging an arm and a leg like many other pc companies like to do. My family and friends have joined me in this effort and we now are a part of this company like our hearts are a part of each other.
I look forward to doing business with you now and for years to come.
Sincerely,
David Wheelen
Founder & CEO
My Online Helpdesk, LL