Technology • Repair • Curiosity

ansPCRepair

Pronounced: A-N-S • PC Repair

Technology has always come naturally.

From taking things apart as a kid to repairing computers, supporting businesses and organizations, building websites, working with election technology, and now running self-hosted servers, technology has been part of my life for decades.

Explore the Story Get in Touch

Where the name came from

From AccessNonStop to ansPCRepair.

The ans in ansPCRepair comes from AccessNonStop. AccessNonStop came first and, over the years, became connected with a variety of websites, technology interests, hobbies, and personal projects.

Some of those included ansJailbreaking, ansSaveOurChildren, ansGallery, ansFamily, ansOffice, and the later ansMoney idea, along with other websites and interests that developed over time.

As computer repair became a more focused part of what I was doing, I wanted a name that was shorter, easier to remember, and more immediately connected with PC repair while still keeping its connection to AccessNonStop.

That became ansPCRepair. The ansPCRepair.com domain was registered on September 13, 2011.

Still active

ansFamily ↗ ansOffice ↗

These AccessNonStop-related projects still have active websites.

Past projects

ansJailbreaking ansSaveOurChildren ansGallery

Earlier technology, awareness, and hobby projects that are no longer active.

On hold • may return

ansMoney

An idea for sharing reputable ways to save money or earn a little extra through apps and online services. It may be revisited in the future.

Learn more about AccessNonStop →

It started with curiosity

Long before there was a business.

As a child, I liked taking things apart simply to understand how they worked. One of my earliest memories is taking apart an analog clock, working with it, and putting it back together again.

The first family PC

A Gateway running Windows Millennium Edition gave me plenty of reasons to learn how computers really worked.

Hands-on learning

Windows installs, virus cleanup, motherboards, RAM, power supplies, optical drives, floppy drives, software, and eventually networking.

Websites too

By the late 1990s and early 2000s, I was also building websites for hobbies and personal interests as another way to learn.

There wasn't one specific moment when I decided technology would become such a big part of my life. It simply did.

Technology comes naturally

Learning the system, not just the steps.

That doesn't mean knowing everything. Technology changes far too quickly for anyone to know everything. For me, it means being able to look at something unfamiliar, understand how the pieces relate to one another, and usually figure out where to go next.

Years ago, a friend purchased a used MacBook Pro. Aside from briefly touching a display Mac in a store when I was younger, I had essentially never used macOS.

Once he connected the MacBook to the internet and installed remote-access software, he let me explore it. While we were talking, he wondered aloud where something might be located. I went straight to it.

His response was basically: “Brandon, are you sure you've never used a Mac?”

I hadn't.

Learning beyond the classroom

When school became hands-on experience.

At Waldron High School, I took computer classes along with early-admission college computer technology coursework through the University of Arkansas–Fort Smith and WATC.

My computer teacher was also the district's computer technician, supporting technology across the elementary, middle, and high schools. As she became familiar with my technical abilities, she began sending me to other classrooms to help troubleshoot computer problems.

That could mean reinstalling Windows, installing software, working with the Novell networking software used at the time, troubleshooting hardware, or helping with televisions, projectors, laptops, and other equipment. Eventually, some teachers would ask my other teachers if I could come help them before they even submitted a normal technical-support request.

My work as a library aide also became heavily technology focused. I helped manage laptops, make sure equipment was charged and ready, troubleshoot problems, and assist with other technical needs. At times, that work extended beyond the high school to other schools within the district.

The school even adjusted portions of its master schedule so I could take computer courses that otherwise conflicted and later allowed me to serve as a library aide for a second semester. That level of trust meant a lot to me.

Education2005–2007

Rich Mountain Community College

Field of study: Microcomputer Technician. The coursework added formal instruction to years of practical experience. Earlier training also included Microsoft Windows and Office, along with certifications earned in Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access.

Scott County Elections2005–2010

iVotronic Technician & ERM Software Manager

Worked before, during, and after elections preparing equipment, troubleshooting issues, supporting poll workers, providing one-on-one training, assisting with Election Reporting Manager software, and helping secure equipment between elections.

First Business ChapterJul 2010–Oct 2012

The beginning of ansPCRepair

A home-based business in Waldron, Arkansas focused on PC repair, troubleshooting, hardware, Windows, malware cleanup, software, networking, websites, limited phone and tablet help, printers, other electronics, and general technical support. Work reached beyond Scott County through word of mouth.

Second Business ChapterJan 2019–2022

ansPCRepair returns

The business returned as a home-based operation with much less traditional advertising. Most work came through existing relationships, friends, family, local businesses, and people who heard about me from someone else.

Sometimes it needs a second look

Not every “dead” computer is dead.

One experience near the beginning of the business involved a laptop that had been written off after it began overheating and shutting down.

After the owner replaced it, I asked if I could look at the old laptop. Inside, I found dust, hair, and debris had accumulated around the cooling system and were preventing heat from being properly moved away from the processor.

I cleaned it, reassembled it, and the laptop worked again. It continued working for several more years.

Sometimes a problem just needs another set of eyes.

People, businesses & organizations

Technology rarely stays in one lane.

Over the years, I've helped individuals, local businesses, churches, and organizations with computers, electronics, websites, software, troubleshooting, and general technology support.

Repair & support

Hardware, Windows, software, malware cleanup, networking, printers, upgrades, and troubleshooting.

WEB

Websites

Created and helped maintain websites for myself, individuals, and organizations, including WordPress and earlier web platforms.

ORG

Organizations

Supported technical needs for small businesses, churches, and other environments where reliable technology mattered.

The equipment changed. The situation changed. The question was often the same: “Can you figure this out?”

In loving memory

Brian Morgan

The ansPCRepair logo is much more than an old business graphic. It carries the memory of someone who became like a brother to me.

October 27, 1971 — August 3, 2015

Friend. Brother. Creator.

I met Brian Morgan online through the jailbreaking community. Brian was a photographer and creative person with his own interests in technology, websites, and online projects. Over time, our friendship became much more than the reason we originally met.

We worked together on different projects, and I helped Brian recreate and manage one of his websites during the years when we both used Weebly. Brian also created themes for jailbroken iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad devices, and some of his free work was hosted through my jailbreaking repository.

When it came time to develop an identity for my computer business, Brian and I worked together on different ideas and designs. Eventually, we arrived at the logo that became the lasting identity of ansPCRepair.

Brian was also there for me personally through some of the most difficult times in my life. He wasn't simply somebody I knew online. He was my friend. He became like family.

In loving memory of Brian Morgan — forever part of the story of ansPCRepair.

The logo has a story too

The design stayed.

There were several concepts along the way before Brian and I reached the design that became the lasting ansPCRepair identity. Through the years, the website address and telephone number were updated. The core design remained.

A future “Remembering Brian” page can go deeper into Brian, FlybriTn, his photography, jailbreaking themes, and the projects we worked on together.

From PC repair to the home lab

The technology changed. The curiosity didn't.

Traditional PC repair may be where much of this story began, but my interests have continued to grow into self-hosting, servers, virtualization, networking, smart-home systems, storage, authentication, and other infrastructure.

Home lab & self-hosting

I've built a home-lab environment using PC hardware running platforms such as Proxmox VE and Proxmox Backup Server.

Proxmox ↗ TrueNAS SCALE ↗ Nextcloud ↗ ZITADEL ↗ Pi-hole ↗ Home Assistant ↗ Cloudflare ↗ Grafana ↗ Plex ↗ AMP ↗ BookStack ↗ FreshRSS ↗ Paperless-ngx ↗ Uptime Kuma ↗

brandon@homelab:~$ status

virtualization ........ running

backups ............... running

self-hosted services .. learning

game servers .......... available

smart home ............ evolving

# Take something. Learn how it works.

# Build it. Break it. Fix it. Learn something new.

Visit AJL1.io → Visit AJL1.com →

The business changed. The interest didn't.

That's really what ansPCRepair has always been about.

What started with clocks, Gateway computers, Windows installations, and PC repair eventually expanded into websites, networking, servers, virtualization, self-hosting, smart-home technology, security systems, and whatever happens to catch my interest next.

What's wrong with it?Why is it doing that?How does it work?Can I fix it?Can I make it better?

Found your way to ansPCRepair?

Maybe you remember the business from years ago. Maybe someone told you about me. Maybe you came here through AccessNonStop, one of the other ans projects, or a newer technology project. Or maybe you simply happened across the site.

Whatever brought you here, you're welcome to get in touch.

Send an Email

The button opens your device's default email app with an ansPCRepair website subject already filled in.