Happy Hamster Computer Repair

Portland, United States

4.5

Open now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 503-282-5185
Website:
happyhamstercomputers.com
Address:
2817 NE Martin Luther King Blvd, Portland, OR, 97255
Northeast Portland, Eliot
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
420 ftNortheast Martin Luther King & Knott
0.2 miNortheast Martin Luther King & Brazee
0.2 miNortheast Martin Luther King & Sacramento
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Accepts Credit Cards
Yes

Today

Today 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
Open now
Local time (Portland) 1:27 PM Thursday, November 28, 2024

Business hours

Monday 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
Tuesday 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
Wednesday 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
Thursday 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
Friday 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

No matter what broke, we can diagnose, repair, or replace that part. To give you a partial list of the kind of jobs we take on a daily basis, here are some of the things we can do:

For Your Desktop or Laptop

Remove viruses and repair the damage they cause

Recover data from dead hard drives

Fix windows corruption issues

Train you to do anything you want on your computer

Replace bad power supplies

Network your computers and printers

Upgrade memory, hard drive, motherboard, graphics card, or processor

Train you to use any program in Windows or Linux

Speed up your computer

Specifically For Your Laptop

Replace laptop LCD screens

Solder DC jacks

Repair and replace your laptop motherboard

Clean out laptop heat-​sinks

Install new laptop keyboards

Install new laptop touch pads

History

Established in 2008.

Happy Hamster Computer Repair opened for business in July of 2008. Since then we have taken nearly 2,000 phone calls from local Portland people who need help with their computers. We are proud of our nearly perfect customer service record, and hope with our upcoming expansion to continue to service more and more of the city.

Meet the Business Owner

Zac C.

Business Owner

Zac started learning how to fix computers right around the time he started to break them, when he was 13 years old. Over the last 11 years he has slowly worked his way up the ranks of computer repair professionals. He started small, just doing the family machines, and has been steadily growing his business since then. Here in Portland, Zac has hired five technicians to work with him part-​time repairing computers all over the city.

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20 reviews of Happy Hamster Computer Repair

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Portland, OR
I’ve worked with a lot of tech companies and individuals over the years, and I’m hesitant with any new company since a lot of techs seem to enjoy making bold or wise statements without having the experience to back them up.
But these guys have been great to work with! I bought a refurbished laptop from them, the price was good, and I had them customize it a bit. When I picked it up, the drive they had put in (new) had failed! Occasionally that happens, and better right away than down the line when I’ve got time and data invested in it. The good part is how they responded — they dug into the problem right away, did all the reasonable tests promptly, determined that it was faulty and replaced it on the spot. Overall I was out the door in an hour with my new machine, even with that unforeseen snag. It’s been running great for weeks now, no problems.
I heard them interact with some other customers while I was there, and I didn’t hear anyone blowing smoke — just good advice from guys who obviously know their stuff. It doesn’t hurt that they’re a small local business, it feels good working with people in the neighborhood instead of a big box store.
Place rating: 5
Portland, OR
Great guys! I was having problems with the computer that another guy told me would be an easy fix. After the other guy «fixed» it, it still wasn’t working. I took it into Happy Hamster on a friend’s recommendation. Though they didn’t fix the computer, they explained that the problem was a bad motherboard and that though they could get a new one, it’d be cheaper to get a new computer. They were able to scrape my files onto an external hard drive and recycle my old computer for no additional costs.
If I had gone to these guys in the first place, I’d have an extra $ 70!
Place rating: 2
Powellhurst - Gilbert, Portland, OR
Eh. They got the job done. But definitly said one thing there, then said another thing 5 days later. Cost me thousands of dollars in work, and didnt even care. Dont think ill be going back. Ive had better, cheaper service at many different computer repair shops. Id suggest trying another shop.
Place rating: 5
Portland, OR
Was very dissatisfied with Windows 10 and reloaded windows 7 onto my laptop. These guys did a great job of locating and loading the required drivers (many of which were hard to find since the OS is 6 – 7 years old).When completed they helped me with all the necessary tweaks to my laptop so that it ran all my old programs that I love playing. I would recommend them to anyone that has simple questions or needs major work done to their pcs’s
Place rating: 1
Portland, OR
This is an old story of when this Happy Hamster place had first opened. I had a HP computer with Windows 7 on it. Did I mention this was an old story? I encountered some malware and it slowed the system down quite a bit. Upon taking the laptop to these guys, they informed me that it would have to be scrubbed. And, I’d have to buy a whole new Windows 7 package at $ 149.00. Plus, $ 40.00 for the work. I agreed and later regretted that decision.
When I got the computer back, it was no different in speed or loading time. It seemed more confused at times. So, I had another (highly recommended) shop look at the problem. First, they said, it had not been scrubbed. Secondly, the original Windows 7 was ‘written over’ with a poorly pirated (not licensed to me) copy. And thirdly, the computer still had malware.
Happy Hamster created more problems and took my money. I could have called them on this, but no time or money to follow through with any legal challenge. Your basic lowdown ripoff and I didn’t expect them to easily confess shifty work. It may be eight years later, but hope this note helps someone from making a similar mistake.
Place rating: 5
Portland, OR
This place is amazing! I had been experiencing trouble with my computer for a while, and after doing hours of research myself, I decided I just needed a RAM upgrade. i called Best Buy and the mentioned they could install the RAM for $ 40. Funds are a bit tight, so I decided to shop around. I called and Misa asked me some questions and then said how my style of laptop should be easy to upgrade RAM, so they wouldn’t charge for that.
I came in and Misa was extremely friendly and when I told him about my computer problems, he was concerned perhaps RAM was not the problem. He ended up running a diagnostics test and cleaning up some malware on my machine, free of charge.
My computer is now running much better and I saved myself a ton of money by not purchasing the RAM I didn’t need. Happy Hamster totally earned my trust and I will be coming to them for all my future technology needs!
Can’t thank them enough!!!
Place rating: 5
Lynnwood, WA
These guys are great.
I had a PC that had a serious problem and would not start up.
It was a very important computer that controlled a very expensive machine.
The Hamster guys fixed in a few minutes.
I love those guys.
Place rating: 5
Portland, OR
I’ve been going to Happy Hamster Computers for years, but only when there’s a persistent problem with one of my PCs that I just can’t figure out myself. They are simply the best, and here’s an example.
Last week my anti-​virus program, Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) started acting up – stalling in the middle of a scan. I tried everything, but couldn’t figure it out. So I went into Happy Hamster on NE MLK Blvd. and a fellow named Gabe W checked things out. He couldn’t find the source of the problem, either, which can happen occasionally with software.
The next step would have been for them to run an «industrial strength» virus scan and use other tools to figure out the problem, but that would have cost some money. So Gabe said, Why spend the money when you can just install another AV program — one called Avast that’s better than MSE anyway — and be done with it?
So he installed it, configured it, and sure enough, it later found a deep-​rooted virus that was probably the source of MSE’s stalling problem.
Anyway, when I went to pay for the 40 minutes or so that Gabe spent working on my machine, he declined. No big deal, he said. You’re a regular customer, we’re glad to help.
C’mon, who does that anymore?
It’s just one reason I love Happy Hamster. They’ve got people like Gabe who know what they’re doing. They’re smart, ethical, quick to respond, and they don’t nickel and dime you for every minute they spend helping you.
Place rating: 5
Prineville, OR
I brought my 4 month old Dell computer in to be looked at because it was running slow and not opening webpages. Gabe helped me out and was really friendly and knowledgable, he made some suggestions and helped me delete some questionable software that might have been bogging down my machine.
I got the computer home and sure enough the speed had picked up. What I liked was he had suggestions that were really helpful but didn’t try and swindle me into doing a major diagnostic because my issue was a fairly easy fix. It is that kind of service that will keep me coming back to HH.
Place rating: 5
Portland, OR
My friends were right: these guys know what they’re doing, they’re conscientious and courteous with a side of humor, and I’d take my computer (or yours) in without hesitation. I particularly like how they break down my options and contact me along the way — saves me money, helps me figure out what I need, and hey, it saves me money. Both the space and the staff are user-​friendly, not intimidating, and will explain whatever you need to know without being condescending. Bring it in — they’ll fix it or tell you why!
Place rating: 5
Portland, OR
These guys were great! My PC was dead (would not turn on) and I wanted to get all the data off and over to my Mac. They could have sold me all kinds of services to fix the PC I know longer waned because I know nothing in this area, but the tech suggested that he just pull the hard drive, put it in a device that would cost me $ 30 and I’d be set. He charged me nothing for the labor of pulling the drive, recycled my old PC for me (through Free Geek), connected it to my Mac and showed me how everything worked. Super professional! I’m a life long fan!
Place rating: 5
Portland, OR
George really knows his stuff. Amazing service and fast.
Place rating: 5
Portland, OR
I’ve used Happy Hamster for years whenever I have a computer problem. I took my tablet in today and Kyle was able to get it up and running while I was there. I walked in with an unusable computer and walked out with a tuned up machine. Thanks Kyle! I will continue to use Happy Hamster every time I have an issue.
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
I went into Happy Hamster with a malware virus and couldn’t be happier with the service I received! George was kind, sympathetic, and quick to help me take care of my problem. While I’m sure he thought it was an easy fix I was still expecting to pay something for the help — but he sent me out the door with a fixed computer, an antivirus program installed, and all without asking for a dime! I will definitely be back when I need some more assistance.
Place rating: 2
Portland, OR
I would say be aware of what you are paying for and what is done. We were having some browser redirection issues in a laptop and left it for a diagnostic, $ 69. I have checked the initial estimate and it states that a hardware and software diagnostic would be done (this will be important later).
The 1st response was that the hard drive was damaged, $ 300 plus, which I agreed to pay. After this there was a keyboard issue (which they handled without charging us since it broke in their care) and finally the screen went belly-​up when I got it home. Another $ 300 was requested for LCD and cable, which was approaching what I paid for the laptop. I asked if they would give me some kind of break since most of it was labor, but no. I finally decided to take it back and not throw more money at it, I can hook up the laptop to a monitor and use it with my treadmill. When I picked it up, there was lots of talk about how they were going to waive the $ 85 hardware diagnostic fee from me taking it back in, which was very strange when I checked my original note and saw that a hardware diagnostic was part of this whole enterprise!
I don’t take a negative Unilocal review lightly and somebody called me a week later and I bent his ear, he said he would look into it for me, but it’s been 10 days and no calls. So yeah, be careful! Overall I have some new virus protection software and the laptop seems fine when I hook it up to a monitor, that’s about the best I can say.
Place rating: 5
Portland, OR
My computer just crapped out a few days ago.
So I look on google for computer repair after having some iffy experience with a small guy nearby. Of the places I looked at, Happy Hamster had the best website. Sure, it sounds dumb that i chose a place based on the website, but it does make sense. A business’ website is like a person’s clothes: it speaks a great deal about the business. Happy Hamster’s website was clean, complete, easy to use, and lookjed nice. This means that the business cares enough to give a good impression and provide useful details prior to the customer coming in.
So, I call in and ask what’s going on. They tell me a few different possibilities, and how much it will cost. Sure they talked a lot and went on and on, but I was patient and I understood what would likely happen. I dropped the computer off. A day later thy called and said the problem was worse than expected, but that it wouldn’t be too bad of a price increase (from a starting guess of 200 to a final price of 300). They walked me through what went wrong and what they did (something no one else has done before), and let me look through it.
The computer works and everything went smooth.
Place rating: 5
Fort Worth, TX
I idiotically got some crumbs stuck behind my new work laptop keyboard. I’ve always been able to take keyboard keys off and replace them myself but for some reason this time I just couldn’t! Thankfully within about 15 minutes Jeremy Wilferd and Kyle Hansel were able to fix it for me! Great job guys and with fabulous attitudes and customer Service demeanor! I couldn’t have asked for a better experience.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
My problem was simple but I was still preparing for the worst (at least cost-​wise), yet I couldn’t have had a better experience at Happy Hamster.
My brief call ahead of time went well and within 5 minutes of walking into the store my laptop’s fan was cleared out and blasting cold (COLD!) air out during the boot up process. It was comforting to hear explaining details along the way about how it happened, how to avoid, etc., especially for such an embarrassingly simple fix.
However I felt compelled to write a review and give a huge thanks to my consultant, Misa, for sticking with me beyond the 10-​minute ‘consultation’ and helping to solve long-​frustrating issues like iTunes refusing to work or uninstall, ensuring my system specs were up to par and giving advice on speeding up my computer. The store was light on customers so I’m sure that played a part though.
Bottom line: I won’t EXPECT that level of service every time, but I’ll feel confident coming back with future issues and recommending friends do the same.
Place rating: 5
Portland, OR
I had a vicious little «safe search» virus that had been bugging up both our laptops. I had tried several times to fix it, and finally brought them in to get fixed. They happily fixed them both in less than five minutes and didn’t even charge me. I hope I never need to return, but these guys definitely earned my business.
Thanks Marc!
Place rating: 5
Portland, OR
These guys are great! I went in to have my computer’s fan cleaned out, and they did that totally free of charge AND removed old anti-​virus software AND installed some freeware anti-​virus AND updated some plug-​ins and what have you. All free.
Totally friendly, totally approachable. Misa helped me out and he couldn’t have been a nicer fellow. Even cleaned my screen (thanks Misa — it really does run and look like new!)
Can’t wait to be able to recommend someone to take their computer there!