NorthBay Computer Systems

San Rafael, United States

4.7

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 415-456-6537
Website:
www.nbcsys.com
Address:
4 California Ave, San Rafael, CA, 94901
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Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes

Today

Today –
Local time (San Rafael) –

Business hours

Monday 7:00 am – 5:30 pm
Tuesday 7:00 am – 5:30 pm
Wednesday 7:00 am – 5:30 pm
Thursday 7:00 am – 5:30 pm
Friday 7:00 am – 5:30 pm
Saturday 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

NorthBay Computer Systems, Inc. relies on a staff of highly-​trained computer service technicians and consultants to serve a growing base of customers. Clients range from individual computer users to large corporations. NorthBay Computer Systems, Inc. technicians tailor solutions to meet their customers’ individual needs involving networks, workstations, laptops and more.

* Windows Server Administration

* IT Planning and Implementation

* On-​Site Service

* Network Configuration and Troubleshooting

* DSL, Cable & E-​mail Configuration

* Upgrades and Repair

NorthBay Computer Systems, Inc. service representatives can perform on-​site service your home or office. We also have a full-​service facility in San Rafael.

History

Established in 1995.

NorthBay Computer Systems, Inc. was opened in 1995 after John Steddin got it in his head he could open a computer service company. He had been in the computer service industry since 1991 and had worked for small companies and large corporations.

In March of 1995 a business license was acquired and the company was started in the living room of the mobile home John was renting. At first, it was on site only, but after our shop at 4 California Avenue in San Rafael was we did both on site and in house service.

NorthBay Computer Systems started as one man operation, but soon after the Sun Valley shop was opened we started hiring. We have been growing ever since. We currently have 5 full time employees with experience ranging from computer tech with 4 years of experience to Microsoft Certified Professionals with well over 13 years.

In 2010 we will have been in business 15 years and continue to stand behind our work. We love serving Marin’s busines and home computer users.

Meet the Manager

John S.

Manager

John has been with the company since its inception in 1995. He has been working with PCs since DOS 5 and before Windows.

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20 reviews of NorthBay Computer Systems

No registration required
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
Took in my mom’s Asus laptop which was not connecting to internet for some odd reason. I had tried a couple TCP/​IP scripts that were suggested online, but without success, and i had taken it to someone else who also couldnt figure it out. I found these guys on Unilocal and called up and was told i could just come on by, so i did… 5 minutes later problem was fixed (cheap)! When i got home the issue reappeared — ahhhh! — so i called them back and John walked me thru the appropriate settings once again. My mom is a happy surfer once again… Northbay was EZ, nearby, friendly knowledgeable affordable :-)
Place rating: 5
San Rafael, CA
Prompt service. Knowledgeable.
I can almost always repair my computer but this time after several hours, I was stuck. Took it to their small shop based on a friend’s recommendation. Fixed quickly and offered to help over the phone if further problems. Will recommend them.
Place rating: 5
Belvedere Tiburon, CA
My 12-​year old was invited by Microsoft to upgrade her operating system to Windows 10. So she did. Afterwards, she restarted the computer and her screen was totally black. The computer was dead as a brick. I took the computer in to John @ Northbay, he told me the Dell hardware was too old to support the latest version of Windows. He went on to say I could pay him a bunch of money to make things work again (back to windows 8), but that I should probably just buy a new computer. So that’s what I did. John then transferred all of my daughter’s data to the new computer. He also upgraded her headphone and mouse so that she could play Minecraft with her friends. My daughter is now pleased as punch and I couldn’t be happier with the service!
Place rating: 5
San Anselmo, CA
When I arrived at North Bay Computer Systems I was greeted by John Steddin. I had a piece of aduio equipment that needed a firmware update. Even though it was a little different from what they normally do, John was very helpful and got the job done. After my dealings with John, I am very confidant he could see me through any computer issues as well. Thank you John.
Place rating: 5
San Rafael, CA
I recently brought a Dell XPS desktop machine (running Windows 7) to NorthBay Computer Systems… after system performance degraded to the point of frustration and frequent, unexpected system and program crashes.
This shop opens at 7am, which is great as they can accommodate early morning phone calls and visits. I spoke to Jason, explained the issues I was experiencing, explained what steps I took to try to resolve the issues… and was then invited to bring the computer in for a look-​see.
I arrived the next day at 8am to find Jason there busy at work. He dropped what he was doing, spent 10 – 15 minutes recapping what I reported, and explained the set of diagnostics that he’d run. Jason said he’d contact me later in the day with an update.
Sure enough, later in the day Jason called to inform me that my primary hard drive was generating errors and would need to be replaced. Fortunately, they had the replacement drive (larger than my old one) in stock, and spent the remainder of the day transferring an image of my old machine to the new hard drive. This took longer than expected, but it was due to the size and complexity of my old machine’s profile.
The very next morning I received a phone call from Jason saying everything was done and the machine was back on track. I wasn’t able to get there right away, but stopped by again the next morning.
Sure enough, my Windows machine is back to how I remember it… speedy and reliable. NorthBay Computer Systems with the assist!
Overall, the labor and parts prices are reasonable, and the customer service and results were exceptional. I don’t think my specific issue was very complex to solve, but NorthBay Comuter Systems handled with professionalism, courtesy, competence, and speed!
I definitely recommend this business and will pay them a visit if/​when I encounter other issues I can’t handle myself. Thanks!
Place rating: 5
Sausalito, CA
Who do you call when your computer dumps on you? Northbay Computers!
Our workhorse Dell 6400 would not boot, file missing/​corrupt. I couldn’t revive it and call Ryan. Dropped it off Saturday and Ryan calls Monday. We had talked about OS upgrade to Windows 7 as it is XP unsupported.
Ryan said hold off and consider a new machine as upgrading may not be the best solution.
Ryan backed up all files on an external drive, corrected the missing file and for now it is functioning properly.
Yes, he could have upgraded which would have been pricing and I willing to pay it. His professionalism and customer centered loyalty as evidenced previously, held true.
Like an old family doctor, Northbay Computers is trustworthy to diagnose and recommend the correct course of action to get your machine back to working without taking an arm and a leg.
Place rating: 5
San Rafael, CA
I had a frustrating email issue I just couldn’t get my brain around. I gave up, and reading the great reviews gave NBCS a call. Wow! What service l! Ryan is fabulous. I had an issue with my Mozilla Thunderbird email program and he totally updated all my contacts — which I thought
I had lost! He then helped me with my HP printer drivers and even updated some other bits.
Billing was most reasonable.
Do not hesitate to call for help!
Place rating: 5
San Anselmo, CA
My son has been having computer issues and contacted this company on two different occasions and interacted with two different employees and each time was impressed by their knowledge and professionalism and grateful for their integrity and honesty. We worked with James who was just AMAZING. My son is 14 and techie wanna be and I really was impressed with the patient and generous way James interacted with him and answered all his questions. James looked at the computer and taught my son how to problem solve so it was like getting a computer fix and tutor session at the same time.
I am writing to let everyone know what a great company NorthBay Computer Systems is, and to give James a big shout out because he certainly deserves it. This is where I will come from now on for computer help.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
I contacted NorthBay today because my monitor wouldn’t open. Not a good situation since I’m starting a trial in several days and need the data in the computer. I took the box in, and talked to John. He did some diagnostics, and determined my problem was that I had my monitor connected to the wrong plug. I also asked him about some non-​functioning USB ports, and he fixed that problem in about 2 minutes. He had been talking and working with me for 20 — 30 minutes, but wouldn’t take any payment because he said nothing was broken and he hadn’t repaired anything. His only request was that I come back to him the next time I have a computer problem. You can be sure I will, and that I will recommend these guys to everyone I know.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
John and I sat down and shared a hazelnut coffee this morning, inside of my wife’s Acer S7 Laptop. It smelled delicious. (John isn’t a fan of hazelnut)
Having once worked in desktop support as an MCSA/​MCSE, I entered into our meeting armed only with the desperate knowledge that I lacked a star screwdriver and time was of the essence. It was 7am… WHO IS OPEN AT 7AM??? These guys are.
As the clamshell case was cracked open, we looked at one another across the workbench as only two seasoned IT professionals could. There was death in the room, we were certain of it. Partly because we could smell it… again, hazelnut.
Miraculously, after tearing down the patient, cleaning it off, and patching it back up; wouldn’t you know it? The darn thing booted. Never mind that the guts had been corroded by acid and sugar, that the backspace key no longer functioned, or that the HDMI out was shot — IT BOOTED. Hell, the touchscreen even worked.
It was enough to take a clean backup and order a replacement.
Thanks John, you helped turn my doctoral student’s dissertation tragedy into nothing more than an expensive anecdote. You are appreciated.
Place rating: 5
San Rafael, CA
My wife’s computer stopped working, which meant she would lose all her data (don’t get me started about backups) and have to drive from San Rafael to San Mateo if she couldn’t work from home. I called NorthBay and they said I could bring it in immediately. It took them about 5 seconds to diagnose a bad drive, and within a couple hours they had installed a new drive and transferred all the data. They even helped my wife get Outlook set up afterward. True super-​heroes, these guys.
Place rating: 5
San Anselmo, CA
We are the tech «challenged» sort of people and got ourselves into quite a pickle recently when our computer crashed. guess what!!! John is a magician.
He replaced the hard drive AND was able to save thousands of pictures of our children that we didn’t have backed up (yes– I know, I know! read my first sentence). I am beyond grateful to have found a computer man we can trust!
Place rating: 5
Sausalito, CA
Don’t be deceived by the informal store front and surroundings. These guys know what they’re doing. They transferred data from an old server to a new one, then cleaned up my old server both in software and by literally cleaning the case and vacuuming out all the dust.
John helped me load both servers into my car and, repeatedly, told me to call them if I ran into any difficulties — they would log on remotely.
Service was efficient, as promised, price very reasonable. They have a lifetime customer.
John — Sausalito
Place rating: 5
San Rafael, CA
I can hardly express my gratitude to John S. and the folks over at NorthBay Computer Systems. We had a serious emergency with the computer network and server in our office. We couldn’t access any files that we needed or the practice management software that we use.
We called NCS in hopes that someone would be able to make it out to help us that same day. Not only was John able to make it in just hours later, he was able to diagnose the problem quickly and get us back on our feet. He was incredibly helpful in explaining (in terms that I could easily understand) what had happened and how to go about fixing it again (if it ever happens a second time), and professional.
I would highly recommend their service! Thank you for all of your help!
Place rating: 5
Fairfax, CA
I couldn’t get on the internet for some reason and called NorthBay to get a quote for bringing it in. I didn’t expect someone to spend 20 minutes troubleshooting the problem over the phone for free, but that’s what Ryan did. He completely fixed the problem and charged me nothing. Needless to say, I will definitely use this company for any other computer issues I have and recommend it and Ryan to others.
Place rating: 2
Sonoma, CA
Was looking for a place to get my laptop’s motherboard fixed or replaced. Based on the number of 5-​star-​ratings posted here, I drove from Petaluma to this place. I should have investigated more; their most recent laptop «repair» mentioned here was replacing a CMOS-​battery. James was friendly but exclaimed, «That’s a laptop!», meaning they do not repair them. Why doesn’t it specifically say so here?
He seriously suggested I’d try a place across the Bay in Albany.
So this trip to San Rafael was in vain, but I luckily found a superb laptop repair shop in Petaluma.
Place rating: 5
Mill Valley, CA
They swiftly solved my problem: an improperly setup new kit PC (my fault). Got in early in a Friday without an appointment and was out in 1 hour. Awesome.
Place rating: 2
San Rafael, CA
I called NorthBay about a mac based external hard drive that was acting up. they said «no problem, bring it by and we’ll take a look»
A few days go by and I call and they tell me, we don’t work on Mac’s.
Really!, you could not have told me that before I unhooked everything, got into my car, drove over there and then did it all again to pick it up?
Not a word of apology when I did pick it up about the fact that they steered me wrong. Anyway, bought a C2G USB to IDE cord online for 29 bucks and drive is rescued.
Place rating: 5
Corte Madera, CA
To date they have serviced 3 of my computers, it is the only place i go and highly recommend them to anyone. The team at NorthBay Computer Systems are friendly, efficient and knowledgable.
Place rating: 5
Berkeley, CA
I am typing this from my computer, which I had already mentally buried. I got it from my stepdad, and almost as soon as I started using it, I kept getting this weird blue screen with some message about the display moniter.
I suppose its worth noting that I use an HP Windows 7 laptop with Beats Audio.
I brought it in, and Ryan, who was AMAAAZING, called me with copious updates. I wasn’t able to answer both times because he happened to call while I was at work, but the message was so detailed, I felt like I knew exactly what the status of my laptop was and how far along or far from the goal we were.
I picked up my computer early the next week, took it home, and alas, the blue screen was still happening. I called them back, and they told me to bring it back and they would work on it until it was fixed, for free (since I had already paid for the service the first time).
I swung by a couple days later, picked up my computer, which was now FIXED, and went about my way.
Look, I can’t afford to buy a new laptop. I am also an aspiring novelist in what little spare time I have, so the laptop is incredibly important to me. It meant so much to me that these guys were so friendly, so warm, kept me updated every step along the way, and displayed so much concern about making sure they got the job done. I appreciated each one of them (worked with a couple different guys, but mostly Ryan), and I appreciated the ultra reasonable price I paid for having such an important item back in my life.
Thank you to NCS. I would absolutely recommend you, and use you again and again should the situation ever arise.