Outlook will not open
IT Support & Help Desk
Start with the problem. We’ll work out the technical part.
Most businesses look for IT support because something is not working. Outlook will not open. A computer is painfully slow. Someone cannot sign in. The printer disappeared again. That is enough information to start.
RPM Computers (RPMC) provides business IT support in Barrie and the surrounding area. New customers and businesses looking for on-demand IT help are welcome.
The simple idea
Tell us what you were trying to do and what happened instead.
Start with what is happening
Tell us what you see.
The cause may be Microsoft 365, the computer, the network, the internet, a server, an account, a software vendor, a printer, security, or something else underneath it. Start with the symptom. Troubleshooting is how we work out where the problem actually lives.
A computer is painfully slow
Someone cannot sign in
A program keeps crashing
The printer disappeared again
The Wi-Fi is unreliable
A shared drive is unavailable
A server or application is down
The internet feels wrong
A suspicious email arrived
A new employee needs setup
Something changed and nobody knows why
Help with the problem you have today
On-demand IT support when something goes wrong.
Sometimes a business simply has a technical problem that needs to be fixed. We provide on-demand IT support, often called break/fix support, for businesses that want help as problems come up.
We also support customers farther afield, including Toronto and the GTA, particularly where the work can be handled remotely or where the relationship makes sense. Barrie and the surrounding area remain the geographic centre of this service.
Day-to-day interruptions
A computer stops working properly. An employee loses access to email. Microsoft 365 behaves unexpectedly. A business application stops connecting.
Office-wide friction
A network problem may affect one person or the whole office. A printer or scanner becomes unreachable. A server or shared system causes problems.
People and access
A new employee needs to be set up. A departing employee needs access removed. Someone receives a suspicious email and wants another set of eyes before doing anything with it.
More than repairing a box
Business computers rarely exist in isolation.
People search for computer repair because that is often the simplest way to describe what they need. We provide business computer and PC troubleshooting, but a computer may depend on the office network, Microsoft 365, user accounts, shared files, printers, applications, security controls, and cloud services around it.
What looks like a broken computer may actually be a problem somewhere else in that environment. Working with the device where it is used can be valuable, because the technician can see the computer and the systems around it rather than treating the machine as an isolated object.
Remote support
Useful when it can begin quickly
Some problems can be investigated and resolved remotely. Remote support can remove travel time and may allow troubleshooting to begin sooner.
Onsite support
When the environment matters
Hardware, cabling, installations, certain network problems, equipment failures, and issues that depend on the surrounding environment may need somebody physically present.
The point is not to force every problem into remote support or onsite support. The point is to choose the practical route toward understanding the problem and getting the customer working again. If a technician determines that equipment needs work away from the customer's location, that can be handled as part of resolving the issue. Office visits are by appointment only.
Good troubleshooting
The thing showing the error is not always the thing causing it.
A useful support conversation does not begin by asking the customer to speak like a technician. A person may say Outlook is broken because Outlook is where they see the error. That does not mean Outlook itself is the cause.
We look at what changed, what works, what does not, who is affected, what happened before the problem started, and what the available technical information is showing us. We would rather narrow down the cause than change random things until the symptom disappears.
Trying something is not the same as fixing something. Where practical, we want to know whether the change actually solved the problem. If the same symptom keeps returning, the next question is why.
Good troubleshooting means following the evidence. Sometimes the right fix is quick. Not every problem needs to become a major investigation.
01
What were you trying to do?
02
What happened instead?
03
Who is affected?
04
When did it start?
What you see
The printer disappeared
What it may be
A network problem
The device showing the error is not always the system that needs attention.
What you see
An application is unstable
What it may be
Authentication, connectivity, storage, or the server underneath it
Problems often cross several technical systems.
What you see
A suspicious email
What it may be
Something that needs a look, not an automatic conclusion
A strange email does not automatically mean an account has been compromised.
A process, not another thing to remember
A support ticket gives the problem somewhere to live.
A ticket keeps the request visible even when somebody cannot answer the phone at that exact moment. Tickets are monitored while the problem is assessed, assigned, worked, tracked, and documented.
01
Recorded
The request is captured so it does not depend on somebody remembering a conversation.
02
Assessed
Someone reviews what was submitted and what the problem appears to be doing.
03
Prioritized
Urgency follows business impact, so the most disruptive problems receive the appropriate priority.
04
Assigned
The work is given to somebody who can actually take it forward.
05
Worked
A technician engages: reviewing, asking, contacting, or beginning troubleshooting.
06
Tracked
The issue stays visible while it is moving, including when another vendor is involved.
07
Documented
What was found and what was done has a place to live after the immediate fire is out.
08
Verified
Where practical, we want to know whether the change actually solved the problem.
An automated ticket received message is not the same as technician engagement. A meaningful response means somebody has actively engaged with the request. The purpose of the process is not bureaucracy. It is to make the problem visible and keep it moving.
Priority
Priority follows business impact.
One employee losing a second monitor is different from the entire company being unable to access a system required to operate. We consider severity, how many people are affected, whether work can continue, whether there is a workaround, and what service commitments apply. The exact label is less important than the principle: priority should reflect business impact.
Critical
The business cannot reasonably continue
Work that the organization depends on has stopped, or cannot continue in a usable way.
High
Serious interruption
Important work is blocked for one person or a group, with little or no useful workaround.
Medium
Work is impaired
The issue is getting in the way, but some work can still continue.
Low
Limited impact
The problem is real, but it is not stopping the business from operating.
Request
Not stopping anyone
A request that would help, without blocking anyone from working today.
You should not have to referee
Some technical problems cross several boundaries.
The software company says it is the network. The internet provider says its connection is working. The copier company says it is Microsoft. Microsoft points toward a configuration elsewhere. Meanwhile the customer is stuck in the middle.
Start with us. If another provider genuinely needs to be involved, we can gather logs, test connectivity, explain the environment, join troubleshooting calls, translate what has already been discovered, and help determine where the responsibility actually belongs.
Sometimes another provider legitimately performs the final fix. That is fine. The value is helping move the problem toward resolution without requiring the customer to understand every technical boundary.
Microsoft
ISP
Software vendor
Copier company
Firewall / network
Cloud service
If it looks suspicious, send it
Security questions are support questions too.
Not every security concern begins as a cybersecurity project. Sometimes an employee simply receives an email that does not look right. They should be able to ask. An employee who stops before clicking and asks for help is doing exactly what a sensible security process should encourage.
We can look at what was received and help determine what the evidence actually shows. A strange email should not be ignored simply because the employee does not know how to investigate it themselves.
If the concern reveals a larger security need, Cybersecurity is the deeper conversation: ongoing protection, monitoring, identity, security controls, and incident preparation.
Explore Cybersecurity
When today's problem is not the whole story
One problem can uncover something larger.
When possible, we can stabilize the immediate issue and explain what was found. If the underlying problem is better handled as a project, replacement, infrastructure improvement, security change, or another type of work, that should be identified separately rather than quietly allowing a small support request to become an open-ended project.
Fix today's problem
Get the person or system working again. Start with the problem in front of you; we can identify the deeper service or project if one is needed.
Explain what was found
Aging infrastructure, a network issue, Microsoft 365 configuration, weak account security, failing hardware, or an unreliable backup process may sit underneath the visible symptom.
Choose the next kind of work
That may lead into Microsoft 365 work, networking, cybersecurity, backup and continuity, infrastructure, or equipment replacement. We can help determine which kind of work makes sense next.
When the relationship starts
Sometimes you just need today’s problem fixed.
For some businesses, occasional support is exactly what they need today. We can help with the problem in front of you, and if a broader pattern becomes clear, we can explain the options.
On-demand support
The relationship starts after the interruption
Something stops working, you contact us, and we help investigate and fix the problem. That relationship is valid. The practical limitation is that we may need to learn the environment while the customer is already waiting.
Managed IT
An ongoing role before the next request
Managed IT changes when we become involved and how much responsibility we carry between incidents. It does not prevent every failure. Sometimes the value is prevention. Sometimes it is already knowing the environment. Sometimes it is being better prepared to recover.
If the business is tired of repeatedly starting the IT relationship only after something has gone wrong, Fully Managed IT explains that model in depth.
Explore Fully Managed ITAlready have internal IT?
Internal IT can get additional support too.
Some organizations already have an employee or internal IT team handling technology. They may still need extra capacity, a place to escalate difficult problems, project assistance, specialist depth, vacation coverage, security help, or vendor coordination.
If the business is looking for reinforcement rather than replacement, Co-Managed IT is the deeper conversation.
Co-Managed IT is meant to strengthen the IT resources the business already has, not replace them.
Explore Co-Managed ITBarrie-based support
Barrie-based IT support.
Barrie and the surrounding area are the geographic centre of this service. Our service also extends into Toronto and the GTA, particularly where remote support or the wider customer relationship makes that practical. Not every technical problem requires somebody to travel. Location, urgency, the nature of the problem, and the work involved all affect the practical support approach.
Regular hours
Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM, excluding holidays.
Emergency support
Emergency support is available 24/7. Emergency rates apply.
Office visits
92 Caplan Avenue, Suite 643, Barrie, Ontario L4N 9J2. Visits to our Barrie office are by appointment only. Support is built around helping the customer in the environment where the problem occurs.
Choose the path that matches today
Choose the right starting point.
If something is broken now, the next step should be support. If you are comparing long-term IT partners, a Discovery Call is a different conversation.
Active technical problem
Get Support
I have a technical problem and want help from the support team. Submitting a support request is usually the best way to get the issue into the support process, because tickets remain monitored and tracked even when the phone cannot be answered immediately.
Question or enquiry
Contact Us
I have a question or general enquiry and want to talk with RPM Computers. Use this for a conversation about whether we can help, contact information, or an enquiry that is not an active support request.
Ongoing relationship
Book a Free Discovery Call
I want to explore an ongoing business relationship. This is a different conversation from getting today's problem into the support process.
Tickets are the preferred support path. Since 2003, RPMC has helped businesses start with the problem in front of them, whether they are new customers or already working with us.
Practical details
A few questions people usually ask before they get in touch.
Do I need Managed IT before I can get help?
No. We provide both on-demand IT support and ongoing Managed IT. If you need help with a problem today, contact us and we can determine the right support path.
Should I call, or submit a support request?
For an active technical problem, use Get Support to put the issue into our support process. Tickets are preferred because they remain monitored and tracked even when the phone cannot be answered immediately.
Can you help if I do not know what is broken?
Yes. Tell us what you were trying to do, what happened instead, who is affected, and when it started. We’ll work out where the problem lives.
Do you only work remotely?
No. Remote support is useful when it can begin quickly and properly address the problem. Onsite support is appropriate when physical access, hardware, cabling, installation, or the surrounding environment matter. We choose the practical route.
What are the current support hours?
Regular support hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM, excluding holidays. Emergency support is available 24/7, and emergency rates apply.
Can you help when the problem involves another technology provider?
Yes. Start with us. If Microsoft, an internet provider, software vendor, copier company, or another provider needs to be involved, we can gather the technical information, coordinate troubleshooting, and keep the issue moving. Sometimes another provider performs the final fix; we help work out who owns the next step.
Related work
Start with the problem in front of you.
Start with what is happening
Tell us what you were trying to do, what happened instead, and what the problem is stopping you from doing. We will work on the technical part.
Employees should be able to ask for help without becoming IT experts themselves.