Geek Squad Pulls Back the Curtain on Software Tools

While some suspected that Geek Squad Agents possessed some sort of mystical powers or “Computer Whisperer” abilities, the company today proved that old-fashioned technical know-how is the real secret to its success.

Dissatisfied with existing resources, Geek Squad developed two diagnostic and malware tools to help combat the evils of unruly technology, and has been using them with great success in its unending mission to shield civilians from the agony of computer downtime. Today Geek Squad seeks multiple applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for these tools, to ensure that they don’t fall into the wrong hands.

The patent applications cover the aptly titled Ludicrously Automated Spyware Eradication Resource (LASER™) and Facilitates Accuracy, Consistency and Efficiency (FACE™) tools. Both were developed by the Geek Squad Technical Tools Team to help diagnose hardware problems, and to detect and remove malware on Windows PC platforms. Now used by Geek Squad Agents in service to civilians worldwide, LASER and FACE help ensure accuracy in malware detection and eradication.

“We treat millions of people a year who suffer from computer breakdowns, and a growing number of these crashes are due to the ugly consequences of a bad case of malware,” said Michael Sherwood, lead architect of the Geek Squad Technical Tools Team. “When our Agents couldn’t find a solution we liked, we went to our basement lab and built a few of our own.”

LASER and FACE are components of the Geek Squad MRI, a master computer repair toolkit created for – and used exclusively by – Geek Squad. With the MRI, Agents set up and customize the applications on new computers, as well as repair computers that suffer from problems such as excess icons, runtime slowdown, and virus and malware infestations.

“We believe we have the most advanced computer repair toolkit in the industry,” said Sherwood. “LASER and FACE are great new weapons in the fight against computer problems. Of course, as more threats develop, we’ll keep coding, and we expect this is only the beginning.”

About Geek Squad:

Geek Squad is the first national 24-hour technology support task force supporting virtually all of the gear civilians depend on today. Some 12,000 active Geek Squad Agents support PC repair, patrolling Geek Squad precincts in all U.S. Best Buy stores, all Canadian Best Buy stores and at Geek Squad stand-alone store locations. For more information, please visit www.GeekSquad.com.