What do you do if your computer crashes and there isn't a teenager around to get it working for you? Increasingly, people are turning to home-help services from self-styled computer geeks who promise to visit your home and fix almost any technical problem - for a fee.

The advice does not stop at computers. Home support services will tackle technical problems with all devices in the home, from a malfunctioning iPod to a complicated home cinema system. The market for technical support is booming in the UK and estimated to be worth £2 billion.

Jon Ingram, of BroadbandChoices.co.uk, the broadband information website, believes that technology in the home has become so complicated that people need help. He says: “Middle-aged and older consumers do not have the knowledge - or the desire - to understand most of the technology in their homes. They are looking for a complete solution to their technology problems.”

The Geek Squad (0800 0496190), a 24-hour home technology support group, says that 85 per cent of the calls that it receives can be dealt with remotely, by giving the caller advice over the phone or by taking control of a customer's computer by remote access.

Kevin Gillan, of The Geek Squad, says: “The real problem for most people is connectivity. Our customers want all their gadgets to be connected to each other. The real challenge is to get it all working seamlessly.”

The two biggest problems for customers are computer viruses and their wireless routers, according to The Geek Squad. In fact, wireless router problems are so common that most home support services list a standard cost of sending an engineer to your home to sort it out.

The Geek Squad was launched in the UK last year by its American owner, Best Buy, in conjunction with The Carphone Warehouse. Its subscription service is called MyGeek and costs £10 a month. The Geek Squad will set up a wireless network remotely for £25. A PC health check, which updates your computer's software and security, also costs £25. Home visits start from £70 on a “no fix, no fee” basis, but only London, the South East and the North West are covered.

A rival operator, The TechGuys (0845 024024), from Dixons Group, has engineers based in PC World and some Currys stores. The TechGuys offer a wider array of services, from PC healthchecks in PC World stores for £29.99, to setting up a flat-screen TV and mounting it on your wall for £299.99.

You can buy the TechFriend telephone support service for £89.99 for 12 months, allowing you to call a dedicated call centre 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Unlike The Geek Squad, there are no extra charges for a monthly subscription or for additional services, such as remote access.

BT's Home IT Support (0800 0321118), which it has been operating since March 2006, costs £9.99 a month for three months, or £8.99 a month for 12 months. A subscription gives you support from a technical team that will try to solve any problems or questions. And for the really tricky issues, advisers can use remote access to make changes to the settings on your computer.

If you still need help, BT also offers home visits. Setting up a wireless network, for example, costs £60 until April, when it increases to £90. You do not need to be a BT Broadband customer, although you do need to have a BT landline.

Geeks-on-Wheels (0800 1074111) fixes computer problems only, and its services are limited to London and the South East. However, the Brighton-based company does offer a discount of 10 per cent for the over-65s, students and nurses. Home visits costs £88 an hour.

Another website, fixITLocal (0844 8440004), operates differently, connecting you to a nationwide network of technical engineers. It promises to put you in touch with an engineer within five miles of your home. There is a fixed price of £49.99 for the first hour, but after this you will have to negotiate a price with the individual engineer.

It is worth checking what free information is available before splashing out on the luxury of a home visit by a fully trained geek. Most internet service providers (ISPs), such as Virgin Media, Orange and Tiscali, have technical helplines that you can call if you suffer a problem with your connection.

The general PC helpline at Virgin Media, for example, which can be used by non-customers, costs £1 a minute, and is available from 8am until 11pm. The provider also offers a “manned install”, where an engineer will set up your broadband and get it up and running for £25. Orange, BT Broadband and Sky customers can also obtain help from their providers in setting up broadband connections.

Likewise, wireless router, TV and manufacturers of MP3 players often provide customer helplines.

Mr Ingram says: “There is usually a lot of information available if you are willing to look for it. For a specific problem, it is hard for companies such as The Geek Squad to compete with the advice of the manufacturer, or your ISP. However, it can be difficult to get through at peak times and helplines are not always cheap.”

CASE STUDY: Silver surfer's saviour

Ann Humpage, left, turned to BT Home IT Support when her computer modem stopped working. “I just couldn't get an internet connection and I didn't know what to do,” she says.

BT sent her a new modem and an engineer arrived to get it working. After sorting out her computer, he also set up her BT Vision set-top box. “It had been sitting up in my bedroom because I didn't know how to plug it in,” Mrs Humpage says. “When I mentioned it to him, he said that he was happy to do that while he was here, at no extra cost.”

The 74-year-old, from Eccles, Manchester, volunteers with the University of the Third Age, a self-help charity, and regularly uses the internet at home to support her work. She pays £8.99 a month to subscribe to the

Home IT Support service and has called the technical support line a number of times in the past year. She chose the BT service because it is a company she trusts.

She thinks that technical support services such as BT Home IT Support and The Geek Squad are essential for the older generations, adding: “I used to use slide rules when I was growing up, not computers. Silver surfers like me need this kind of back-up for when something goes wrong.”

Free help online

Calling on the services of a mobile computer geek may ensure that your problem is resolved or your question is answered, but at up to £90 a visit, it could be the equivalent of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

If you have the patience - and the internet connection - there is an array of free information available online.

Broadband websites, such as Broadbandchoices.co.uk or Thinkbroadband.com, have answers to frequently asked questions and general advice on topics such as how to speed up your internet connection. If you think that your slow-running PC could be suffering from “e-besity”, you can run a free systems check at TheTechGuys.com.

PC owners should visit support.microsoft.com to find information on their Windows operating system, such as how to delete temporary internet files. If you use an Apple computer, visit apple.com/support.

There are also user guides online from manufacturers and internet service providers. Linksys, for example, which produces the bestselling wireless router, has product information online. It also has a helpline, charged at a local rate, offering the same remote access touted by The Geek Squad and others.

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