THE ROVING EYE.

A team of special agents in clip-on ties and high-water ants has been seen driving around Los Angeles in Oreo-colored Volkswagen Beetles, making house calls to small businesses in need of computer help.

Meet the Minneapolis-based Geek Squad, a 24-hour quick-response team that promises to fix any computer problem, via phone, Internet or in person. Founded seven years ago, the company last month expanded its operation to Los Angeles.

"When movies were shot in Minneapolis, we found ourselves repairing the crew's laptops," said Robert Stephens, chief inspector and agent No. 66. "After they returned to Los Angeles they would call us with computer problems and ask us why our in-person services weren't available in Los Angeles."

Stephens says he chose the company's odd name, outfits and the name "special agent" for each technician. He said it was more appealing than being a computer technician from ABC Computer Repair. "I call myself the 'chief inspector' because the term chief executive officer is so over-used," he said.

So far, his offbeat idea has paid off. Stephens founded the company in 1994 as a one-man, on-the-side consulting firm. Today, the company employs more than 50 employees, and it has been profitable every year except 1997, when there was a change in pricing.

"If you have a pulse and a computer, we will fix it," Stephens says.

The Geek Squad site (www.geeksquad.com) lets any member of the squad back at mission control get a map and track exactly where any of the squad's technicians are.

"Our technicians are clean and well dressed, unlike some in the industry," says Stephens. "Also, computer geeks don't have social lives, so 24-hour service is not a Problem,"