Computer Repair

I would like to put to rest an idea that many people have that could cost them more money than they need to spend.

Most people talk to friends to find out where they bought their computer. This is probably the best thing to do, but there seems to be a lot of 'computer professional friends' that really don’t know a whole lot about them.

When you buy a computer brand name or not, it doesn’t matter which one, you basically are rolling dice. I have personally had a great number of people tell me that they won’t buy a clone or won’t buy a brand name. All parts inside computers are created by mass production and can have flaws. Also, I would like to point out that a lot of the parts in a brand name computer are the same brands as in the so-called clones.

A computer is like a tool, so if you buy a cheap tool it might not do the job or last very long, and a part or two might need to be replaced. Cheap computers have cheap parts inside them - that is what makes them cheap. Things like cheap DVD players, video cards, and sound cards are usually put in or even slower speed RAM memory chip. The motherboard is another big item that companies will scrimp on. That is one item you don’t want to be cheap with. Computers have very little mark up on them, so if the price seems too good to be true, it likely is. If you are after a computer that does a lot, you will need to spend a little more money.

Another thing I want to make a point about is software. There are so many problems with software that I don’t even really know where to begin. I will start with the Windows programs everyone has heard so much about otherwise known as the operating system. Windows is software!! This is the software that makes the computer behave so you can run other software on it. To make this idea simple, it is like the electricity in your home. It is needed to run various things like TVs and radios for example. If there is a problem with the electricity, the TV won’t work. On the other hand the TV might be on the fritz. This is why software problems are difficult to find and repair sometimes.

If you download software from the Internet and install it on your computer and suddenly your computer is acting weird, it is very likely that the software you just installed is the problem. Installing software changes things in your Windows and can cause a lot of problems.

Now, I used the Internet as an example but there is a lot of good software on the Internet as well. You can buy software from the store and still have problems after installing it. The point behind this is not to make you afraid to install software but that you can expect problems sooner or later. Some software programs do not work together (by ‘together’ I mean on the same computer). So when you take your computer into the computer store to tell them it does not work, think about what may have happened before you had problems. Did your children install something when you weren’t there? Could a file have been deleted by accident? Many things can happen to the software that makes computers fun to play or work on.

The other main point I want to make is if you know your having software problems you do not have to take the computer back to where you bought it. Software is not covered under warranty by any company that I am aware of, so you can expect to pay to have it repaired. What makes a computer repairperson good is experience and nothing else. The price they charge has nothing to do with experience. So be warned that if you take it to the neighbour’s kid, he may or may not be able to fix it and may or may not give you good advice. At the same time don’t take it to the most expensive place in town either. What works for one computer might not work for another. No two computers are the same. Identical computers can be very different. So when you and your neighbour buy the very same computer and yours is the one that is not working right, do not assume you got the lemon. Different people are using them, installing different software in a different order.

Oh and by the way, computers do make mistakes. Why this makes a difference is very hard to explain. So find a computer repairperson that can fix software problems at a reasonable price if you know it’s a software problem. Some computer companies have a very long waiting list for computer repair. This is normal when you have sold thousands of computers but very inconvenient.

So this is my advice to all you people out there. BACKUP, BACKUP, BACKUP. If you have all your information saved on disk the repairperson can format and reload your windows so the system will run like the first time you took it home. Sometimes even better than the first time you turned it on. This is often the cheapest way to go and it gets the best results. This type of repair should not take too long. The average time is about an hour or two. This will also kill any viruses on the computer as long as it is done right. If you have any questions about this article please email me. I will reply as soon as I can.