Most of the people writing for this site are familiar with computers. From the early days of developing IBM-compatible DOS devices to modern gaming PCs and laptops, we’ve collectively done and seen almost all of this.
Which makes it easy to forget that the average PC user isn’t tech-focused. When something goes wrong with a computer, the average user will likely package it up and take it to a business like Geeksquad for help. While there is nothing wrong with that, more often than not, you pay a professional hundreds of dollars to fix something that you could probably do yourself.
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While it is true that you may have a problem that only a real technician can solve, the chances are that it is something within your reach. It is certainly worth a try before you give up the computer along with the big wad of cash.
Logical like Mr. Spock
Logical, like Mr. Spock
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The first thing you should know about computers is that they are very logical. This is true both when they are working correctly and when they are not working properly. How a computer works is not a fundamental puzzle. Yes, they are complex, but “complex†is not the same as “magicâ€.
There are two broad classes of computer problems — hardware and software. It almost never happens that something goes wrong at the same time as both.
Equipment
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If you have a hardware problem, it means that one of the components in your computer is faulty or misconfigured.
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The first thing you should do is become familiar with the main components of your computer.
- There is a motherboard, a large printed circuit board that everything connects to.
- Then the CPU, which is the logical brain of the computer. It does all the processing on the numbers.
- Then there is RAM (random access memory), which is incredibly fast storage for the programs you use.
- The hard drive is permanent storage.
- The power supply, well, powers (obviously!).
- The GPU creates the images on your screen and the sound chip.
One of the easiest ways to determine if a particular hardware component is defective is to replace it with a known good one, or insert a suspicious component into a computer that you know is working.
If your hardware is working, but your computer is not working as expected, something might be wrong with the software. Let’s take a look at how to find out what really went wrong with your computer.
Dance of Diagnoses
Diagnostic dance
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The most important step when repairing your computer is to properly diagnose the problem. If you can’t find the root cause of your problems, you can’t even start fixing them.
Like a doctor, you need to collect information about how the problem is. In other words, you must list the symptoms and circumstances of the problem.
Try to describe in detail what the computer does (or does not
These are general descriptions, but a good place to start. More detailed information will help you find the correct answer faster. If there are specific error codes, write them down. If the problem occurs under certain circumstances, pay attention to those too. If you did something new or great right before the problem started, you should probably note that as well. You will want to collect information that seems relevant and descriptive. So what do you do with this information? Well We’ll give you a little secret – the guy at Geeksquad will probably google your problem. The days of having to memorize vast amounts of technical knowledge or consult thick technical manuals are long gone. More importantly, the internet is full of people who most likely have already solved your problem. If not, there are also people on the Internet who are willing to help you figure out the problem This is why it is extremely important to be able to describe the symptoms of your specific problem. The more precise the description you enter into the search engine, the more relevant the answers will be. Best of all, you will find many forums on the Internet where you can ask for help with your specific problem. There are always a few friendly fans in these places who are ready to provide free technical support. All you have to do is provide them with the information they need and follow the instructions. In fact, you should probably start by typing your keywords right here on this site. Most likely, we already have a solution for you. The advice above is really aimed at a surgical approach to getting the computer back on its feet, but there is another approach that is fast and reliable. However, this also means the potential deletion of your data. Windows 10 allows you to reset your computer to its original state or leave your personal files intact. However, before you go over and reboot your computer, you can first try rolling it back to a restore point that was before things got pear-shaped. If your computer is so overloaded that Windows cannot reset, or your hard drive breaks down and you have to replace it, you can reinstall the operating system from a DVD or USB stick. If you didn’t have installation media on your computer, you can use another computer to legally download it from Microsoft’s website. As long as you have your license key, everything is fine. Booting from the installation media also provides you with several recovery options that may allow you to preserve some of your personal data. Of course, before you decide to blow your computer’s hard drive out of orbit, there is another more gentle way to fix some problems. Windows has a feature known as System Restore . When you receive an update, install a new program, or download new hardware drivers, Windows makes a kind of backup. Then you can roll your computer back to the last point where everything was working fine. It might not help you figure out exactly what went wrong, but at least it might put you back in good shape for the car. It is also a rough diagnostic of hardware problems. Because if restoring doesn’t fix the problem, the problem might go beyond the bad drivers. Certain types of computer problems can be largely avoided by taking precautions. For example, an antivirus package must be installed on your computer. If you are using the latest version of Windows, the good news is that you already have it. Make sure you have one (and only
The most important preventative maintenance you can do is backing up your data. Whether you’re creating disk images to an external hard drive or backing up your most important files to the cloud, it’s absolutely imperative that your only copies of irreplaceable data reside on more than one computer. Thus, serious problems such as a hard drive failure or complete damage to your OS will become minor inconveniences rather than costly disasters that end the entire world. After all, the main question you must answer is: how much is your time worth? When you repair your computer, you are sacrificing your time and effort by letting someone else do it. We usually enjoy working on a computer, so it doesn’t seem like a chore. If you’re just trying to save money, this isn’t necessarily fun. The most important thing to keep in mind is that almost all common computer problems can be fixed. If you’ve done this once, you will never need help solving this problem again. –
Google is your friend
Google is your friend
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Geeksquad“/> Sledgehammer Method
Hammer method
Geeksquad“/> Preventive Maintenance
Preventive maintenance
Geeksquad“/> Do it yourself or don’t do it yourself, that is the question
To do it yourself or not, that is the question