COMPUTER REPAIR TIPS

COMPUTER REPAIR TIPS

What To Do And Why

It isn’t fair, but buying a computer is just plain easier for some than it is for others. Those who’ve purchased and used a computer in the past already have an idea of what they need in a new computer. But those who are new to the computer world could get lost in the myriad of choices available.

The short answer to “What should I buy?” is “The best.” Of course that answer is extremely subjective because “the best” to one person is certainly different to another. Our definition of “the best” is the fastest and the biggest, but even that leaves the computer newbie confused. Here’s a quick rundown of what the computer novice should do and why.

Buy a computer that includes basic peripherals. Every computer can be broken down into four major components: CPU unit, monitor, keyboard, and mouse. For the novice, it’s best to buy a computer that has all of these components included so that when it’s taken home, assembling the computer is a simple matter of plugging things in where they belong. Save the individual purchases of these components for those who have more experience.

Decide what you’ll use the computer for. If you want to use your computer for cruising the web, sending email, or performing simple word-processing or spreadsheet tasks, a computer with the basic components that we just described should suffice. If you want to use a computer to help with a career in multimedia however, you’re going to need to accessorize your system with a scanner, printer, digital camera, tablet, or digicam for example. If you want a computer to help with a career in music, you will need a quality microphone and set of speakers.

Create a budget and stick to it. How much can you afford to spend on a new computer? Although the prices of computers are decreasing, they can still create a hefty expense especially if you need additional peripherals described above. In addition, you’ll need to figure in costs for maintenance, servicing, and insuring.

Start comparison shopping and look for the “fastest and biggest.” By “fastest and biggest,” we mean the computer with the fastest processor, the fastest modem, the biggest memory, and the biggest hard drive capacity. Even if you think that you’ll never need the amount of speed or space available on the market today, it’s important to have in the event that you truly do need that much in the future. Having such a large reserve will cut down on costs when the time comes to upgrade for more than what you may settle for in a computer that offers less.

Stick with the better-known brands. Venturing off the beaten path with lessor-known brands is again, an adventure for those who have more experience with computers. Although those better-known brands may be a tad bit more expensive, the computer novice will appreciate the comfort in purchasing a computer from a business that has a long record of building quality products, and that has the funds available for fulfilling returns, trades, servicing, and warranties.

Select a store. Having an idea of what you want in a computer and what kind of computer that you want, your only task left is to select the place in which you want to buy it. There are a number of places available including computer store outlets, online stores, auction sites, used computer stores, or your friendly neighborhood yard sale. For the computer novice, we recommend buying a computer from a physical store. In a physical store, you have the opportunity to see the computer of interest in person and ask questions. New computer buyers also have access to store warranties, returns, trades, and services.

These suggestions should give the fix computer problems fof newbie a great start in selecting a quality computer for the first time and they apply to either Windows computers or Apple Macintosh computers. After making these decisions and finally selecting one that fits your needs, you can then venture into the fascinating world of software – a world that is just as grand as the world of hardware!

A Few Common Computer Errors

(And What They Mean)

Computer errors can pop up when least expected, they can cause the entire system to suddenly shut down, and they can inadvertently corrupt data to the point where it can’t be deciphered. Although they can’t always be avoided, it’s important to remember that computer errors can be corrected. The key is to understand what computer errors are, understand what they mean when they show up, and understand how to minimize their occurrence in the first place.

Basically, computer errors are the result of a number of things that may or may not have anything to do with the way the computer is used. They “operate” whenever there’s a conflict among commands. Remember that computers essentially run off of a series of commands and it’s usually a smooth process. But when one command conflicts with another command – or when one command asks for a process or information that isn’t available, the computer returns results that aren’t useable. That’s an error.

A prime example of this kind of error is when users attempt to use software that isn’t applicable for their system. Almost all software accompanies a list of system requirements which dictates what a computer needs to have in order for the software to work properly. To minimize errors of this sort, always verify that your computer has the required components. A project management program that you’re interested in may require a specific operating system, like Windows XP for example. And although this program may install just fine on a Windows 98 machine, it will generate a multitude of errors once its started.

Insufficient memory will cause errors as well. That’s why software programs include minimum memory requirements. A program that needs 14MB of memory will generate errors on a computer that only has 4MB of memory if it runs at all. The same goes for disk space, monitor color depth and resolution. In these situations, problems occur the moment that a piece of software attempts to access the things (hardware, memory, space, resolution, etc.) that it cannot find.

Because some programs share common files, errors can also occur when these shared files are not up to date. For instance, let’s say that Program A is already installed on a computer and it’s working just fine. Then let’s say that the user of that computer downloads and installs Program B. Program B uses a file that Program A installed much earlier, but when Program B is run, errors popup. Those errors are the result of Program B attempting to use an outdated (shared) file that was installed by Program A. In order to fix that problem, the user would have to download an updated version of the shared file (which to say the least – is not an easy thing to find or do).

Sometimes, errors occur because a system doesn’t have the required drivers or the drivers that are on the system are the incorrect version. Both errors in these cases can be resolved by updating the computer on a regular basis. Microsoft provides a section on its website that can automatically update a computer online and it does this at no cost in an effort to reduce errors like this. Always try to keep your computer updated so that should a program share a file, it will share a file that has been updated on hundreds of thousands of computers, like yours.

This article doesn’t even begin to cover the entire gamut of computer errors – but additional information regarding how to get help with a computer issue (including computer errors) can be found in our article titled, “Computer Help” no matter what the problem is.

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Understanding Operating Systems

Every new computer that’s brought home from the store has an operating system installed onto it. But what most new computer users don’t realize, is that without an operating system, that computer would be a simple shell of possibilities. A powered computer lacking an operating system wouldn’t display anything more than a bunch of confusing text messages that describe the computer’s boot process. At the very end of this process, the computer looks for an operating system and if not found, it will prompt the user to tell it where it is.



Earlier computers didn’t have an operating system and if you have experience with the computers of the early eighties, you’ll remember that most to them didn’t even have a hard drive! These old computers booted an MS-DOS type operating system from drivers stored onto a floppy disk, and in order to use a program, users would remove the boot floppy and then insert a new floppy that contained the program. The floppy not only stored the program (word processor, spreadsheet, etc.), it also stored the drivers that the program needed to communicate with the computer’s hardware. As you can imagine, the cumbersome process of switching from floppy to floppy prompted the birth of the operating system.



An operating system is a software program that controls how the computer’s hardware (and installed software) works. It manages the activity of every component and then displays that activity as a user-friendly interface (GUI). It keeps track of where things exist on a computer’s hard drive as well. But perhaps most importantly for the end-user, the operating system is responsible for translating commands issued with a keyboard and mouse into binary code (010110101 stuff) that can communicate with a set of speakers, a printer, a scanner, and more.

With an operating system installed onto a computer’s hard drive, users no longer need to boot a computer with a floppy disk, nor do they need to run programs from a floppy disk. All the drivers of a program are stored onto the computer and used whenever a program is started.



Apple’s Macintosh computer was among the first of a couple systems to establish a user-to-hardware relationship through a user-friendly interface. Today, we have quite a few operating systems. Some of the more popular ones are Windows Vista, Mac OS X, ZETA, IBM, Unix, and Linux. But even still, operating systems have extended onto to non-computer devices such as game consoles, portable music players, and PDAs. Regardless of the device, the operating system installed onto it serves the same purpose across the board: to enable user-to-hardware communication.

When you think about upgrading your computer to a new operating system, be careful to make sure that you have the necessary hardware components. We tried to upgrade one of our Windows 98 machines to Windows XP, but we were cautioned that the former may not be hardware compatible with XP technology. Apparently, the Windows XP operating system requires components that weren’t developed at the time Windows 98 was distributed and if we were to install Windows XP on this machine anyway, the new operating system would look for hardware that the computer didn’t have. And that would be an instant recipe for failure.

Also be careful about installing operating systems that are incompatible with existing hardware. The hardware of Macintosh computers is extremely different from the hardware of Windows computers and under no circumstances will a Windows operating system work on a Macintosh machine!

computer Repair - Be smart when you repair computer

Best computer repair services : If you use a PC or a Mac for business purposes, and it breaks and you're like many business people that you're dead in the water. In a family, a broken personal computer is not funny either.

Many small business, users rely on local computer repair shops. But can you trust?

Here is what computer repair advice to you to keep in mind regarding computer repair :


* It may be preferable to take a broken PC or a repair shop premises to have a technician come to your office or home. Although this is less convenient, the repair will have access to better diagnostic tools there. He has time to observe the problem if it is intermittent. And the cost will be lower.

* Write the exact nature of your problem when it occurs, including what you see on your screen, what you hear and how long the problem lasts.

* Before to computer repair in NY work begins, get a written estimate and request that you receive an invoice after detailing the parts repaired or replaced, the cost of material and labor for each, and the guarantee to everyone.

* Payment by credit card, which will provide some protection in case of future litigation.

* Use your computer as soon as you retrieve, and report the repair shop immediately if you experience the problem.


To help prevent a personal computer to break first, Computer Repair Services tips you :
Do not let it get too hot by leaving it in the sun or a closed car, and do not use a power saw or other piece of heavy equipment on the same circuit used by your computer. It is best to book a circuit to be used only by your computer. My computer repair services recommend to you that before taking your computer to a repair shop first turn the equipment off and then back on again. Also, make sure all cables are properly connected equipment and outlets.

The investigation of the organization about the computer repair services has revealed interesting facts about computer repair in general. The quality ratings for computer shops repair services were on average lower than almost all other service areas that were studied. Both the quality and price between individual stores can vary dramatically. Computer Superstores received worse quality ratings, on average, the share of consumers and smaller stores.

Finally, it is useful to compare prices first, since some stores, for example, charge twice the right of others to a diagnosis and estimate and seven times the tax of others to replace the hard drive of PC.

Computer repair technician

A computer repair technician might work in a corporate IT department, a central service center or a computer retail sales environment. A public sector technicians may also in the military, national security or law enforcement, health or public safety field, or an educational institution. Despite the variety of work environments, all lead computer technician similar physical and investigations, including technical support. Experienced technicians, could specialize in areas such as data recovery, system administration, or information systems. Some technicians to self-employed or has his own company that provides services in a regional area. Some are awarded as freelancers or consultants. This kind of technicians ranges from hobbyists and enthusiasts who volunteer or a small side street money to those who work professionally in the field.

The repair of problems may require a minor adjustment, which is not correct, spyware, viruses, and as far as a replacement for hardware area or an entire operating system. Some technicians offer on-site service is usually at an hourly rate. Can you offer other services, off-site, where the customer can put up with in the workshop. Some have pick-up and drop-off services for convenience. Some can also return old equipment for recycling.
Hardware RepairWhile computer hardware configuration varies widely, a technician working with two basic types of hardware; units restricted to a location (desktops, mainframes and supercomputers) and portable (laptop and hand held devices). Technicians also work with and occasionally repair a range of peripherals, including input devices like keyboards, mice, scanners, output devices such as monitors, printers and speakers, the media and external hard drives, specialized high-storage desktop computers called servers . Technicians may be involved in system administration and networking hardware, including routers, switches, fiber optic and wireless networks work.
Software Repair
If possible, protect the computer repair technician, user data and settings, so that after the repair, the user will have lost no data, and the technician can fully use the device with little interruption, and then diagnose the problem. The solution of the problem could take the action as a minor technical adjustment one or several settings or preferences, but could also apply more involved techniques like installing, uninstalling, or reinstalling various software packages.

A reliable, but somewhat more complicated to restore the procedure for dealing with software issues is one that the computer has the original installation image (including operating system and original) applications to a formatted hard disk reapplied known. It should be known, however, that something unique will be destroyed, such as personal files, settings, or, if not backed up on external media will be, as it turns everything back unused in its original condition.