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For over twenty years now, consumers have been told their PCs are self-serviceable and self-upgradeable. While this is true for a small percentage of users (probably less than single digits) it is an entirely un-safe practice for the vast majority. Computer repair and computer upgrades, while being two entirely different things, both have these same background requirements: To be able to service your own computer you need a substantial amount of mechanical aptitude, a solid working knowledge of the 'nuts and bolts' of both computer hardware and software, and you have to keep up with the latest developments in the computer field. If you can't claim all of these characteristics as your own, you'll save yourself time, aggravation and money if you leave the computer service to paid professionals. Not your neighbor who's a "programmer." Not your brother-in-law who built his last computer. Not the "kid next door" who's a wannabe geek and knows so much more than you do about computers. Trust a professional with the health of your computer and you'll have better results. For those who still think they're up to the task of repairing their own computer, read on. Some common Computer Repair Do-It-Yourself categories are:
Computers are like vacuum cleaners. They suck dust, dirt, pollen, pet dander, critter fur, insects, carpet fibers and assorted debris into the computer, where it becomes trapped in the CPU cooling system, fans, power supply, cabling, etc. This is bad for a computer, as it causes the components to overheat. We call the really exceptional cases Winterized™, as the inside of the computer looks like a fur coat from an alien (and uninhabitable) planet. To properly de-winterize™ your very dusty computer, you can't (this has been asked more than once) simply take the household vacuum to the back side of the computer. It is necessary to:
Let's say that in the process of doing this you don't:
There is a high likelihood you will impart a static electricity discharge into one of the circuit boards or memory sticks in the process. This is always fatal. Maybe not immediately, but certainly over time. The amount of air pressure you use to clean a computer is critical. Too little (this is why we don't recommend canned air) and you simply waste your time and risk static electricity damage. Too much pressure and you risk dislodging more than just dirt. Let's say you've got your computer de-winterized™ and now you want to add more RAM. This seems like a harmless-enough task. However... You should have purchased ram prior to opening up your computer so you don't have to expose your system to static electricity damage more than once. If you purchased the correct ram AND you have the required number of open slots for memory, you should be able to simply install the new ram at this point.
We have had a lot of computers come in for repairs due to memory upgrades where either static electricity damage had rendered the ram or motherboard DOA, or where the memory had been improperly installed, damaging the motherboard. Neither of these situations is "repairable" - the motherboard must be replaced and the cost frequently exceeds the value of the computer. The "type" of memory you must purchase and install varies widely from machine to machine as well. There are four main types of ram (with variations) still in use today that you may encounter in the upgrade process:
What this all means is you need to make sure you know exactly what you need before you go out and buy new ram. You need to know the total number of memory sockets on the motherboard and how many are free for expansion. You should verify the brand and specs on the existing ram before purchasing new memory. Some shops (like us) only sell memory they install, due to the fragile nature of RAM. We also perform a full memory test on the computer after the installation to make sure all the memory is good. This is in your best interest, because you could have a bad piece of new RAM due to it being exposed to static electricity at some point, and never have a problem until your computer accessed that particular segment of memory -- by which time it's too late to have it replaced under warranty. Hard Drive Replacement / Additions When people find they're running out of disk space (it's unusual with the size of today's drives) they frequently add another drive and move some of the original data to the new drive. Seems harmless enough, right? Here are some of the scenarios we've seen: On more occasions than I can possibly count, we've found one drive mounted directly on top of another - no space in between. The problem with this is it dramatically reduces the life of both drives.
Using the wrong jumper settings when installing the new drive can cause partition damage to the original drive, making it unrecognizable to Windows. This becomes a costly data recovery problem. We've seen dozens of drives installed with either the wrong screws, so the drive is not properly secured, installed with too few screws so the drive wobbles around, or installed with no screws at all. In one case, I saw two drives separated with an oven mitt and taped together with Scotch Tape, dangling from their cables with one end of the drives resting on the bottom of the case -- and this was done by a "paid" tech... In another case we had a drive tilt while running, shorting out against the chassis and permanently damage the drive controller. A total loss. You're much better off having a professional clone the old drive to a new one if you're running out of room. Never buy Maxtor Drives. They have the highest failure rate in the industry. Don't believe me, call any exclusive Data Recovery Facility and ask them. We recommend Western Digital. Here's a scenario: The computer won't boot. No lights or response when the power button is pressed, so the user decides it's a power supply and buys a new one. This is usually harmless enough, but frequently the replacement of the power supply is not the solution to the problem. It's not unusual to find the failure of the power supply was precipitated by an excess current draw by the motherboard or another component. As a result, plugging in a new power supply results in two bad power supplies. We've also found on many occasions, the power supply is fine but the motherboard is bad. The computer's not worth the cost of replacement, so the customer has wasted their money to buy a new power supply they cannot use, plus they've wasted an hour or more of their time to buy and install a new power supply they cannot use now. In this situation you're much better off to pay a professional to test the existing power supply and connected components. It saves you time, money, aggravation and skinned knuckles. There are many variations of power supplies, especially for Name Brand computers. It is a common practice for major manufacturers to create proprietary designs for their components, assuring them of a revenue stream when the end user experiences a component failure. As a result, it's not unusual for do-it-yourself ers to buy an incompatible supply, only to find this out after they have the new supply home and take apart the computer. It's best to check all the requirements before purchasing a new part of any kind. I could not possibly count the number of Data Recovery projects I've had that could have been prevented by simply NOT re-installing Windows. We've had hundreds of clients come to us after either following the instructions of their manufacturer's telephone tech support personnel and reinstalling Windows to fix some problem -- or taking it upon themselves to take this irreversible step in the solution of a virus infection or other System Instability problem. Re-installing Windows should be the very last thing to do in the resolution of any problem. You cannot "undo" this step and unless you've backed up everything of importance on your computer first, you're going to be missing a lot of important data afterwards. If you absolutely MUST perform Windows System Restore, before you insert the manufacturer's restore disks, backup everything to an external hard drive or DVD. Then check the results to make sure your data is actually there. We've had several data recovery jobs for this reason alone -- nothing was actually on the backup media. We've almost never seen anyone actually backup everything they needed. It's almost impossible, as not all data is stored in your My Documents folder. Some will wind up in the All Users profile, while other data will reside in the Program Files directory -- and some will be stored in the profile for the person using the application. Then there are Favorites, Desktop Items and email (stored in each individual profile). If you're not 100% certain you've got everything you need backed up, it's worth the money to have a reliable tech backup your data before you reinstall. We've had a lot of people with un bootable computers or a barrage of odd behavior after Windows Updates. Our advice remains: Disable Automatic Updates. Manually run Windows Update and ONLY install security updates. This advice alone can save you a lot of problems and money. Period. Here's another way to stay out of trouble. Simply do not use Disk Cleanup. I know it sounds like a useful tool and it's supposed to get rid of all the junk you don't need in a nice, automated manner... However, we've seen countless situations where computers no longer boot after the use of Disk Cleanup. And it just doesn't make enough difference to justify its use in the first place. You should manually empty your Temporary Internet files via the Internet Explorer's "Tools" menu. Other than that, cleaning your drive of assorted debris should be left to someone who knows the file structure thoroughly. Likewise, don't bother with defragging your hard drive. It's a waste of time to do it more than once a year with the following exception. If you've just deleted a LOT of data -- or moved it to another drive, this is a good time (and the only time) to defrag the drive. Over the years we've had several situations where users followed someone else's advice to delete their Temp and Temporary Internet Files manually -- where they then had an un bootable computer. We routinely do exactly this every day, both in the shop and on location without incident. We've had a lot of experience at this and know exactly what we can and cannot delete. We also know what will make a difference and what will be a waste of time in terms of files and folders to remove. We never recommend exploring your computer to manually clean it up unless you can do what we do for a living. Setting up or adding on to a Wireless Network can be a simple task for a professional, but even for us there are times when it is a time-consuming and frustrating project. Everything interferes with wireless networks. Microwave ovens, cordless phones, big-screen TVs, A/C units and weather can all have a deleterious effect on your wireless network. Basically, if it can go wrong, it will. Some older DSL modems simply will not 'talk' to new routers. There are times when you have to know the rules in order to break them and have a properly functioning system. All wireless networks should be secured. Not securing your router can be a costly mistake, especially after the neighborhood hacker-wannabe finds your unprotected router and locates your passwords and banking information. This happens to someone every single day. We had a client come in a few years ago, telling us their wireless router wasn't connecting. When we asked the specifics, she told us her neighbor came over and asked her what was wrong with her Internet. When she asked what he meant, the neighbor told her he'd been accessing the Internet through her wireless for months. She was understandably shocked. Her husband had setup the wireless network originally, leaving it unsecured. We secured her router for her immediately. The type of security you employ makes a difference too. WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy) security is nearly useless, as there have been tools to crack WEP keys for years. WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access) is a much better method of security. Not all routers or wireless adaptors support WPA, though. Another major security concern is identification of your Wireless Network. (SSID) By default, all routers either insert the company name (NETGEAR / LINKSYS / BELKIN) or the model number of the router. We've come across many wireless networks where the SSID is the family name (JonesFamily). Both of these scenarios are bad. Why? They give away too much information to would-be hackers. If a hacker has the make or model number of your router, they've got a good start to accessing your computers. If anyone can identify the ownership of the router, this helps them determine the value or interest in hacking into it. This information can also help them guess the access password to the router. If they can connect to the router and guess the Administrator password, they have access to your computer data and can reconfigure the router to lock the rightful owners out of it. Don't make it easy for hackers to ruin your life. Warren Paul Harris Warren Harris owns and operates The Computer Wizard in Plano, Texas The Computer Wizard
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Copyright 2007 The Computer Wizard
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