Before You Call, Here's a Checklist for Computer Repair

1. Before You Call, Here's a Checklist for Computer Repair

2. Consumers with computer troubles five years ago were more inclined to go out and buy a new PC or laptop than to seek out a computer repair agency to remedy the problem. The world has changed. Consumers either don't have the extra income they used to have for computer upgrades, or they are concerned about their own financial future, so they are hoarding cash till things improve.

3. As a result, computer repair firms have seen an increase in business. This has also led to an increase in phone calls and home visits from computer users who mistakenly assume they have a big computer problem when they actually have little, easily overlooked issues that they can resolve on their own.

4. It's a good idea to double-check that your computer's problem isn't caused by an unnoticed user error before calling a local computer repair expert. Before bringing in reinforcements, many laptop and PC owners fail to undertake some preliminary testing.

5. A handy checklist for computer users everywhere includes the following items to check before calling in a computer IT professional: Power Source: Is your laptop or PC shutting down or turning off by itself? If you're using a laptop, it's possible that the battery has died and needs to be recharged. You may have accidentally kicked out the power cord if you have a desktop. Check all cords for appropriate connections before attempting to start your computer.

6. Restart: Is your computer stuck or won't let you run specific programs? Restarting (rebooting) is a good idea. If you can't restart from the desktop, seek a restart button on the computer's sides, above the keyword, or in the rear. NOTE: If you force a reboot, you may lose your most recent entered data; save frequently. Check for viruses: Do your browsers or software packages randomly turn on and off? This could be a sign of a spyware or virus infection. Use anti-virus software to scan your operating system for viruses.

7. Slow System Performance: Is your system simply not performing as it should? Take a look at your software applications and see if they need to be updated. Your entire system may become sluggish as a result of old programs. When you're connected to the internet, most operating systems will notify you when a new software update is available. If this isn't the case with your computer, you can go to the website of a software firm and download updates from there. If you don't have access to the internet, you'll have to go to a computer store and purchase software update packages in person.

8. Slower Performance: Is your performance still sluggish? It's possible that you'll need to assess your system and clean it up. If you have a lot of large data files on your computer, such as images, music, or movies, they may be eating up RAM and slowing down the whole process. Bringing your computer back up to speed might be as simple as deleting outdated files you don't need or storing them to an external hard drive. If you have a lot of programs installed on your laptop that you don't use, uninstall them as well to free up disc space and make your system perform faster.

9. If you've gone through this checklist and are still experiencing issues, call an IT help desk or a local computer repair agency. Some IT services may even come out for a free consultation to assess the problem before committing to any repairs. In this manner, you can avoid paying any fees if the issue is something minor that you neglected.