When You Should (and Shouldn’t) Self-Repair Your PC
We love our computers! They are wonderful things — until they go wrong. But how do you know whether you can fix your computer yourself or whether it needs to be sent away for repair in computer service shop? In Singapore, our staff at BudgetPCUpgradeRepair would be happy to help whenever you ever need your laptop, desktop, or Mac fixed.
These days, there are loads of solutions for most problems available throughout the internet. But there are always going to be these problems that should really be fixed by an expert — not least because using online software to fix a problem can lead to further issues. We’re going to look at the some of the most common issues on a computer and how to fix them:
Your computer is slow or regularly shuts down
This is most likely an issue that you can repair yourself, so long as you use the right tools. The most common causes are lumped into three categories – mess, virtual or otherwise, registry cluttered up, or something a little more serious. A step by step approach is the best way to tackle this:
- Delete old software and old files you do not need. If you think you might need it, back it up to a USB stick first and then delete it from your PC.
- Switch your PC off, unplug it and remove the tower casing. Give the filters a good clean to stop them overheating. If you are removing or rearranging cables, use the right tools. Then reassemble your PC and boot it up.
- Use a registry cleaner to get rid of any information no longer needed in your registry files. These slow things down significantly and a cleaner will find and uninstall anything that is no longer needed
- If these don’t solve the problem, purchase a diagnostic card. Plug it into your PC and read the codes that it supplies – these codes tell you what is wrong. From there, you make the decision as to whether to replace, repair or send to an expert.
Overall, if it is a hard drive issue, you can normally replace these yourselves but if the motherboard or GPU is causing the trouble then you will need to send the PC off to be repaired.
You’ve got malware
If you think or know that your computer has malware, never download a cure for it from the internet unless you know for certain that the source is a trusted one. You should already be running an anti-virus and anti-malware system on your PC anyway so use that, or download Malwarebytes (from the official source) and scan your PC. If you can’t fix the problem, the PC needs to go to an expert for computer repair.
Other issues include the monitor suddenly going wrong, the hard drive playing up, the graphics card not working properly — things like that. In many cases, if you are not technical minded, then it is best to send the PC for repair or at least take expert advice before you make a decision. One thing is certain, if you are not confident in what you are doing, don’t do it; leave it to the experts.