Computer Repair and Maintenance Your Best Self Help Tips to Avoid Expensive Repairs

By: John Schofield

As you are using your computer and browsing away from website to website, suddenly it freezes. Then as an inherent instinct you picked up the phone and called a computer repair technician. This behavior is just normal as we know computers are prone to crashes and malfunctions and sometimes without warning they could give up on you. But did you know that a large number of computer problems including computer stalling can be prevented by just doing some simple steps? Here are the five simple things you can do so that you would not need to call the help of an expert as often and avoid unnecessary cost.



1. Rebooting your computer. According to surveys conducted to computer companies, more than half of the calls they get regarding the clientsÕ computer problems can be solved by simply rebooting the computer system. This is because with rebooting, the programs that have been running simultaneously can have smoother pace to run again. With many programs running at the same time, the computer tends to hang and freezes. Another thing is restarting the printer that is connected to the computer. Because printers have their own programs to run and while the computer system is running too many programs, the printerÕs program cannot get through thus the computerÕs operating system will also become stalled.



2. Updating your software. If you are constantly updating your software then your computer is far from having internal problems. You can also improve the performance of your computer and can fix software viruses easily with updated software. Just make sure you always have the latest patches of the antivirus software you are using. For Microsoft Windows and Office, Windows Update is the most appropriate website.



3. Keeping your computer always clean. We are talking the physical cleaning here we have to regularly do to our computers. Dirt and dust can easily build up on our computerÕs fans and motherboards and this can reduce the ability of the computer to cool itself and function properly. With an overheated hardware, failures may result. You can clean these areas regularly using compressed air or a dry soft paintbrush so that you can avoid spending money on computer repair.



4. Always check you connections. When you lost the use of your keyboard and your monitor suddenly died or even when your browsing suddenly freezes then better check all your cableÕs connection. To know if your devices are properly connected, you can shut the machine down and unplug the cables of all your devices. Reconnect everything again and power on.



5. Backing up your data. You must always have a regular plan in backing up your data especially if you are keeping critical data. There are many ways how data can get lost. You may have accidentally erased it, corrupted the data themselves or lost because of computer viruses. We are talking not only files here but also important program files which you need to run your computer smoothly. If you do not know how to have a solid plan to keep in keeping your back up, consult an expert so that you will have enough knowledge in safeguarding your precious information against the disasters not only from the computer errors but from natural disasters such as floods and fires.



Now, if you can keep this 5 simple maintenance tips and follow them religiously, you can have a smooth running computer and you can avoid costly computer repair that is not actually necessary.