What To Try Before Taking Your Sluggish Computer In For Repair
Computer repair is not cheap. Even if the repair doesn’t involve buying new hardware, a technician will charge for the time spent doing repairs. There are things that can be done before the computer is brought into the shop for repair that may save on labour costs. Here are a few of them.
Computer Maintenance
Operating systems now come with several built in tools to help keep a computer running smoothly. If the computer’s performance is slowing down, it’s a good idea to use those tools first. One is a disc cleaner, which will get rid of any extra files that might be cluttering the system and slowing it down. Another is a defragmenter, which will tidy the hard drive to make sure every part of a file or program is in the same place on the drive, making it easier and faster for the computer to access what it needs. There are several software programs that have these abilities and many more as well. These programs usually have a better range of functionality than the ones included in your operating system.
Additional RAM
One thing that will speed up a laggy computer is to add RAM. RAM is cheap these days and will definitely have a positive impact on a computer’s performance. Although it does require the computer to be opened, installing the RAM is not hard. It only fits one way into the slot. Check the user’s manual for specific instructions. Before buying the RAM, find out how much the motherboard can take and what type of RAM it takes. Both of these items can either be found in the user’s manual or through the operating system’s control panel.
Reinstalling the Operating System
This may be daunting, but if there is someone reasonably confident with computers around, it will save money. It is a good idea to do this once a year anyway, to get rid of the extraneous material that builds up on a system over time. It’s kind of like changing the oil in a car. Be sure to have a disc with the operating system, and the disks or setup files for the programs that will be reinstalled on the computer. Also, be sure to back up data before doing this.
Maintenance
Use any of these tips just for prevention, without waiting for the computer to get so sluggish that it needs to be repaired. There is never too much RAM, the more the better. Perform computer maintenance such as disk defragmentation and disk cleanup at least once a week. It’s a good idea to start fresh once a year or so and reinstall the operating system from scratch. Another thing to do in order to prevent the need for computer repair is to have good anti-virus and anti-spyware programs installed.
No matter what, sometimes a computer needs to be repaired by a technician. But trying these things before taking a sluggish computer in for repair may be just what’s needed to get it running smoothly again. These are the first steps a technician will perform, anyway, and doing them beforehand may save both money and time.
Tags: repair tips
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