It’s strangely ironic, but this week I spent time having to repair my own computer. Maybe it felt jealous that other PCs and laptops were taking up more of my time, but the upshot was, my computer no longer felt loved. It was time for some in-house computer maintenance.
As a mobile computer repair engineer, I spend my days driving around Cornwall, fixing computers that have frozen, retrieving deleted dated, removing unwanted viruses and installing software updates. So, fixing my PC should’ve been a doddle…right?
Er…wrong. Computers are complex and even with the knowledge and know-how, getting to the root of the problem can often be time consuming.
How to fix a PC
I use my computer daily as part of my job; however, I had started to notice that it was on a go slow. Although it is 6 years old, it is high spec and has had regular updates installed so there was no obvious reason why it should be heading into early retirement.
As it was, my online banking kept timing out and instead of displaying information instantly it took longer than usual to open up websites and retrieve data.
Step 1
My first thought was to run a clean-up program and virus software to check for any unwanted visitors trawling my PC. But this came back clear and had no effect on the running speed of my computer.
Step 2
I then decided to download a second browser just in case this was an issue. Yet again, no change in terms of responsiveness.
Step 3
As my process of elimination continued, I moved on to the hard drive. Having backed up my PC, I went ahead and installed a new hard drive and another version of windows 10. All seemed well until I updated the driver software, where upon halfway through my icons disappeared!!
As I was unable to click anything at this point, I knew I had an internal hardware failure…but where?
Step 4
As with any investigative project, the easier thing to do is to start from scratch. This meant removing all the parts one by one to try and find the fault. This included both memory modules, video card, both hard drives and power supply, until we got down to the last and most important component…the computers motherboard.
In order to test each part with a new one, I purchased a used computer that was only 18 months old, as I wanted to keep as much of my current high spec PC as possible and only needed the motherboard and processer.
Step 5
Once the replacement PC arrived, I stripped out all parts required and reinstalled them back into my own computer, along with the re-installation of windows 10.
Step 6
I then spent a happy 3-4 hours transferring all my files back and re-installing all of my software. I am pleased to report that my computer now runs on rapid and without a hitch. So, as you can see, computers have minds of their own and can even play up for I.T Consultants!
Lee Harvey Computing
Having been fixing computers, including my own, throughout Cornwall for many years, I can undertake PC health checks, software updates and screen and part replacements for any make and mode.
So, if you have a PC or laptop that is causing you concerns, then please give me a call at Lee Harvey Computing. I even offer a no fix, no fee guarantee to customers situated within a 35 mile radius of St Austell.
