This is only a list of common definitions and general computer problems and any advice that may appear on this website is used at 'your own risk' - we do not supply feedback on the below advice and remember
Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced and each group of people have 'obvious' technical limits ...
The Beginner is certainly the one that does not know the technical side of it and the using side of it and in need of a supervised help - in fact a Electronics Technician usually have far less problems to learn Computing, because of the complexity of the Electronics Studies required and logical reasoning and mathematical skills acquired.
This category is certainly helped by friends and family that have been using computers for years - the Intermediate. Years of Computing do not make you an expert, but certainly can have a certain knowledge impact (which may not be the correct one) and be able to alleviate, but not solve problems.
Although the computer may be working again, the problem may come out and this is what most of the time happens with Intermediate 'very helpful' people. They are very good at remedies, but not to cure and that is when you need the expert, even if sometimes the Beginner is capable of 'recreating' the problem after the Advanced User or Repairer wiped it from the system!
This is often happens because the Beginner did not follow diligently the Advanced Repairer's suggestions to the letter - but we are all humans and make mistakes - us too and that is why you are a beginner, to learn!
So, do not be scared to ask friends and family.
Definition of Advanced Computer User: expert technical and how generally system software works.
If knowledge of Electronics is present, it will helps a lot in 'hardware' fault finding - because the Electronics Technician as opposed to a Computer Assembler and repairer - can actually know what may be going wrong with the hardware at component level, which the standard Computer Repairer cannot.
Although it may not be 'always' needed, Electronics knowledge helps you see what others experts cannot.
But sometimes Software experts with no electronics knowledge helps them see what a Electronic's repairer cannot see at a glance.
So, both can do a very good job indeed and worth paying for!
Both are humans and both can make mistakes and this is one of the points that makes the 'small' Repair shop usually 'shine' on customer care.
Advanced Software User and Repairer: knowledge keeps raising for obvious reasons - experience and most of Software faults can be fixed by an Advanced Software User with the help of Software Papers from Microsoft's website, as the main Operative System used is Windows - although other OS like the one for Apple Macs has a good slice of the market and Linux too (for the very expert, but the getting easier to use).
"The most common problem your Computer may encounter is the User" and that includes ourselves !
Most of the time 'we' have a computer problem, is 'our' fault ! - Why? Well we do mistakes from time to time and also problem caused by software is our fault too, as 'we' are the ones that installed them in the first place and often we do not even check the [usually] FREE programme online to see what it exactly does and how it behaves, possible user's encountered problems, etc.
Many FREE programmes have inner bugs and un-fixed problems, sometime is done on purpose in my view! So, you 'buy' a supposed to be better product - that is called hidden marketing.
Here are 3 common faults people have with computer use
1. buying the wrong computer - before actually using it
2. not backing up
3. asking the 'supposed expert' friend to fix it
Note: supposed expert = the person that normally knows far more than the person asking for help - therefore they know more = expert ?- WRONG!
Common mistakes
1. ... decided not to use it anymore.
DO NOT switch it off while it still is in BOOT mode.
You could damage or corrupt the Operative Systems Files or even the 'physical' hard drive.
So, DO NOT hold the power button of your computer to 'forcibly' switch it off
Wait until it has boot up and switch it off the usual correct way.
Note: if the computer freezes on boot, just hold down Ctrl+Alt+Del twice and the computer should restart, then wait again and switch it off properly.
If it does not, well 'use' the mains switch button by holding it for 5/6 seconds and if the problem repeats, please visit us and we will be happy to help.
2. ... and they are Scandisk and Defragmenter - please check your Help file on how to use them.
They are different depending of Windows versions or check Microsoft website for further help - they have a huge Knowledge archive.
We would suggest you to use these programs once a month or more often if you are a heavy computer user.
WARNING: Windows Vista is a bit like the old Windows Millennium. It is a intermediate version of Windows which has quite a number of problems and the worst one is that you cannot re-install the system on top of it [properly, anyway] as you may have used to do on previous versions of Windows and if you have problem with Windows Vista, you may cause further un-repairable problems by even simply trying to use the 'self' inner Repair system. Most Vista Computers we had on repair cam in because the user had problems with Vista [possibly with a Device Driver, etc.] and Vista [on Boot] kept asking the user for Repair the System and by doing that it cause more problems.
This seems now to be solved by the advent of Windows 7 - but who knows!
3. ... are to purchase it with as larger Hard Drive and Memory and faster CPU you can possible afford - avoid CELERON or other cut down versions.
This will reveal itself useful in the long run - especially because Windows requires large space to work in normal conditions.
Windows may start to loose data as the free space may be so limited to function properly and it does that by dumping [long time] unused files and that may corrupt software or even the Windows system itself.
Do all the above and it will help you keep a computer in far better conditions and even longer than you expected and therefore save you money in the long run.
4. ... FREE programmes during the years browsing the Internet, that your PC is most probably cluttered
If so, the first thing to do is to 'uninstall' all of those programs you do not 'really' use and lets hope they are not spyware as you may need MSelectrical.co.uk to get rid of the nasty ones or they will be back
We mean uninstall and not delete - you do not delete a program but only files [i.e. text/docs etc. and images], not programs - it may seem we have stated the obvious, but there are many users that actually 'delete' programmes and cause havoc with the OS Registry and may even impair your PS - especially Antivirus programmes - you do not like it, take the time to uninstall it properly - it will require re-booting at least once.
Programs MUST be uninstalled properly using their own uninstall.exe usually listed within the Program folder within the Program Files.
If it is not there, go to START/Control Panel (depends on what version of windows you have) and click on 'Add Remove Programs'
Wait until Windows lists all programs and find the programs you wish to uninstall and click on remove - you may have to click on the program line first to see the 'remove' button appear.
Repeat that to all programs you wish to uninstall and then reboot your computer.
W A R N I N G
Please be SURE you are removing a FREE program that does not require a Licence.
If you uninstall a purchased program and then you do not have its Licence key, it may require you to contact the Company to retrieve the Licence key and if you do not have any proof of buying it, they will not issue you with the Licence Key - you are warned!
Once you have done it with many programs, do the point 2 again.
You should notice straight away your computer boots faster - even if slightly and programs load faster too.
5. Empty your Internet Cache memory
- which contains all the website you visited (depending on how your browser is set) as it could use a big slice of your Hard Drive. Usually this is within TOOLS tab of any browser.
It is also a good practice to do it after you used your card details online to remove all info 'possibly' retained by your browser - security is never enough!
6. ... sometimes it may contain several images/pictures you discarded and could take a few Gigabytes of your hard drive for nothing and slow your computer down too.
W A R N I N G
First check all the files in the recycle bin 'need' to be deleted and if there are some you wish to keep, all you need to do is to click on it or double click on it (depending on how your system is set)
and click RESTORE.
Windows will then restore the file into the place it was deleted from.
If you are not sure you wish to clear the bin, copy all files you are not sure of in a 'new' folder [not on the desktop] and call it EX-bin or whatever you prefer.
7. ...
It is called 'preventive' maintenance and can save you from a lot of trouble.
Even if you still may need us, your computer will be in a better shape and save us time - therefore saving you money.
But only if you know what you are doing or if your certain your are doing the right operations.
Consider your Computer like a car - if you take care of it, your computer will take care of you and for many years without buying a new one.
I have personally for over 5 years the same Laptop and although I am not 'rich', I spent more than an average computer buyer and never repaired it
I just take care of it, I also upgraded it during the years, but all depends on 'what' you buy initially - some are not very much expandable.
The first buy is the main thing and the 'I need to increase memory' as it is slow approach is not always the answer, but a waste of money - that is why we do not stock them anymore and get them on a 'repair' to 'repair' basis - only when it is really needed.
The less a computer cost, the less it will be up-gradable (most of the time) and mainly you can only upgrade memory / hard drive / power supply - which is usually worth spending on.
The more 'powerful' you can afford to buy, the better in the long run and that excludes 'CELERON' CPUs.
Cost of Laptop are about 20/30% higher than a Workstation [the classic PC] and if you do not really need a Laptop - avoid to buy one and only buy a PC - you will have far more power and less problems.
8. ... BACKUP, BACKUP and guess?
BACKUP !
This is the most common mistake of all - most users never back-up their data at all!
There are several ways of doing it and it is up to you to choose the best one for the data you have - see online and read all papers to learn and read 'not in depth' technical reviews - the general views to help you make your mind up.
Please also note: do not confuse backup with archiving, as they are 2 different things.
Archiving usually means either copy or moving' information data from the main Hard drive to a media storage like a external drive or CDs or DVDs etc. for actually free space on your computer hard drive [in this case we suggest you to always at least double copy if not treble copy your archived data and once in a while renew the media and dispose of the old ones.
By backing up you are saving/copying data onto another media or external hard drive for 'backing up' purposes and this should usually happen once a week or a month depending on how a heavy user you are.
For a business it is recommended to back-up every day to up to a week using different media in a loop. Example get 3 DVDs or a 3 sets of DVDs and backup all your important info once a week alternating them. That way if anything happens to your hard drive - you will have lost only a week, if the first media (the last one used to backup) is damaged, you only have lost 2 weeks!
Obviously a daily backup should be implemented for a business, depending on how frequently the important information changes.
9. ... Often you either cause a problem or it installs malware/virii (not viruses!) / spyware / etc. and that is all they do (certain programs, anyway).
You will still NEED to know what you are doing, even with a purchased program.
They only are there to 'help' your skills and to do it faster they cannot be a 'real' substitute of a human being.
If you do not know what you are doing, well... happy times, but if you are not we suggest you not to use Magazine as a probe to find 'good' free utilities!
Search the internet for a specific utility, like Backup Programme and then see what comes up often 'in forums' and read the posts carefully and see what people say about it and make your mid up - then find that programme online.
10. You need to have a Antivirus and Firewall programs installed on your computer.
11. Most consumers prefer to buy a new computer rather than fix their own and that way you spend more and get exactly the same results!
If you own a Computer, you are most likely to have had a computer failure.
Most people also 'think' your computer will crash or fail due to a Virus or a Windows System Error - WRONG!
Most problems are caused by the lack of maintenance of your Computer, they are supposed to last 10 or even 15 years - not the laptops due to their nature of portability and therefore several times more prone to accidents, etc.
I still have a Amstrad 386 and 486 in perfect working order and I did not use to repair computers, but simply take care of them - I was mainly a user then - 30 year ago!
But, having said that most people prefer to buy a new Computer after only a couple of years and there are many out there making money out of your pocket - especially second hand ones.
The trick is to 'overcharge' for a repair and then push you to say - mmm it is not worth it and then they say: well, we sell reconditioned or new computer and you could trade-in your old computer.
They make money, you are happy for a few months and then - depending on how you take care of it, you may have problems after only 6 months or less or even the same problems that prompted you to buy a new computer in the first place!
Simply for lack of care and there is people out there thriving on your tendency for the easiest [faster] of options - a nice and shiny new Computer!
Most older computers can be upgraded 'a little' to manage the new and memory/hard drive space eater programmes.
Talking of older computers, what I often get is a computer that was having strange problems for quite a while and also 'smelling bad' - a fishy smell!?
Well, usually the motherboard was suffering the heath and capacitors have popped open [fishy smell!] or one of the Chips have just blown up [usually PCs are kept on the floor and near a radiator - wrong place - they should be on a desk and near a door - yes, heath goes up, but it is down first, from the radiator and then in a swirl goes up and if your PC is in the middle of it, it is like being in the Azores Cyclone all the time].
The chip blown up, will render your PC 'nearly' not worth repairing as the best (and often forced) thing to do in these cases is to replace the motherboard, memory, Cpu and fan - only to find the Hard Drive as well is too small (being old). Obviously not worth saving. It becomes a chain, especially if you own a 'Custom' hardware from the likes of Dell, Packard Bell - that is our experience, we have not problems with the suppliers, but often by having a 'customer' hardware made for them, sometime replacing the motherboard forces you to change everything else - it is long and boring to explain, just take it as good advice!
If the PC had a yearly maintenance - most probably - it would still be working after 10/15 years.
Working conditions also are 'very important' and often computers are kept standing on a little 'hot' corner of the room suffering Hell's Fires!
Tip: keep the workstation/tower far from a corner and possibly on the North side of the room. Not on direct light (let alone the Sun rays) - heat builds up on any Electronics appliance. Dust once in a while all Air Openings on its chassis and have it serviced once every 2 years or less. It may prevent most common faults and last longer.
Anything you purchase, think how 'heat' could affect the new equipment and site it accordingly.
We are reasonable on this at MSelectrical in Langley Park Durham - usually only £. 25 for a check up and tidy up (it does not include any repair - obviously!) - internal Dust cleaning [PC only] is part of the check up.
Mind, it is not a 'certain' thing, but at least you will know you have done your best to keep it working in the best conditions possible.
In conclusion: we did not type the above with the intent to be 'God', but simply showing you to verify your own limits 'before' you get into the unknown. Often the damage done by the user is far more than the damage done by your own hardware/software and especially on Data Recovery - you may have 'killed' any chance of recovery or simply 'raised' the cost of the recovery.
DIY Computing, Electronics and Electrical is DANGEAROUS and may cost you far more than attempting to plaster your wall.
Plastering your wall will be easier, as you can attempt several times and only cost you time and wasted Plaster - but sooner or later you will plaster your wall!
This is valid on any field, LCD TV repairing attempts, repairing your gas boiler, your washing machine and so on.
Never attempt what you do know you cannot do - it can also be dangerous and sometimes if a LCD TV repair cost would have been around £. 60 and you attempted repair - if you added further damage, the cost may be more and not worth going on. In the end you may spend £. 300 to 700 to get a new LCD TV ! All for the sake of saving £. 60.
Learn the basics first, buy books and do experiments on an old PC - even buy a second hand one and experiment with it at your pleasure - that is the way to learn without being Einstein!
These days [and I had proof several times] there are too many so called 'professionals' in any field and I have to say I am worried.
During the years we had some jobs done in our house or shop and I 'always' had to take up where they did not 'properly' finish their job!
Maybe it is that I was lucky to learn my job by experimenting 'many years ago' and also from my first regular job I learned 'the proper' way of doing things up to become Supervisor of the company I worked for.
I learned what is called 'the finishing' - you check the job your workers have done and 'listen' to the customer's comments and act upon it and fix whatever needs to be fixed [especially when they are large jobs] and 'finish' that job Professionally.
Many confuse the word professional with, I can do that!
If you are a good DIYer, check how the Company you contract to do a job in your house is doing - keep checking and you will see and act upon mistakes before it is too late.
There re so many examples I witnessed:
1. a toilet T joint and soil pipe [the main drain pipe in your house - usually at the back of your home] not fitted straight and causing a 'obvious' leak
2. a soil pipe not fit straight - again!
3. a Soil pipe only fit with ONE clip!
4. a guttering only fixed with ONE clip every metre !
5. a company that leaves you garden messed up - i.e. they did not clean after themselves!
These are only a few example on 'non professionalism' - you do not need to pay more for professionalism - it does not have to cost more - you only need a 'decent Company that 'cares'
We do care and if we make mistakes, we admit them and not try to find stupid excuses!
We do know you have your life in your Computer these days and we do care about your personal business and that is why we did type the advice above - not to be clever-clogs, but be your 'Trusted' Local Business for Life!
The same is valid for any other appliance.
Note: The above is only the standard care should be done regularly and there is so much more you can do...
