Where To Get Computer Repaired

Computer repair places like Best Buy's Geek Team practise a lot of things that you tin can easily do yourself. Instead of paying for a pricy malware removal or reckoner melody-up, you can practice information technology yourself.

This guide won't walk you through identifying a failing component and repairing it by hand. It's focused on the like shooting fish in a barrel stuff – although it'due south easy, people pay hundreds of dollars to accept it done for them.

Image Credit: Fort Meade on Flickr

Remove Viruses and Malware

Many people still wrestle with infected Windows PCs. If your calculator is infected and isn't working properly, you don't accept to pay someone else to gear up information technology. The Geek Squad doesn't accept any magic tools – they use many of the standard antivirus tools you tin use yourself.

To detect an antivirus product that actually offers practiced protection, consult an antivirus test website and see how your antivirus of choice stacks up. If you don't feel like doing all that research yourself, luckily we've done information technology for you.

Kaspersky and Bitdefender consistently rank in the top of both the AV-Examination and AV-Comparatives rankings, and we've used both products with good results. They aren't free, but most of the free antivirus out there is bundling actress nonsense or trying to redirect your search engine to their "secure" solution that isn't really secure and just shows you more than ads or spies on your shopping habits.

For a really deep infection, a proficient repair place may dig through your autostart entries and registry past hand and manually remove malware that isn't being caught by tools. Even so, this tin can be time-consuming – and if the reckoner is already so infected, in that location's no guarantee all the malware will exist removed. In cases similar this, they'll often just reinstall Windows. You lot tin do that yourself, too.

Reinstall the Operating System

Some people think that computers go slower over time and eventually need to exist replaced – it's sorry, but true. Other people may have the computer to a repair identify when it starts slowing down. When dealing with a computer that'southward get bogged down by startup programs and toolbars, a simple Windows reinstall is oft the fastest, easiest solution.

This tin can also help if y'all're experiencing other problems with your computer, such every bit file corruption or weird errors. While it's ofttimes possible to troubleshoot these things by replacing corrupted files and bad drivers, information technology's usually faster to just reset Windows back to its mill land.

Most new computers come with factory restore partitions, which yous tin access by pressing the correct primal during the kick process (bank check your computer's manual). Y'all may also have CDs or DVDs you tin restore your computer from. If you installed Windows yourself, y'all can use the Windows installation disc. On Windows 8, use the Refresh or Reset feature to easily reinstall Windows.

Be certain to dorsum up your of import files before doing this. Some places may back up your important files for you lot, while some may ask you to dorsum them up ahead of fourth dimension – that's because they'll simply be reinstalling Windows for yous.

Remove Included Bloatware

If you've just purchased a new computer – or reset your quondam computer back to its manufactory default state – you'll oftentimes find it packed full of useless software. Computer manufacturers are paid to include these programs, which tiresome your computer down (particularly during the startup process) and clutter your system tray.

Best Purchase's Geek Team volition charge you to remove this bloatware. Fifty-fifty Microsoft is getting in on the activity – if you bring a Windows PC to a Microsoft store, they'll remove the bloatware for $99.

Don't fall for it: Y'all don't take to pay a dime to remove these preinstalled programs. There are three ways you can become about doing this:

Utilise a program like PC Decrapifier. It will automatically scan your figurer for bloatware and automatically uninstall it.
Open the Uninstall a program control panel and manually uninstall each piece of bloatware, i-by-one. If you do this on a new computer, be sure not to uninstall whatever hardware drivers. Everything else should be fair game.
Reinstall Windows. Many geeks like performing a fresh install of Windows on their new computers to start from a clean land. You lot'll ofttimes take to download and install hardware drivers from your computer manufacturer's website after the reinstall.

Build Your Ain Reckoner

If y'all're in the market for a new desktop computer (you lot can't really build your own laptop), yous don't take to purchase a prebuilt estimator. It's surprisingly easy to build your own figurer from components you can order online. This is generally cheaper than building a new computer – you lot can go better hardware and cull exactly the hardware you desire.

For step-by-pace instructions for everything from choosing components to assembling your new auto, check out our guides:

Edifice a New Figurer – Part ane: Choosing Hardware
Building a New Computer – Function ii: Putting it Together
Building a New Calculator – Part iii: Setting information technology Upward
Building a New Computer – Part four: Installing Windows and Loading Drivers
Building a New Computer – Part 5: Tweaking Your New Computer

Upgrade Your RAM or Hard Drive

Some computer upgrades are specially unproblematic. Adding new RAM to your computer is a very simple process – as long as you purchase the right RAM for your figurer, installing it is volition exist easy (even in many laptops.) Y'all can also upgrade your hard bulldoze (or add a new hard drive) to increase the storage infinite you have available. This is a fleck more complicated, as you'll have to reinstall Windows or move your existing operating organization over if you're replacing the original difficult bulldoze, but it's non too hard.

Nosotros accept guides that will walk y'all through performing these simple upgrades:

Hardware Upgrade: How To Install New RAM
Hardware Upgrade: How To Install A New Hard Drive, Pt 1
Hardware Upgrade: How To Install A New Hard Drive, Pt 2, Troubleshooting

RMA Your Calculator

If you bought a laptop or pre-assembled desktop computer, yous don't need to take information technology to a repair place if it breaks. If it's still nether warranty, y'all can contact the manufacturer to RMA the computer and accept them repair it. RMA stands for "return merchandise authorization" – you'll need to tell the manufacturer'southward service department your problem and receive an RMA number earlier mailing it to their service center.

If you built your own computer from scratch, it can get a bit more complicated hither – y'all'll demand to pin down which component is defective and RMA that component alone.

For information on RMA'ing your hardware if it breaks, consult your figurer's warranty documentation. You can besides visit your computer manufacturer'due south support website online.

Recover Deleted Files

If you've accidentally deleted an of import file, you lot'll exist happy to know that information technology may exist possible to recover information technology. This is because deleted files aren't actually erased immediately.

If yous need in-depth forensic information recovery of critical business concern documents, you might want to contact a professional for that. This is an expensive service, so unless it's extremely important data, you may equally well but try doing information technology yourself.

HTG Explains: Why Deleted Files Can Exist Recovered and How You Tin can Forestall It
How to Recover that Photo, Picture or File You Deleted Accidentally

These are all things you can practise on your ain fairly hands if you lot tin follow instructions. We oasis't touched on the more than complicated stuff here, but a lot of what people pay reckoner repair places to exercise is simple. This is the computer equivalent of changing your own windshield wiper fluid.