Of course, those who work in computer science and those who are good with the computer, it is frequently called by friends or relatives when they have problems on their PC.
For example, these days, a friend asked me to help because on his computer appeared the ominous message "operating system not found" or "Operating system not found" and the technician asked him where he had gone over 300 Euro to fix it.
His is a relatively new laptop with Windows 7 on it.
In this article, we try to do a great guide as complete as possible (although abbreviated) to show how you can avoid paying a professional to repair your computer when this is no longer whether or not functioning properly.
The only requirement is some time available, it is necessary to investigate the causes of the problem and, if necessary, make the necessary interventions, or at least to go by coach with something in his hand.
Even if you had not been able to repair the computer yourself, it is important to understand what is causing the problem.
The speech is similar to when you bring the car to a mechanic, with the difference that a computer works so much easier and it is easier to understand what is wrong.
In general, who goes by the technician to fix your computer has the following problems:
- Do not have time to do it alone;
- It does not have the original DVD of Windows to reinstall the system;
- Even if you have the installation DVD, do not use it for fear of losing all your data, pictures, and documents.
- He needs to replace a piece of hardware, but is worried about doing it alone.
We spend a few words in favor of technical honest.
When you bring a computer in for service, if the user does not have the slightest idea about the cause of the problem, they need time to investigate. Some technicians are good at identifying problem immediately, while others will simply replace a few pieces or reinstall the system.
When taking the computer in for service do not necessarily need to leave it for repairs, you can also just ask for advice (even paid) to know exactly what is wrong and how to put it affixed (then go home and read Navigaweb).
When a computer is broken, the problem can be divided into 5 types:
1) Do not turn on anymore
If you do not turn on their own, the problem is necessarily tied to the power supply which is not an easy piece to replace it yourself, but that costs very little to fix it.
In another article we saw how to change your computer's power supply, but if it proves difficult, you can safely go to a technician who, for this problem, it should take a little time and ask for a rate low enough.
2) You start but gives error before it appears to the Windows
This is the case of the example seen at the beginning of the article.
If Windows does not load right, the problem may be a broken hard disk or RAM memory is damaged. To check the memory RAM will not have problems, you can download a tool called Memtest that must be burned to a disc and loaded by starting the computer from the CD player. Compared with the power supply, RAM and Hard Disk parts of a computer are fairly simple to replace. For more details on these DIY repairs, Remand to guide for adding memory RAM and the guide to install a second internal hard drive .
While changing the RAM does not give any inconvenience to replace the hard drive you have to think about the data inside that probably you want to retrieve (if you do not have a backup to another internal or external disk).
The trick is to install a new SATA hard drive just bought, without removing the broken one that we need to become secondary.
To recover data from the hard disk can be damaged
- save everything on the new hard drive using a Linux Live CD
- Recover files using a backup program live
The best solution however is to install Windows 7 or Windows 8 on the new hard drive and then use the old drive as a secondary and transfer data.
Keep in mind that the hard drive crash can cause computer crashes and blue screen errors.
It should then check the health status and performance of the hard disk.
In some cases, the computer will not start due to the disruptive effects of a virus or problems on Master Boot Record (MBR).
Then return useful the recovery CD if the pc does not start .
3) Windows loads properly, but you can not do anything and it all seems stuck
In this case, in 95% of cases, the fault lies with a virus.
Even in the case who have developed errors of missing files or permissions denied, the cause may be getting a virus.
On this subject, I can safely refer to other guides very precise:
- How to tell if your computer is infected with virus.
- What to do if your computer is infected with a virus.
A less sensational cases, it is always possible to remove a virus or malware, on their own, using the Recovery CD if the computer would become unusable.
4) The computer works fine but shuts down or restarts by itself frequently.
This is the problem more difficult to identify because the causes can be different: the hard disk has some bad sectors, do not work the sensors control the temperature, the fans do not cool enough, the RAM is damaged, Windows has a virus and so on.
Regarding these issues I described several typical situations in the articles:
- Answers on blue screen, shutdown or restart the computer sudden
- Troubleshooting Windows 7: freeze and random blocks and frequent .
5) The computer is fine even if errors occur frequently and some programs do not start.
In these cases, the problems are software and always solvable. There may be residual effects of ill-treated virus or problems caused by poor programs. To repair Windows by small errors are some tools for solving problems with the Windows Fix-it for Microsoft . If the problems are widespread instead you can do a reset to factory default settings of Windows .
To repair the computer at home, what you need to have is the installation DVD of Windows 7 or Windows 8. If your computer is Windows XP, then it is time to change the operating system. If you do not have the original disk, in other articles we have seen where to download the installation DVD of Windows 7 and how to download Windows 8. Keep in mind that to use these operating systems must be the valid license (Windows 7 you can use it for 30 days free of charge).
To reinstall Windows, just copy the downloaded ISO to a DVD and start the PC from the DVD player and follow the signs without formatting anything.
Windows 7 and 8 allow to keep the old data in a folder called Windows. old then, in theory, they would not even have a backup quote.
If necessary, follow the guide to install Windows 7, Windows 8, Xp and Vista from USB drive without cd .
PCs that have a partition or a recovery CD you can do the restore to factory settings which, in some cases, solve any problem that is not always the damaged hard disk.
If you must give assistance to a friend or relative, you can use a program like Team viewer to remotely connect to your PC and work remotely .
I hope this guide list of things to do to repair a computer can come in handy, at least to get more information when you take the pc to a technician. It may seem like a complex job, but I can assure you that in many cases you can save your computer with minor surgery and save a lot of money.
Returning to the story that began with this guide, the problem of my friend fell within the type 2, the computer lit up, without loading Windows. To repair it is enough for a new hard drive and Windows 7 installalers above, which was written license key on the sticker underneath the laptop.
