The Skinny On Computer Repair

Most computer repairs you can do yourself whether it is Windows XP, Vista or 7. Preventative maintenance is key to keeping your pc optimized for day to day use. You can also replace the hardware yourself. By doing the work yourself you can save lots of money not having to hire a contractor to do it for you. Hiring contractors for more advanced repairs like issues with software configuration, hardware diagnostics or data management is recommended.

Today's economy is tough and may get tougher to adjust to in order to make ends meet. Computers are more advanced now a days with more reliable hardware such as your hard drive which is the main device that stores all of your files like music, videos, documents, applications and photos. This data needs to be backed up often. The best rule of thumb is to copy and paste your files onto an external hard drive which are now inexpensive.

To copy a file: Right click on the file or folder and select "COPY"

To paste a file: AFTER you selct copy then go to your ideal destination, your external hard drive location, and then right click and select "PASTE"

TIP: DO NOT CUT and Paste! This will 'move' your data instead of copying it. If a file is open and is in the process of being "moved" it will stop your "backup". You will have part of your data in the "old" location and some if the data in the "new" location. At this point, you will have to count which files moved over to the new location and which files are left in the "old" location to see what needs to be moved over again. This can be time consuming. Just stay away from cutting and pasting data.

Internal hard drives require a little more knowledge with their installation because you will have to make sure that the jumper settings are correct along with the power connectors being properly connected. Refer to the instructions that came with your internal hard drive for installation.

Caution: ALWAYS ground yourself by touching something else that is metal (not your computer) BEFORE touching the computer's internal hardware!

External Hard Drives: (These are so much easier to setup)

Get a USB external hard drive with atleast 500GB of disk space. You can purchase these online at any electronics store anywhere from $60 - $100. Those who have tons of files aka data will need to get atleast 1TB (terabyte) of disk space for the external hard drive. It is recommended to get plenty of disk space for future data growth.

How much does the average home user spend on computer repair? Well it depends on how you maintain your computer by performing preventative maintenance and by taken care of your computer’s internal components like the hard drive and motherboard (keeping dust off of the motherboard).

By backing up your data and performing the maintenance necessary your computer will be running at its best and your data will be kept safe. Check out the computer repair page on how-2-do-stuff.com to get info on the preventative maintenace plan to keep your computer running strong. My site is completely free.

Tip: Try to maintain your computer yourself. If it gets too complicated ask a question in my forum on how-2-do-stuff.com and I will promptly reply to help you on your way.

Check out the very cool videos on Mac, XP and Windows 7 tips and tricks.

Thanks,

Shane

Find out more on computer repair, home repair, making money with your website, downloading good free software and e-books and much more at http://how-2-do-stuff.com

Don't waste your time or money hiring someone to do repairs that anyone can do!

PC photo coutesy of freedigitalphotos.net