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Making Your Computer Rock-Solid

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Making Your Computer Rock-Solid

If you are like me, you might rely heavily on your computer for work everyday. Unfortunately, if you haven't reinforced your system with security software and system updates, your computer might not last forever. A few years ago, I was plugging along when my computer completely died. After spending hundreds of dollars on manufacturer repairs, a friend of mine who worked in computer services taught me a few tips. I want to teach you to make your computer rock-solid, so that you don't have to deal with surprise system failures and annoying glitches. After all, nothing is worse than a computer with problems.

How To Protect Yourself When Sending Computers In For Repair

12 November 2020
 Categories: , Blog

Technology is often a love and hate relationship. It is designed to make your life easier, but this is not always what happens. If your computer is beginning to act up, frustrations are likely to mount. There are a few things you can try at home to see if you can fix it, but there are times when a repair shop is the only route to go. Before sending your computer to be repaired, you will want to take a few steps to keep yourself protected.

1. Be selective

Your computer has a lot of personal information stored on it, and keeping yourself safe should be of utmost concern. When you are shopping for a repair shop, you will want to make sure you are very selective. Choose a shop that has a good track record with providing quality repairs. Talk to friends and read all reviews before selecting shops to talk to. A good repair shop will know that you will want to talk to a few companies before deciding and will be willing to answer any questions you have.

2. Always back up data

Before you hand over your computer to any repair shop, make sure you create a backup of your hard drives. Data loss can happen anytime you perform updates or installation of new software. Therefore, it is a good idea to create a backup of your computer anytime you make changes. You can either create a backup that is uploaded to a cloud program or save it to an external hard drive. If you do this regularly, you will only have a minimal data loss with a computer that no longer turns on.

3. Remove or encrypt all personal data

Anything that you have on your computer that is personal information (Social Security numbers, passwords, bank account information, etc.) should be removed or encrypted before taking it in for repairs. 

4. Keep software keys

Any program you purchase and install on your computer should come with a program key. These keys may be sent to you virtually, or they may be on the packaging the disks came in. If you have to reinstall your software, you will need to re-enter the proof of the purchase key. This step is just as important as creating a backup of your computer.

The easier you make it to access your computer, the easier it will be for technicians to fix it. If you can remove passwords for login, this is best. It also prevents you from having to give them login information that you will then need to change. Technology does fail sometimes, but there are ways to get it working again. Contact a computer repair company to learn more.