Safety First!

Safety First Do not assume that your power strip / surge suppressor is off!

This should be your primary concern, if you are injured how you going to use that computer?

ESD is important!

You need to remember that Static Electricity will destroy delicate components. This is called Electromagnetic Static Discharge (ESD), static electricity. You can build up enough static electricity to damage a unprotected part by walking across the room.

How do you discharge the static electricity? By grounding yourself, you can buy a static wrist strap at your local electronics store or online. You connect the alligator clip to the case of computer, the power is unplugged so it is not grounded but the case will absorb any static electricity you have built up by walking around.

When working on computer parts also consider where you are placing the old part and the new part while you are working on the computer. Using a anti-static mat (this is a special material that absorbs static electricity and with a ground strap dissipates the electricity if there is any present).

If you can not afford or have a anti-static map use the anti-static wrapper the new part comes in to place your parts on this will offer some protection from ESD.

Note: Do not use tin foil as a replacement for the anti static mat! Tin foil transmits or conducts electron flow where as the anti static mat ABSORBS that electron flow!

Remove all JEWELRY!

A short checklist of probable no power:

• House power on? check
• Power at the receptacle? check (the lamp next to the computer is on right?)
• Unplugged and plugged in the power cable to both the wall receptacle and the computer power supply? Check
• Your next step is to use Safety First  when doing the Basic Troubleshooting checklist to find the problem.

Tools:

The 5 Steps to high quality and cheap DIY Computer Repairs Get It Today...

• a common screw driver
• a # 2 Philips screw driver
• a # 15 torque to remove the screws

An excellent "IT Tool Box" is an ERD (Emergency Repair Disk) however once you make the disk you can not add any more programs to it, then again making a Custom ERD you can add more diagnostic and repair programs than the few offered by the basic Windows Vista and newer ERD made from the backup applet. To find out more click here!