An effective computer repair strategy ...

Something I have been thinking about for some time is how to make a short but effective checklist for the DIY'er that wants to do their own computer repair. (Still haven't came up with a good checklist...)

It is one thing to be trained in the 'art' of computer repair, have the knowledge that others seek out when they have problems.

It is another thing when you are seeking the assistance of a pro, the bottom line is where do you go to get the best information at the lowest price?

Remember the old saying: "You get what you pay for." or my motto: "Buy cheap, Get cheap" and if you are getting free advice then maybe it isn't always good advice, something to consider.

I have this on my sales pages for my products: "Some people like to search for a repair solution on the internet, but do those solutions come with a guarantee? Not at all..."

This is why it is necessary to have a repair strategy.

Do you have a repair strategy when it comes to your computer repairs or do you just "go with the flow" and it is a hit or miss repair or like one of the answers on a survey I did sometime ago: "I wing it!"?

Actually there are some very cheap alternatives for getting advice/information for repairing your computer:

• A local library
• The internet.
• A local bookstore

I did a repair strategy survey of past customers and current readers of this web site, it was conclusive in a lot of areas such as:

Of the 100+ respondents:

• All owned a computer.
• 48% owned a tablet.
• 70% did their own repairs.
• Of those that didn't do their own repairs most spent over $100 per year on repairs.

But this image shows me that some people just don't get it:

When I wrote the survey I put in the "I wing it" just for fun, however there are those that just jump in and try to fix their computer with out knowing what they are doing. I saw this in the old Q and A all the time.

Troubleshoot, repair, maintain, upgrade & secure...     With this!

Now these options present a challenge for those that are not in the 'industry' of IT (Information Technology). That challenge is the jargon or as I like to call it Geekese and how to decode what they are talking about. (No geekese is not in the dictionary or on w i k i p e d i a, I made it up over twenty years ago.)

So what does your repair strategy look like for DIY Computer Repairs?

• Would you be reactive?
• Would you be proactive?

Reactive is when a problem arises (remember in the IT world there are no problems they are Issues) you call your local repair shop, a knowledgeable friend, your cousin (who hacks his own equipment), or your nephew (that kid has a iPhone like no other!) for help. Your backup plan is either non-existent or half hazard at best. You haven't even thought about the loss of all that important data stored on one hard drive ...

Proactive is when you have already gathered the tools you need to repair your computer if it has a problem [issue], and you have been doing the backup thing like clock work.

Being reactive will cost you a lot of time, money, and [maybe] you will lose important documents, pictures, and videos.

Being proactive will cost you a little time but you will not spend a lot of money and your data will be safe.

Now that I have scared you, are you ready to go Proactive?

Here are few items you will need to keep your data safe and like a Boy Scout (ya they are still around) used to be prepared:

On this repair strategy page is the IT Tool Box, I list all the software you will need for that emergency that is waiting to happen to your computer.

You will need a few hand tools:

• Screw drivers -
  • Common (flat tip)
    • Small - 1/8th inch or so
    • Medium - 1/4th inch or so
  • Cross point (Philips)
    • A #2 will suffice
  • Torx Driver (this is a special star pattern counter sunk screw head, most common on Compaq computers, check yours to see if you need it).
    • A #15
    • A #8 (mainly used for laptop cases)
• Flashlight (use common sense on this, I use Maglites, the medium size that takes two AA batteries is about right, the 3 D cell battery Maglite is too big for most computer work).
• A anti-static wrist strap (Remember static electricity will kill your new part before you get it to the computer if it is not protected!)
• A anti-static mat (read above)
• A magnet to retrieve dropped screws
• A medium pair of pliers (do NOT use needle nose pliers that have the cutting edge - long sad story behind that advice).
• Self closing tweezers (Using self closing tweezers you can place a screw in a hard to reach place with out dropping it).
• Nut Drivers (handy but not essential)
  • 5/16 inch
  • 1/4 inch

Now all this stuff can be had in a little tool kit for as little as twenty-five dollars at your local electronics store, back in the day some hardware vendors would give them away with a new computer.

Your last acquisition would be some computer repair manuals, try to find ones that fit your level of expertise in computers (for those of you that "wing it" you will save yourself a lot of time and tons of money with this publication, just sayin'...).

This isn't the checklist I had in mind but it will keep you from paying a lot of money to fix your computer, no merit badge for this as of yet...

Me? I am reactive, but then I know a lot of this stuff already ... [sniff, sniff, is that smoke???]