This month and next I will outline the top five problems I encounter in computers I repair. The old adage “Prevention is better than cure” applies to all these problems and you can, with a little care and a small investment, reduce the chances of you falling victim to them.
Electrical Damage
More common than you might imagine is damage due to electrical problems either within your home or when you use laptop while travelling. Most electrical damage is not obvious at the time it occurs. You won’t see sparks or smell burning but the damage is permanent. Quite often the electrical surge or power failure will result in what we technicians call “walking wounded”. By this we mean that the computer often continues to function for several days or weeks before finally failing.
Prevention: Purchase a solid dependable surge protector for your computer and always use it. With a desktop computer plug in your printer and monitor to the unit as well as these are equally at danger from electrical damage.
I recommend products by Belkin as I have yet to lose a machine protected by one to electrical damage. A Belkin model will cost you €20 for a laptop model and slightly more for a desktop pc model. Don’t skimp on your surge protector and don’t buy a “no name” brand.
Spyware/Virus Infection
One of the most common problems I see virus/spyware infection can not only disable your computer but can and does result in severe data loss. Spyware is increasingly common and more difficult to detect and remove. In severe cases there is no option but to erase the hard disk and this is costly as your data and operating system must be secured and restored during the process. Bottom line if you use Microsoft Windows and browse the web, unprotected and/or without due care, you pc will be infected by a virus or spyware. Viruses and spyware are very rare on Apple based computers due to the operating system used on these systems.
Prevention: Purchase a solid anti-virus program and seek professional advice on the best and most effective products before buying. Many commercial products are virtually useless as is witnessed by the amount of pc’s I see with these products installed but which are virus and spyware infected.
Avoid all illegal music, video, gaming, gambling and nefarious sites as they are riddled with spyware which in turn will pull viruses into your pc.
