Over the past decade, I have repaired computers, given tech support over the phone and managed computer systems for an entire office. I have enough experience in IT support to actively hate it.
There are few jobs as annoying as explaining how to fix a computer over the phone, and even when I could just visit one of my coworkers to fix their computer issues, a simple problem would often turn into a full day of work simply because people don't know the basics of how their computers work. If computer users had some idea of what IT guys go through on a daily basis, life would be a lot easier for people who work with computers.
Here's seven things that every person should understand before picking up the phone for repair or support.
1. By fixing your computer, we don't take responsibility for your future computer problems. IT people often hear stuff like, "you fixed my computer two weeks ago, and now it won't boot up." People assume that something we did in the course of fixing a computer caused it to break for some reason.
When we repair your PC, we don't do anything else. We're not responsible if something else breaks at some point down the line.
2. Most computer problems can be easily solved by turning a computer on and off. It sounds too simple, right?
When you turn off a computer, the machine closes its running process and allows them to boot fresh. It also reloads drivers and other files that the PC needs to run. In many situations, the PC fixes itself in the process.
3. You should understand your computer's basic specs. This is especially important if you run games, photo editing programs or other demanding software. Write down your computer's processor speed, video card, and RAM. This information comes in handy when you're buying new software.
To find important computer specs in Windows 7, click Start and type "System" for a brief overview.
4. Some of the most effective antivirus tools are free. Programs like Microsoft Security Essentials, AVG Antivirus and Panda Cloud Antivirus work well to keep your computer free of malicious software. All three programs are free, so you can save $50 and a lot of headaches by installing one of them.
5. Every running program takes up system resources. If you have a dozen programs running, your machine will probably struggle a bit to keep up. You can see a list of running programs by hitting Ctrl + Shift + Esc in Windows and clicking Applications. You can also organize a list of running processes by clicking Processes in the same window. Don't close anything if you don't know what it does.
6. There are multiple types of memory. Many of my coworkers think that they can get a faster computer by installing a new hard drive, because they've heard somewhere that their PC needs "more memory." They don't understand that hard drive memory and RAM are two different things.
Think of your hard drive as your PC's long-term memory and RAM as the short term memory. Random Access Memory (RAM) gives your computer a better ability to handle short-term tasks, which could conceivably make it faster. While your hard drive plays a role in your overall computer speed, it's important to recognize the distinction between the two memory types.
7. You need to regularly back up everything important on your computer. All hard drives, solid state drives and flash drives eventually fail. Back up your computer through an Internet service (Carbonite, Dropbox and Mozy are three options) or to an external hard drive regularly to avoid losing data.
What do you think every PC user should know? Post in the comments below.
There are few jobs as annoying as explaining how to fix a computer over the phone, and even when I could just visit one of my coworkers to fix their computer issues, a simple problem would often turn into a full day of work simply because people don't know the basics of how their computers work. If computer users had some idea of what IT guys go through on a daily basis, life would be a lot easier for people who work with computers.
Here's seven things that every person should understand before picking up the phone for repair or support.
1. By fixing your computer, we don't take responsibility for your future computer problems. IT people often hear stuff like, "you fixed my computer two weeks ago, and now it won't boot up." People assume that something we did in the course of fixing a computer caused it to break for some reason.
When we repair your PC, we don't do anything else. We're not responsible if something else breaks at some point down the line.
2. Most computer problems can be easily solved by turning a computer on and off. It sounds too simple, right?
When you turn off a computer, the machine closes its running process and allows them to boot fresh. It also reloads drivers and other files that the PC needs to run. In many situations, the PC fixes itself in the process.
3. You should understand your computer's basic specs. This is especially important if you run games, photo editing programs or other demanding software. Write down your computer's processor speed, video card, and RAM. This information comes in handy when you're buying new software.
To find important computer specs in Windows 7, click Start and type "System" for a brief overview.
4. Some of the most effective antivirus tools are free. Programs like Microsoft Security Essentials, AVG Antivirus and Panda Cloud Antivirus work well to keep your computer free of malicious software. All three programs are free, so you can save $50 and a lot of headaches by installing one of them.
5. Every running program takes up system resources. If you have a dozen programs running, your machine will probably struggle a bit to keep up. You can see a list of running programs by hitting Ctrl + Shift + Esc in Windows and clicking Applications. You can also organize a list of running processes by clicking Processes in the same window. Don't close anything if you don't know what it does.
6. There are multiple types of memory. Many of my coworkers think that they can get a faster computer by installing a new hard drive, because they've heard somewhere that their PC needs "more memory." They don't understand that hard drive memory and RAM are two different things.
Think of your hard drive as your PC's long-term memory and RAM as the short term memory. Random Access Memory (RAM) gives your computer a better ability to handle short-term tasks, which could conceivably make it faster. While your hard drive plays a role in your overall computer speed, it's important to recognize the distinction between the two memory types.
7. You need to regularly back up everything important on your computer. All hard drives, solid state drives and flash drives eventually fail. Back up your computer through an Internet service (Carbonite, Dropbox and Mozy are three options) or to an external hard drive regularly to avoid losing data.
What do you think every PC user should know? Post in the comments below.
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