Prevention is 9/10 of the Cure
- Lightning Strikes:
Electrical storms can show up without a moment's notice, however, if you do notice lightning or hear thunder unplug your computer as soon as possible. Unplug the computer or surge protector from the wall itself. Computers that are turned off or plugged into a surge protector are not always safe from electrical storms. If you have a computer that you believe has been damaged from an electrical storm, try to plug it into a different outlet or surge protector or both to determine if it is your outlet, surge protector, or computer that is the problem. If it still doesn't work, then bring it in to us and we will take a look for you. The most common issue with a computer damaged from an electrical storm is that the power supply is dead. - Spills:
A spill on a laptop can kill the motherboard instantly. Obviously keeping all drinks away from the computer is best, but if a spill does occur turn the laptop off immediately. Clean up as much of the spill as possible with a cloth or paper towels. Once you soak up as much liquid as possible, keep your laptop open and turn it over to hopefully drain the rest of the liquid out (remove the keyboard if possible). Leave it like this for at least 24 hours (the longer you can leave it, the better chance you have for it to be completely dry) to make sure that the computer is dry. Once dry, you can turn the computer back on. Turning on the computer without it being completely dry can (and most likely will) kill it. Here at PC Healthstop, we can open up the computer as much as possible and make sure it is completely dry before trying to turn it on. For spills that are sticky, we can clean each component with a special cleaner and get rid of the sticky residue. - Dropping a Laptop
- Antivirus Installation:
Picking and installing an antivirus program seems difficult but it really isn't. We advise people to pick an antivirus that you have to pay for because those companies use the money to research new fixes for viruses. This means that you will get better protection faster than using the free antiviruses. We also advise customers to get the virus scan ONLY because the unused parts of the program slow down your computer significantly. Here at PC Healthstop we like, use, and recommend McAfee. We sell it for $39. It is not as intrusive as the other antivirus software available.
Of course accidents happen, should you determine your computer's problems are more extensive than you can repair easily; our expert computer technicians are here to assist you. Repairs can be done onsite (at your home or office) or at our very convenient location, in Framingham, on route 9 East (or call 508-875-4888). We've consolidated to our Framingham location in order to serve you better. Walk-ins are welcomed!