Things to Remember When Acquiring a Computer Technician’s Assistance
If you encounter a computer problem or an issue that you haven’t ever met yet while using your PC, don’t call a computer technician too quickly. Try to see if you can fix the problem yourself. Use basic troubleshooting techniques in doing so. If you feel like you have done your best and that any step you take further may be detrimental to your PC’s health, then that is the right time to call a technician.
When dealing with a technician, always remember that there are three things that he needs to analyze before he can proceed to fix your PC: it is a combination of hardware, software, and operator, which is you. Yes, you are part of the troubleshooting process since he needs to gather information from you and he also needs to know how you used your computer prior to the issue. This is where you can help him immensely by cooperating with whatever he needs and telling him every bit of information he needs to know.
Truthfully, a technician, skillful as he is, needs some assistance of you of some sort. What he needs from you are basic information that he wouldn’t otherwise get by just analyzing the PC. What you need to do, therefore, is to help define the problem according to how you see it. Don’t just say that your computer became “slow” or “unresponsive”, figure out exactly in what parts it did become slow. Ask yourself the following: What actions are you usually doing that makes you say your PC is slow? Do you mean you only have slow Internet but not a slow PC? Did you install anything new or added something recently to your computer? Provide the technician answers that are straight-to-the-point.
Many people are guilty of the error of being non-participating in trouble-shooting the problem, and worse, they confer to their friends the problem when these people don’t really know anything about computer repair and no one knows your computer more than you do. Just trust the technicians on this one and avoid asking friends for help.
Let’s say you’ve now determined your problem. Before you even go to get computer help, decide how much the problem is worth to you. A very basic guideline is this: if repairing the PC problem is near the cost of just buying a new computer, then don’t do it. Also, it would be best if you can contact someone you can trust so that they can offer you the best deals around.