Everyone has experience with a problem with their computer while not all of them prevent the computer from operating provides a nuisance to the user, common examples of these types of problems are: Slow reaction/processing speed, unresponsive keyboard shortcuts, as well as delayed or reopening programs. In this blog post we are going over some basic steps that you can try to fix the problem before you need to bring the system into a shop for servicing.

1. Shut down or Restart the system: computers are not made to run 24/7/365 even online servers need time shut off to cool off and re calibrate, users just do not see this do to the fact while one server is down users access the same information (whether that is a web page(s), documents, est.) from another server that has the same data on it to provide the service that the one that was shut off does whenever it is down or busy. Restarting your computer provides your computer the opportunity to self check and as well gets rid of data that is stuck in the RAM that leads to delayed opening due to having to overwrite the information that is there already.  If you are wondering about when you should shut off your computer into  your schedule around using the device for your life, I recommend this:

• If you are going to be away from the device and it is not running any task you want it to do without you (such as idling in a game, calculations, virus scans, est.) for more than 2-3 hours turn it off
• Smart phones can be turned off while you are near another known phone line (work desk, home if you have a land line) due to people knowing that you can be reached at that line, and texts get to you when your smart phone gets turned back on.
• Any rechargeable computer/Device (smart phones, tablets, handheld consoles recharge faster when they are turned off.

2. Clean up unused or old files and programs: computer get slower when they have more data on them. You can make sure that your files are clean by deleting/ archiving into another location any files that is not in your computer. For programs check to see if you are using the program at all if not, you can safely uninstall it, but first make sure that there is not any files that need that program to open and if there are, attempt to turn them into PDF files or another easily opened format instead, this will not only reduce the data of the file needing to be stored but allows you to remove a bulky program.

3.  Check your input devices for any non-common locks or settings: this is for desktop computers some keyboards have locks and options on them to prevent accidental button pressing during normal operation, the problem here is if you need to use those shortcuts or keys you are out of luck if that lock is on. This even happens with standard keyboards due to the nature of Number lock disallowing any number pad input making it difficult to quickly input numbers. My personal computer has a lock for the F1-F12 keys which is okay to prevent messing up while typing but can get in the way when you use these keys for games

4. Check your devices and programs settings/ preferences and key binds: sometimes a computers strange behavior is actually caused by the devices or the programs settings and preferences and sometimes by custom key binds when a computer and its programs are used by multiple people. I will cover each one and its affects:

• Device Settings and preferences include and is not limited to: Desktop images, pointer type, Screen brightness, Screensaver timing, and other overarching system details.
• Program settings and Preferences very depending on the program but for sake of remedy we are going to use a word processor in these settings are: default font type, font size, paragraph spacing, spacing between lines, shortcut key binds (Ctr + (S,Z,X,C)) and so on.
• Key binds are any user created or program created shortcuts used to perform common tasks with simple commands the most well known key binds are Ctr +S: Save, Ctr + C: Copy selected, Ctr +Z: undo last edit, Ctr + X: cut selected, and Ctr + V: Paste copied data.

5.  Make sure that programs you are not using are shut down: this applies to smart phones and tablets more than desktops and laptops due to the nature of their closing, if you are using a tablet or smart phone most of the time when you exit out of a program to the home screen that program is still running in the back ground and using up memory to run, the exact way to close the program for good varies by brand but once the program is closed it will free up memory for other tasks increasing your devices speed.

6.  Clean desktop: making sure that your desktop/ app screen is clean is a major boon to performance it can still hold the exact same number of files, applications, apps est. due to folder making however the less actual icons that the device has to display at a time the faster it goes.
7.  Check your connectivity to the internet: this is for Wi-Fi problems in general check your devices connection icon to make sure that

• There is no connectivity errors to the router
• Check an actual browser to make sure that there is not additional log in information/ terms you need to be made aware of (public WI-Fi)
• That your connection to the router is strong enough for what you are doing

8.  Can you cope or fix with the problem by yourself:  if the problem you are having with your device is manageable for you then you can live with the issue as a quirk of the device, just make sure that the issue is not a sign of something going bad, a simple online search should usually turn up about a non-ideal element of the device and if it is a design decision or not an you may find ways around that limitation.

9.  Install antivirus: make sure that you have an anti-virus and anti-malware programs on you computer and they are up to date, a number of problems with computers are caused by malicious coding and these programs are a adequate defence against these types of programs.

10.  Make sure that all Anti-malware and anti-malware programs are set to run regular scans of your computer, once a week is sufficient more if you go online a lot. These scans should be at the highest sensitivity possible meaning that they will take time to complete taking up resources from all over your hard drive making it hard to use other aspects of the system so schedule them for non peek times to perform them, Lunch time is a good choice.

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Yesterday we went over why you should keep your computer dry, but how should you clean your laptops or your desktop’s keyboard and monitor without causing damage. This is what we are going over today.
 
The real solution is do not use water on any part of your computer use something else, Glass cleaner is designed to clean screens and uses an alcohol as the primary solution meaning that using it will not cause electronics to short if it gets in. for keyboards I would recommend air dusters to get rid of physical particles and rubbing alcohol for any stain that is physically stuck due to alcohols clean evaporation and not causing shorts.
 
In order to get the full length of the keyboard make sure that both the top and all sides of the keys are cleaned to ensure that no particles are left in the gaps.
 
Hope this helps you keep your keys clean and for more Computer Repair tips please visit us.

It happens to everyone eventually, somehow your device winds up with liquid all over it, whether that is a spilled water or drink glass, dropping your phone in the toilet, or as simple as getting soaked during a sudden storm. And you know that water and electronics do not mix, today we are going to go over what to do when your computer gets drenched.
 
The first thing to do is immediately shut off the devices power as the last thing that you want to happen is the device shorting out on you. Shorts are when electricity can get to the point it wants to go without any resistance making the path useless to use and damaging the existing paths for future use, for computer use this can damage your motherboard, make data unrecoverable and even cause you computer to not work even after it has fully dried.
 
The next thing to do is to bring it to a computer shop, whether that is where you bought the device from or an independent shop that you have dealings with in the past. If you want to attempt to dry the computer at home make sure that you get warm air flowing around the device that is not hot enough to damage the device. If you computer does not turn on afterwards take it into the shop
 
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Lets face it you do not want your computer to end up in the shop it cost money, you cannot use your computer during the time and there is a chance that files can be lost. So today we are going over some cheap items that you can get yourself to avoid an unnecessary trip to the shop and protect your files if it does happen.
 
The first tool I recommend is canned air or electronic dusters, this is used to blow away dust that accumulated on the desktop and inside of the case (this is the problem area) these are available at most stores that have computer supplies as well as some general stores so look around to find the one at the price you want.
 
The next recommended tool is a mini or precision screw kit this relates the first tool due to the fact that some desktops and laptops have screws holding the casing on that you need to clean this is the way to get them off ( just remember where you placed them). I recommend that you only use the screwdriver to remove only casing of the computer, never any circuit boards inside this is a great way to end up with your computer in the shop.
 
The third tool is a portable hard drive to put all the documents on your computer in a safe place if the computer that it is on goes down and corrupts the files there; with the portable hard drive you have a back up copy of the file. Our shop does try to keep files intact during services but we cannot guarantee all files are going to be accessible and many other shops delete all files to get the problem fixed, especially with virus and malware problems.
 
The last tool I am going to go over is more software than hardware that is your anti-virus and anti- malware programs. These programs keep your computer secure form unwanted programs running on it with or without your knowledge, this fact allows for much longer time between servicing the computer than normal so this is a necessity.
 
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