Gordon's Computer Repair

Introduction: Do you have pop-ups? Is your computer running slow? Are you getting the Windows' blue screen of death? If so, then contact me. I know you have heard this before, but you want to have your computer handled by someone competent and experienced. That's me. I have been servicing and repairing PCs for many years. I can install and upgrade any hardware you might need. If you have an older computer, whether desktop or laptop, the most expedient and cost-effective upgrade might not be a totally new computer, especially if you are cash strapped. Many times, installing more physical memory is the key, and it increases the speed significantly, if only extending the life of the unit for a few more years. This is not software; this is a physical circuit board that is installed. You might have heard it referred to as RAM. Memory is relatively cheap, anywhere from 20 to 50 dollars, but again, you want to have it installed by someone who has installed it before. One wrong move or too excessive a force, and you can damage the new memory and the motherboard: the main circuit board of the computer. One common ailment of computers and electronics in general is overheating. Overheating is caused by a buildup of dust inside the unit and around the internal components. The buildup of dust is caused by the nature of electronics. Electronics are natural electromagnets. When electricity flows through something, it magnetizes it. As the fan draws air in to cool the components, it also draws in the dust and particulates that are suspended in that air. The electromagnetization attracts the dust, and it sticks to the components. The dust then acts as an insulator, preventing the heat from being dissipated. What this means is that the fan then has to work harder to wick away that heat. If you hear the fan in your PC spinning up and working like crazy, sounding like a jet engine, and/or the unit seems to be running really hot, then it's time to get the fan blown out with an air compressor. For a laptop, that means cracking the case and opening the unit up. Again, you want an experienced technician, someone who has done it. One slip, and you can slice a ribbon cable. I can also most often recover data if the data has been corrupted, providing that the physical hardware has not failed. A failed hard drive will typically have a "clicking" sound or fail to spin up at all. I also replace defective or damaged LCD screens. If your LCD is cracked or has blue or yellow horizontal lines running through it, then it must be replaced. The manufacturers and major retailers offering computer services will want to charge you upwards of $400 dollars to replace the screen with an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) screen from the manufacturer. That is almost the cost of a new computer. Most often, a new aftermarket screen can be found on Ebay, and I can install that for you for a minimal charge. The screen usually runs about 80 to 100 dollars and I can install for about 50, a significant reduction from the OEM screen. For those of you who have Android phones, I can "root" those for you. Rooting is the jailbreaking equivalent of the Iphone. It does two things: 1)it allows you to remove or uninstall unwanted and unused apps that came with the phone and 2)allows you to install some apps that can only be installed on a rooted device. In addition, after rooting, some phones can have a customer ROM installed that allows them to be used by another carrier or cell phone provider. For those of you who are reading this, if you have not backed up your data somewhere, then do that immediately. Keep in mind, a backup is a copy of your data. Back up to removable disk, flash drive, or online storage. I had a friend bring me a removable disk that had failed and he said that it was his backup. I said we could just get another drive and sync the data from the original location. He said that that removable drive was the original location. He thought that a removable drive was a backup. He had many gigs of music that he lost. A removable drive can be used as a backup but is not a backup in itself. Again, if you do not have a copy of your data, you do not have a backup. Once a drive or media physically fails, it's difficult to retrieve that data.