How to Perform a DIY PC Fix
PC Fixing
There are two major categories that would fall under a DIY PC fix: hardware fixes, and software fixes. DIY PC Fixes for software mainly involve removing viruses, spyware, and malware. We have plenty of tutorials here at Bright Hub that can assist you with software fixes. You may be interested in:
Review of Microsoft Security Essentials
7 Best Security Freeware for Windows 7
Where Can I Get the Best Free Antivirus for My Computer
However, DIY PC fixes involving hardware may be a bit more intimidating. For someone who has never worked on a computer before, the idea of opening up your PC, and messing with hardware components can seem very unappealing. But upgrading, swapping, and even building an entire PC is not at all as hard as it may seem. Are you capable of performing a hardware DIY PC fix? Absolutely. Check out the following PC component summaries, which may be of help for you if you are trying to decide whether or not to fix a PC issue yourself, or have someone else do it.
Repairing or Upgrading Your PC’s RAM Memory
Upgrading your PC’s memory, or doing a RAM upgrade, is one of the most requested PC fixes. It is also one of the easiest PC fixes to do yourself. Under no circumstance would I recommend paying someone to upgrade your PC’s RAM. Why? Because of the price that most PC repair shops charge. In certain cases, a PC repair shop will charge you $50-$100 in labor for a RAM upgrade. Plus, they will tell you that you also need to purchase the RAM memory itself. In which they will then go buy the cheapest RAM available for your PC, and slightly jack up the price. Perhaps the worst aspect of this whole situation is that a RAM upgrade literally takes 10 minutes to do. That’s paying someone $50-$100 for 10 minutes of labor, plus overpaying for the cost of the actual RAM.
In brief words, this is how you perform a DIY PC RAM upgrade:
- Slide the side panel off of your PC’s case.
- Touch the PC case to remove any static electricity.
- Move tabs on old RAM memory outward and remove the old RAM.
- Firmly, push the new RAM into the slots.
- Slide the side panel back onto your PC.
- Done.
Can you do a RAM upgrade for a laptop? In most cases, yes. Here is an example of how to do a RAM upgrade in a MacBook. Although a MacBook is not a PC, the RAM upgrade process is virtually the same.
Repairing or Upgrading Your PC’s Hard Drive
Upgrading or replacing a hard drive is the second most commonly requested PC fix. This is another hardware repair/upgrade that you are very capable of doing yourself. Again, a computer repair shop will overcharge you for a repair like this, which takes half an hour to complete, max. This is how you perform a DIY PC hard drive upgrade:
- Slide the side panel off of your PC’s case.
- Touch the PC case to remove any static electricity.
- Disconnect the cables that are plugged into the back of your old hard drive.
- Unscrew the old hard drive, and slide it out of the bay.
- Slide your new replacement/upgrade hard drive into the bay.
- Screw it into place.
- Reconnect the cables to the back of the new hard drive.
- Slide the side panel back onto your PC.
- Done.
Processor, Optical Drive, Video Card, and other Upgrades.
Aside from DIY RAM upgrades and DIY hard drive upgrades, you may also want to upgrade the processor, optical drive, video card, or other PC components. For the most part, upgrading any part in your computer is just as easy to do, with the exception of replacing or upgrading a motherboard. Although not extremely challenging, motherboard upgrades are different, because everything connects to your motherboard. Thus, it is a more time consuming process. Can you do a motherboard upgrade yourself? Absolutely. Should you do a motherboard yourself? Yes, if you are fairly knowledgable of the basic parts and connection types of your PC. If you don’t know what the term SATA is, I would not recommend doing a motherboard swap yourself. However, with the right tutorial, you are very capable of doing just about any DIY PC fix out there.
Got a friend who is into computer gaming? Most likely, they can assist and advise you in not only doing the actual PC fix, but also on what parts that you should purchase. Many gamers choose to build their own PCs from scratch, so that they can pick and choose the best parts for their PCs.
