My Computer Is Running Slow. Should I Repair It?

By Jeffrey Livintoff
Wednesday - October 22, 2008

By Jeffrey Livintoff
PTC Consulting

It’s the question people are asking today. It’s only a couple years old, do I need a one, or should I have it repaired? What makes a computer slow in the first place?

Computers that are infected with viruses and spy-ware run very slow. Corrupted files in windows or glitches in programs can also make your computer life miserable. By the way, what are corrupted files?

The files on your computer are stored on a magnetic disc called a hard drive. Just like a VHS tape that you played over and over again starts to lose quality of picture and sound because of wear and tear on the VHS tape, so does a hard drive wear out and loses files or parts of files. Any damaged or missing files in Windows can cause windows to lock up (not respond) or crash (error messages or blue screens). Can it be repaired? YES, is it worth repairing? KEEP READING TO FIND OUT.

Just ask yourself, what are you using the computer for? If you are just browsing the internet, checking email and don’t have important files and pictures stored on the computer, then you probably don’t have a buy a new one. Business users and people that store lots of files and pictures on their computer may want to buy a new computer before anything happens to the old computer. It is much easier to transfer data from a running computer. The biggest reason to buy a new computer is that if your hard drive crashes, it may cost you from eight hundred to two thousand dollars to recover your files. The hard drive, where all your data is stored has a shelf life. After three years of use, the chances of hard drive failure increases. Power outages, hot environments, dust, and corrosion from salt air also reduce the life of a hard drive and rest of the computer. Still not sure if you want to repair your computer? The easiest way to know is to bring in your computer to PTC and use the $19.99 Diagnostic coupon that you will find on this page. We will diagnose and quote you on the cost of repair. Then you can decide if the repair cost is worth it or it’s time for a new computer.

What should you look for in a new computer? First, there is nothing better than to have a local store to advise you on choosing the type of computer you need and any options that benefit you. For example, two hard drives on a computer is a very smart choice. The first drive will be the operating system hard drive. Nothing other than the operating system goes on this drive. Have you noticed when you have owned a computer for more than a year, it gets awfully slow compared to when it was new? This is due to the fact that your data files have mixed with the system files. It takes longer for the computer to access the files it needs to run windows. If you put all your data (pics, docs, video, etc) on a second hard drive, then your computer will run faster and more efficiently. Virus and spyware are more likely to infect windows files, so your data drive is less likely to get an infection.

Want to use a big screen LCD or Plasma HD TV on your computer? To take full advantage of HD you need to have a HD capable video card. Want to watch TV on your computer? Install a digital TV tuner card in your computer. Is your computer in direct sunlight or in a non air conditioned room? A custom computer case with lots of fans and ventilation is needed. As you can see, there are a lot of decisions to make. Make a list of everything you do with a computer, and anything that you might want to do in the future. Have you had problems with other computers or technicians in the past? Have you lost any data before? Are your kids getting on your computer and screwing it up? Your input can help us in building you a computer that you will enjoy using, or let us fix the old one that needs some TLC . Mahalo, from Your Friends at PTC Consulting.





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