The Five Most Costly Misconceptions About Computer Repair and Maintenance

1) If your computer is working fine right now, it does not need any maintenance.

This is probably one of the biggest and most deadly misconceptions that most computer users fall victim to.Computers are just like cars. If you don't change the oil and filters, rotate the tires, heed the warning lights, and perform other regular maintenance on your car, it will eventually break down and cost you FAR MORE to repair than the cost of basic maintenance. There are certain maintenance checks that need to be done daily (like virus updates and spam filtering), weekly (like system back ups), and monthly or quarterly (like checking for and installing security patches and updates, disk defragmentation, spyware detection and removal, check the surge suppressor and the integrity of the hard drive), and so on. Your computer repair technician should be adamant that you have regular maintenance done on your machine and should offer to set up automatic virus definition updates, spam filtering (to avoid viruses), and automatic system backups OFF SITE or to a secure location.

If your technician does not press you to let him do this for you, the RUN - don't walk - out of their office. Lack of system maintenance is the NUMBER ONE reason most people end up losing valuable files and incurring heavy computer repair bills. If your technician isn't offering you these services, you need to find someone else to support your computer or network for two reasons: Either he or she doesn't know enough to make this recommendation, which is a sure sign that he or she is horribly inexperienced, OR They recognize that they are profiting from your computer problems and don't want to recommend steps towards preventing you from needing their help on an on-going basis. Either reason is a good one to get as far away from that person as possible!

2) The maintenance tools provided in the Microsoft Operating Systems and software are all the maintenance you need.

Again, this is a terrible misconception. Microsoft does NOT include ALL of the security features to protect your data from viruses, hackers, and data loss or your PC running sluggish. Additionally, Microsoft (and other software vendors for that matter) are constantly providing critical patches and updates to their software to protect you from viruses and hackers. However, if you don't know how to look for them, or if you don't know how to install them properly, you could easily end up getting burned.

3) My nephew/neighbor's kid/brother-in-law knows this computer "stuff" and can help me solve my problems.

If only this were true. Obviously, not all technicians are created equal. Just because a Person is good with computer applications (what we may call a power user) does NOT mean they know how to install a critical security patches, detect and extract a deadly virus, or upgrade your machine. There is no substitution for experience. Most people look for a part time "guru" to help them to save money but this often comes back to haunt them. Everyday we get new customers who walk into our shop needing us to clean up a mess that was caused by an inexperienced neighbor, friend, or relative who was "just trying to help". If the person you working on your machine does not do computer repair and support for a living, there is a good chance that they won't have the knowledge or experience to truly help you. Technology advances at lightning speed and it takes constant learning and practice to master it. If your "part-time technician" is not working on PCs and networks every day, they probably only know enough to be dangerous.

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