Myths about computer repair and IT people

1) My computer guy knows everything about every program out there.

There are so many programs around and they are constantly changing. It would take more than a lifetime to learn them all. While a given computer repair tech may know about common applications (i.e. Word, Quick Books, etc), they may not know anything about programs specific to your industry or other applications that aren't commonly used.

This is not abnormal.

Also, your tech cannot usually "fix" problems with websites (such as Facebook) because the website itself is actually on a server somewhere else which only the people who administer the website can access (the same rule applies: no one knows everything about every website).

He or she may be able to tell you why you're having problems with it or maybe tweak the settings on your computer to correct some small issues, but this is usually limited in what it can accomplish and any real problems with a website have to be handled by the people who own and operate it.

2) My teenager or my neighbor's/friend's/coworker's teenager/young-person can fix it.

Kudos to the older generations for giving positive credit to the younger generations for at least something. Too bad that this is nothing more than an error in reasoning.

There are some pretty computer savvy youngsters around that can write programs, troubleshoot hardware, and understand computer architecture. But most young peoples’ wisdom is in the form of using the internet, specific programs, and using the computer in general (this is most likely due to the fact that they grew up with PCs).

People like this are dubbed "power users". This does not give one the ability to trouble-shoot, install, and configure hardware and software properly, especially on complex networks and servers.

There have been computer repair calls made to me because the owner of the PC let his teenager or twenty-something have a crack at fixing it first, thus making the problem worse.

3) I need to be a computer technician, engineer, or computer scientist to fix my own computer.

So maybe your 18 year old isn't quite the computer whiz you thought he was. This doesn't mean you need to kick out $250 for that repair quite yet.

Fixing many computer problems is kind of like walking a tight rope: you don't have to be a genius, you just have to know how to do it.

Many repairs are easy and require little or no technical knowledge. That's what this web site is here to show you.

4) I'd know it if my computer was infected with viruses, spyware, or other malware.

Sometimes you will, but not all malware is so overt. Often, malicious s oftware is designed to run quietly in the background so it can log the keys you press, the websites you visit, and attempt to steal data and passwords to send them back to whomever. Others can turn y our computer into a spamming machine without your knowledge.

5) I can buy a new computer for $350, so I'm going to pitch the old computer rather than fix it.

Computers that sell for less than $500 are very low-end, cheaply made machines. They are equipped with low grade processors; modest amounts of RAM; small, slow hard drives; and are cheaply made. Buy one and you'll soon wish you hadn't. An older (5 yrs or less) computer can often be repaired and/or upgraded for a relatively cheap price.

If you do it yourself then the only cost is the software or hardware you buy. Then you get another 2-4 years out of it.

Remember the Golden rule of shopping--YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

And yes, it's true, even for computers.

6) Computer repair always costs a fortune.

See items 3 and 5.