02/23/2023
I just found this, it was written a few years ago ....
"I am writing this because I have seen too many people taken advantage of by unscrupulous computer repair guys. With the economy being hit hard and some fixing being so simple it made sense to share some small bits of wisdom to aid those who need it.
As a business owner in a small town, I see many people on a daily basis that have simple computer problems. Here are a few of the questions I get asked.
The #1 problem with a slow computer is a virus. There are many virus protections available out there. Some are even free so no one has an excuse not to have their computer protected. However, having a virus protection is not a guarantee that the computer won’t get a virus, if the user opens up a bad webpage or file, it is like opening a door and inviting the virus in. Be aware that Microsoft will never, NEVER, NEVER call you to report that your computer is putting out virus’s, that is a SCAM!
The 2nd problem that most people have with a slow computer having more than one virus protection. Some people think that if one virus protection is good, then two is better, not so! I use an analogy, a virus protection is like a wife, one is good and does the housework. If a person has two wives (virus protection) they will fight and get nothing accomplished. This slows down the processes since they are too busy fighting to do anything which means the virus’s come right on in. However, a supplemental like Malware Bytes is like the wife’s best friend, she only comes in the help do the cleaning when she is invited and they work together for spring cleaning really well.
If you have a problem getting the laptop to start up, flip it over, take out the battery, push the power button, plug in the cord and again try to start it. Sometimes the battery needs to be rebooted/reset in the docking station.
Is the laptop overheating? Is the fan running on the bottom or backside? Either the fan is not working properly or the user has covered the fan vent so it cannot get proper circulation, by using on their laps with pants fabric covering the vent. Make sure that it gets good circulation by using it on a hard surface, even a wide book. If it is around animals or a lot of dust, once in a while you can vacuum the fan out while the computer is OFF.
Google is amazing! You can type almost any question in the Google search bar and get an answer for your question. You can find how to do something simple, find a manual to small devices such as cameras and get instructional Youtube videos.
When saving a document to print on a different computer or for emailing, save it as a pdf version. The computer it is being opened on may not have the same font or the program may change the style or the person cannot change things on it. A pdf version cannot be altered and the font and style show up the way it is saved. This still enables them to highlight or copy certain key sections without altering the main format.
Printers are cheaper to replace than to fix."
