[aston89]

I was wondering if I could save myself a lot of money by fixing my computer myself. Ive had so many problems with it in the past and I've had to pay out £40 a time for someone else to come and fix it. I have a basic knowledge of computers but don't know what to do if my PC won't switch on or keeps crashing.

I was thinking of getting an ebook like this so I don't have to keep dishing out. I just wondered if there's anyone else in the same situation as me and if sorting out the problem yourself is a good option?

[progunr]

I don't know man?

I have found out that if I try to fix something, without really knowing how, it usually costs me extra for the professional to fix what I screwed up, AND what was wrong to begin with.

If it is unfamiliar to me, I leave it to the expert, it's much less costly this way.

Good Luck to you though!

[seahwk83]

It really depends on what kind of problems you have had that you had to pay for(hardware or Software) a lot of times you can get help in forums, a basic PC repair book never hurts anyone and is usually good to have on hand

You can get yourself an old PC and tear it apart and rebuild it, when you install something you can always try it on another PC first to see if there are prblems and try to repair the problem before you put it on your good PC and at the same time as having another PC is you would learn some networking also if you wanted to network the 2 pc's together

[JBeaucaire]

If you are good at figuring out things you've had no experience with before, then this might work well for you. Check your history honestly on this regard. There is a lot about computers and computer maintenance that is simple logic, but there is MORE that is not logical unless you've been shown how.

So, the short answer is "no you can't expect to do that soon" but the long answer is "of course, but you'll have to learn what you don't know yet if you expect others to pay you" and if you screw up your own devices, no harm done, usually, just rebuild them. Sounds like that's what you want to do anyway.

[jstrike]

Certain things are very easy to do... swapping a video board, adding memory. These things can be nerve wracking the first time you do them but like anything, they get easier as you go. Other things, especially troubleshooting OS problems are going to be more difficult. The more you do, the more you will make mistakes but, more importantly, the more you will learn. There's reference material and help forums all over the web. (I hear that askmehelpdesk.com is a particularly great place!) If this is something you want to do then give it a shot, everyone has to start somewhere.