Solihull computer repairs. Data recovery. Web sites. Virus removal. Birmingham PC repairs. Pc recycling. Laptop Repairs. Slow Pcs. PC rental. Hard drive cleaning. Lost photos recovered.
Laptop repair Solihull and Birmingham, Computer repair Solihull and Birmingham, Web sites, PC Recycling, Lost photo / file recovery
All at prices that won`t drive you MAD!
Hints and tips - before you call out the repairman
There are many different faults a pc can develop and although your problem might be listed below the solution may not be. This is just a starting point.
I can hear the pc start up but nothing displays on the screen
This could be caused by a few things: Hard drive failure or corruption, Motherboard failure or Graphics card failure. 7 out of 10 times it’s caused by hard drive corruption and is a relatively quick and cheap fix. Only the most confident should attempt to fix it themselves and if you don’t take the proper steps you WILL lose all your files.
I get this blue screen that tells me the pc has been shut down to prevent damage
Have you installed a new piece of Hardware or Software and it’s caused this? If the answer is yes then remove it and try again (if its new software or drivers do this in safe mode). If the answer is no then this will be either a hard drive partition corruption or something inside the pc has developed a fault. Call us – do not attempt this one yourself.
I turn on the pc and its completely dead
This would almost certainly be a power supply problem. With a full sized pc do the obvious and check the fuses in the plug etc. With a laptop check the mains adapter has an output. Obviously with a full size pc fitting a new power supply is complex but a laptop adapter you could source quite cheaply for yourself but make sure you get a compatible adapter or expensive damage could occur. (By dead we mean no lights or sounds coming from the pc at all)
It starts up gets to the first Windows logo Screen then turns off and restarts in a continuous loop
This is very Likely a Motherboard or memory problem (although not always) if its accompanied with a quick flash of a blue screen as it shuts down then you need a professional repair.
No sound
first check the simple stuff – if it’s a full sized pc are your speakers on and turned up?, is the sound muted in windows? (left click on the speaker symbol – bottom right of the screen) If its all okay then click start – control panel – system – device manager. Does you audio device have a yellow exclamation mark next to it? If so then it’s a driver problem and you will need to reinstall it – try googling it before calling in a pc repair man.
In Vista or Windows 7 double click the exclamation mark then uninstall the driver - then reboot the pc. It should reinstall properly when it restarts.
No display
first check the obvious stuff are all the cables in tight? If you can, try the monitor on another pc. In a full size pc this could be a graphics card problem or motherboard depending on your set up. In a laptop it gets a little more complex – if you hold a torch up to the display can you see windows as normal only very dull (almost black) – if so then the laptop needs a new inverter. Call us - its not hugely expensive but its quite tricky to do.
When I am on the Internet, Internet explorer stops responding and the screen freezes
Usually this is a corruption in Internet Explorer. Try downloading and using another browser such as Safari, Firefox or Google Chrome.
My pc is so slow when I switch it on
Its probably opening loads of programmes all at the same time – call us and we can do our service on it, we will get it going as fast as new.
When I turn on my pc Windows doesn’t start and I get this repetitive clicking noise
This is almost certainly hard drive failure – call us - sorry but this is bad news, we can repair it cheaply but you have probably lost all your files as well. If the files and documents are vital then they can be recovered by specialist companies with clean rooms - this will be very expensive.
The display looks all wrong
right click anywhere on your desktop. In Vista or Windows 7 click personalise – display - change display settings. You can mess around with the settings in here until everything is fine again. In Windows XP right click the desktop choose settings and adjust the resolution until your display looks right again.
Note: dont worry if you lose your display entirely when trying out different settings - leave it 15 seconds and it will revert back to the one you started with.
My Laptop fan is loud and the Laptop keeps turning itself off
90% of the time this is overheating caused by a blocked CPU fan and requires the laptop to be dismantled for cleaning – call us.
I can not surf the internet but my pc says its connected – Ethernet cable
Try clearing out all your browser history and all the cookies. If that doesn’t cure it try using another browser (see above). If none of this cures your problem then its probably a winsock problem – call us.
I can not surf the internet but my pc says its connected – wireless
see above. Also try turning your router off for 30 seconds then back on again.
My pc wont connect to the internet at all – Ethernet
After checking the obvious (loose cables etc.) Go into control panel – device manager and check if the network card has a yellow exclamation mark by it. If so you will need to download the driver – try Googling it. In Vista or Windows 7 try the same as above (no sound).
My pc wont connect to the internet at all – wireless
Firstly, is your wireless adapter working and switched on? Secondly, is it because the network is password protected? Finally, turn off your pc, router and modem for 30 seconds then turn them back on.
If you regularly lose contact with your wireless router there could be a fault with it – call us.
What should I use to back up my photos / files?
Three basic things – an external hard drive, memory stick or DVD discs. Our advice is to use DVD discs or the external hard drive – memory sticks are really not reliable enough.
My pc works fine but I would like to speed it up what can I do?
First, look at how much memory it has and what operating system you are using. Increasing the memory will make a difference but a good service will also make a big difference – call us we will check your memory when we service it.
(minimum memory requirements for reasonable performance - XP 512mb, Vista 1.5gb, windows 7 1gb - double these figures for good performance)
I cant send emails or I cant read emails (or both)
Are you connected to the Internet? Phone your service provider they will talk you through the correct settings for you email programme. We can do this for you if you don’t understand what they are saying to you - if you have telephoned them before you will know what we mean!.
My printer wont work
In control panel make sure it is ticked as the default printer and check all the cables. If it still doesn’t work try reinstalling the software / driver that came with it. If this doesn’t cure it call us.
My pc is faulty what about all my photos and files am I going to lose them?
When we repair a pc that requires a reboot (reinstallation of Windows) we retrieve your personal files before going ahead – so no you wont lose anything, However, if the fault is hard drive failure then its all lost. Remember if you do a factory restore yourself you will over write all your personal files so back them up first.
My pc needs restoring back to its original condition but I have lost the original discs?
Don’t worry we have just about every recovery disc needed.
right click anywhere on your desktop. In Vista or Windows 7 click personalise – display - change display settings. You can mess around with the settings in here until everything is fine again. In Windows XP right click the desktop choose settings and adjust the resolution until your display looks right again.
Note: dont worry if you lose your display entirely when trying out different settings - leave it 15 seconds and it will revert back to the one you started with.
My Laptop fan is loud and the Laptop keeps turning itself off
90% of the time this is overheating caused by a blocked CPU fan and requires the laptop to be dismantled for cleaning – call us.
I can not surf the internet but my pc says its connected – Ethernet cable
Try clearing out all your browser history and all the cookies. If that doesn’t cure it try using another browser (see above). If none of this cures your problem then its probably a winsock problem – call us.
I can not surf the internet but my pc says its connected – wireless
see above. Also try turning your router off for 30 seconds then back on again.
My pc wont connect to the internet at all – Ethernet
After checking the obvious (loose cables etc.) Go into control panel – device manager and check if the network card has a yellow exclamation mark by it. If so you will need to download the driver – try Googling it. In Vista or Windows 7 try the same as above (no sound).
My pc wont connect to the internet at all – wireless
Firstly, is your wireless adapter working and switched on? Secondly, is it because the network is password protected? Finally, turn off your pc, router and modem for 30 seconds then turn them back on.
If you regularly lose contact with your wireless router there could be a fault with it – call us.
What should I use to back up my photos / files?
Three basic things – an external hard drive, memory stick or DVD discs. Our advice is to use DVD discs or the external hard drive – memory sticks are really not reliable enough.
My pc works fine but I would like to speed it up what can I do?
First, look at how much memory it has and what operating system you are using. Increasing the memory will make a difference but a good service will also make a big difference – call us we will check your memory when we service it.
(minimum memory requirements for reasonable performance - XP 512mb, Vista 1.5gb, windows 7 1gb - double these figures for good performance)
I cant send emails or I cant read emails (or both)
Are you connected to the Internet? Phone your service provider they will talk you through the correct settings for you email programme. We can do this for you if you don’t understand what they are saying to you - if you have telephoned them before you will know what we mean!.
My printer wont work
In control panel make sure it is ticked as the default printer and check all the cables. If it still doesn’t work try reinstalling the software / driver that came with it. If this doesn’t cure it call us.
My pc is faulty what about all my photos and files am I going to lose them?
When we repair a pc that requires a reboot (reinstallation of Windows) we retrieve your personal files before going ahead – so no you wont lose anything, However, if the fault is hard drive failure then its all lost. Remember if you do a factory restore yourself you will over write all your personal files so back them up first.
My pc needs restoring back to its original condition but I have lost the original discs?
Don’t worry we have just about every recovery disc needed.
Obviously this is not comprehensive but is just designed to give you an idea of what may be wrong with your computer. If you have a query that is not covered by any of this give us a ring and we will freely give you any advice. Never mess with the inside of your computer or laptop unless you fully understand what you are doing - its dangerous and you will probably make things a lot worse (plus you are risking those precious files and photos!) and god help you if you cant put that valuable Laptop back together if it isn't yours!.
For further advice:
Email: pcrepairs@drivenmad.biz
Telephone: 07710 888850
For further advice:
Email: pcrepairs@drivenmad.biz
Telephone: 07710 888850
Broken laptop screens replaced, back to factory settings, system reboot, hard drive replacement, Slow computers serviced.
Solihull and Birminghams best computer and Laptop repair service
Solihull and Birminghams best computer and Laptop repair service