Is your old computer giving you all kinds of problems right now?

If so, it might be time for you to consider replacing it. The average PC is only designed to last for somewhere between 3 and 5 years, so if yours is much older than that, replacement might be your best option.

But you should also consider doing computer repair before you spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars replacing your PC. You could very well get a lot more life out of your old computer by performing one or two simple repairs to it.

Just don’t try to repair your computer on your own if you don’t know what you’re doing. By taking this approach, you could do further damage to your computer and have no choice but to replace it.

Here are 7 signs that’ll let you know it’s time to take a computer in for repairs.

You sit down at your computer ready to check your email, type up a report, or play a game. You press down on the power button and…nothing. You press it again and... still nothing. Maybe one more time will do the trick? Nope!

There are some signs of computer repair that will be easy to miss. But this isn’t one of them. If your computer won’t turn on for you, there is a problem with it that will need to be addressed before you can start using it again.

Before you run down to the repair shop, there are several things you can try to get your PC back on. You should, of course, make sure that the outlet it’s plugged into is working. You should also make sure the power cords for your computer are all plugged in.

But if everything seems to be in good working order, there is something else giving your computer fits. And you’ll need a professional to open it up and see what’s causing trouble.

In a best-case scenario, the only thing you might have to do is replace a power cord. But you could also need a new power supply unit for your computer or another part to get it up and running again.

Whatever you do, don’t just assume that you need to run out and replace a computer that won’t turn on. There could be a simple repair that needs to be made to it to get it going again.

When you first buy a computer, it’ll do just about everything at lightning-fast speed. From playing videos on YouTube to opening up games, a new PC won’t let anything slow it down.

But over time, it’s not all that uncommon for computers to slow down. In some cases, they’ll start moving at a snail’s pace and take minutes to respond to even the simplest of commands. It can make it too frustrating for some people to even bother using their computers.

If your old computer is running slower than ever before, it’s a pretty clear-cut sign that you need to have computer repair done. A repair shop can find out what’s causing your computer to crawl and clean it up so that it runs better.

Here are just a few of the things that could be causing speed issues with your computer:

• You have too many programs running in the background at once
• You don’t have enough Random Access Memory, better known as RAM, on your computer
• Your computer has been infected with a virus or malware
• You’re experiencing issues with connecting to the internet
• Your hard drive is starting to fail on you
• You haven’t restarted your computer in a long time

As you can imagine, some of these things are easier to fix than others. For example, restarting your computer is a lot simpler than dealing with a virus or malware.

But no matter what the issue is, you shouldn’t allow it to spiral out of control. Have a professional inspect your computer to see why it’s so slow and figure out what can be done to speed it back up.

There will be times when you’ll need to do a lot of digging around to find out what’s wrong with your computer when it’s not working. But there will also be times when your computer will tell you that there’s something wrong with it.

There are certain error codes that will pop up on your screen to alert you to an issue. Your job is to write these error codes down and seek help from a computer repair shop to fix whatever is causing them.

The so-called “Blue Screen of Death” is one of the most common examples of an error code. Those who use PCs will sometimes see their screen turn blue before their computer shuts down or restarts.

The blue screen is often accompanied by a message that says something along the lines of, “A problem has been detected and Windows has been shut down to prevent damage to your computer.”

There will also be a message about which file on your computer caused it to crash suddenly. That is the message that you’ll want to write down and remember in the event that you need computer repair.

In some instances, restarting your computer will make this blue screen go away and stay away. But in others, the blue screen will return over and over again until you get your computer fixed.

There are also other errors that could show up on your screen without shutting your computer down or restarting it. Pay attention to those error messages as well and do a quick Google search to see what they could mean before turning to a pro for help.

Earlier, we discussed how frustrating it can be to work on a computer that runs slow almost all the time. But believe it or not, there’s something that’s even more frustrating than working on a slow computer.

You’re going to want to pull your hair out when you’re forced to work on a computer that has turned freezing or restarting on a whim into a habit. It’s going to drive you mad when it starts happening time and time again.

Sometimes, your computer will freeze up on you when you’re right in the middle of putting together a project for school or work. Other times, it’ll shut down on you when you’re in the middle of playing a game or video-chatting with a friend.

Rather than risk having this happen to you, it’s important to bring your computer in for service so that the problem can be found and fixed. Otherwise, there’s a good chance that you’re going to abandon your computer since you won’t be able to trust it to stay on when you need it to.

Most people have a bunch of different programs on their computers that they use on a regular basis. They sit down at their computers, open these programs up, and see the programs pop up on their screens.

But what does it mean when you click on a program to start it up and nothing happens?

This may mean that you accidentally deleted the program at some point. By reinstalling the program, you can get it to work again.

But it may also mean that the program has somehow been corrupted, which will prevent your computer from being able to open it. You’ll need to find out how it was corrupted and what’s wrong with it before you can start using it again.

Pinpointing problems with the programs on your computer—especially when you have dozens, if not hundreds, of them—can be difficult to do. You might end up making problems even worse by poking around in your computer’s programs.

But a computer repair specialist can get to the bottom of whatever issues you’re experiencing with your programs and see why they’re not opening. You may have a virus or malware on your computer that’s taking a toll on them, or there could be an issue occurring within your hard drive that needs to be fixed.

If you spend enough time clicking around on the internet throughout the course of a normal day, you’re going to encounter a few pop-up screens. There are certain websites that will automatically open up a pop-up screen as soon as you visit their homepages.

But you should not have pop-up ads flooding your screen every time you sign into your computer. If you do, it’s a strong indication that you need to have repairs made to your computer before the problem manages to get even worse.

More often than not, an overabundance of pop-up ads on a computer is a sign of the presence of a virus or malware. You may have downloaded one or the other onto your computer and opened yourself up for an attack.

If you know your way around a computer, you might be able to figure out how to get rid of a virus or malware on your own. But if you’re not experienced when it comes to computers, it can be very tricky to eliminate viruses, malware, and more for good.

A computer repair technician won’t have any problem doing it, though. They can search around on your computer and locate a virus or malware within just minutes and take the proper steps to remove it.

They can also teach you about how to avoid malware on your computer in the future. You can do it by:

• Installing anti-virus software on your computer
• Updating your anti-virus software so that your computer is prepared to fight back against malware
• Updating your PC’s operating system as updates are released
• Scanning your computer for viruses, malware, and more once a week or so
• Putting a password on your home’s internet connection
• Securing the browser that you use to surf the internet
• Being careful about what you choose to download
• Avoiding programs that could invite viruses and malware to set up shop on your computer

This might seem like a lot of work. But it shouldn’t take you long to complete most of these steps, and they can go a long way towards protecting your computer.

Is your computer very noisy when you’re using it? The sound that you hear is probably just the fan keeping your hard drive and the rest of your computer components cool.

But there are also some other computer parts that can make sounds when they’re malfunctioning. You should keep an ear out for these sounds and avoid ignoring them if they grow louder over time.

Your hard drive, for example, might start making a clicking sound when you have your computer turned on. A little bit of clicking here and there shouldn’t be too much of a cause for concern. But if your hard drive is clicking non-stop, it’s time for computer repair.

There are lots of different parts inside your computer that work together to allow you to use it. These parts include everything from your hard drive and your processor to your RAM and your power supply.

If there is ever a problem with any of these parts, you should seek computer repair right away. You should also look out for problems involving the software on your computer. They could, in some cases, be worse than the problems with your hardware.

We can help you fix issues with your computer and give you the opportunity to start using it like you normally do again. We’ll provide you with a free diagnosis at first before moving on to the repair stage if you want us to fix your computer for you.

Contact us today to set up a repair date or to ask any questions you might have about common computer problems.