Your iMac’s Bluetooth has gone out again and your keyboard isn’t working, so you reboot and it’s back to normal. Your Windows PC has locked up for some reason and the memory is crashing…. time for a reboot.
Rebooting has become the “go to” fix when we encounter issues with our computers, and for many types of problems we run into, that reset can often clear them up.
But what happens when you’re continually rebooting or if when you do, the problem comes right back? Not everything can be solved by simply switching your computer off and back on again. Certain issues require professional computer repair, and generally pretty quickly before your PC crashes for good.
Certain problems might seem small when you first encounter them – a strange warning that pops up and then goes away, a millisecond of a grey screen, a weird noise that keeps recurring – but they can often be symptoms of much larger problems that can serious impact your device and the data it stores if they go unchecked.
Warning Signs that You Need to Have Your Computer Serviced
140,000 hard drives crash in the U.S. every week. Once that happens, there’s a good chance that you could end up losing all your data. You want to have problems taken care of before they end up in a major crash, which is why it’s important to know the warning signs that signal a trip to the PC repair shop is needed.
When Your Computer is Consistently Sluggish
If your computer consistently locks up and you’re left silently screaming in frustration while staring at a spinning wheel or hourglass, it’s a sign that you need to take it in for a PC tune up. Computers that get slower over time can signal a few different problems, and a computer Pro can identity which ones they are.
Some potential reasons for a slow computer include:
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Not enough memory
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Virus or malware infection
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Beginnings of hard drive failure
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Too many programs running that aren’t properly optimized
Weird Lines on Your Screen
If your computer screen starts flashing weird lines or patterns for a second, then goes back to normal, this could be an indicator that your graphics card is failing.
Hardware that stops working correctly can cause all kinds of other internal issues, such as sudden reboots and difficulty booting your computer at all. This is definitely something you want to have checked out before it gets worse.
Strange Errors Keep Popping Up
Do you randomly see strange error messages popping up that you don’t understand, but you don’t notice anything wrong so you just quit out of them? Just because you haven’t noticed a usability problem yet, doesn’t mean one isn’t headed your way if you leave the problem unaddressed.
It’s a good idea to call a pro when you start seeing recurring error messages, we’ll often know exactly what needs to be done to fix it, because we’ve fixed it for someone else.
Random Freezes and Restarts
As computers age, one of the problems that can arise are random freezes that require you to reboot or the computer rebooting on its own. You might suddenly lose all ability to input from a keyboard or mouse or get cut off during a video conference due to an unexpected reboot.
There is a reason your computer is acting up like this. It could be a conflict with a particular part, for instance if you’ve just added memory, or be due to a number of other factors that an IT tech can diagnose and identify.
You Suspect a Virus or Malware
Today’s advanced viruses and malware are much more difficult to fully eradicate yourself with a self-help virus program. If you haven’t fully removed the malicious code from your system, it can cause more problems for you in the future and infect other devices that share your same network.
It’s best to have virus removal handled by a professional that can guarantee your system is completely clean and free of any malware.
Your Computer is Making Weird Sounds
If your computer is getting louder and starting to make strange clicks, whirs, or other weird sounds, there’s a good chance that a part needs to be fixed or replaced. If you don’t get this addressed, it could potentially mean overheating and hard drive failure.
Bring Your Sick Mac or Windows PC to Pro Tech Guy!
We offer fast and affordable computer diagnostics to find out just what’s going on with your PC. We work on both Windows and Mac devices and can help you with everything from component repair to fast emergency services.
If you’re experiencing any PC problems, don’t wait until things get worse, contact us today! Call 508-364-8189 or reach out online. We proudly serve Framingham, Natick, Sudbury, Wayland, Wellsley, Ashland and surrounding Metrowest area.