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DEL.ICIO.USDIY without the pain
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The car I had just repaired was a hiccup on wheels - sputtering and popping, moving in jumps like a demented frog - as I drove toward Disney World.
It was an old MGB with two side-draft carburetors. As part of a do-it-yourself tuneup, I had tried to sychronize the two carbs.
As my hopping car attested, my reach exceeded my grasp.
That’s how a person can get into trouble with computers, too. You need to be able to honestly gauge your competence before attempting some tasks.
To help you out, I can rate some common computer repairs according to difficulty. As I go along, I’ll list spots on the Web that will guide you through the job. Reading these Web sites has a double purpose. If you tackle the job, they serve as good guides. But if you read them and find youself lost, that’ll tell you that you need some professional help.
(Bill’s disclaimer: The sites I’ll recommend are intended to supplement any directions that came with your products. So if you have a manual that offers different instructions, follow the manual.)
Now let’s rate some common DIY computer tasks.
Adding memory
Difficulty rating: Easy. Anyone can add RAM memory at home. You’ll find this site helpful when it comes to selecting the right kind of memory for your PC. Then, on the same site, you’ll find a guide for installing memory. Buy your chips where you like, but check out this site for some easy-to-understand help.
Replacing or adding a hard disk
Difficulty rating: Medium. This sounds more difficult than it really is. Most of you could tackle this. But it is more difficult than adding memory. Any modern computer will probably take a type of hard-disk technology called SATA. These disks are easy to install and require very little setup. I’ll offer two Web sites. This one is a great place to start since it explains how hard disks work. And it’ll talk about the various types, including SATA. If you decide to do the job, then head to this site for directions on how to do the job.
Replacing a power supply
Difficulty rating: Medium. I don’t have the statistics at my fingertips, but computer power supply failures are fairly common. Contributing to the relatively high failure rate is the fact that many computer makers install power supplies that are barely adequate for the electrical load.
If you add other devices that take power from the computer, you can easily overload the supply. Again, this is a job - no soldering required - that most home users can tackle. But proceed with caution. Take a look at the directions here and see if you feel easy about this job
Adding an accessory card
Difficulty rating: Easy. Now that Vista is here, some of you may be faced with replacing a video card so that your computer can handle the heavier graphics load. Or you may want to add a new sound card, or pop in an ethernet card. Hey, this is easy stuff.
Just open the case, remove the old card and pop in the new one. I won’t send you to a Web site on this one, since the setup and installation procedure will vary depending on what type card you add. But I have found that most manufacturers do a decent job with providing instructions both in the manual and on the Web.
Installing a computer network
Difficulty rating: Duck soup. Some people pay professionals, at $85 an hour or so, to do this job. There’s no need. You’ll finish this job in less than 30 minutes.
I don’t ordinarily recommend specific products, but this time I will. Linksys is the way to go. The hardware is no better or worse than from other companies. But I love the setup CD that comes with the router. It automates the process so smoothly that, even if you don’t know what an Internet Protocol address is, you can do it.
Finally keep in mind that, even if I say a job is easy, it doesn’t mean you have to do it. If you have more money than time, or if you just don’t feel like messing with computers, there’s nothing wrong with using that wonderful tool - your wallet - to fix a computer.
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By C. Henry Adams & BIE
June 1, 2007 10:35 AM | Link to this
Hey Bill,
As always, I agree with your advice.
But, I notice you did not say anything about Net Bank being sold or the Spammer-Millionaire being caught.
Two questions…1) How do you fix a online banking problem when your online bank is about to turn into a mortgage brokerage firm?
2) How can you tell if your computer has been turned into a Zombie created by the well-off Millionaire & Identity Theft Spammer chilling in a Federal Detention Center somewhere and/or how do you fix it?
Believe it or not…those are interesting problems with levels of difficulty.
Just a thought.
C. Henry Adams & BIE http://www.networkingmenu.com
By Sally
June 5, 2007 4:16 PM | Link to this
I pay $5 a month to BellSouth for home networking. If I have my own router, do I really need to be paying them the $5 fee every month?
By Bill
June 5, 2007 4:26 PM | Link to this
Hey Salty - it’s up to you. I don’t pay it.
Here’s what you give up by not paying it. If something goes wrong, BellSouth (AT&T now) will get the connection going to a single computer not connected to a router. If you feel comfortable with handling any problems with the router - save the $5.
If you don’t feel comfortable, keep paying it.
By Jennifer
June 6, 2007 3:38 PM | Link to this
Bill, I was closing my eyes and wishing this article contained a difficulty level to install a new OS upgrade, but don’t worry, I’m not mad. Is that hard to do? I’m operating w/ 2000 Professional and need to go to XP, since most downloads are now only XP compatible or higher.
Thanks
By Bill
June 7, 2007 7:06 AM | Link to this
Hey Jennifer, open your eyes and check out the link here in blue type. It’ll help walk you through the process.
Truth is, you may run into some glitches with that upgrade but it should work out OK.
Here’s the deal with upgrades like this. It’s hard to predict whether it will be an easy process or a difficult one. That’s because a lot depends on how the hardware in your computer gets along with the new operating system - and the combination of software and hardware in each PC is almost as unique as a fingerprint.