COLUMN: I Googled it, therefore it must be true

I’m guessing it’s second nature. Many people rely on the advice given in forums to fix and build computers.

How do you know the person writing in that forum is not 14 years old and Googling the answer to put in the forum?

Just because it is online, does not make it the truth. Sometimes, the advice given on the search engines can be detrimental to your computer.

A customer a while ago, brought in a computer that kept crashing over and over.

This was a brand new build and we could not understand why he had this issue, especially so soon.

Turns out, the kid had been reading about Over-clocking in forums online.

He decided to give it a try with the help of the forums. He managed to do it and the rest is history, as they say. Professionals know that computers need ample cooling for things like this and that it voids any and all warranty on the machine and parts to do so. Had he called and asked a professional, he would have been told this and saved his mother money.

Some customers don’t just Google it, they YouTube it for a step by step instruction. I can’t count the times someone has loused their machine up from this. You should never try to fix your PC yourself unless you are a PC specialist. It does not mean that you are a genius with computers/gaming. What it means is that you have the qualifications to do so.

So, what should you do? The most common thing a computer expert will ask you is “have you tried rebooting it”? rebooting, or turning the machine/router off and back on again can sometimes solve issues.

That is your first port of call. What were you doing when your issue started? Having details like this will help you to get the help you need to fix your computer.

Did you add/take away anything recently on your computer? The simplest of things can lead a technician in the right direction if you remember to tell them. Take pictures of error messages. The codes are very important and can save time in getting your computer repaired. Videos help too, if the problem is repeating when you do certain things, video it and take it in to the repair shop.

Trying to save money by doing it yourself can often result in higher repair bills with your IT Specialist than if you had taken it to him/her in the first place. Do yourself a favour and take it to a professional. It will save you time, stress, and money.

- Chips Computers are based on Heywood Street in Brimington, Chesterfield. They can be contacted via 01246 200214 or online at www.CHIPSPC.co.uk or www.WeFixAnyComputer.com.