Some computer fixes you can do yourself

My first car was a junkyard queen. It looked pretty good but looks can deceive. Underneath the flawless paint job and shiny chrome was a loose collection of components all in a contest to see which would fail first.

But, by gosh, I could work on that car. It was simple enough in those long-ago days that even an idiot like me could do minor repairs.

It’s the same with my first computer and, for that matter, with the software that went into it. If something went wrong, there was no thought of taking it to a computer tech.

Over the years, both cars and computers have become much more sophisticated. And with each improvement, my ability to fix things has diminished. Nowadays — for really big jobs — I have no choice but to take my computer to a technician.

I’m going to talk about maintenance the average user can safely — OK, fairly safely — do at home. Since there are so many things that the home user can no longer do, the list will be short enough to fit in this column with room to spare.

One warning: Consider the fact that, even with the simplest jobs, it is possible to make a royal mess of things. I want you to feel easy if you decide that the best way to work on your computer is with a plastic tool: your credit card taken to a computer tech.

I’d better stop chattering or there will be no room for the jobs you can do at home. Let’s start here.

Keeping it clean

Over time, dust builds up inside your computer. We’ll stick to desktop machines for this cleaning job. It’s really pretty easy. Just open up the chassis and clean out the dust. The warning here is to make sure you don’t have a static charge while working — that can zap a component. Just touch the side of the computer from time to time to discharge any static.

Here’s a site that offers complete instructions: www.cnet.com/how-to/ how-to-clean-the-inside-ofyour-computer/

Adding memory

You can think of the amount of memory your computer has as a way to boost its horsepower. If you have 2 or perhaps even 4 gigabytes of memory in your computer, it may speed things up to add more. The same warning about watching for static electricity charges apply. But the job itself is simple enough for most anyone. I’ll offer a website that explains in detail, but also check your computer’s manual since there can be differences in what you do based on the specific computer you own.

Here’s the website: www.pcworld.com/article/2957195/components/ how-to-install-new-memory-in-your-pc.html

Adding a hard disk

It sounds like a big job but it’s actually pretty simple. And it can really pay off if your current disk is getting full, or if you’d like to add a second disk. The usual warnings apply here and you should also read the section in your computer manual about replacing the disk or adding a new one before starting. The great thing is that your new hard disk will also have fairly decent installation instructions as well.

Here’s a website that will help out: www.wikihow.com/Install-a-HardDrive

Transferring data

Since we just installed a new hard disk it seems like a good notion to transfer your old data to that disk.

The big warning here is to make a complete backup of your data before doing so.

Here’s a website that does a pretty good job of things: www.lifewire.com/ upgrade-a-laptop-harddrive-without-losing-dataand-programs-2378113

Since that one talks about laptops, lets add a second website explanation: www.wikihow.com/Transfer-Data-BetweenTwo-Hard-Drives OK. These are jobs you can do, but please don’t think you must do them yourself.

It’s fine to rely on that great plastic tool I mentioned earlier.