A repair quote depends on what is actually wrong, and the symptoms rarely tell you that on their own. A PC that won’t start could have a dead power supply or a loose RAM stick, and those two jobs have very little in common. This page explains what goes into a quote so you can judge one when you get it.

Diagnosis comes first

Most of the work at the start is finding the fault. That means testing the power supply, RAM, storage and motherboard, checking temperatures and reading Windows event logs. Some faults show up in minutes. Intermittent ones, such as a crash that only happens under load, can take much longer. Ask whether diagnosis is charged separately and what happens to that charge if you go ahead with the repair.

Parts

When a component has failed, the replacement is usually the largest part of the bill. Prices for graphics cards, RAM and SSDs move with the market, so a figure quoted last year may not hold. A good workshop tells you which part is needed, the exact model, and whether it is new or used. Ask what warranty covers it.

Labour

Time varies a lot between jobs. Reseating RAM or replacing a case fan is quick. Removing malware, rebuilding Windows after a corrupted install, or tracing a fault that only appears after an hour of use takes longer. Laptops add time because many are glued, clipped or need full disassembly to reach the part.

Pickup and delivery

Collection and return are available in Dublin, and they are a separate part of the job. Ask about them when you first get in touch so they are in the estimate from the start and not added at the end.

Repair or replace?

On older machines, the repair can approach the value of the computer. A ten-year-old laptop with a failed motherboard is usually not worth repairing. A desktop with a dead power supply almost always is. A workshop that tells you to stop spending is more useful than one that fixes everything.

Questions to ask before you hand it over

• What is the fault, and how was it confirmed?
• Is diagnosis charged separately?
• Will you contact me before doing any work beyond what we agreed?
• What warranty applies to the parts and the labour?
• Are my files at risk, and should I back up first?

Getting an estimate

Describe the symptoms and the make and model on the contact page. We reply with the likely causes and what happens next. If you can, include any error messages and what changed before the problem started.

The post What Affects the Cost of a PC Repair in Dublin? appeared first on PC Forge.

Most problems with a first build come from parts that do not work together, not from assembly. Check each of the points below before you order anything. It is much easier to fix a parts list than a part you have already bought.

1. Decide what the PC is for

The games you play and the resolution of your monitor set the balance. At 1080p, the processor and graphics card matter about equally. At 1440p and above the graphics card carries more of the load. Spending the most on the graphics card is usually right for gaming, with the processor chosen to avoid holding it back.

2. Match the CPU and motherboard

The processor socket must match the motherboard socket, and some boards need a BIOS update before they recognise newer processors. Check the motherboard maker’s CPU support list for your exact processor. The chipset also decides how many storage slots and USB ports you get.

3. Check the RAM

Current platforms use DDR5 or DDR4, not both, and the board accepts only one. Buy a matched kit of two modules to run in dual channel. Check the speed against the motherboard’s supported list, because faster kits may run slower unless the memory profile is enabled in BIOS.

4. Size the power supply properly

Add up the graphics card and processor draw, then leave headroom. Check the graphics card maker’s recommended power supply and the connectors it needs. Many current cards need specific PCIe power cables, so confirm the supply has them. Buy from a known brand, since a cheap supply can damage other parts when it fails.

5. Make sure it fits the case

• Graphics card length against the case’s stated clearance.
• CPU cooler height against the side panel.
• Radiator size and mounting points, if using liquid cooling.
• Motherboard size: ATX, micro-ATX or mini-ITX.
• Front panel connectors, including USB-C.

6. Plan the storage

Use an NVMe SSD for Windows and games. Check the board has enough M.2 slots and whether using one disables a SATA port. A second drive for bulk storage can be added later.

7. Plan the cooling

A good case has an intake at the front and an exhaust at the rear and top. Positive pressure, with slightly more air in than out, keeps dust down. Choose a processor cooler suited to the chip: some processors ship with one, others do not.

After assembly

Update the BIOS, enable the memory profile, install the chipset and graphics drivers, then run a stress test and watch temperatures. Fix anything that throttles before you trust it.

If you would rather have it built, or want your parts list checked first, send it through the contact page.

The post Gaming PC Build Checklist: Choosing Parts That Work Together appeared first on PC Forge.

Drives often give warnings before they fail. Spotting them early gives you time to copy your files off, which is the one step that always helps.

Warning signs

• Clicking, grinding or repeated spin-up sounds from a mechanical drive.
• The computer freezes when opening files or folders.
• Files or folders that go missing or will not open.
• Windows reports disk errors, or runs a repair at startup.
• Very slow copying, or a disk showing 100% use in Task Manager with little happening.
• Blue screens that mention disk or file system errors.

What to do straight away

1. Back up what matters now, to a different drive. Copy the most important files first, such as photos and documents.
2. Stop running heavy tasks on the drive. Don’t defragment it or run repeated scans.
3. Check the drive’s SMART status with a tool such as CrystalDiskInfo. Warnings for reallocated or pending sectors mean the drive is deteriorating.
4. Plan to replace the drive, whether or not it still seems to work.

If the drive has already stopped working

Switch the computer off. Each time a failing drive is powered up and read, it can get worse. Don’t try freezer tricks or opening the drive. Whether files can be retrieved depends on how the drive failed, and nobody can promise it in advance. Mechanical damage is a different problem from a corrupted file system, and the options differ. For a drive holding data you can’t lose, contact us through the contact page with the make, model and what happened, and we will say what is realistic before you decide anything.

SSDs fail differently

Solid-state drives give less warning. They often drop out suddenly or become read-only. Treat unexplained errors on an SSD as serious and back up immediately.

Backup rule

Keep three copies of anything important, on two different types of storage, with one held off-site or in cloud storage. A single external drive that stays plugged in doesn’t count as a backup against theft, fire or malware.

Replacing a failing drive is covered in our article on whether an SSD upgrade is worth it.

The post Signs Your Hard Drive Is Failing appeared first on PC Forge.

A laptop that runs hot, throttles or shuts itself off is protecting its components. Heat is the symptom, and the cause is usually one of a short list. Some of it you can check without opening the machine.

Signs of overheating

• The fans run at full speed during light tasks such as browsing.
• The underside or keyboard is too hot to rest a hand on.
• Performance drops during games or video calls, then recovers.
• The laptop shuts down without warning, often under load.

Common causes

Dust is the most common. Over time it clogs the intake vents and the heatsink fins, so air can no longer carry heat away. Dried thermal paste is next: after several years the compound between the processor and the heatsink hardens, and heat stops transferring properly. Others include a failing fan, a blocked vent from soft surfaces such as beds and sofas, and software that keeps the processor busy in the background.

What to check first

1. Put the laptop on a hard, flat surface and make sure the vents are clear.
2. Open Task Manager and sort by CPU. A process using most of a core when you are idle is worth investigating.
3. Check for a Windows or driver update, especially for the graphics driver.
4. Listen to the fan. A grinding, rattling or silent fan points to a hardware fault.
5. Use compressed air on the vents in short bursts, with the laptop off and unplugged. Hold the fan still so it doesn’t over-spin.

When to stop and get help

If the laptop is still hot after the checks above, the fix is internal. That means removing the back, cleaning the heatsink and fan, and replacing the thermal paste. It is routine work, but laptop casings clip and screw in many different ways, and cables are easy to tear. If the fan has failed, it has to be replaced, since cleaning won’t bring it back.

What not to do

Don’t use a vacuum cleaner on the vents. It can generate static and spin the fan far beyond its rated speed. Don’t apply thermal paste thickly, since more paste does not cool better. Don’t keep using a laptop that shuts down from heat, as repeated thermal cycling can damage the board.

If it keeps overheating, describe the model and symptoms on the contact page. We can tell you what is likely and whether pickup makes sense.

The post Laptop Overheating: Causes, Fixes and When to Get It Repaired appeared first on PC Forge.

A computer that does nothing when you press the button looks like a serious fault. Often it is not. Work through these checks in order, since the early ones are the most common causes.

1. Check the power source

Try a different wall socket and a different cable. Check the switch on the back of a desktop power supply is set to on. If you use a surge protector, plug directly into the wall to rule it out.

2. Look for any sign of life

Note whether any lights come on, fans spin or beeps sound. Complete silence points to power. Fans spinning with no display points to a different set of causes, covered below.

3. Laptops: remove the battery and charger

If the battery is removable, take it out, hold the power button for about thirty seconds, then connect only the charger and try again. If the battery is sealed, disconnect the charger and hold the button for thirty seconds before reconnecting. This clears a stuck power state.

4. Check the display

The computer may be running with no picture. Check the monitor is on and on the right input, reseat the video cable, and on a desktop make sure the cable is in the graphics card and not the motherboard port.

5. Disconnect everything non-essential

Unplug USB devices, external drives and extra monitors. A faulty peripheral can stop a machine from starting. Try again with only the keyboard and monitor connected.

6. Reseat the RAM (desktops)

With the PC off and unplugged, press the memory modules firmly into their slots. Poorly seated RAM is a common cause of a PC that powers on but never reaches a display. Try one module at a time if you have more than one.

7. Listen for beep codes and check the power supply

Motherboards signal faults with beep patterns, listed in the board manual. A power supply that is clicking, has a burning smell, or shuts off immediately is likely to have failed. Do not keep trying to start a machine that smells of burning.

When it needs a technician

If none of this brings it back, the fault is in the power supply, motherboard or a component shorting out. Testing those needs a known-good power supply and a bench setup, which is what a workshop has. Describe what you see and hear on the contact page, including the make and model.

The post Computer Won’t Turn On? Seven Things to Check First appeared first on PC Forge.

Malware is not always obvious. Some infections lock the screen or show pop-ups, but many just run quietly in the background. These notes cover how to spot an infection and a sensible order for dealing with it.

Signs of infection

• New toolbars or a changed home page in your browser.
• Pop-ups when no browser is open.
• Programs you did not install.
• High CPU or disk use with nothing running.
• Accounts that were logged into on this PC being accessed from elsewhere.

Before you start

If you suspect banking or email details were exposed, change those passwords from a different, clean device first. Then disconnect the infected PC from the internet while you clean it.

Steps to remove it

1. Restart in Safe Mode with Networking. Hold Shift while clicking Restart, then choose Troubleshoot, Advanced options, Startup Settings.
2. Uninstall anything unfamiliar from Settings, Apps. Sort by install date to find recent additions.
3. Run a full scan with Microsoft Defender, then a second opinion scan with a tool such as Malwarebytes.
4. Reset each browser’s settings and remove extensions you don’t recognise.
5. Check Task Manager’s Startup tab and disable entries you can’t account for.
6. Install pending Windows updates and restart normally.

When cleaning is not enough

Some infections, especially ones that gain administrator rights, leave a system you can no longer trust even after the scan comes back clean. In that case the reliable fix is to back up your files, wipe the drive and reinstall Windows. Restore only documents and photos, not programs. Ransomware is a separate case: do not pay, turn the machine off and ask for help.

Avoiding it again

Keep Windows and browsers updated, use a password manager, and don’t download software from search-result ads or file-sharing sites. Keep a backup on a drive that is not permanently connected, so a single infection can’t reach both copies.

If you want a second pair of eyes, describe the symptoms on the contact page and we will tell you whether a clean-up or a reinstall is the better route.

The post How to Remove a Virus From Your PC (and When to Get Help) appeared first on PC Forge.

If a PC from the last ten years is slow to start and slow to open programs, the storage is often the limit. Replacing a mechanical hard drive with a solid-state drive is the upgrade that makes the most difference for the least work.

What changes

A hard drive has spinning platters and a moving head, so it takes time to find data. An SSD has no moving parts and reads from any location almost instantly. In practice that means shorter boot times, faster program launches and a system that stops stalling when several things happen at once. It won’t raise frame rates in games, but it shortens loading screens.

When it is worth it

• The PC still has a working processor and at least 8 GB of RAM.
• It boots from a mechanical hard drive.
• Windows is installed on that drive and you want to keep it.
• The slowness is in loading and starting, not in a program that is demanding all the time.

When it is not

If the machine has 4 GB of RAM or less, a processor from before about 2012, or does not meet the requirements for the version of Windows you want to run, an SSD helps but will not fix the underlying limit. A drive that is slow because it is failing is a different job, covered in our article on signs a hard drive is failing.

Choosing a drive

Check what your machine accepts before you buy. Older laptops and desktops use 2.5-inch SATA drives. Newer ones use M.2, and M.2 comes in two types, SATA and NVMe, that are not interchangeable in every slot. The manual or the manufacturer’s spec page will say which. Capacity matters more than brand for most people: leave room so the drive is never nearly full, because performance and lifespan both suffer.

Moving Windows across

You can clone the existing installation to the new drive, which keeps your programs and settings, or do a clean install of Windows. Cloning is faster for you. A clean install avoids carrying across years of accumulated clutter and is usually better if the system has been unstable. Either way, back up your files first.

If you want it done, send us the make and model through the contact page. We will check what the machine takes and tell you which approach suits it.

The post Is an SSD Upgrade Worth It for an Old PC? appeared first on PC Forge.