Helpful Tips and Hints - Prism Tech Support

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"My computer is broken, now what?"

If you've already contacted us for service, you don't just have to sit helpless until we arrive! There are steps you can take to help our technicians assist you and minimize the time your computer is out of service.

Data Recovery and Hard Drive Failure

Though it may be too late for this, ALWAYS BACKUP YOUR DATA! Because hard drives, by and large, are so reliable, users tend to become complacent about their data, even though data is the most fragile component of your computer. Small companies have gone out of business because of a single hard drive failure. Precious family memories can be lost forever if proper care isn't taken to maintain an auxiliary copy. Windows Recovery can make backups, but this does no good if the hard drive itself fails. Remember, a hard drive can be replaced; your data cannot.
If you accidentally delete needed data, do not panic! Your data may still be recoverable. If you only accidentally delete a few crucial files (as opposed to formatting the entire hard drive), do NOT write any new data to your hard drive. You may continue to use your computer, but avoid it if at all possible as Windows is constantly writing and deleting data from your hard drive. If you have accidentally formatted your hard drive or partition, do NOT reinstall Windows! Doing so may cause your data to be lost forever.
If your computer boots up but you cannot get to Windows, this usually means that your data is fine, but a Windows file has been corrupted or damaged. Indications of this are if your computer displays errors such as "invalid boot.ini" or "Windows could not start because the following file has been corrupted." You may try to use the Windows Recovery, but do NOT reinstall Windows.
If your computer is not working and your hard drive is making strange sounds such as clicking or squeaking, turn your computer off and remove the hard drive immediately. Hard drives that are mechanically damaged cannot be repaired, but the data may still be recoverable. Removing the drive as soon as possible minimizes damage and helps preserve your data. Prism is unable to recover data from drives that have mechanically failed, but we can direct you to those who can. Be warned, recovering data from a mechanically damaged drive is very expensive; fees of over $1,000 are not uncommon. Under no circumstances should you EVER open a hard drive.

Diagnostics and Repair Tips

First and foremost, BACKUP YOUR DATA! This cannot be stressed enough. The moment you suspect something is wrong with your computer, back up your data! Prism technicians will do everything they can to preserve the integrity of your data, but Prism is not held liable for data loss during the repair of your computer.
Start by checking all power cords and connections. This may seem obvious, but a surprising number of computer problems are caused simply by loose connections.
Take notes of the symptoms your computer appears to be experiencing. These notes can be immeasurably helpful to a technician, don't assume your observations are worthless! For example, is the computer always sluggish, or just when you are doing certain tasks?
Try to gather information about the problem before the technician arrives. When did this problem start? How frequently does it occur? Have you added or changed anything recently such as new software or new hardware (this includes USB devices like webcams and printers)?
Write down what kind of error messages you get and, if possible, what seems to precede them. This is particularly important if you are getting blue screens of death. A lot of the information looks like jibberish, so just write down the important part shown here (note: the screen shown is just an example, your particular error message may vary). If the blue screen flashes too fast for you to read, you can change the settings so that the error message will be displayed until you manually reboot the computer. Instructions to do this can be found on Microsoft's website.

Consultation Services

Try to get an idea of what you'd like to get out of your upgrade. Do you want it to run smoother? Do games seem laggy or poorly rendered? Deciding what you'd like your computer to do will help the technician quickly determine what you need upgraded.
Determine your budget. This will further narrow down your options and enable you to make a better decision.
Weigh the balance between power and cost. New computer hardware is continually being developed to be faster and more powerful. The fastest and newest components are typically the most expensive, but quite often, choosing the "next-best-thing" can save you a bundle with very little loss in performance.

Internet/Wireless Router

If your internet goes out, contact your internet service provider to see if they know of a widespread outage in your area. If not, the problem is typically with the computer or networking devices themselves.
If your router has stopped working but you still need internet service immediately, you can still directly connect your modem to your computer via an Ethernet cable for the time being.
Though Prism technicians are experienced in internet setup and configuration, some ISPs require specific tools and procedures to initially get your internet service up and running. For this reason, Prism does not perform initial modem and internet configuration (i.e., you have moved into a new house, you have changed providers, etc).

Home Theater Installation

Since our company is small, we often are only able to send one technician to each site. Because of this limitation as well as for liability reasons, we ask that you have home theater electronics (TVs, receivers, DVD players) placed approximately where you plan on leaving them before a technician arrives. Prism and its technicians are not responsible for electronics damaged while moving them.