It’s been a challenging year so far for many of us with the continuing impact of Covid-19 on our lives. I returned from six weeks overseas in the middle of January and then experienced the joys of two weeks of home quarantine. I was able to assist a few clients using remote computer support during that time but it was a relief to be able to get out and about again after being released from quarantine. Since then I’ve been assisting clients in my usual areas of Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan and the Redlands. Let's take a look at some of the issues I’ve been addressing in 2022 so far. Perhaps you or someone you know may be experiencing similar issues.
Setting Up New Computers
If you purchase a new Windows computer in 2022, the likelihood is that it will be running Windows 11. It’s also possible that you’ll buy a Windows 10 computer which is ready to upgrade to Windows 11. Any change of operating system can be a bit of a challenge as you can be left wondering how to perform some of the tasks you used to be able to accomplish readily.
My first job following quarantine was to set up a new laptop for Annette in Drewvale. Since then I’ve also assisted Andy in Taringa and Les in Macgregor and setting up new computers is one of my regular activities. If you need help with setting up a new computer, or even just some assistance in learning how to use it, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Display Issues
I’ve had occasion to help out a number of clients with display issues this year. Will in Inala was seeing no output to his monitor but this was readily rectified by plugging the HDMI cable from the monitor into a different port on his desktop computer. Ben in Durack had a related issue which was resolved in a similar manner, although he also required a DisplayPort to HDMI adapter in order to connect to the HDMI port on his monitor. If you have a desktop computer with both onboard graphics and a graphics card, you’ll usually need to ensure that you connect your monitor to the graphics card and not to the motherboard graphics output as the graphics card will normally override the latter.
I've also come across a couple of clients who were losing the output to their monitors as a result of a faulty cable or port on their monitor. Kerry in Runcorn was finding that the output to his monitor was intermittent and I was able to resolve this by using a DVI cable rather than the D-sub cable he had been using previously. Similarly, I was able to resolve a display issue for Goran in Sunnybank Hills by switching to a D-sub cable rather than the HDMI cable he had been using. It appeared that the HDMI port on his monitor had failed.
Upgrading Hard Drives to SSD’s
As always, I’ve assisted a number of clients in breathing new life into their older computers by upgrading traditional hard drives to Solid State Drives (SSD’s). I’ve upgraded both Windows computers and Apple Mac computers in 2022. The first one this year was a Windows desktop computer for Kerry in Runcorn, followed by a Windows laptop for Debra in Jimboomba. Since then I’ve assisted Allison in Tennyson and Maree in Forest Lake with late 2012, 21.5” iMac’s, and Liz in Victoria Point who had an HP Pavilion All-in-One desktop. This week I’ve assisted Gail in Gumdale with a late 2009, 27” iMac, Lynda in Victoria Point with an HP laptop and Maria in Sunnybank Hills with an early 2011 13” MacBook.
I’ve written previously about the benefits of upgrading an older computer with an SSD. These new drives are ten times faster than the traditional SATA drives. This means that not only will the upgrade result in your old computer having a new lease of life, but it will in fact perform much better than it even did when you first purchased it. If you’ve been battling with an old, slow computer and wondering if it’s time for a new one, maybe you should consider having its hard drive upgraded to an SSD. This is likely to be much less expensive than the cost of a new computer and should extend the life of your computer by years.
Other Issues
Setting up new computers, dealing with display issues and upgrading old computers are amongst my most frequent activities. However, there seems to be no limit to the range of other issues which can arise with computers. Here are a few additional highlights from 2022 so far.
Rob in Eight Mile Plains was having issues with the print quality from his Epson printer. Fortunately this was readily resolved after running several printhead cleaning cycles, followed by a power cleaning cycle.
Paul in Forest Lake wanted to replace the SSD in his HP laptop with a larger one and also add additional RAM (memory).
Gordon in Walloon was having trouble scanning using his Brother printer/scanner.
Both Sarah in Stretton and Fiona in Mount Cotton had laptops which were starting up successfully but failing to boot into Windows.
Darryl in Tanah Merah was seeing the desktop computer in his home office frequently dropping out from the internet.
Sue in Calamvale was able to receive emails but was unable to send.
Seamus and Inge in West End needed to have their laptops cleaned up to ensure that they were virus-free and operating efficiently.
Dorothy in Cornubia needed a reinstall of Windows 11 on her HP All-in-One desktop computer.
Alex in Riverhills needed to have the macOS reinstalled on both an iMac and an older MacBook.
Kelly in Riverview had noisy fans in her Acer Nitro laptop. Both fans were completely silent after being replaced.
Sue in Mount Cotton, Steve in Greenslopes and Robert in North Maclean had computers with failed power supplies.
Kerry in Flagstone had a laptop with a faulty touchscreen which was causing erratic behaviour.
Lance in Carindale and Lyn in Plainland needed to have printers installed.
Danny in Sunnybank Hills wanted to have the reach of the WiFi in his home extended and Mark in Fairfield wanted to have a new WiFi network installed in his home.
Darren in Mount Ommaney had a laptop with various keys on the keyboard no longer functioning correctly.
As you can see, Norm’s Computer Services offers quite a range of computer repairs and computer-related services. Perhaps you have an issue similar to one of those I’ve described, or perhaps you have an entirely different issue. Whatever it is, if you’re somewhere in Brisbane, Ipswich, Logan or the Redlands, I would love to help you out. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch for assistance. I’m here to help.