Be Cheep Cheep (But Not Cheap) With Your Computer

Cheep is very good! Be chicken to click on that link that your friend sent you or open the attachment he/she sent you without scanning it. It's ok to be cheep cheep CHICKEN. Being cheep cheep may save you money in the long run. Before you do anything new to your computer, make a new restore point and back up your files that are important.

On the flip side, being cheap is bad. Sometimes folks try to tackle computer projects that they shouldn't and it ends up costing them. Sometimes you need to hire a professional. You'll pay for car repairs, plumbing repairs, but when it comes to computers people think they should pay the purchase price of the computer and then nothing more. That's not reasonable.

Here's my list of what you should do on your own (if you can):

• Clean the inside of your case
• Replace optical drives
• Replace the batteries (cmos or li-ion)
• Replacing the video card
• Replacing the failed hard drive (If you get the exact same one and have a manufacturer's recovery cd)
• Replace the power supply

Here's what you should hire a professional for:

• Upgrading memory (unless you consult with the manufacturer for exact part numbers you'll probably bungle the speed and not follow proper anti-static procedures or buy more than your system board supports)
• Troubleshoot failing hard drives. (you'll probably bungle the job and lose your data).
• Upgrade the processor (you'll probably bungle the cooling system on it or at least skip necessary steps)
• Hijacks that involve a system that has critical data (that hasn't been backed up) on it (you'll probably lose the data if you call in a professional too late)

Some of you are going to look at the first list and say you're kidding I can't do that, so ok hire a professional. I can't cut my hair myself so I hire a professional every couple of months. Some of you are going to look at the second list and say I can do all that. Maybe you can, but probably you won't get it right.  This list is my recommendation only, you can do as you like. Good luck and don't forget to back up your work this week. :)