Your PC has broken down and you are not about to buy a new one. Summon the technical wizards.
Steven Ng , Computer Times
11 Sept 2002
It does not matter whether you are a computer connoisseur or PC philistine. Sooner or later, your system is bound to experience problems that you cannot quite comprehend, let alone solve.
Don't fret. Some shops at both Funan The IT Mall and Sim Lim Square are able to troubleshoot your machine and fix some problems. For a fee, of course. TKD Technology, for example, is one such shop located at Funan The IT Mall. Mr Tommy Koh, 42, a partner at TKD, said he typically gets about three requests for repairs a day.
The bulk of his customers are regulars. Most of them have problems with their computers' motherboards or hard disks -- the two components that break down most frequently, according to him.
Mr Koh, who has been in the business since 1978, adds that wear and tear (which happens over time) is the most common reason for computer glitches, although there are other possible reasons such as a short circuit or a wrong connection.
Wear and tear is the most common reason for computer breakdowns, says Mr Koh, a partner at TKD Technology.
His troubleshooting routine depends on the type of problems the user encounters.
If, for example, a computer shows no display after boot-up, he first checks the power supply.
Next will be the peripheral component interconnect (PCI) cards, followed by the accelerated graphics port (AGP) card, if the computer has one. The last items he checks are the motherboard and the random access memory (RAM) modules.
But why doesn't he zero in on the motherboard right from the start, as according to him, many problems occur with the motherboard?
"I am a technician. I go through a step-by-step process, and don't jump to conclusions by saying that the motherboard is faulty," he said.
At TKD, the cost of fixing a motherboard could range between $145 and $220.
To repair a hard disk, you have to pay $50 for formatting it and re-installing the operating system.
To replace the hard disk, you will also need to fork out the market price for a new drive, which Mr Koh said is about $125 for a 40 GB capacity device with a three-year warranty.
He also said that it usually takes four or five hours to repair a motherboard and about 90 minutes to fix a hard disk.
If you would rather visit Sim Lim Square, one shop worth trying is Cybermind Computer House.
Mr Danie Ng, a Cybermind sales executive, said that on a weekend, the shop may have up to 30 customers with PC repair problems. The corresponding number on a weekday could be about 15.
He said that the problems faced by many people are not caused by faulty components. Rather, they arise because of minor headaches such as incompatible hardware, obsolete drivers or wrong connections, which can be easily addressed.
An in-house troubleshooting and problem-solving session, lasting between 10 and 30 minutes, will normally suffice.
However, if repairs are necessary, Mr Ng suggested that users check on the potential repair cost beforehand.
According to him, you can usually get a cost estimate after Cybermind examines your computer (and before components are sent for servicing).
However, do bear in mind that you will have to pay a fee -- about $50 -- for them to take a look at your system first.
Besides TKD and Cybermind, some other shops at Funan The IT Mall and Sim Lim Square also offer repair services.
These outlets are usually located at the upper floors of their respective complexes -- check them out when your machine goes on the blink.
TO FIX OR NOT?
What is worth, or not worth, repairing? Several factors come into the picture.
If a faulty component can be replaced cheaply, then forget about repairing it -- just buy a new unit. Some types of hardware, such as CD burners and floppy drives, fall into this category. For example, an internal CD-rewritable (CD-RW) drive rated at 40x/12x/40x costs less than $150.
Also, if the warranty for the component has expired, there is no point sending it to the manufacturer for servicing.
After all, you have to pay repair costs (since it is no longer under warranty) on top of transport charges, and it takes anywhere from two weeks to a few months before you get the item back. Buying a replacement unit makes more sense.
However, if the component is relatively expensive, then repairing it could be the better option. Such items include certain brands of motherboards, graphics cards and PCI cards.
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