What should I do before taking my PC to an HP service centre?

All PC’s and laptops will encounter some technical problems at some stage in their lifespan. Some of these problems can be fixed at home, whilst others need specialist knowledge and require a computer technician to remedy the problem. Before taking your PC or laptop to a Hewlett Packard computer service centre, there are a few things that you can do first.

Simple checks

The first thing to do is to try and ascertain what the problem is. Is it a software problem, a hardware problem or something to do with the internet connection? If you are not sure, then check all three. If it is a desktop PC, make sure that it is switched off and check all cables, ensuring that there aren’t any that are damaged or broken and that they are all properly connected. Sometimes, intermittent computer problems can be the result of a loose cable. If it is an HP laptop, take the battery out and using a soft cloth, gently dust the battery and its compartment inside the laptop. Reboot your HP computer or laptop, and check whether the system is running any better. The second check you could undertake is in relation to virus and spyware. Ensure that your computer has up-to-date anti-virus and anti-spyware software installed, then set up a scan so that it scans your computer on a weekly basis. This is easy to set up and most virus scanners enable you to do this. Depending upon the files that you have on your PC or laptop, it may take a while to run the scan. Any virus on your computer will be placed into ‘quarantine’ by the software. Once the scan is complete, check the results and see if any virus has been detected. Repeat this process for spyware detection if it is not built into your anti-virus software. Windows Defender is a good spyware scanner to install if you do not have your own. If your computer is running slowly, try to clear out some of your old files and folders. Delete or place old files and folders onto removable storage device such as a USB flash drive or a CD Rom if you prefer. Check the control panel for any recently installed software. If you have recently installed a software, it may not have been installed correctly, or it may have malfunctioned, affecting the performance of your computer.

Consult HP

If the above checks do not make any difference, consult the help section on the HP website which guides you through some further checks such as reinstalling or updating your driver software. The HP help section will provide further troubleshooting guides and contact information