It never fails. Usually when you’re in a rush to get a project finished, your computer fails you. So why do computers break? What are the common points of failure?
You may think it was something you did. Maybe the email you opened or the photo you downloaded did something to your computer. But while an online gaming marathon might cause a crash, normal everyday usage is rarely the cause of a broken computer.
What about Damage
Accidents do happen, but it doesn’t always mean you need to buy a new machine. With any electronic device, liquid spills are a problem. From a simple spill of some soda on the keyboard, to using too much screen cleaning spray, or even a flood that gets to the computer, liquid of any kind and electronics don’t get along.
When using your laptop you need to be very careful when choosing your work surface, as restaurants and kitchen surfaces often have small puddles left behind. Liquid spills can not only fry the circuits, but corrosion is likely as well. And as for soft drinks, the stickiness left behind after evaporation can gum up the internal parts.
Similarly, a dropped computer is going to have some issues. Even if it just gets knocked around it can cause loose cables, disconnections and hard drive damage.
Age
Nothing lasts forever. Moving parts like fans or mechanical hard drives will wear out in time. While some computers can run 24/7 for years, it seems others can barely be usedand always seem to fail outside of warranty.
When age is the problem, there are usually warning signs like extra noise, or hung files, or even the dreaded “blue screen of death”. But most of the actual ‘breaks’ happen when you go to turn the computer on. Maybe your computer crashed overnight or during an update. It may try to boot up, but usually it either doesn’t load at all or simply crashes and tries again.
Remember, unlike your cell phone or TV, a computer has moving parts that won’t last forever. Replacing them is usually a straight forward process.
Power Surges
We tend to think electricity is a constant stream that never varies. Not true. Almost everybody will get power surges or brownouts from time to time. Computers don’t like either. Surges (too much electricity) can be particularly bad for electronics as well as brownouts (not enough electricity). Sometimes an electrical storm can cause severe surges that can blow out your computer.
While these variations don’t last long, they’re not something you can control. It’s worth investing in a surge protector that can guard against mild increases in voltage, but long brownouts and strong surges can still cause damage.
Heat
Overheating is probably the number one cause of early computer death. Computer parts like processors and graphics chips and cards naturally run hot and need lots of cooling to keep them working. It may not feel hot from the outside, but internal components can build up heat in just a few seconds.
When cooling vents get blocked with dust and pet hair, the temperature continues to rise until components literally cook themselves. At high temperatures, the computer will automatically shut down to allow a cool down, however the more often this happens and the higher the temperatures, the more likely your computer will die.
Hard Drive Failure
All your data is stored either on a hard drive or an SSD (Solid State Drive). Both of these devices are prone to failure. Mechanical hard drives (what most people have), have a spinning ‘platter’ and a arm with a read/write head. Bumps, liquid, age, surges and overheating can all result in hard drive failure. And yes SSD drives can fail as well, although not nearly as often. SSD failure is typically a result of filling the drive to capacity. More on that in a future article.
With drive failure, your computer is not just unusable, drive failure means your data is also lost. That’s when you really need your backups. Data recovery from a damaged drive is sometimes possible, but a tedious process that can cost a lot of money. We do data recovery and backup services right here in Sudbury.
If you start to notice things like files taking an unusually long time to read or write, or you start to hear strange noises, back up your data and get your drive tested immediately.
Like anything else, your computer needs to be serviced. We can check your computer’s physical condition and its software to make sure its running properly and will keep on running well for you. Give us a call at 705-988-5755.