Play It Again PCs - It's Time for Another PC.™

Friday, July 30, 2010

Technical Support

Are you having trouble or problems with something you've recently purchased from Play It Again PCs? If so, please see if any of the following situations apply to you and try the recommend steps to resolve them.

I just received my laptop or desktop computer and it is not working correctly - i.e. no sound, no Internet, no wireless, etc.

If you purchased a laptop or desktop PC from us and are having difficulty getting your sound, Internet, wireless, or other devices to work properly, please try the following:

Make sure your operating system is genuine, and installed correctly - Please make sure you have correctly installed a genuine operating system, such as Windows XP Professional, and that you have installed any necessary operating system updates.
Make sure device drivers are installed and working properly - More times than not, lack of sound, Internet, wireless, etc. is the result of missing drivers or drivers that have been improperly installed. If you are using Windows, you can verify what drivers are missing by performing the following:

Right Click My Computer
Click Properties
Click Hardware Tab
Click Device Manager
Anything with a yellow exclamation point will need a driver installed. In most cases, drivers and installation instructions are available on the manufacturer's website in their support section.
Search Google, YouTube, etc. for answers - Often times, other people have experienced the same or similar situations and may have provided installation instructions, useful tips, etc.

My computer was working just fine when I got it, but now it doesn't.

If you've already tried the steps above, or you are outside the warranty period, give these useful tips a try to resolve your problem:

Search Google, YouTube, etc. for answers - Often times, other people have experienced the same or similar situations and may have provided fixes, useful tips, etc.
Search the manufacturer's support website - Almost all manufacturers provide a customer support website that may be able to help you out with the problem you are experiencing. Simply perform a web search for the manufacturer and you should be able to find a link to their website.

My computer runs slower than it did when I first got it.

If you've had your computer for awhile and you notice that it seems sluggish or slower than it was when you first got it, try these tips:

Run a spyware removal program - Sometimes by visiting websites or running programs, spyware gets installed on your computer and could cause it to slow down, especially when surfing the Internet. We recommend using Spybot Search and Destroy to search your system and remove any spyware that may be installed.
Run software updates - Be sure to run Windows update periodically as well as any other software updaters to ensure that your software is up to date with the latest patches, bug fixes, and other improvements
Install or Run Antivirus Software.- Often times, viruses can slow down your computer not to mention cause other harm to your PC. We recommend using AVG or Avira AntiVir to protect your computer. Both are free to use!
Run a system "Defrag" - A file, such as an MP3 file, is stored on your computer in separate "chunks" (or fragments) and when you open that file, the computer has to find all the "chunks", put them together, and play your file. Over time, these file "chunks" get more and more scattered on your computer's hard drive causing it to slow down when trying to access that file. A system defrag (short for defragmentation) searches for all these "chunks" and organizes them for quicker access. Please click here to learn how to run a defrag.