# Pc Technician job



## spiers (Apr 25, 2005)

Hi,
Tonight i want to a chinese restaraunt and the owner there was telling me i should repair pc's in my spare time (am i currently at Univserity in the Uk studying computer networks)

I told him on the hardware side i know nothing, infact on Thursday at university i had a practical test where i had to put a computer together.
I lost two marks, one for putting RAM in the wrong slot and actually snapping the clips on the side by trying to force it, and also plugging the wires into the wrong place.
Not sure what they are called, look like really long sweets, they plug into your hard-drive. CD-Rom and floppy and then go into slots on the mother board.

After telling him his, he said i should offer a £20 an hour fee, and if i cant fix their problem i charge nothing.

What do you guys think?
I also need to know what software to use, i used to have a CD with Ewido etc on it to remove viruses, but im sure to make money using free software is illegal?

Just need some advice thanks.


----------



## etaf (Oct 2, 2003)

its a very competative market in UK for fixing PC's.



> one for putting RAM in the wrong slot and actually snapping the clips on the side by trying to force it, and also plugging the wires into the wrong place.


not trying to be to hard on you BUT...
it could end up costing you £20 an hour to repair the PC you may break

but if you want to have a go - try a few PC's see how long you take to fix them...

I actually recommend to a lot of my friends and family to buy a new PC tower when there old one breaks and needs motherboard etc.

dont stock up on parts the market changes and price changes very quickly.. unless you have a very high turnover....

a lot of companies are offering no fix no fee too,.

where abouts in UK are you

follow sme post on here and see if you could have fixed it - so maybe subscribe the post and write down what you would do to fix or suggest checking and then see if how it got fixed in the end


----------



## spiers (Apr 25, 2005)

Im in a place called Rotherham, its near Sheffield.
The only experience i have had is using AV scans to clean computers.
On 2 ocasions ive had to ask on here on what to do, once a game would not work, tried it on mine and mates and it worked fine, had no idea what was wrong with the pc in the end, because the game used to work then did not, that didnt get resolved on here either.

Secondly a friends IE page was just white, no page cannot be displayed or anything, after HOURS of work i got no where and they went to a shop.
The machine had Win 98 and was the slowest machine i have ever used, this was last year and to modern machines it was awful. Got rid of some viruses though.

Ive been looking at software in other threads, they look good, but i mean i think i know basic about software, like check Device manager, check BIOS, ask user what happened etc, but when a computer cant boot im useless.


----------



## etaf (Oct 2, 2003)

do you know how to use a multimeter?


----------



## spiers (Apr 25, 2005)

No, ive never even heard of one.
I even went to a hardware taster and did not get told about one of those.
Is it critical to the job?


----------



## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I'd advise you to consider a different line of work. You need to have some basic skills, or you'll struggle with some of the most basic issues you'll encounter. You won't make any money at this job if it takes a week to fix each machine.


----------



## spiers (Apr 25, 2005)

Not good news really 
Just looked at what a multimeter was, seems electrical to me, never seen one used for a pc, what does it to to help PC repair?
I might wait till afew more friends get problems with their pc's before i go commerical.


----------



## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

When you have power issues, a multi-meter is very handy to see if the P/S is putting out the proper voltage under load. After all, a PC is a rather complex electronic device, and that's what you're thinking about working on, right?


----------



## spiers (Apr 25, 2005)

ha, yeah.
I get you now, because i said if a PC cant boot i would be helpless.
Seems abit expensive to buy just for a part time job.


----------



## DoubleHelix (Dec 10, 2004)

It's not uncommon for non-techies to tell people who know how to boot a computer and load software that they should go into the "computer business". To some, a computer is a total mystery, and anyone who knows more than they do is seen as an expert. 

Think about where you got this career advice from. A Chinese restaurant owner. If he had seen you whip out a little sewing repair kit to fix a loose button and then told you to go into the tailor business, would you even have given it a second thought?


----------



## sjb007 (Mar 24, 2007)

Hi spiers, 

Try walking down the road to RCAT - Enrole at night school, they have a couple of good courses there (well they did when I was there 8 years back!!) They have a good computer course which is run over 6 elements - PC Introductions, PC Development, PC Servicing, PC Interfacing, PC Programming and PC Networking each one caries what is known as a OCN Certificate which is equivelent to a NVQ level 2 and you also get a NOCN for completing all 6 elements. Its not full of nerds either, just ordinary people who want to learn more, great way to advance yourself in other areas as well as what you are currently studying now. Its only 2 hours a week one night per week so shouldnt interfere with your current course

PS. Nice to see another Rotherham lad !!


----------



## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

A basic multi-meter is only around $10 or so, it's not out of reach for even modest budgets.


----------



## Knotbored (Jun 5, 2004)

Computer repair has become like auto repair, there is so little left on the hardware side thats not cheaper to replace then to repair. Also the "box" stores offer cheap (or free) installations done by dummies that know only one or two fixes (replace a hard drive or a power supply.) Its hard to make any money competing with them.
but software problems are another mater. If you have a bunch of diagnoses programs, a box of instruction books and a lot of patients you can probably make a reputation for fixing (or at leaste analyzing) problems for small businesses and individuals and make some money.

My suggestion is to avoid hardware if you are inclined to bend pins installing (for $10) a card that costs $50 to replace.


----------



## spiers (Apr 25, 2005)

At Sjb007,
I went around RCAT when deciding ehat college to go to, their pc equipment and courses were very poor, i kept asking them if they had courses and they just said no, not really, which put me right off the college, also the "People who dont get into TRC go to RCAT" stigma.
I went to TRC doing ICT which was ok, but very theory based so i found it ultra boring.
I dont know if you have heard of this school, Winterhill, it used to be called Old Hall, its in Kimberworth.
I went on a 6 hour taster session there, and i was the youngest there by at least 20 years, so i know what you mean about those courses not being full of nerds, i was the only one 

At DoubleHelix
I know where you are comming from, the owner of the restaurant just said i needed to start somewhere and said just to try it and see how it went.
I just cant stand ppl sending their pc's into shops just to remove viruses, i would rather fix it myself for half the price, all my friends ask me first when they get a pc problem, i just need to expand my rep and see what happens, i have been advised to advertise in free papers etc.
You still think im waiting my time by trying now?


----------



## DoubleHelix (Dec 10, 2004)

You have to know what you're doing and be successful at it before you can start charging people for your services. Yes, people ask you for advice. That's because you know more than they do. Do you know as much as techs at a PC shop? If so, go ahead and start your own business. If not, start learning. 

You also need some general business knowledge. You need a contract written up so if you accidentally delete someone's priceless pictures of their children while you're trying to remove a virus, they don't sue you. And of course you need to track your income and expenses so you prepare accurate tax returns.


----------



## spiers (Apr 25, 2005)

Some PC techs at shops are awful... but i see where you are comming from.
One of my friends at uni says one of the main areas which i must learn is data recovery.
I think i might need to invest in a laptop or something so i can get into their machine from a laptop as this seems easier than trying to get data from a broken hard-drive.

Thanks for the contract advice, im not really looking at a full blown business, just something to do part time to get the money in.


----------



## DoubleHelix (Dec 10, 2004)

A part-time business is still a business. You have to do some basic things to protect yourself. 

How do you think you'd use a laptop to "get into" someone's system to recover data from a "broken" hard drive?


----------



## spiers (Apr 25, 2005)

One of my friends said he had a HD caddy with his laptop, i thought thats what he used it for.
Like using your Laptop as a Primary drive and using their drive as a Slave, so you can do scans and stuff on it, if you cant boot their machine.


----------



## DoubleHelix (Dec 10, 2004)

Yes, you can do that. But that's the definition of getting data from a "broken" drive. You don't "slave" an external drive. You put it in the enclosure and plug it into your laptop. You realize this method only works with a corrupted drive and not with a physically damaged drive, right?


----------



## spiers (Apr 25, 2005)

I thought a physically damaged drive would not be accessible because it would probably be a mechicanical fault, so that nothing can be read/written to it.
I thought a "slave" drive was a 2nd hard-drive in most cases, so say i have my own HD in my machine, and then put someone else's drive in my machine it would be a "slave".


----------



## DoubleHelix (Dec 10, 2004)

If you put another drive inside your computer, in the case of PATA, you would have to jumper it to be the slave. When you connect a drive externally using a USB enclosure, the term "slaving" is used, but when looking at the technical specs, it's a bit different.

I'm still confused by your statement:
"I think i might need to invest in a laptop or something so i can get into their machine from a laptop as this seems easier than trying to get data from a broken hard-drive."


----------



## spiers (Apr 25, 2005)

I meant connect externally in the caddy.
So i can access the drive from a laptop.

Sorry i confused you, i just thought any hard-drive not the primary was called a slave in all circumstances.


----------



## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

One of the many reasons I recommended a different profession.


----------



## spiers (Apr 25, 2005)

Quite dissapointed, use computers all day and dont know enough about them.
I think im going to find some training to do and then try later.
Thanks for support/questions.


----------



## DoubleHelix (Dec 10, 2004)

You shouldn't be disappointed. Using a computer and knowing how to support one are completely different tasks. Data entry clerks may use a computer 8+ hours every day to enter data, but ask them how to install Excel, and they may not know.

People with a driver's license can drive a car every day, but that doesn't mean they can change their own oil or replace brake pads.

If you're interested in learning more about supporting computer, by all means go ahead and learn. My only caution was to not take career advice from the Chinese restaurant owner. Look at your skill set, and determine its value in the marketplace.


----------



## spiers (Apr 25, 2005)

Nice way to sum it up.
I play alot of games, which doesnt really help in a support sensce.
I think the only thing i know is virus removale, but thats only using programs off the net, some basic knowlegde of computers etc.
Most ppl might be able to do what i do, but it seems alot get stuck at some points we all find "easy".
If i learn what would you advise to me learn? Everything or are they areas which are most needed?
I think i need to learn Vista, and i need to have alot more patience, i get soo annoyed if a computer is slowing than mine, but i guess thats what you get paid for!


----------



## LitomoSilver (Feb 20, 2005)

Heh...I knew nothing about computers a few years ago...and now?

Well...lots of reading, and a bit of tinkering around, I've learned quite a bit.

I've been looking for something like the PC Technician job...after all, I do know how to do those stuff...but the job market here in this field seems a little weak. And extremely hard to find a computer shop...most of them're 50 or more miles away from me...(No local computer shops...)

But you could learn how to fix computers, such as reading computer magazines, or some such thing. Most of the time, magazines will include a little how-to for those who've forgotten or haven't replaced things in a long while.


----------



## just_a_nobody (Jul 23, 2006)

Go on Ebay, and buy a cheap practice machine that you can tear apart and practice putting together.


----------



## n1ghtw15h (Apr 1, 2007)

"Not sure what they are called, look like really long sweets, they plug into your hard-drive. CD-Rom and floppy and then go into slots on the mother board."

you mean Ribbon cables...


----------



## LitomoSilver (Feb 20, 2005)

n1ghtw15h said:


> "Not sure what they are called, look like really long sweets, they plug into your hard-drive. CD-Rom and floppy and then go into slots on the mother board."
> 
> you mean Ribbon cables...


LOL....oh god! That had me rolling on the floor laughing!

No offense, but that's too funny!


----------



## mltor0806 (Nov 27, 2006)

No one knows everything when they are first starting out in the PC repair biz. But, it is imperative you get some training whether it be self, net or classroom based....get some training. Also as was suggested before get a cheap machine to rip up and put back together. Build up a machine from scratch, piece by piece....

I would suggest not going into business just yet as when you are in business you are held liable for your work unless you have a contract with disclaimers and releases in the language. 

The main reason I would say not to jump head first into this is you seem to lack some of the basics and without those you cant move on effective to the more advanced troubleshooting problems. If you begin to get the reputation as a bad tech, you wil get zero business. Start small if you really must do something...and start with the things you know how to do or use software to automate the processes for you. Once you have "wet your beak" and begin to successfully and effectively solve more and more advanced problems then begin consulting / repair work on the side for some extra income.


just my $.02


----------

