Become a Computer Expert

Becoming a computer expert means knowing the very broad top of computers inside-out. You will need time and dedication. Once you become an expert, troubleshooting general and specific issues will be no problem at all!

Steps

Steps in Details

  1. Master Computer Hardware.
  2. Know software and Java script updates or know how to check if something is right to download something. Troubleshooting involves both hardware and software issues, software issues include the Operating Systems (O/S related troubleshooting) and Different Programming Languages. You have to know certain types of words or terms that are used in the computer repair field, terms or words like "troubleshoot" must be familiar to you and you must know what it means. When you have a computer problem,"troubleshooting" involves finding out if the problem is hardware or software related and then fixing it, so it is one of the important words in the computer repair field. You can go on the Internet and and search for the word(s) "troubleshoot" or "troubleshooting" and find out what it means. You should not perform any troubleshooting and/or repair unless you have the required know how because you might mess up the whole computer.
  3. Learn. Starting with the "Windows" system is probably the best and easiest approach. Learn each and every basic functionality of Windows. Start working with the "Windows Registry". If you own a Mac, then OS X will be the default for you, but don't fret. It is as easy as Windows to master and get familiar with.
  4. Know the "Fundamentals and History of the different Generations of Computers".
  5. Master some programming languages like "C".
  6. Learn Windows programming with "Visual Studio 6.0".
  7. Get into "LINUX": "Fedora" - "Ubuntu" and "Red Hat Linux" are the best options.
  8. Learn Shell scripting well enough. Try to remember most of the commands and filters. Use "vi" editor instead of "gedit" or any other type of GUI editors.
  9. Learn Computer Architecture, Operating System Basics.
  10. Join a Computer Hardware and Networking Course.
  11. You will then be well on your way to being an expert yourself.
  12. After you have done all the above you will be able to troubleshoot most of the general issues and will be referred to as an "Computer Expert" by everyone around you.

Steps in Brief

  1. Take a computer course. People are more likely to listen to someone who has a recognized qualification under their name. Even if it's just passing their GCSE I.T!
  2. Make sure you have a computer. Or better still an old one so you can try different things. Try experimenting with a Linux CD as the regular use of command lines will help to increase your computer knowledge fast!
  3. Be prepared to fix. Every time your computer goes wrong, jump at the opportunity to fix it yourself. You have the Internet now and visiting tech support forums will allow you to communicate with others who have had the same problem.
  4. Don't be afraid of your computer! What have you got to lose by tinkering with that registry if your computer is already in an unusable state? You could save yourself the trouble of re-installing Windows (or whatever operating system you have).
  5. When fixing other people's computers, the first thing to find out is if they have a backup of their data and if not, make a backup if possible. Be sure to bring a flash drive with the following: AVG free setup file (in case they have no anti virus), CCleaner, Auslogics Disk Defrag setup file and Firefox or Opera (to introduce them to the alternatives to Internet Explorer). You can use these programs to free up space, disable start-up programs which might cause conflicts and search and destroy viruses. You can also leave them on the computer if it is unprotected. There are many bootable CD's and USB disks with many different utilities to test the hardware, recover data, format hard disks and much more, so get one and take it too. Also, take your laptop with you, your client, friend or family member might not have an extra computer and you might want to go on the Internet to download a manual or drivers, etc.
  6. Read tech support forums to recognize the symptoms of well known problems. For example a slow and unresponsive PC could indicate a virus and failure to boot into Windows could be a driver problem.

Tips

Mental Tips

  • Learn each subjects with intense Concentration.
  • Give importance to troubleshooting because that's the thing for which people need an expert mostly.
  • Don't stop revising the old lessons.
  • Enhance your knowledge by creating algorithms rather than just implementing previously done algorithms from book.

Other Tips

  • Become a member of Tech Support Guy site, which is located on www.techguy.org address. Be sure to reply to as many problems with a solution as possible
  • Make sure you have a Windows CD in case you can't fix the problem and need to start from scratch and make sure you can use it
  • Remember these useful tools to access behind the scenes of Windows XP and Vista; msconfig and services. Type into the start and run bar.
  • Hiren's Boot CD will become a big parts of your software tools.
  • Don't be afraid to play with new software.
  • Keep a copy of downloaded software to save time downloading later and to use as a backup if the latest version/update of a program goes belly up.
  • If you only working with operating systems and software, do it in a virtual machine so you don't risk messing up your computer.

Warnings

  • Being a Computer Expert is a lifelong process. If you are genuinely not interested in Computers, don't try to be. It will cause more loss than profit.
  • Go for it if and only if, Computer is your passion and Love.
  • Make sure you're not going to make any computer problem worse by having some knowledge of it before you fix your neighbors PC.
  • Don't fiddle with settings on a perfectly working family computer. Have an old 128mb RAM basic tower that your friends scrapped years ago to do that with! Then mess around until your heart is content!

Things You'll Need

  • A second basic computer for backup and testing things with
  • Computer knowledge
  • A flash drive with essential tools
  • A decent search engine; or use wikiHow for solutions.
  • 22-in-1 Screwdriver set.
  • One wire cutter or Plus.
  • Digital Multimeter.
  • Anti-Static Device

Words from the Writers

We are grateful to every single person who is reading , modifying or enhancing this article.

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