The 10 'Prime Directives' of repairing and upgrading tech

Throughout the years, I've developed an arrangement of principles that I remember when settling things. I call them the "Prime Directives," not on the grounds that I'm an enormous Star Trek fan, but rather in light of the fact that they're critical, and awful things have a tendency to happen when they're abused.

Repairing something is not worth your life, so if in any uncertainty, simply don't. Get an expert in, or possibly somebody who esteems their life less. 

I've been an energetic "fixer" of things for very nearly four decades. One of my soonest recollections is of helping my granddad settle a broken classical clock. (I don't recollect what part I played past the way that the occupation required my master utilization of a little yellow plastic sledge.) We probably settled it since it worked for one more decade before it at long last broke terminally. 

As I grew up, I advanced onto bicycles, at those point TVs and other grouped apparatuses (some time ago, when all you searched for was a valve that wasn't sparkling like the others, which you supplanted with another that appeared to be identical), and after that autos (heaps of autos), before coming to PCs and customer gadgets, which is the place I've been for more than 20 years. 

Presently, I'm not going to endeavor to trick you into believing that I'm some "settling master" or "tech ninja." I'm most certainly not. While I have an entirely high achievement rate with regards to reviving things, I've had a lot of disappointments, as well, and I've been in charge of giving the enchantment smoke a chance to out of a ton of gadgets by accomplishing something silly. 

Be that as it may, over that time, I've developed an arrangement of principles that I remember when settling things. I call them the "Prime Directives," not on the grounds that I'm a gigantic Star Trek fan, but rather in light of the fact that they're essential, and awful things have a tendency to happen when I damage them. 

I show them here in no specific request. 

#1: IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT. 

This one has a place comfortable best. 

In the case of something is working, allow it to sit unbothered. Try not to disturb it. Try not to endeavor to improve it. Try not to tinker with it. 

Simply let it do its thing. 

I've lost tally of the quantity of times I've run over somebody who read or caught wind of some "change" that would make their PC or switch or system speedier (more often than not seeking after some quack remedy garbage somebody made up), at that point they dove in with the best of expectations, and they break the thing they were attempting to improve. 

My rationality these days is that when I purchase something, I set it up and afterward abandon it to do its thing until the point that it needs refreshing or it breaks. 

#2: NEVER SAY "I'LL HAVE THAT FIXED IN FIVE MINUTES" 

At any rate, until you've investigated the issue and comprehend what the fix it. And still, at the end of the day, expect the unforeseen! 

Like Star Trek's Mr. Scott, I'd much rather give a negative time period and go ahead to inspire, than an idealistic one and go ahead to baffle. 

#3: JUST WAIT A MINUTE. 

You would be stunned what number of issues leave in the event that you give it a moment or two. This is particularly valid for system and web related issues. Yes, it may be worth having a brisk look through the logs to perceive what happened so you can maybe stop it happening once more, yet unless you guarantee (or request) high unwavering quality, don't begin pursuing it. 

Allow the issue to regain some composure and it may very well fix itself. 

#4: DON'T KEEP FIXING SOMETHING UNTIL IT'S BROKEN AGAIN 

You know the schedule. You begin settling something, however then you consider it to be a decent chance to overhaul stuff. 

There are no end of cases. Perhaps your system switch is dead, however while you're changing that you see a portion of the cabling is somewhat harsh and begin handling that occupation. Or, then again you're swapping out a diminishing hard drive in a PC and surmise this is an awesome time to include more RAM and change the BIOS. 

The issue with this is whether you have issues it makes it difficult to know where to begin. Is it an issue with your fix, or an issue with something different you touched? 

Another case of this is the place a PC is getting out of hand, however the proprietor conceives that may be a decent time to update the working framework and drivers. I can't trust the quantity of PCs I've run over that have wound up in a more awful state than they were in before they were "settled." 

#5: DON'T TRUST THE WORK OF PEOPLE WHO'VE ALREADY TRIED TO FIX THE PROBLEM 

A typical thing I hear while investigating is "gracious, you don't have to do that, the other person/lady effectively attempted that." This is the manner by which you get dragged into the weeds and wind up investing hours pursuing down something straightforward. 

Try not to believe others who've endeavored to settle the issue. Why? Since they, for reasons unknown, didn't settle the issue, and that may be on account of they missed something straightforward. 

#6: DON'T BE A PARTS CHANGER! 

This is one from the auto repair industry that is additionally productive in the PC repair industry. Somebody tries to "settle" a PC by just arbitrarily tossing new parts at it. Terminating the "parts gun" at something is a truly costly - also hit-and-miss - approach to attempt settle an issue. 

I once ran over a PC that had the motherboard, RAM, and power supply unit supplanted before it was found that it was the processor that was the issue. Another person supplanted an iPhone, which would never again charge when the issue was the charger. 

Ensure you analyze the issue, and not simply toss parts and theories at it. 

#7: USE (AND CONTRIBUTE TO) THE HIVE MIND. 

The web is an effective asset for diagnosing issues, however, it just works if individuals add to it as sites and gatherings (or the marvelous repair manages over at iFixit). 

In the event that you run over an abnormal issue, share it. In the event that you comprehend it, refresh the post or gathering with your answer, being as clear as you would so be able to that others can emulate your example. 

#8: DOCUMENT WHAT YOU DO 

It's significantly simpler to roll out an improvement than it is to fix that change, particularly when days, weeks, or possibly months have passed by. I know it appears to be punctilious to archive the progressions you make to something, yet with regards to complex setups, for example, arranges, it's truly the best way to go. 

Not exclusively may you be helping yourself down the line, you're helping the following poor soul that may be entrusted with settling something. 

#9: KNOW WHEN TO GIVE UP. 

Now and then a thing you're attempting to settle simply wouldn't like to be settled. You may have the instruments and be equipped with the know-how, yet the repair is either too exorbitant or complex or is quite recently taking additional time and exertion than it's worth. 

At that point surrender (or, on the off chance that you are awkward with that thought, consider it a withdraw). 

This can be particularly valid for things that are shoddy to supplant. For instance, you're not going to see me squandering my chance settling a shoddy link or power connector, or something like a shabby shopper organize switch or switch. Regardless of the possibility that you can get the parts, when you've invested the energy and cash, you're more awful off than if you'd quite recently supplanted it. 

Clearly, if the bit of pack is particular or altered somehow, this may not be the situation, yet for shabby off-the-rack parts, there's no sense in sitting idle with an endeavored settle. 

10: TAKE CARE. 

The contraptions around you are home to various threats, from high voltage holding up to destroy through your body, lithium particle batteries that are quite recently sitting tight for you to short them out so they can explode in your face, to unsafe chemicals that can cause you long haul hurt. 

Set aside the opportunity to be sheltered. I routinely wear well-being glasses since I plan to leave this world with a similar number of eyes I came into it with. Additionally, following quite a while of not caring at about my skin, I'm presently a change over to nitrile security gloves. Also, I'm super watchful around high voltage, particularly now that the "hair that sticks up" watch is out of the design. 

In any case, with or without jokes, do fare thee well. Repairing something is not worth your life, so if in any uncertainty, simply don't. Get an expert in, or possibly somebody who esteems their life less. I've seen a ton of dreadful things occur with CRT tubes and capacitors and high voltage and lithium particle batteries - stuff that looks amazing in a YouTube video, however, isn't so wonderful when it occurs on your front room table. 

Just a few days ago I was settling a busted Bluetooth remote speaker, and I can reveal to you that I was considerably more joyful proceeding with the repair once I received the lithium particle battery pack in return in one piece. These things are in everything and are sheltered until the point when you cut into them, twist them, push them, or short them out, at which time they can turn out to be horrendously capricious.

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