By Emily Catalano
From KF14- ABC5
Posted - Feb 19 , 2009
Fix Your Broken Gadgets
If you`ve ever broken an iPod or had your computer crash, you know that
gadgets can be very expensive to fix.
Logging onto a "How-to" site such as www.ehow.com can teach you how to do
just about anything. And if you`re looking for instructions about how to
fix a broken gadget, just type in your request, and there`s a good chance
you`ll find your answer.
Videos and articles such as "How to fix a broken iPod" give you
step-by-step instructions for common electronic problems. But members of
the Geek Squad, an electronic installation and repair team, say that you
could end up doing even more damage to your product.
"It kind of messes up the system if you don`t know what you`re doing,
because nowadays, they`re getting a little bit more in-depth if you delete
one thing, if you delete multiple things, you could ruin the system even
more," says Tony Baskerville, from Geek Squad.
If you do decide to hire a professional, www.smartmoney.com offers tips for
saving money from tech support.
The site says some major electronic companies offer free tutorials for
setting up their products, and additional tech support could already be
listed in your warranty.
For those do-it-yourselfers, blogs such as www.crunchgear.com not only keep
you updated on the latest technology news, they also give you tried and
true instructions for repairing your electronics.
Fixya.com lets you download instruction manuals and gives troubleshooting
tips for specific products. The site is run like a message board, but users
can rate comments and answers based on how helpful they`ve been.
And some problems with major electronics, such as computers, can be
prevented before they even become an issue.
"Just keep everything all up-to-date," says Baskerville. "That`s going to
help prevent any viruses, spyware, anything else like that such as like a
hard drive, a mother board, we do recommend to back up their data as much
as they can, that way they don`t have to lose any information or anything
like that."
For more information:
E-How
Crunch Gear
Fixya
Smart Money Tips
VIDEO LINK: http://www.kfyrtv.com/News_video.asp?news=27209
