Over the last six months, we've turned our homes into offices and classrooms, all with the help of our computers.
However, if you're like most people, you've probably run into technical problems. Problems, like a computer running slower or not working at all.
There is something you can do about it to make sure your kids' school work doesn’t suffer.
John Lockwood, owner of A PC Clinic in Orchard Park, says he’s seen an increase in service calls, mostly for technical support as people are now using their devices more than ever.
He says his team cleans out a lot of viruses and other malicious software, which he says is likely what's slowing down your computer.
So to avoid that entirely, he says be very careful of what websites you and your child are clicking on.
"If you want to go to a website to do some research, if you wanted to look up a recipe, maybe go to BettyCrocker.com and actually search their recipes from their data base instead of using a google search and that will save you the potential of running into a virus,” he said.
Lockwood says there are tools you can put on computers to prevent your kids from getting onto websites with potential viruses, like Net Nanny and more.
He says you can also reach out to your child's teacher, who may be able to direct you to the software the school uses.
Lockwood said one issue he and his team are fixing a lot has to do with hard drives.
He says hard drives are failing because they become overheated.
One of the reasons that may happen is because people aren't shutting their computers off when putting them away.
"Never put it in your backpack while it's still on and never use it on a blanket or bed,” he said. “We find that a lot of college students sit on a bed and they put a blanket on, which causes them to overheat. Screens burnout, hard drives die or worse."
Lockwood also says it's a good idea to restart your computer every few days and run the software updates.
He adds just because your computer isn’t working, does not mean it is a complete loss. He recommends taking it into an expert to diagnosis the problem.
He also suggests taking your computer to an expert annually so they can do a routine check-up and clean out any viruses.
To get in contact with John at A PC Clinic, you can give them a call at 716-508-8251.