What to have ready before the tech arrives

The work clock starts when the technician sits down at the machine. Anything you sort out beforehand is time you are not paying for.

Worth doing

• Know the passwords. The Windows or Mac login for the affected machine, and the Wi-Fi password. Without the login, most work cannot start at all.
• Back up anything irreplaceable if the machine still turns on. Photos and documents onto a USB drive or cloud storage. If it will not boot, leave it alone and say so - recovery is part of the job.
• Clear a workspace near a power outlet, and let us know about parking, gate codes or building access.
• Write down what happened just before the problem started: an update, a storm, a spill, a new program. It is often the whole diagnosis.
• Keep the machine off if it is behaving strangely, especially if it is making noise or has been wet.

Not worth doing

Do not reinstall the operating system or run a registry cleaner to be helpful. It usually destroys the evidence and sometimes the data.