Fix your old computer or buy a new one?

Q: My computer won’t start. I tried turning it on and it came on for a few seconds and then shut off, I did this a few times and noticed that the monitor and keyboard didn’t even try to come on. I gave up. A few days later I tried it again and it made some popping and crackling sounds, like the electric was fixing to blow, so I yelled for my husband to come and unplug it. My question is, Is it worth having it checked out or should I just bury it and look for a new one?

A: Based on what you are describing, it definitely sounds like one or more components of your computer have failed. The most common symptoms of computer failure are the hard drive or the motherboard, neither of which is very fun to diagnose yourself.

If you are ambitious, you could try opening up the case to your computer to make sure there aren’t any loose cable connections but that is a long shot at best.

What I would recommend is calling your computer manufacturer’s support phone number to see if they can help. Try to take advantage of the free support and if they try to charge you for support, just politely say no thank you and hang up. In most cases, it won’t be worth the money they charge you to get the computer fixed.

If you get nowhere with your computer manufacturer’s support line, I can recommend a local company that might be able to take a look at your computer and at least tell you what is wrong with it so you can make a more informed decision as to what you want or need to do. If you want that company’s name and phone number, just give Noobie a call at 317-509-6842.

Finally, to answer your main question, the decision to fix a computer versus buying a new one, in my opinion, comes down to two main factors. The first is how old your computer is. If your computer is one or two years old, it is probably worth the effort to try and get it fixed. However, if your computer is three or more years old, it might be more cost beneficial to purchase a new one.

The second factor is your budget. Right now you can get some fantastic desktop computers with 2 GB of memory, 250 GB or larger hard drives, CD/DVD drives and more for under $500. A repair bill alone could run you $200-$300 so you have to decide how much it is worth to you to fix a computer that is already outdated. And remember, it’s your computer that’s broken, not your monitor so don’t get tricked into buying a new monitor unless you really want one.

This post was originally broadcast Friday, August 17, 2007 on Tech Talk with Noobie, a weekly radio show on WCBK 102.3 FM in Martinsville, Indiana. Tech Talk with Noobie airs every Friday between 11:30 a.m. and noon. If you have a question you would like Noobie to answer on the air, simply e-mail your question to .