Servicing my own computers changed my life

I opened and repaired my first ever computer out of sheer necessity, and it was like someone had removed a heavy veil from over my eyes. Despite appearing very, very complicated, the disassembly of a computer is a relatively straight-forward affair. Without any prior training (or research, sheesh) I was able to take it apart all the way to the problem area, replace the faulty component, and put the computer back together in the space of 3 hours. It was a very empowering experience, and it taught me some key values.

Believing in myself

It seems silly to say it out loud but, I had no choice but to believe that I was capable of taking apart and re-constructing an entire computer. Without this leap of faith, I would have had a nervous breakdown every time I touched a component - a fear of the unknown - and would accomplish nothing.

Documentation

Everything was going a-okay while taking things apart and servicing the worn components. The trouble started when it was time to put everything back together, and I had not actually verified which screws went where. Fortuitously, computers are mostly closed systems, with a bare minimum of external wiring connecting components. Those that needed re-assembly were easily matched to their slots, due to their lengths and unique ports. But the screws… damn. Upon close inspection, they were of 3 discreet (but visually similar) lengths, and some were coated in loctite, while others didn’t. I spent a nervy 30 minutes extrapolating the likely location of each screw before realising that I wasn’t going to think my way out of this one. So instead I picked up my screwdriver and got to work, telling myself that if I screwed up (get it?) my own computer, well, at least nobody would shout at me. With some patience and careful observation, I was able to rebuild the computer without any hitches, and was very happy when it powered up, as good as new…. until I noticed the two additional screws on the table.

Now that really got me wondering about life, the universe and everything. My computer looked to be in tip-top shape, but it was definitely missing two screws. I thought about what could happen next and very quickly realised that I had better redo the entire process, lest my great looking machine die at an inopportune moment. It also occured to me that I had better take pictures of everything, so I even if I didn’t identify the missing screws immediately, I could still inspect them over the weekend without as much inconvenience. As it turned out, the screws were just one level down from the outer case, and were used to stabilize a minor circuit board; having them missing would not, in fact, have destryoed the computer at all. I was very, very pleased to realise that, despite having no engineering background, with a little observation, it was possible to learn quite a lot about the way in which things work!

Independence

Once everything was put back together properly, the nature of the entire episode turned from one of fright, anxiety and helplessness to one of self-worth, resilience and satisfaction of completing a task normally achieved by competent, trained adults. Gosh did I feel good! Not only did I not have to spend money at the service centre this time, I just knew that I wouldn’t be going there - ever. The financial pressure ended up catalysing an important life lesson; I could reduce my dependance on money - and by extension, society - by doing things myself.

Satisfaction

Since that first time, I have taken my computer apart several times to service it, to upgrade it and eventually even to modify it a little. I’ve helped my friends do the same to theirs, offering to teach them the basics, but always grateful for the opportunity to keep growing my ability and confidence in this new skill set. Eventually, I was able to deploy this skill to diagnose, repair and even upgrade my computer in the middle of meeting clients half way across the world. I was so chuffed to be able to sort out my problems myself, despite being far away from home!

Fast forward to today, this interest has become a cornerstone of my independence; you see, when something fails at home, I have the option of exploring it to my satisfaction, possibly fixing it, and definitely learning something new - all while saving myself money, and saving the planet from the burden of generating a whole new product, too. I like to think this skill contributes significantly to reducing my carbon footprint :)