PC Repairs & Troubleshooting
Slow computer? Won't start? Random errors? Bring it to my shop in Valdosta or have me come to you. I find what's actually wrong with your Windows desktop or laptop, tell you plainly what it costs to fix, and you decide before I touch anything.
Book a $30 DiagnosticIt Starts With a $30 Diagnostic
Every repair starts the same way: I put your computer on the bench, find the real cause, and call you with a plain-English answer and a price. That's the $30 diagnostic. It pays for the looking, which is what keeps you from paying for the wrong fix.
The same symptom can come from either side. A slow machine might be a worn-out drive (hardware) or three antivirus programs fighting each other (software). So I don't guess. I test the parts that fail most — drive, memory, power supply, temperatures — with tools that give a pass or a fail. If the hardware checks out, the problem lives in Windows, and I go through the startup list, the logs, and whatever changed right before the trouble started.
If you go ahead, the $30 comes off the bill — it's the first $30 of the job, not a fee on top. If the fix isn't worth it, the $30 is all you've spent, and you know exactly what the machine needs. You approve the cost before I do any work, and there are no contracts for repairs or home service. Every rate is on the pricing page.
🍎 Got a Mac, iPhone, or iPad? Those have their own page — see Apple & Mac Repair. This page is for Windows desktops and laptops.
Common Symptoms and What's Usually Behind Them
The symptom tells me where to start. Here's what I usually find.
Won't power on or won't boot
"Dead" usually means a failed power supply, a bad charger or charge port on a laptop, or a drive Windows can't start from. One that lights up but never reaches the desktop is almost always the drive or a corrupted Windows install, not a fried motherboard.
Slow
Too many programs starting with Windows, an old spinning hard drive, too little memory, or a drive on its way out. I check all four before I recommend anything. Or try the easy fixes first: my guide to speeding up a slow Windows PC.
Blue screens and random errors
Blue screens point at memory, a driver, or a failing drive far more often than at the program you were using. I read the crash logs and fix the cause instead of resetting Windows and hoping.
Overheating and fan noise
A loud fan is the computer trying to save itself. Dust packed into the heatsink and dried-out thermal paste are the usual suspects, and both are fixable. Heat left alone shortens the life of everything inside.
Virus and malware
Pop-ups, a browser that goes where you didn't ask, or a "Microsoft" warning with a phone number on it. I clean it out, close the door it came in through, and tell you which passwords to change. Not sure? Read 5 signs your computer has a virus.
Failing hard drive
Clicking, freezing, files that won't open, or a drive test showing bad sectors. It gets worse every time you turn the machine on, so if you hear it, stop and call. Your files come off before any repair.
Laptop screen, hinge, port, or battery
Cracked screens, a hinge pulling out of the lid, a charge port that only works at an angle, a battery that dies in an hour. These are parts jobs; whether they make sense depends on the laptop's age and the part's cost, and I tell you up front.
Windows update stuck
A PC that loops on "Getting things ready" or rolls back the same update every night usually has a full drive, a corrupted update file, or a driver Windows doesn't like. I get the update through, or get Windows back to a clean state without losing your files.
The Honest Repair-or-Replace Verdict
Not every computer is worth fixing, and I'll tell you when yours isn't. If the repair costs a good chunk of what a replacement would, or the machine is old enough that the next part will likely fail soon after this one, put the money toward something newer. I'd rather you hear that from me than pay for a fix and be back in six months.
Age matters more than it used to. Microsoft ended regular support for Windows 10 in October 2025, and a lot of older PCs can't run Windows 11 at all. It can still be repaired, but it keeps running a Windows that no longer gets the usual security patches. Your options are laid out in my Windows end-of-support post, and I'll talk them over with you before you decide.
If replacing wins, I can set the new one up to work the way the old one did. That's its own job, covered on the PC Installations page.
Your Data Stays Safe During the Repair
Photos, tax files, the QuickBooks company file, the one document you can't recreate — that's what actually matters, and what a repair can put at risk. Before anything that touches the drive — a Windows reinstall, a drive swap, a malware cleanup — I copy your files first. If the drive is already failing, getting the data off it is the first job and everything else waits.
Your files stay on your machine or on my bench. I don't upload them anywhere, and I don't go through them beyond what the repair needs. If you'd like a proper backup so the next failure is a nuisance instead of a loss, ask while the computer is here.
Remote, Bench, or On-Site — Which One Fits
Where the repair happens depends on what's wrong. I pick the cheapest option that will work.
Parts I Keep on the Shelf
I keep used and pulled parts in stock — memory, drives, power supplies, laptop chargers, the odd screen or keyboard — so a common repair doesn't wait on shipping. A pulled part came out of a machine retired for a different reason, then shelved. Where a used part fits and saves you money, I'll offer it; where new is the right call, I'll say so. What's in stock right now is on the parts page.
PC Repairs — Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a PC diagnostic cost?
The diagnostic is $30, credited toward the repair if you go ahead — the first $30 of the job, not an extra fee. If you decide not to repair the computer, the $30 is all you've spent, and you'll know exactly what's wrong. You approve the cost before I start.
Can you fix my computer remotely?
Often, yes — if the computer still starts and can get online. Malware cleanups, slow startups, stuck Windows updates, and most software problems can be handled remotely at $80 an hour, billed in 15-minute blocks with no minimum. Anything that needs the case opened, or won't boot, comes to my bench in Valdosta.
Will I lose my files during the repair?
Not if I can help it. Before any work that touches the drive — a Windows reinstall, a drive replacement, a malware cleanup — I copy your files first. If the drive is already failing, getting your data off is the first job and the repair waits. Your files stay on your machine or my bench, never uploaded anywhere.
Is my old computer worth repairing?
Sometimes not, and I'll tell you when that's the case. If the repair costs a good chunk of a replacement, or the next part is likely to fail soon, I'll say so. PCs that can't run Windows 11 are a special case, since Windows 10 no longer gets regular security updates — we'll talk that through first.
What are your hours, and can you fix something after hours?
Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm, closed weekends. If a computer problem truly can't wait, after-hours and emergency work is available at time-and-a-half — $150 an hour — for established clients and new clients who opt in. Most repairs can wait until the next business day, and when that's true I'll tell you so.
After-hours details are on the emergency IT support page.
Let's Find Out What's Wrong
Call or text 229-561-1674, email ricky@browningpc.com, use the contact page, or book a $30 diagnostic online. Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm.
Serving Valdosta, Hahira, Quitman, Adel, Tifton, Moultrie, Madison FL, and the rest of South Georgia. See all services.