Top Ten Computer Tech Websites Everyone Can Use

Ever wonder why computer technicians do not complain about their own PCs? People believe computer techs are somehow “blessed” or “gifted” or have a secret magic wand in their desk. Perhaps PC techs are born with special genes or have more “left brain” activity. Maybe their diet of Snickers bars, pizza and energy drinks makes them immune to computer problems.
The simple answer is that computer techs know How to Fix their Own PC problems.

Again, people will say the computer tech is born with this knowledge or they have studied many years and have obtained some type of Masters degree in Computer Science. While it is true most computer techs do have a natural affinity with technology and usually have completed some degree of computer education & training, most technicians rely on one simple talent to fix their PC problems: Finding Knowledge…more specifically, Finding the Right Answer.

Ninite.com is a warehouse of free software for your computer. Ninite contains over 90 of the latest software technologies arranged in an easily to use format. However, Ninite has one feature none of the other so-called free software websites possess: The Silent Install. Ninite will install the chosen software without any questions, without any nagging toolbar options and with one simple click. Even better, Ninite will detect if a previous version of the software is already loaded and update the software automatically. Again, no questions, no toolbars, One Click.

Think what this means to the non-computer techs-the average user. You can download, install and update the latest software technologies on your PC without (I repeat without) the help of the “Left Brain”, “Snicker Eating”, “Magic Wand” PC Technician PHD. If you visit just one tech website from this list, choose Ninite.com!

Speakeasy.net is an Internet Speed Test website. The website will measure your Internet Download and Upload speed. Since the number one PC complaint is “My Computer is Slow”, a good PC Technician needs to know how fast your Internet connection is. Often, hours of PC diagnostics are performed when a simple reset of your cable or DSL modem is all that is required.

The main reason Speakeasy was chosen is that the user interface is simple to use and easy to understand. The average user has no problem visualizing the UP & DOWN speed even though they have almost no knowledge of the true meaning of the numbers shown on the screen. Do not underestimate the significance of your Internet speed when it comes to fixing computer problems.

Sysinternals.com is the proverbial Swiss Army knife of the Technician’s toolkit. The website began 15 years ago and was recently purchased by Microsoft. All 70 software tools available on this website are designed to assist the technician with diagnosing and fixing computer issues. All the software is free to download and use.

Fair warning: These software tools are designed for technicians. Most of the tools are not designed to be simple or easy to use. Rather these tools are designed to gather information about the inner workings of your PC. On the plus side, the website contains no annoying advertising. A favorite Sysinternal tool is called Autoruns which displays everything being loaded by your PC when it boots.

TopTenReviews.com is a site that compares the latest software technologies. TopTenReviews maintains an extensive list of reviewed products including mobile devices, automobile accessories, home appliances and, of course, computer hardware and software. An experienced PC technician always has a good awareness of a wide range of software and hardware solutions.

TopTenReviews offers excellent side-by-side comparisons as well as Editor and End-User reviews. In many cases, a good piece of software or hardware will solve a computer issue. TopTenReviews allows the technician (and the End User) to make an informed decision and better match the software or hardware to a specific situation.

Fair Warning: TopTenReviews makes money through advertising fees. Their pages are heavy with banner and link ads. Many users find this annoying but their simple side-by-side comparison charts and well written reviews are well worth the inconvenience of the advertising. Note: Hubpages considers TopTenReviews an inappropriate "affiliate" link.

BleepingComputer.com is a forum where PC technicians discuss PC problems and more importantly resolutions to PC issues. BleepingComputer is very active and current with their posts. It uses a long time forum standard of “threaded” messages, where a user will present an issue and other contributors will make suggestions for solving the issues.

Forum type websites are the backbone of technical knowledge on the Internet. Many of these sites are filled with meaningless squabble which often requires a great deal of reading to discover the “right answer”. BleepingComputer, on the other hand, does an excellent job of filtering out the “meaningless junk” and delivering high quality information. It is free to join and uses advertising sparingly.

SevenForums.com is another forum website dedicated to the Windows 7 operating system. They categorize the articles into specific topics such as Drivers, Hardware, Performance, Backup, etc. SevenForums specializes in addressing common everyday problems. Most of the articles and responses are submitted by everyday users.

Unlike BleepingComputers.com (see above), SevenForums is less filtered and a fair amount of the information is (how do I put this kindly?) of little value. However, before you dismiss SevenForums, you must understand the true value. Good PC technicians know this fact: “if my customer is having a problem, then other people are having the same problem”. SevenForums is a great website for researching a computer issue. It is free to join. SevenForums is heavy on the advertising.

PCMag.com is an on-line magazine focusing on the latest hardware and software technologies. The most important feature of PCMag is their PC Labs testing department. The coveted PCMag Editors’ Choice award is a good sign of a high quality product.

The true value from a PC technician standpoint is PCMag gives the technician a website where he or she can direct their customers to. “What does PC Mag say about it?”. Being a magazine, PCMag is extremely heavy on the advertising.

TechNibble.com is an on-line magazine dedicated to computers. Unlike PCMag (see above), TechNibble focuses on just computers and more specifically PC repair. Their articles are more technical in nature and designed for IT staff people. With that said, TechNibbles’ articles are readable by the everyday user with only occasional mention of “geeky stuff”. The “Computer Repair Tools” is filled with small helpful utilities for ultimately resolving a PC problem. TechNibble is much lighter on advertising.

Geeks.com is a refurbished computer hardware shopping website. Often the answer to fixing a PC is replacing or upgrading the computer. Good computer technicians know where to shop on-line for computers and computer parts. However, they do not base their shopping habits on price alone. In fact to the technician, reliability and accuracy are far more important than price.

Geeks has been providing quality refurbished computer products for 17 years and consistently is rated as one the best customer satisfaction shopping websites available. By far, the most outstanding feature on Geeks.com is the “Item Description” area of any product. Geeks will tell you “what you are buying” and perhaps more importantly “what you need” to use the product.

On October 1st, after 20+ years of service, Geeks.com closed their doors. I have yet to find a suitable replacement site.

Newegg.com is another computer hardware shopping website. Newegg only sells new (not refurb) products. Again, good technicians do not shop for the lowest price. They want dependable and accurate service. Newegg is rated as one of the best customer service on-line shopping sites. With over 3 million parts and 2 million customer reviews, NewEgg delivers the right computer products time and time again.

Every Technician has their favorite websites. Leave a comment with your favorites.