In this day and age, I often have the debate with myself whether it is best to buy something new or have it repaired.

We really do live in a throwaway society. I mean at home, I must have three vacuum cleaners, which are now in the garage so they can be used to clean out the cars, and half a dozen television sets, which are just gathering dust in the cellar. (more…)

What a nightmare. In this summer of unbelievable sport – football, cricket, Ryder cup golf, rugby in Australia – my Wii decided to pack up.

It will not be the same when I invite my friends round for a feast of sporting action if we can’t get ‘involved’ in some sport ourselves. (more…)

It is amazing how you get so attached to something that when you no longer have it you feel as though you are missing a limb.

Well that is what happened when my laptop broke. (more…)

Why does it always happen? A couple of days before I am due to go on holiday my laptop goes on the blink.

I am in the middle of a major deal and I really do need to have it with me. Naturally this has caused a great deal of annoyance for my partner. (more…)

Having never played on an Xbox before, imagine my bewilderment when my daughter told me it wasn’t working.

Naturally I did all the dad things, such as turning it on and off, taking out and then putting leads back in, turning it upside down to look underneath. However it would have been a miracle, or perhaps an enormous fluke, if I had managed to repair it. (more…)

It’s a nightmare scenario. You turn on your laptop, which contains most of your life, and the screen is blank and the hard drive seems to be faulty.

At this stage most people say, ‘you don’t need to worry as I presumed you backed up’. It takes about a second for them to realise from my facial expression that I hadn’t. (more…)

‘Dad’, my son shouted, ‘the PS3 is not working!’

‘Have you told your mother?’ I shouted back.

‘Yes, but she told me to have a word with you,’ came the reply. (more…)

Is it just me, or are you tempted to take the back off your laptop when it goes wrong?

I was tempted a few years ago and wish I hadn’t. Having removed the smallest screws in the world, I removed the back and stared in wonderment at the small circuit board in front of me. (more…)

I wouldn’t describe myself as being pessimistic but I have just bought myself a new laptop and I am already researching what I am going to do if it goes wrong.

I realise it is unlikely but I would rather be ready for that eventuality just in case that time comes. (more…)

I appreciate that I sound like a Philistine but I didn’t really know the difference between a Notebook and a Laptop. I really did think they were the same thing but just had a different name.

I therefore did a bit of research and was pleased to discover that I wasn’t too far out. (more…)