Guides & advice

15 Oct 2026 How much does computer repair cost in Melbourne? Real prices for 2026Most repair shops won't put a price on their website. Here are ours, job by job, and what actually moves the number up or down. 6 min read 15 Oct 2026 How much does virus removal cost? What you're actually paying forVirus and scam clean-ups run $80–180 with us. Here is what that covers, when you can do it yourself for free, and when you shouldn't try. 6 min read 15 Oct 2026 How much does data recovery cost in Melbourne?From $150 for deleted files to well over $1,000 for a drive that has to be opened. What decides the price, and how to avoid making it worse. 7 min read 15 Oct 2026 Laptop screen replacement cost: what you'll pay and when it's worth itA cracked or flickering laptop screen usually costs $150–320 to replace. Here is what decides the price, and how to tell if it's really the screen. 5 min read 15 Oct 2026 Blue screen of death: what it means and when to call someoneOne blue screen is usually nothing. Several in a week is your computer telling you something. Here is how to read it, what to try, and what a fix usually costs. 6 min read 15 Oct 2026 Unexpected call from your bank, telco or "tech support"? How to check it's realA name you don't recognise, a problem you can't check, and a request to act now. Here is how to tell a real call from a scam in under a minute. 6 min read 10 Oct 2026 Laptop won't turn on? Five checks before you pay for a repairA dead laptop is often not dead at all. Here are the five things worth checking at home before you pay anyone, and the signs that it really does need a repair. 5 min read 10 Oct 2026 Still on Windows 10? Your options, in plain EnglishWindows 10 stopped getting free support in October 2025, but that doesn't mean you need a new computer tomorrow. Here is what it actually means and the three sensible ways forward. 5 min read 12 Aug 2026 The remote-access scam, and how to end the callSomeone rings claiming to be from your telco, your bank, or Windows support. Here is exactly what they want and what to do the second you suspect it. 7 min read 28 Jul 2026 Passwords: the only three rules that matterForget the special-character rituals. Length, uniqueness and a manager to remember them — that is the whole of it. 6 min read 14 Jul 2026 Why your computer got slow (it is rarely the age)Five real causes we find on the bench, in the order we check them — and which ones you can fix yourself in ten minutes. 8 min read 30 Jun 2026 What actually protects a home computer in 2026Most paid security suites solve a problem you no longer have. Here is what genuinely reduces risk on a home machine, and what is theatre. 6 min read 16 Jun 2026 Fixing Wi-Fi dead zones without a faster planIf one room is bad and the rest is fine, upgrading your plan cannot help. Here is how to work out what is actually wrong. 8 min read 2 Jun 2026 Two upgrades worth doing, and two that are notAn SSD and memory transform an older machine. A faster processor or a new graphics card usually do not. Here is how to tell what your machine actually needs. 7 min read 19 May 2026 Backups: the one thing everybody skipsAlmost every household we visit has "a backup". Most of them would not survive the thing they are meant to protect against. 7 min read