What Is a PC Health Check?
A PC health check is a structured diagnostic review of your computer’s hardware and software. It’s designed to identify problems that are developing before they cause a failure — and to give you a clear picture of what condition your machine is actually in.
Unlike a repair visit (which starts with a known fault), a health check starts with no assumptions. We look at everything.
What a health check covers
Storage health Hard drives and SSDs have built-in diagnostic data — SMART readings — that indicate whether the storage device is degrading. A drive can be failing for months without any obvious symptoms until it fails completely and takes your data with it. We check these readings and flag drives that are showing early warning signs.
Memory (RAM) Faulty RAM causes random crashes, blue screens, and freezing that are easy to misattribute to software problems. We run stress tests to confirm whether your RAM is stable.
Cooling system Dust accumulation in vents and fans causes thermal throttling — your processor slows itself down to avoid overheating, making the machine noticeably sluggish. We check fan operation and internal temperatures under load.
Security and software We check for malware, outdated software with known vulnerabilities, and security settings that may have drifted from best practice. Antivirus that hasn’t updated its definitions for months provides very little protection.
Windows or macOS health System file integrity, pending updates, failing services, and startup processes that are slowing boot times all get reviewed.
Battery condition (laptops) Battery cycle counts and capacity loss are checked and reported. A battery at 60% original capacity may hold enough charge for light use but fail unexpectedly under heavier demands.
When it makes sense to book one
- Your computer is 3–4 years old and you haven’t had it checked before
- It’s slower than it used to be but there’s no obvious reason why
- You’re buying a secondhand machine and want an independent assessment
- You rely on the computer heavily and can’t afford unexpected downtime
- You’ve had a virus or malware infection and want to confirm the machine is clean
What you get at the end
A plain-English summary of what was found — what’s fine, what needs attention soon, and what needs fixing now. We don’t create problems to solve; if your machine is in good shape, we’ll tell you.
If issues are found, we’ll provide a quote for any repair or upgrade work before proceeding.
Book a PC health check at our Putney workshop. We also cover PC repair in Westminster and across South West London. Call 020 7610 0500 or contact us.
How much does a PC health check cost?
A professional health check at our Putney workshop is a flat-rate service — we check everything and provide a written summary. If issues are found, you decide whether to proceed with any repair work. There’s no obligation to fix anything during the health check itself.
Can I do a PC health check myself?
Some elements are straightforward to check yourself. Windows has built-in tools: Device Manager for hardware conflicts, Event Viewer for system errors, and Windows Security for malware scans. For storage health, free tools like CrystalDiskInfo will read your drive’s SMART data and flag warning signs.
The limitation with DIY checks is interpretation. SMART data can show a “caution” status that a failing drive has been generating for months, or a “good” status on a drive that’s physically failing in a way SMART doesn’t detect well. A professional check applies judgement alongside the numbers.
What happens if issues are found?
We give you a plain-English written summary of everything we found, organised by urgency:
- Needs attention now — risks data loss or imminent failure
- Needs attention soon — not urgent but worth planning for in the next few months
- Fine for now — within normal operating parameters
If repair or upgrade work is recommended, we’ll quote it then and there. You can book it in immediately or take the summary away and decide later. The health check report is yours regardless.
How often should you get a health check?
For a machine used daily, once a year is a reasonable baseline. If the machine is 3+ years old, more frequent checks make sense — the components most likely to fail (storage, battery, cooling system) all age at predictable rates after the three-year mark. We often see drives that show no outward symptoms but are months from failure on SMART data. An annual check catches these before they become a data loss event.
Book a PC health check at our Putney workshop or call 020 7610 0500. We cover homes and businesses across South West London — contact us to arrange a convenient time.