, Welcome to Heywood Computer Centre *PC Repairs *Laptop Repairs *Upgrades

Microsofts support and updates for Windows 10 ends on 14 October 2025. Some PC's incorrectly report they will not run Windows 11 when they will. Please call for more info or bring your PC in for a free check.

Welcome to Heywood Computer Centre : Your friendly local computer specialist


Safety and Advice Centre:

Below is same important information to keep you and your data safe


Backup Options

Your data is precious so keeping regualar backups of your important documents, photos, music etc will protect you against its loss should your system suffer a hard drive failure or get stolen. There are multiple ways of backing up your data, all of which have their individual benefits. The frequency at which you back up your files is also important, if you back up every month you could loose the last months work/data but if you back up daily you could only loose the last days work/data.

Fact To have a sucessful backup your data should be in at least 2 places/devices, eg. moving files onto an external hard drive is archiving (not backing up) as you could loose this data should the external hard drive fail.

USB flash drives are intended to back up files to that you wish to carry on a daily basis, they are not suitable for storage of data over 5 years. We sell very durable single piece metal bodied flash drives to protect your data as much as possible however most flash drives have a plastic body and a weak spot which can result in damage by carrying them on a key ring or by frequent use putting your data at risk.

External hard drives are recommended for long term storage and large files such as video, photo and music collections. External hard drives are sensitive to impacts and can be damaged if dropped

Cloud storage is a convenient way of sharing data and documents accross several devices or users. There are many providers but most are not a secure (encrypted) service meaning you have to check the providers usage policies to see how secure your data is and if the provider will access or mine your data (hunt through your data to find out about you etc.). We can provide secure encrypted (from your machine) cloud based storage that ensures nobody can access your data except you!

Tape Backups are a popular choice for busnesses for full system backups and can are usually used to rotate a weeks backups (a backup for every day) but can be a slower option and need to be carefully stored away from items containing magnets.


Online threats and frauds

There are an ever increasing number of online threats and frauds to be aware of to keep your computer safe. Firstly you need a current Windows operating system (Windows Vista, 7 or 8) along with a robust and well performing internet security suite (we monitor independent security testing assessments and only sell consistently top performing products). Antivirus only products offer a minimal level of protection and are not recommended for an always connected domestic PC. Secondly you need to be aware of how to protect yourself against the many online and telephone frauds.

  • If you are on a website and you see an animation or pop-up saying your computer is running slow or scanning for infections, these are just adverts and should be ignored, by clicking on these you can infect your computer with a chain of malwares.
  • A legitimate company will not phone you up to say your computer is running slow or has problems (unless you are paying them for a costly remote support & remote monitoring service).
  • You should never go to any website a caller gives you (however convincing they may be) as they can gain access to your computer and your personal files.
  • Some fraudsters are asking you to call them back on a legitimate number (such as off your bank card) but keeping your line open with a dial tone being played back so you never reach the number you dial. Ways to overcome this scam is to phone back off another phone or to dial another number in between to confirm your line is free (eg a friend), we also recommend calling 1471 and noting the number (if not withheld) as this can be passed onto action fraud.

  • Help for Victims

    If you suspect you have become a victim of a fraud, call action fraud (the dedicated police fraud department) on 0300 123 2040, their web site is www.actionfraud.police.uk (Click here to visit). If your computer has been accessed, your computer needs securing and online passwords should be changed (using a secure computer) as your accounts could be vulnerable.