FAQ: Hardware Support in SCS

General Information

I left my computer for repair, what can I expect?

Repair drop-offs or on-campus pick-ups are coordinated directly with you. Whenever possible, our IT consultants will provide a sense of the complexity of the repair, an ETA and will maintain you updated throughout the process, including next steps and when to come retrieve your repaired computer.

Can you perform warranty repairs?

Out IT consultants are trained and certified for in-house, vendor-approved technical repairs of Apple and Dell computing hardware. This allows for quicker repair turn-arounds without voiding manufacturer warranty.

What happens to my data if my computer breaks down?

We are strong advocates for our users to protect and back up their data. We offer free tools to our community such as our Data Protection service, "Crashplan". However, unexpected computer failures do happen and as part of our hardware support service, we can attempt to retrieve and back up your data before a major repair if possible.

Does my OS matter when repairing my computer?

Generally, our customers pair hardware support with software support, because they are running one of our supported operating systems, providing peace of mind regardless of the issue. However, we can still provide a CMU-purchased computer with Hardware Support, even If you are running an unsupported operating system, but will be limited in terms of OS-side configuration, troubleshooting and data recovery.

Why do you require SCS-purchased computers to include a 4-year warranty?

We include a 4-year extended coverage warranty with any computer we quote or order. This protects the customer from the cost of out-of-warranty parts during the suppoerted lifecyle of the computer. This ensures the best possible support experience and empowers our IT consultants to quickly repair your computer and get you back up and running quickly.

Why can't you support my computer?

While we're always happy to provide general, best effort guidance to our community, there are certain scenarios where we would be unable to perform repairs on computers:

If the computer is not owned by SCS/CMU (not purchased with CMU funds).
Computer was a "parts" custom build not performed by us. This kind of build presents warranty, support and at times, compatibility/configuration/performance concerns.
If the computer is too old and no longer supported.
If the computer is out of warranty and we deem the repair far too expensive versus the value and age of the system.

What happens when my warranty expires?

We track our purchase and warranties in our system and can advise when support is ending. Once warranty expires, we can continue to provide hardware support (which includes labor) for a period of time determined to be reasonable and if the customer is willing to cover the cost of replacement parts.

Generally, there are many considerations that go into supportability, including hardware capabilities, original investment versus current comparable market options, security and parts availability.