Category: Guides

How to guides to help you make the most of your tech.

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Xbox Series X Deep Clean

In this video I find myself #repairing a #Microsoft #Xbox #SeriesX Games Console that the owner had spilt some liquid on, and had been switching off unexpectedly since.

Taking the Xbox apart I was happy to confirm there where no signs of any liquid damage, so the owner and console were lucky in that regard. It was however clogged up with a lot of dust, and it was clear the console was struggling to allow the heat to escape. A thorough deep #clean was needed, and so I did that.

I’m happy to report the Xbox Series X has been working perfectly since :).

This was my first Series X fix, and I am so happy it is back in use.

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PlayStation 5 Deep Clean

This #repair was for a #Sony #PlayStation 5 that switched off less then half an hour of use.

I disassembled the #PS5 and gave it a thorough #clean. It was filthy inside, so I am optimistic this is what was causing the issues.

Shot using the built in camera on my #Lenovo laptop running #ChromeOS. The speed is x10, and was edited together using #ClipChamp with some free music available through the video editing software.

My first PS5 deep clean! It sounded so much quieter after I tested it, and should work for many more years to come.

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Fitting a New Screen in a Lenovo IdeaPad 1

In the first ‘proper’ Tech Restorer video, I find myself fitting a New #Screen to a #Lenovo #IdeaPad 1. I had a minor issue with the protective bezel that covers the wires and hinges, which ultimately meant I had to take the screen off a 2nd time to attach it properly by sliding it in, but I got there.

I filmed this using a #GoPro shoulder camera attachment, edited using #ClipChamp, whilst using an #Apple 2011 #iMac that I had salvaged from a school, with #ChromeOS installed on it. Not bad for a mash up of #technology!

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Formatting a Hard Drive Using ‘Command Prompt’ and ‘Manage’ on Windows

Command Prompt and Diskpart Usage

Have you ever connected a Hard Drive to your Windows computer, wanted to format it but couldn’t get access to certain partitions to remove them? This guide will show you how to fully format your hard drive so that you can use all of the available space.

To start with, connect your hard drive to your Windows computer (at the time of writing this guide both Windows 10 and Windows 11 are supported).

Once connected wait for it to initialise and be visible in the File Explorer > This PC section as a separate disk. Once it appears you are ready to format it.

  1. In File Explorer right click on This PC and select Manage. On Windows 11 you will need to right click, select Show More Options, and then Select Manage.
  2. Open the Disk Management section and identify which hard drive listed is the one you want to delete. This is usually Disk 1 or Disk 2, but may be numbered differently depending on how many other disk drives you have attached to your computer.
  3. Once identified, open the Windows menu and type in ‘cmd’. This will display Command Prompt.
  4. Right click on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator, confirming any additional prompts that may appear.
  5. In Command Prompt type in ‘diskpart’, and then press Enter.
  6. Next type in ‘list disk’, and press Enter. A list of the attached hard drives will be shown. Note the hard drive you want to format.
  7. Depending on the name of the hard drive type in ‘select disk x’. Replace the x with the number associated with your hard drive. Press Enter.
  8. You should see a single line of text that states which hard drive is currently selected. Enter ‘clean’ and press Enter. This will fully wipe the Hard Drive of any lingering partitions that cannot be otherwise deleted.
  9. Close Command Prompt, and head back to the Manage > Disk Management section.
  10. Right click on the hard drive label on the left-hand side, and select Initialise at the top of the menu. Follow the prompts that appear, accepting the default options by selecting Next until your hard drive is reactivated. This should only take a few moments.
  11. Once ready for use again, right click on the black-lined main area of Disk Management for that disk, and select ‘New Simple Volume’. Again follow the prompts by selecting Next, accepting the defaults, and allow your computer to format the hard drive ready for use.
  12. Once the drive is formatted you now have a fully functioning blank hard drive, with all space available, ready to use as you see fit.

This is perfect for reusing old hard drives out of other computers that are no longer need.