Laptop Repair in Nanaimo

💾 Laptop Won't Turn On? Your Photos Aren't Necessarily Gone

Of all the work I do, laptop data recovery is my favourite. There's nothing quite like handing someone back the photos, documents, and files they thought for certain were lost forever. It's also one of the jobs people call me about most.

Here's the part most people don't realize: when a laptop won't power on, the problem is very often somewhere other than the part of the machine that holds your files. The laptop can be stone dead and your data still perfectly intact on the drive inside it. In a lot of cases I can remove that drive, hook it up to a clean machine, and get your data off safely—even if the laptop itself is ‘toast’.

If the drive itself is the thing that's failing, that's a bigger job, and I've got a trusted specialist for the tough cases too. You can read more about that on my data recovery page. But before you assume the worst about a laptop that won't boot—call me. There's a good chance your photos are still right where you left them.

Laptops pack everything into a small, tight space, which can make some jobs a bit tricky—but most of the everyday problems are very fixable. Here's the laptop work I take on for folks around Nanaimo:

Batteries That Won't Hold a Charge

If your laptop dies the moment you unplug it—or the battery has started to swell and is causing the keyboard to bulge—it’s time for a replacement. This is one of the most common laptop jobs I do, and it can make an older machine feel usable again.

Slow Laptop? RAM and SSD Upgrades

If your laptop takes forever to boot and grinds away at simple tasks, the fix is often a memory (RAM) upgrade, swapping the old mechanical hard drive for a fast SSD, or both. Of everything you can do to an aging laptop, moving to an SSD is the single biggest speed improvement—it can feel like a brand-new machine for a fraction of the price of one.

Hard Drive & SSD Replacement

Failing drive, or just out of space? I'll replace it and, where possible, move your files, programs, and settings over so you pick up right where you left off.

Keyboard Replacement

Sticky keys, dead keys, or a coffee casualty—I replace laptop keyboards on both Windows machines and Macs.

Overheating & Fan Cleaning

If your laptop runs hot, whirrs like a jet, or shuts itself off under load, the usual culprit is dust—years of it packed into the cooling fan and vents. Cleaning it out gets the machine breathing and running cool again. It's a simple, satisfying fix that buys a lot of laptops years of extra life.

Liquid or Water Damage

Spilled something on your laptop keyboard? PLEASE shut it down immediately—don’t keep using it and don’t try to charge it. The sooner you can get that laptop to a repair shop, the better! On older laptops you could pull the battery out yourself, but on most of today’s machines the battery can’t be removed that way—so you need to get it to someone who can open up the back and unhook it ASAP. Bring it to us and we’ll fix it properly.

Virus, Malware & Slow-Laptop Cleanup

Laptops catch the same infections desktops do. I clean up viruses and malware, clear out the junk that piles up over time, and get Windows running the way it should. If your laptop has been crawling or throwing pop-ups, this is often all it needs.

🛡️ Keeping a Cleaned-Up Laptop Protected

Once I've cleaned an infection off a laptop, the next question is always the same: "How do I stop this happening again?" The tool I install and run myself is Malwarebytes. It catches the modern stuff—ransomware, malicious websites, and the sneaky malware that slips past the basic antivirus that came with the machine—and it runs quietly in the background without bogging a laptop down.

The free version is great for cleaning up an active infection. The Premium version blocks threats before they land. I'm a Malwarebytes partner, so if it looks like a good fit you can check current pricing here:

See Malwarebytes Premium Pricing →

There are two jobs with laptops I’d rather not do, and that’s cracked screens and charging ports.

Cracked Screens

There are people right here in town who actually love doing that job and can do it much better and faster than I could, so if your screen is the problem, I’d rather send you to someone I trust who specializes in that job.

Charging Ports

A charging port that's loose or dead usually means desoldering work on the mainboard—delicate stuff. I've done a few, but for a proper, lasting repair I send these to a shop on the mainland that specializes in exactly that. You get the job done right.

Knowing who does a job best is part of doing right by you—and I’ll make sure you land in good hands.

Over the years I've worked on laptops of just about every shape and size—Windows machines from every major brand, and plenty of MacBooks too. On both, I handle the core hardware jobs: battery replacements, RAM upgrades, hard drive and SSD swaps, and keyboards. Whether it's a Windows laptop or a Mac, if it's one of the repairs I do, bring it my way and I'll take good care of it.

On-Site or In-Shop—Your Choice

I can work on your laptop at your home or business, or bring it back to my shop in Nanaimo's north end. Either way you get the same careful service and honest assessment.

The Honest Estimate

Some folks hand me their laptop, trust me to sort it out, and are simply glad someone's on it. Others want to know right away how long it'll take and what it'll cost—and that's completely fair. What I tell them is this: there's a process to figuring out what's actually wrong and how long it'll take to fix. So I won't guess wildly on the spot. What I will do is call you back within a day or two with an update and an honest estimate of what it's likely to run—before I go ahead. No surprises, and no work done that you didn't agree to.

Most laptop jobs run 1 to 2 hours of labour at $80–$100/hour. Unless a part has to be ordered in, turnaround is usually just 1 to 2 days. I diagnose the machine first, figure out the real scope of the work, and give you a fair quote before I proceed.

Sometimes—depending on the age of the laptop and what it needs—you're honestly better off putting the money toward a newer machine, and I’ll tell you that straight up rather than run up a bill on something not worth fixing.

And if money's tight, talk to me—I try to be fair.

• Experience: Over 30 years fixing computers—laptops and desktops alike
• Local: I serve Nanaimo and the surrounding areas—we're neighbors
• Honest: No surprise charges. You know the likely cost before I start
• Careful with your data: Protecting your files is the priority throughout
• Well-connected: For the jobs I don't do—screens, charging ports—I'll send you to people I trust
• Flexible: On-site or in-shop, whichever suits you best

Big Mike Computer Services provides laptop repair across Nanaimo, North Nanaimo, and Lantzville. Whether you need laptop repair North Nanaimo, a battery or SSD swap in Lantzville, or data recovery off a laptop that won't turn on, you get the same careful service with free pickup and drop-off.

My North Nanaimo location puts me close to most neighborhoods, so I can get to you quickly and get your laptop back in your hands working again.

Service areas include:

• Downtown Nanaimo
• North Nanaimo
• South Nanaimo
• Lantzville
• Surrounding Nanaimo neighborhoods