Computer and PC repair in Kensington

Kensington Computer Repairs is run by two technicians, Alan Dingwall and Krishna Kolamkar. We repair desktop PCs, laptops, gaming machines and custom builds for home users and businesses across central and south London, with a drop-off point on North End Road in West Kensington.

Signs your computer needs attention

Most machines give some warning before they fail. These are the complaints we hear most often across the counter.

• It runs far slower than it used to
• The fans are loud from the moment you switch it on
• It shuts down or restarts for no obvious reason
• Pop-ups and error messages appear every time you browse
• A new game stutters or refuses to run
• It won’t power up, and your files are stuck inside

A slow machine usually points to a tired hard drive, too little memory or years of accumulated software. Loud fans and sudden shutdowns tend to mean heat. Dust packs into the heatsinks, the fans work harder, and in the end the computer switches itself off to protect the processor. Pop-ups and browser errors are more often adware or a virus than a hardware fault. None of these is a reason to write the computer off.

Gaming PCs and custom builds

We work on high-end gaming rigs and customised PCs as well as ordinary office machines. If your computer can’t keep up with the game you’ve just bought, we’ll tell you which upgrade will make the difference, usually the graphics card, the memory or a faster drive, and fit it for you. If a build that used to run well has started crashing mid-game, we test the components one at a time until we find the one at fault.

Portable and Apple machines have their own pages. See laptop repair for brand-by-brand detail and Mac repair for iMacs and MacBooks. We also repair tablets and smartphones.

How a repair works

1. Tell us the symptomsCall 020 3026 0184, email us or drop in, and describe what the computer is doing. You don’t need to know the cause. That part is our job.
2. We diagnose the faultA diagnosis normally takes no more than 24 hours. Where the machine still starts and can get online, we can do it remotely without the computer leaving your desk.
3. You get a firm quoteEstimates are free and there is no obligation to go ahead. The price we quote is the price we charge.
4. We repair and return itMany repairs are finished the same day. All work is guaranteed, and the warranty covers replacement parts.

What it costs

These are guide prices for the jobs we do most often on PCs and laptops. Your own quote is confirmed once we know what has failed.

The full price list covers everything else. If we can’t fix the fault, you pay nothing. NHS staff and key workers get a 20% discount.

Four ways to get your computer to us

• Drop it in at 68A North End Road, London W14 9EP
• Have us collect it from your home or office and bring it back, free of charge
• Ask a technician to visit your home or workplace, with no call-out charge
• Post it to us through our mail-in repair service

A tower PC is no fun to carry on the District line, which is what the free collection is for.

If the computer is dead and the files matter

If a drive is clicking, or the computer has stopped recognising it, switch the machine off and leave it off. Every restart risks more damage to your files.

A computer that won’t start hasn’t necessarily lost your documents and photos. Often the drive is fine and can be read on another machine. Where the drive itself has failed, we offer desktop data recovery with a free initial consultation and no charge if nothing can be recovered. A senior technician is on standby 24/7 for urgent problems and data loss.