I don't want to get on a rant here but...

The vast majority of computer owners don't know shit about what's inside the tower. They are perfectly happy that they can memorize their ram and hard drive size. And their idiot friends just nod their head in agreement thinking their their new computer is bad ass. Like those new ads where Microsoft buys someone a computer that's not a Mac. It has to do with price. If you spend more money now, it will save you money in the long run. So most people will buy a $500 computer that will run good for a few months then start to lag. When it fails on them (oh, how it will fail on them), they bitch and moan and take it in to a computer shop, Geek Squad, or a friend who knows more about computers than they do. Computer repair shops would not exist without the pre-manufactured computer companies (Dell, Gateway, etc.) not pushing the capabilities of their machines. If Vista requires only 2GB of ram to function well after initial start up by the consumer, that's all the computer companies will put in the machines. If the for-mentioned companies would max out the ram for that particular mobo or at least put half the maximum in, half of the computer shops out there would be gone. Instead of adding more ram when your computer starts to slow down, max the ram out and you wouldn't have to keep upgrading the computer. Obviously people would still need computer shops to clear out their virus', but that's the fault of Microsoft.

Computer repair should be taught at the High School level, just like shop. If they offer you a class to fix small engines, they can just as easily teach you to install a processor. Instead they teach you how to use it. The more people know about what's inside the computer, the better. These companies would have to start manufacturing better computers, since no one would want a computer that's slow as hell compared to what they could make with some extra cash and a free weekend. Once I'm done building my new computer, I'll never buy a pre-made one again, unless I get a laptop. I have no idea how to fix those.

Of course, that's my opinion. I could be wrong.