FIELD: maintenance of personal computers; serviceability check of hardware and software. SUBSTANCE: update expert maintenance system used for the purpose has hardware and software knowledge base including their failure assumptions and identifying codes, diagnostic and repair scripts, and knowledge base management system; at least one fragment sufficient in typical cases for off-line recovery of computer serviceability is selected in expert maintenance system, entered in separate data storage and retrieval means, and used for diagnosing and eliminating each failure prior to access to service center, this fragment must incorporate failure identifying codes and service center invocation means indicating only identifying codes of non-eliminated failures. System executing these operations has service center and at least one separate storage facility for expert maintenance system fragment. EFFECT: minimized data exchange between faulty computers and service center over communication channels; reduced cost of software, hardware, and other means. 10 cl, 1 dwg
