To find out how many hours it took to repair the computer, we can set up an equation based on the information given.

Let $h$ be the number of hours it took to repair the computer.

The total cost for the repair is made up of the cost for the parts and the labor charge. The labor charge is $45 per hour, so the labor cost is $45h$.

The equation for the total bill is:

$\text{Total bill} = \text{Cost for parts} + \text{Labor charge}$

Substituting the given values:

$179 = 44 + 45h$

To solve for $h$, first subtract 44 from both sides:

$179 - 44 = 45h$

$135 = 45h$

Next, divide both sides by 45:

$h = \frac{135}{45} = 3$

So, it took 3 hours to repair the computer.

Would you like further details on this solution, or do you have any additional questions?

Here are 5 related questions:

1. If the labor charge was $50 per hour, how many hours would the repair have taken?
2. What would the total bill be if the repair took 5 hours instead of 3?
3. If the parts cost increased by 20%, what would the new total bill be?
4. How would the equation change if there was an additional fixed service fee of $20?
5. If the labor charge were reduced to $40 per hour, what would the new total bill be for 3 hours of work?

Tip: Always check that all parts of an equation are accounted for to avoid missing crucial steps in solving the problem.