This post will be more in broader strokes to accommodate on different Windows operating systems. So, instructions will not be as detailed and hopefully more easily understood. If you are having problems with your PC some of these tips and advice can help you fix it.
Before we get to the nitty-gritty, here are some things to make sure you don’t gloss over details and kick yourself for forgetting something a bit more preliminary.
- Make sure your hardware is all sound. Everything is plugged all the way in, none of the wires were chewed up, etc.
- Make sure whatever you’re run/install to do meets your minimum system requirements.
- Make sure whatever you’re trying to do is compatible with your operating system(OS).
- Make sure all your software and drivers are up to date, particularly your OS with Service Packs.
Dig to find
With any problem with a computer, like a disease with a human there many remedies and many treatments. Before you can administer any of those, you must dig to find the problem. Microsoft has come a long way in that it has put more effort in meeting its customers where they are at. Most of these are from Microsoft as this is for PC.
- Microsoft Fix it Center – A very friendly and easy to use interface that helps you find your problem. You can identify the problem by category, such as printers, network, performance, or by search. If you get an error, writing it down and searching it could yield results. Not only that, it offers tiny programs that scan for your issue, find it, and solve it. In a few simple clicks it could already be fixed!
- Microsoft Answers – Pretty much an FAQ forum with well rated posts that may be more relevant to you. Most of these are more focused on operating systems, IE, Office, or security.
- Microsoft’s Automated Fix it Center – An even friendlier version of number one, as with this you don’t even have to do any work. Like a virus scanner, you just adjust the settings to how thorough you want the scans, customize the options to your liking, records the actions, and gives you details on what’s going on. Just run it, it’ll scan and fix, then you’re done. However, this is still in Beta, and has gotten rather mixed reviews generally favoring it. It also seems to work best if all of your components in hardware and software are a bit more recent.
- Google it. If what you’re doing is a bit more specialized, there is a solution most people use. Occam’s razor, the simplest possible solution is often the correct one. It’s likely that someone else has run into the same problem as you, and possibly has a solution, or someone has helped them find a solution. This may take awhile, but so could the other solutions I’ve mentioned.
If you know of any other methods of finding and fixing common PC problems, feel free to share in the comments below.
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