Although most complex computer issues at work can often be solved by the business IT support team, there are many other small, but common, issues that occur on a regular basis on a personal computer. The good news is that many problems with computers have simple solutions, and learning to recognise a problem and fix it yourself will save you a lot of time and money. The following are the top 10 common computer problems that you shouldn’t panic over.
1. The Computer Won’t Start
A computer that suddenly shuts off or has difficulty starting up could have a failing power supply. Check that the computer is plugged into the power point properly and, if that doesn’t work, test the power point with another working device to confirm whether or not there is adequate power.
2. The Screen is Blank
If the computer is on but the screen is blank, there may be an issue with the connection between the computer and the screen. First, check to see if the monitor is plugged into a power point and that the connection between the monitor and computer hard drive is secure. If the problem is on a laptop, then you may need to get a professional to fix it as some of the internal wires may be worn.
3. Abnormally Functioning Operating System or Software
If the operating system or other software is either unresponsive or is acting up, then try restarting your computer and run a virus scan. To avoid having this happen, install reliable anti-virus software.
4. Windows Won’t Boot
If you are having troubles booting Windows, then you may have to reinstall it with the Windows recovery disk.
5. The Screen is Frozen
When you computer freezes, you may have no other option than to reboot and risk losing any unsaved work. Freezes can be a sign of insufficient ram, registry conflicts, corrupt or missing files, or spyware. Press and hold the power button until the computer turns off, then restart it and get to work cleaning up the system so that it doesn’t freeze again.
6. Computer is Slow
If your computer is slower than normal, you can often fix the problem simply by cleaning the hard disk of unwanted files. You can also install a firewall, anti-virus and anti-spyware tools, and schedule regular registry scans. External hard drives are great storage solutions for overtaxed CPU’s, and will help your computer run faster.
7. Strange Noises
A lot of noise coming from your computer is generally a sign of either hardware malfunction or a noisy fan. Hard drives often make noise just before they fail, so you may want to back up information just in case, and fans are very easy to replace.
8. Slow Internet
To improve your Internet browser performance, you need to clear cookies and Internet temporary files frequently. In the Windows search bar, type ‘%temp%’ and hit enter to open the temporary files folder.
9. Overheating
If a computer case lacks a sufficient cooling system, then the computer’s components may start to generate excess heat during operation. To avoid your computer burning itself out, turn it off and let it rest if it’s getting hot. Additionally, you can check the fan to make sure it’s working properly.
10. Dropped Internet Connections
Dropped Internet connections can be very frustrating. Often the problem is simple and may be caused by a bad cable or phone line, which is easy to fix. More serious problems include viruses, a bad network card or modem, or a problem with the driver.
