Easily Fix Your Own Computer Problems

Fixing your computer problems yourself can save you money and time. Waiting on technical support to show up could take hours or even days. Being put on hold for an hour, or being passed off from one person to the next, while you are only waiting for a solution to what turns out to be a simple problem. And then spending all that money on something that you could have done yourself, seems like a waste. Maybe you could have spent that on a new hard drive, or MP3 player. So why not try to figure out the problem and learn to do the simple stuff yourself, before you losing time and money.

Here are a few things you should check, and why, before calling the specialists.

1. Having software problems? Programs might not be working properly, or maybe sluggish and slow.
Restart the computer. Majority of the time all you need to do is reboot. This will cause the programs to reset themselves, and work properly.

2. Printer not printing and scanner not scanning? Make sure these are powered on first. And the power adapter is plugged in all the way as well as the cord that connects to the computer. If all this is correct, and rebooting has not fixed the problem (and turning the devices off then on again). Then try to reinstall the program. Find the install driver disc that came with the products, if they are lost, try to find the software online via their official website, or a search engine.

3. CD/DVD/Floppy not working? Turn the machine off, and remove the case. Touch the case before touching anything inside the machine to protect from static shock, to protect you and the RAM. Check all cords and make sure they are plugged in all the way, and plugged in properly.

4. Computer freezing? Check your disk space. Maybe your hard drive is too full, which will cause the computer to freeze up at times, or lag. Either delete some unwanted files, or burn them to a back-up disc, then delete them off the hard drive. Freeing up some space will let your machine run faster, and is less likely to crash on you.

5. No power? Make sure your computer and monitor are both plugged in, and are connected to each other. Check the outlet that it is plugged into. Plug something into the outlet to see if it powers on, and how much power is going through it (meaning is the lamp too low, or the hair dryer not going on full speed, or if the breaker blows).

6. Keyboard and mouse not doing anything? Follow the cords and see if they're plugged into the appropriate spots. If they are USB make sure those USB ports are connected to your computer and that they do work. If so, then go into your control panel and check your keyboard and mouse settings, change them if necessary. Still nothing? Maybe a new one would fix the problem.

7. Computer is overheating? This could be due to a cooling fan going out. Listen to your computer, is it loud or buzzing abnormally? You may need a new fan or to add lubricant to the already existing fan. To do this, you will need to take the fan out completely, take it apart carefully, and lubricate. (3 in 1 oil will work, but NOT WD-40)

8. Program seems stuck? Give it some time, maybe it's just working slowly. Walk away, distract yourself, and come back to check on it. If it really is stuck, it's time to CTRL + ALT + DEL. From the applications list, select the program you wish to close, and click End Task. If program did not close, push your computers restart button, if it did close then save any projects currently open, and reboot the computer.

9. Delete a file on accident? Open your recycle bin (on your desktop) and see if the file is in there, if so, right click and hit Restore to recover the file. Not in the recycle bin? Look for any back ups your computer might be storing these files in.

10. Keeping your windows up to date. Open up Internet Explorer (has to be IE not any other browser). Click on MENU and go to TOOLS then click on WINDOWS UPDATES. This will take you to the Windows Update webpage, and all you have to do is follow the instructions.