6 common computer problems... and how to fix them

Introduction:

Computers are complicated machines, and it's no surprise that sometimes they develop problems. The good news is that many of these problems are easy to fix if you know how. In this blog post, we'll walk you through six of the most common computer problems and tell you how to solve them.

1. WiFi is slow or patchy

The WiFi in our homes has become one of the most important pieces of technology that we own. We use it to connect to the internet, to our home networks and to the cloud. Unfortunately, many of us experience problems with our WiFi signal. WiFi can be slow or patchy, it can drop out suddenly, or it can be difficult to connect to in the first place. These problems can be very frustrating and can stop us from using our devices the way we want to.

The fix

We've all been there: You're sitting at your computer, trying to get some work done, and all of a sudden... nothing happens. The cursor isn't moving, the internet is down and you have no idea what's going on. Before you start frantically pushing buttons and calling people, take a second to assess the situation. Is your computer actually on? If the answer is no, then turn it on. If the answer is yes... keep reading. Next, try turning off your WiFi router and waiting a minute. Finally, try going to command prompt (on a PC) or terminal (on a Mac) and typing in "ipconfig /release" (without the quotes) and hit enter. This will clear out your old IP address and give you a new one, hopefully fixing your connection issue.

2. Blue Screen of Death (BSoD)

The dreaded blue screen of death (BSoD) is an error message that indicates a problem with your computer. It can be caused by a variety of things, from hardware failures to software issues. If you're seeing the blue screen, don't panic—Microsoft has made it much easier to troubleshoot in Windows 10. Along with the error message, you'll see a QR code that can be scanned with your phone to get more help. The code will take you to a web page with information about the error and how to fix it.

The fix

If your computer is displaying the blue screen of death, it's time for a little detective work. The first step is to identify what caused the error. To do this, you'll need to check the error code that's displayed on the blue screen. In Windows 10, Microsoft has made the blue screen of death error message more useful than the baffling codes of old. In addition to the error code, you'll also see a QR code that can be scanned with a mobile device. This code will provide more information about the error and may help you to fix it. If you're unable to fix the problem yourself, you can take your computer to a repair shop or Microsoft Store and they'll be able to help you.

3. Windows is slow to boot

A slow-booting PC is one of the most common - and annoying - computer problems you can encounter. Luckily, it’s also one of the easiest to fix. The first place to start is by identifying the root of the problem. There are several reasons why your PC will take a long time to load up - but the most common cause is that there will be too many programs trying to load up in the background when Windows starts. This is especially true if you have a lot of programs installed on your machine, or if you have a lot of files saved on your desktop. You may notice when you install a new program that it sets itself to load when you first log into Windows. If this is the case, you can go into your Start menu, search for "Task Manager" and open it up. Then, click on the "Startup" tab and disable the program from loading at startup. This should help speed up your boot time.

The fix

When your computer is acting up, the first thing you should do is open up the Task Manager. The Task Manager is a Windows 10 app that lets you see and manage all the tasks and processes that are running on your computer. To open it, press CTRL + Shift + Esc on your keyboard. Once it’s open, click on the ‘Start-up’ tab at the top of the window. This will show you a list of all the apps and programs that load when Windows 10 starts up. If you see an app or program on this list that you don’t need or want to run at startup, you can disable it. This doesn’t mean you won’t be able to use the app when you need it – it just means it doesn’t preload with Windows.

4. Applications won’t install

There is nothing more frustrating than downloading an application and then having it fail to install. This is usually due to a lack of hard drive space. If your hard drive has become full, it may mean that you are no longer able to install new applications. If this is the case, then you’ll need to do a bit of spring cleaning and delete some old files that you no longer need.

The fix

There are a few things you can do to try to fix the problem yourself. First of all, you can delete any large files that you no longer need. Open up File Explorer and then navigate to your Downloads folder. This folder often holds lots of large files that you no longer need, so feel free to delete any large files from there. You can also free up hard drive space by uninstalling any programs that you no longer use.

5. Windows Update problems

5. Windows Update problems
It's important to keep your computer updated with the latest security patches and fixes, in order to protect yourself from the latest threats. Microsoft releases updates on a monthly basis, and most of them install automatically without any input from you. However, sometimes you may encounter a problem when updating Windows 10. This means you may have an old version of an app or program that is preventing the Windows update from installing. In this case, you'll need to uninstall the app or program that's blocking the update, in order to continue installing updates.

The fix

If you're experiencing an error message, the first thing you should do is try to identify the program that's causing the issue. From there, you have two options: uninstall the program, or visit the developer's website to make sure you have the latest version installed. Another reason why a Windows update may fail to install is due to a lack of hard drive space. Each update requires a minimum amount of hard drive space to be available to install correctly, and if your hard drive is too full, then the installation will fail. To fix this, try deleting some files or programs that you don't need anymore. You can also try cleaning your hard drive with a program like CCleaner to free up some extra space.

6. Apps behaving badly

One of the most common computer problems is when apps start acting up. This can manifest in all sorts of ways, but some of the more common issues are programs closing down without warning, documents looking strange in Word or other apps, or basic errors popping up. As with most computer problems, the cause of this issue can usually be narrowed down to one of four things: the app itself, the system files associated with that app, corrupted files within Windows, or outdated drivers. If you're having trouble with a specific app, try reinstalling it or updating the drivers. If that still doesn't work, then you may have to go in and repair the system files.

The fix

There are a number of common computer problems that can occur, from apps not working properly to the entire system crashing. If you're experiencing a problem with your computer, the first thing you should do is save your work and restart your PC. If the issue persists, you can try searching for a solution online or checking the website of the app's developers for a fix.

Conclusion:

One way to speed up your computer is to troubleshoot and fix the common problems that can slow it down. In this article, we outlined six of the most common computer problems and gave you the fix for each one. So, before you go out and buy a brand new computer, try troubleshooting the problems that are causing your old one to run slowly. It might just be a quick and easy solution that will save you some time and money.