The world is still grappling with the threat of COVID-19. To stop the spread of the virus and protect the public from this deadly illness, many businesses and schools have decided to let their employees and students work and study at home.
People are relying on their personal computers to do their tasks. However, working or studying at home also means that they do not have access to an information technology professional in case their devices fail.
Fixing your laptop or desktop computer is not always complicated. There are troubleshooting tasks that everyone can do on their own.
Whether you are an older adult who has to use a computer for work for the first time or a young person enrolled in an online school for middle school students, here are the most common problems that you can fix on your own.
Blue Screen of Death
The dreaded Blue Screen of Deathhas become pretty well-known among computer users, but it actually does not happen as often as you think.
The blue screen, officially called STOP error in Windows, appears whenever your computer determines that it cannot be runsafely. There are many possible causes that will prevent your computer from booting up. One of the most common is your main hard disk no longer has free memory space. A malfunctioning or misconfigured piece of hardware might also be causing a problem. Sometimes, when you have accidentally installed a virus, the STOP error will appear, too.
Use System Restore to go back to a time when your computer was still working. You can do this by accessing the Control Panel and, under System, click on the System Protection. Turn the System Protection on.
Your Computer Lags
When you click, it takes your computer longer before it responds. How do you address the problem?
First, determine what is causing your computer to run slowly. Do you have too many programs open at once? Are you using an older computer that does not have enough RAM to run the program? Or, your computer might have been infected with a virus.
Try to quit programs that you are using to see if that will solve the problem. You should also uninstall programs that you no longer use but may still be clogging your computer. Finally, *install an antivirus program to identify and isolate any malicious programs that you may have downloaded.
Your Computer Freezes
This is another common problem. It is infuriating when, while doing something, the screen suddenly stops. No amount of clicking and tapping can bring it back to life.
It happens but, most of the time, the problem can be fixed by turning the device off and on. There are three possible reasons why your device froze into place. A program may have experienced an error. The CPU is working too hard. Your computer has a virus.
If it happens frequently, you may need to stop using a program that is taking too much of your CPU Power. For viruses, let an antivirus program take care of it.
Computers glitch all the time. Most often, it can be solved by rebooting the device. However, if the problem persists, start with diagnosis. Read what is stated on the error message. You should do simple fixes to rule out the possibilities. If nothing you have done works, you can try to re-install the operating system. You may lose some files, but you will be able to keep your computer.
