Any time your computer breaks down, panic sets in and many different thoughts run through your head. And to make matters worse, computers always break down at the worst possible times. Before you get frustrated, the first question to ask yourself is, “can I fix this on my own?” Here’s an article from USA Today about common computer problems and how to fix them.
1. Speed up a sluggish PC
Computers slow down over time — that’s normal.
If your PC is fairly new and it’s slow, remove the pre-installed programs, or bloatware, that came with it.PC Decrapifier will remove trial programs and other junk in a snap.
To give an older PC a speed boost, break out theCCleaner. This tool looks through Windows, Web browsers and other third-party programs for unwanted clutter and gets rid of it. CCleaner can also scan and fix errors in Windows’ registry. Just make sure you allow it to backup the registry before making changes.
Grab Duplicate Cleaner to remove duplicate files that might be clogging up the system. But, limit your file hunt to the Documents area of your computer. You don’t want to accidentally delete important system files.
In your cleaning process, you might find programs you no longer need. Windows’ built-in uninstaller has a tendency to leave fragments scattered around your hard drive. You can remove those fragments efficiently with Revo Uninstaller.
2. The Blue Screen of Death
Thankfully, Windows’ dreaded “Blue Screen of Death” is getting to be a rare event, but it still occurs. When it does, it isn’t very helpful in helping you hunt down the problem.
The problem can often be traced to bad memory modules. Memory is cheap and buying extra RAM capacity is usually worth it for the performance boost.
It’s not difficult to remove and install memory modules. You’ll find video tutorials at all the major online memory stores.
Just remember to ground yourself when you open your computer. You don’t want to fry sensitive electronics with static electricity.
3. The zombie spyware plague
A message pops up on your screen repeatedly, telling you to buy a security program. It happens so often that you can’t get any work done.
Your gut tells you that this is a rip-off, and your gut is correct. The message is adware that found its way on to your system, probably through an online ad for a “free” security scan you clicked on.
If you do download — and, often, pay for — the security program, you’ll end up with fraudware. No matter how many times you run the program it will always find the same problems and keep trying to get more money out of you.
To learn more common computer repair solutions and to read the article in its entirety, click here.
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If you have a problem that you can’t fix on your own, Great Lakes Computer offers computer repair services. Our computer server and maintenance repair and maintenance plan offers coverage for servers, data storage, printers, plotters, and point of sale (POS) equipment.
