Computer glitches happen all the time and not every incident requires a visit to the computer technician. If your computer freezes, shows you an error message, loses its internet connection, lags, or reboots automatically, there are certain simple fixes that can remedy the problem.
Steps for Basic Computer Repair
Here are some basic computer repair steps you can attempt when your computer acts up:
Check your internet connection
If the issue is internet-related, you can figure out where the problem is by rebooting your router for a minute or two. If that doesn’t fix the connection, reboot your computer and see if that re-establishes the connection.
Make sure your computer isn’t overheating
If your computer freezes for seemingly no good reason, the first thing you should check is if it’s overheating. If it feels unusually warm, wait a few minutes until it cools down before you start it back up. Invest in a laptop fan to avoid this problem reoccurring.
Check for software updates
You should always keep your software updated so that your computer isn’t vulnerable to viruses, spyware, and ransomware, all of which can cause your computer to malfunction. Check your system settings and see if you have the latest version of your operating software.
Check for viruses
Open your virus scanner, make sure it’s updated to the latest version, and start a thorough virus scan. Unlike the basic scans that your virus scanner is programmed to perform on a regular basis, this may last several minutes up to an hour.
Uninstall some apps
The more apps you have, the harder it is for your hard drive to do its work. Try uninstalling the programs you don’t use and see if that fixes the problem.
Reinstall your OS
This is one way to wipe out any virus or malware that may have infected your computer. It also removes programs that may be causing your computer to lag or crash. This is basically starting from a blank slate and is usually enough to fix whatever is wrong, as long as it’s not a hardware problem.
Ask for help
If all else fails, reach out to others who may have more experience. There are plenty of online forums where experts dish out solutions for specific computer issues. You’ll also be able to read feedback from those who have had luck applying those fixes.
