Windows Troubleshooting Tips
Like any operating system, Windows is prone to problems. But with the right tools, you can troubleshoot these problems before they become too serious. These Windows troubleshooting tips won’t fix every problem, but they will help you find solutions more quickly and easily.
1. Know your basic computer hardware and software.
It’s important to understand what your computer can do and what it can’t, so you can more easily troubleshoot when a problem occurs. This knowledge can save you time and money by preventing you from needing to call a technician or visit a PC Clinic.
2. Keep track of the problem’s onset.
When something goes wrong with your computer, you need to be able to pinpoint when the problem first started. This will help you find the problem’s source, and you can then start taking steps to resolve it. Sometimes you’ll get a clear message or error code, which will make the process much easier. Other times, you’ll have to look at logs, scour knowledge bases and old support tickets, or Google the problem in order to find out what’s going on with your machine.
3. Try booting into Safe Mode.
Safe Mode is a diagnostic mode that loads a bare-bones configuration of Windows. It’s used to determine whether or not the problem is caused by something you have installed, rather than by an issue with Microsoft Windows itself. When you boot into Safe Mode, many of the programs and drivers that load during normal startup will not run, removing the possibility of them causing problems.
4. Use the built-in Windows troubleshooters.
The Windows Troubleshooters are a powerful set of tools that you can access by pressing the Win + R key combination. Adjust Windows settings are designed to identify and automatically fix issues with the internet, computer hardware, faulty devices, and system performance. You can also open the Resource Monitor, which provides a real-time overview of your hardware’s constituent parts and shows you what processes are using up the most CPU and disk space.
5. Check all cables and connections.
If you’re having trouble with a piece of hardware, such as your printer or external hard drive, it’s always a good idea to double-check all the connections and cables involved in order to rule out simple things that can cause major headaches. In some cases, you might even need to replace a cable or restart your computer in order to solve the problem.
6. Make sure the software you are trying to use is compatible with your operating system.
If your Windows computer is having trouble running a program that you have downloaded, the most likely culprit will be an incompatible application or software. The best way to test this is to run the program in Safe Mode. If the program runs in Safe Mode, it’s most likely not an issue with your OS, and is more likely to be a problem with an add-on or other software that you have installed.
