Is Good PC Help Hard to Come By?
If you're like most computer users, you need help every so often to sort out little problems with your system. The average user doesn't know - or want to know - all the technical details that keep a computer running.
Unfortunately, computers are not maintenance-free. Between virus removal, data recovery and other problems, you will need pc help sooner or later (usually sooner). When something goes wrong that you don't know how to fix, there are some simple steps you can take before you pack it up and take it to your local pc repair shop.
Start with the Easiest Possibilities
It might sound a little obvious, but the first thing you should do when a problem crops up is to shut down and restart your computer. This simple pc help advice can quite often clear up problems, especially if the problem is new.
If your computer has been running for quite a while or you've been running a lot of different programs, Windows can get a little "mixed up" and start to run slowly or with other strange glitches. Restarting your computer wipes the slate clean and refreshes everything.
If the problem has happened before, especially if it is ongoing, a simple restart probably won't be your answer. You'll have to look a little further for your pc help.
Where Else Can You Turn?
If you're having problems but your computer still runs and connects to the internet, there are a few sources of pc help that you can check. The best place to check depends on the kind of problem you're having.
If you're getting an error message of some kind, the first thing you should do is copy down the error message exactly, including any numbers that might be included in it. With this information, you can search in one of two places:
- support.microsoft.com
- www.google.com
I usually check the Microsoft support site first, because if the problem has something to do with Windows, they will usually have information about it. When you go to support.microsoft.com, there is a small "Search the Knowledge Base" in the top left corner. Type the error message in here exactly as you copied it down and click Go.
If Microsoft has any information about the error, you'll get a list of articles that are related, usually with the most relevant at the top. It also shows the first couple of lines of the article so you can quite often find the one you need right here. If it isn't obvious, click on one that sounds promising and see if it is related. If not, just go back and choose another one.
These pc help articles from Microsoft vary from simple to complex, so if you do find one that deals with your error, you'll have to read it to see if it is something you feel comfortable doing yourself. If not, you can at least be armed with this information when you take your computer in for repair or call a friend for computer help.
Click here to visit the Microsoft Support website
If you don't find what you're looking for on Microsoft's site, go to Google and try searching for your error there. The trick to finding relevant answers is to put quotes (") around the error message when you type it into Google. This tells Google to only show you pages with the exact phrase you're searching for.
Again, you'll get a list of results with the most relevant at the top. If you click on one and it doesn't answer your question, go back and try another.
Here again, you might find answers that are beyond your comfort level to deal with yourself. At the very least, you'll have some background for when you take your computer in.
What to Do When Your Problem is Unexplained
If you need PC help for a problem that is not as cut-and-dried as a specific error message, it can take some trial and error to find a solution.
Microsoft's support site is usually not as effective for these kinds of problems, so I would search on Google. The trick is to search for words that describe your problem. The more words you can use, the more specific the results you will get.
For example, if your computer has been running slowly in Windows XP or Microsoft Office, you can search for "computer running slowly" but searching for "computer running slowly windows xp" or "computer running slowly microsoft office" will give you more specific results.
You might have to try a few different searches to find something that relates to your situation - and you still might not find an answer - but again, even if you don't find a solution that you can handle yourself, you'll be better able to deal with whomever is giving you pc help.
A Few More Things to Think About
If you suddenly start having problems on your computer, there are a few other things that you can think about to find a possible solution.
- Did the problem start after you installed a new program?
- Did it start after you updated something (Windows, Antivirus, driver software)?
- Did it start after you received a strange email message?
- Did your computer shut down unexpectedly (power outage, Windows crashed) and the problem started after that?
If you can trace the problem back to something specific, it can sometimes be fixed by reversing the cause (uninstalling that new program, running a virus scan to clean out the strange email, etc.)
When you need pc help, these solutions are a good starting point. They may not always work for you, but if you do find the answer, you'll be glad you took the time before visiting your favorite repair center.