10 Tips on Computer Problem Troubleshooting

1. Don't Panic, Just Reboot: This simple mantra will keep you from going crazy. If you begin to get strange errors, mind boggling messages, or if things just don't seem right, restarting your computer can often eliminate these problems.




How does this work exactly? When you restart your computer, several things happen. First off, all memory that the computer was using is released. This means that if there are programs running in the background where you can't notice, any of the resources that your system needs to run properly are returned to their unused state.




Another reason to reboot is that it's one of the most common solution to problems big and small. Programs that want to act quirky over the littlest of reasons, hardware that wants to drive you up a wall, and sometimes even Internet connection problems will vanish once you reboot.




This same method applies to many forms of external hardware, although it is referred to as 'power cycling'. All power cycling entails is unplugging and then putting the device back on. Simple, huh?




Technical support will almost always have you do this prior to further troubleshooting, so it's a good idea to just do it on your own and avoid the wait time. This works by both resetting the power to the machine, and it also allows you to make sure that the connection was tight enough to begin with.




2. Google is Your Friend: You've tried everything: Calmly trying to figure out what the problem is, sacrificing a small goat to appease the gods that must surely be laughing at your situation, tearing your hair out, and threatening the computer with a large hammer. None of this worked, as said computer simply blinked its lights at you pragmatically.




Now what can you do? Go to that savior of the masses, the shining light through the murky waters that is the Internet...okay well maybe it isn't all that, but Google can help you out with some of the most obscure and aggravating error messages that occur.