With the digitization and automation of today’s business, technology and knowing how to navigate it is becoming a necessary skill. Perhaps an IT company such as ourselves shouldn’t be giving out DIY solutions, but we are committed to making our customers’ lives as easy as possible. And sometimes, it’s not calling your IT team – it’s just restarting your computer.
These technology tips will hopefully help the people out there who aren’t as tech-savvy, or simply don’t have the time to start searching for answers and end up slumped dejectedly at their computer. So here are some go-to ideas when your computer is acting up.
RESTART YOUR COMPUTER.
This might seem like the classic ‘turn it off and then turn it back on again’ approach, but restarting your computer can be genuinely helpful.
Why? It can be because…
- Your computer needs updates. Restarting often triggers automatic installation of the updates you’ve been postponing. Updates may seem annoying but they’re necessary for your computer to work optimally.
- Something malfunctioned,froze, or encountered an error, causing your computer to stop working. If your computer is running a program that had any sort of error that it can’t resolve, it tends to just get stuck. Restarting your computer will restart any malfunctioning program as well, allowing it to move away from that error and start at the beginning.
- A malfunctioning program is slowing your whole computer down. Just as mentioned earlier, malfunctioning programs are restarted along with the computer.
- Some software continually store memory if not closed, slowing your computer down. In this case, a restart will also close these programs and free up computer memory space, allowing your computer to work faster.
CHECK HOW MUCH SPACE YOU HAVE ON YOUR HARD DRIVE.
This can easily be done by opening up your computer menu and checking your “Local Disc C:.” If your space is maxed out, chances are your computer’s performance will suffer. Your computer needs adequate space to run updates, create files, and other things to maintain the level of performance you started with.
How do you clear space? You can either go through your files and delete ones you’re not using (especially focus on long space-consuming items like unsend programs and applications if you don’t have time to sort through individual documents and pictures) and delete them. If you don’t want to go thorugh this process or if you need to keep everything on your local disk, consider getting an external hard drive to expand storage space without compromising performance. Alternatively, think about utlizing cloud services for storage.
MAKE SURE YOU’RE UPDATING.
“Normally, your computer will prompt you when an update is available.” As tempting as it is, don’t push it off. Updates are important to keep your computer running optimally, protect itself from malware, prevent malfunctions, and keep you bug-free.
CHECK YOUR INTERNET.
Your computer may not be at fault. Internet connectivity is often the culprit in slow performance. If you’re noting that your computer is only slow when using internet-reliant programs, try restarting the router or checking your connectivity speed.
GET A GOOD ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE.
Or really any. Many people operate without any form of protection. Sometimes, all you need is something that can perform a basic scan and get rid of malware that is taking up space and slowing down your computer.
If you’re a business, it’s advisable to invest in more than just basic protection. That’s something an IT company can definitely help you with, as well as with safeguarding information and other web content.
Whether you’re a business or an individual, ensure that you educate yourself about malware and how to prevent it from affecting your computer. You can read more about that here.
CLEAN YOUR COMPUTER.
This is so basic, yet so many people don’t even think of cleaning their computer. Dust buildup and other dirt directly contribute to problems like overheating, unstable parts, or breakdown of parts. Tools such as canned air, fine brushes, microfiber cloths, and all-purpose cleaners are helpful.
If you’re uncomfortable doing this yourself, talk to an IT expert.
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And as with anything here, if you feel uncomfortable dealing with issues yourself, know when you need an expert. That point may be different for every person based on their own experience and skills, but don’t risk making a problem worse.
These tips are all basic and in most cases, will not further a problem. However, avoid randomly clicking around and deleting or installing unfamiliar software. If you think a problem is outside your range of expertise, don’t try and guess at a solution. Software and hardware are often sensitive, and they don’t offer much room for guesswork.