Windows PC Fixes

Windows PC Fixes: a reader asks…

Hi Chris, I see you have tons of advice for specific problems with Windows computers, and I don’t have a real problem right now. But I want to be prepared for the next one, when it comes! Besides your website, do you have any good go-to places to look for solutions online?

Absolutely! I use a number of tried-and-true sources to look for answers to problems as I get questions. After all, I don’t know everything! But I’m pretty good at figuring out what’s wrong based on a general description, finding one or three good solutions that should work, and then re-writing those solutions so they’re easier to follow. Engineers who often write these solutions tend to use geek-speak a lot.

Before I present you with a list, let me go over a few things:

1. The first thing to try is always a system restart (I spoke previously about this in this article, among others). It’s a plain fact that 80% of all computer problems can be solved by a system restart (reboot, shut down, unplug/replug and turn back on, etc.) leaving 20%. And that 80% of those problems can be solved by updating the Windows operating system and all installed software (and re-installing software) – leaving 20%. That’s actually only 4% of all computer problems where you have to do something else – neat eh?
2. The second thing is to take everything you read on the internet (even this website!) with a grain of salt. There is usually no perfect solution to a problem, because correct diagnosis is very hard – just ask any medical doctor! And they have an advantage of (usually) having the patient right in front of them. Remote tech support suffers an enormous handicap since the patient (your computer) isn’t in front of them, and you lack the right communication capability (no blame here, just stating facts) to fully describe your situation. So you end up with some ‘educated guesses’ and things-to-try to fix your computer. Plus, there’s a lot of just plain wrong info on the internet.
3. And the cost of fixing your computer needs to be carefully considered. A really broke PC could cost hundreds of dollars in labor to diagnose and fix – often approaching or exceeding the cost of a brand-new, replacement PC. Time is money for everyone, and you should consider the cost to yourself in time and frustration (perhaps a few handfuls of hair?) when attempting to fix your own computer problems with nothing more than the internet at your fingertips.

That said, when I look for solutions I’ll often take some of the exact words that were given to me by the person describing their problem. I may also try to translate their generic terminology into computer-speak and then put that all into the Google search engine, several times in different ways. I then take a quick look at some of the promising-looking results and can often find a workable solution that way. If not, I go down this list:

• Microsoft Windows’ built-in troubleshooters: There are about 30 of these built right into both Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1. Search on the term “troubleshoot” in your control panel and you’ll get to All Control Panel Items > Troubleshooting. From there you can go down a list of troubleshooters in various areas of Windows.
• Microsoft’s own Fix-it library: Go to https://support2.microsoft.com/fixit/ and go through the semi-automated diagnosis. There are over 500 solutions right there, and you just might find a tool you can use to fix your computer. You can go through the 3-step process, or skip to step 3 on their website. There’s a search box you can type in any diagnostic information you know, and do a more targeted search for solutions to your particular problem.
• Microsoft’s KB articles: While the excellent Fix-it site above has tons of solutions, not every solution is listed that Microsoft knows about and has found a solution. Here’s where a Google search on your problem can help, focusing on the Microsoft.com results. Usually these are listed as “KB” and a number.
• Google Search: If you don’t see any search results from Microsoft, you can also look within the results for other websites and forums that deal with computer problems. I’ve found solutions from websites and forums at places like techradar.com, cnet.com, techist.com, pcadvisor.co.uk, the Microsoft Community (answers.microsoft.com), techguy.org, w7forums.com, windowsforum.com and dozens more. And yes, this is much like the initial step I took, but I refine the search terms based on everything I’ve discovered about the issue by going through the iterations of searching for answers. One result may not be right, but will yield a clue that I can follow with a different search.

So sure you could skip my Practical Help articles and go right to the list above! But I’m always happy to offer advice, and the more diagnostic information I have the better advice I can give. I’m hoping you agree that what makes this website different is that I translate geek-speak into easy-to-follow steps. I keep it simple and understandable and split up long, complicated step-by-step lists into groupings (I like 3 steps, no more, sometimes less).