Top 5 Common Computer Support Problems
Technology is forever changing and evolving. This has led to the growth of other industries, like computer support, which are tasked with dealing with issues that arise from the use of these new technologies.
Due to unforeseen circumstances, there has been a rapid increase in a number of people that now work from home.
For this reason, computer users no longer have the IT department of their company to fall back on, in the event that they encounter a problem with their system. This is where articles like this come into the equation.
The types of issues you may face could be anything, from an overheating laptop to a PC running slower than usual. The good news is that most problems you encounter on your system can be fixed, quite easily.
With that said, below you will find a list of 7 of the most common issues PC users encounter while using their systems, whether for personal or business use.
1. Low Disk Space
Most computer users pay little attention to the amount of hard drive space they have, and so, they install programs without thinking about the consequence. It’s important that you regularly check your hard disk space. This way you can ensure you don’t go over the limit, as it can have an adverse effect on your system when it does. Things to consider include: if it’s a computer game, then typically it’ll require a great deal of hard drive space, and when running, it will consume a significant amount of system resources (both CPU and memory). If your computer were to run out of hard drive space while playing a game, for example, then it would likely result in a system crash.
Depending on how large your hard drive is, you’ll want to have, at the very least, 1 GB of free space, you also want your RAM to meet the recommended specifications for your operating system. If you find that you’re running out of space, then consider alternative storage locations, like an external hard drive or a cloud storage service, like OneDrive. Otherwise you can simply remove any unwanted programs and files to free up space.
2. Apps Misbehaving
Another system issue that is fairly common, is when programs start to behave unusually. Perhaps the program shuts down without prior warning, or maybe the letters on your document look strange.
There are a number of reasons why an app may start to behave uncharacteristically.
Whenever you encounter an issue like this, the first thing you’ll want to do is save and close down the program, then restart your system. Once the computer has finished rebooting, then retry the program, to see if it’s working correctly.
If the issue continues to persist, then the next thing you should consider is getting on the internet, and typing the problem into the major search engine, to see if you can find any information on the problem you’re experiencing. If it is common, then you should find other people who have had the same problem and solved it.
You should also consider visiting the website of the software developer, to see if there’s any patch available to fix the problem you’re experiencing. If the website of the developer has a forum, then you should check there first. While there, make sure your system is up-to-date with the latest updates. If you’re unable to fix the problem with the information provided there, then you should consider contacting the support team for the application.
3. Overheating
When your system is running at a temperature above what it was designed to handle, it overheats.
This can result in a number of things, such as a sudden shut down, without warning or damage to the computer and its internal components.
To avoid situations like this, there are things you can do, such as, keeping it clean.
Dust can build up inside your computer, and drastically reduce the life of your system.
If you have a significant amount of dust around your fans, this could have an adverse effect on its ability to cool your system, in turn, causing it to run hooter than usual.
To avoid situations like this, be sure to clean your system on a regular basis.
Before you decide to open up your system and clean it, you may want to consider other potential causes for your degraded system performance. This is because opening up your system and dismantling it, if done incorrectly, can cause irreparable damage.
Another thing to consider is the positioning of your system. Make sure there is clearance from a wall or anything else from your computer. You want your PC to have enough breathing space to be able to cool itself sufficiently.
Never position your system near an object that generates heat, like a radiator for example.
You also want to be wary of the sun. So avoid placing it where the sun can hit it directly.
All of these things should be considered, as an overheating computer will have a drastic effect on its performance.
4. Automatic Restart Issue
Another common issue faced on systems today is automatic restarting. This can be very unfortunate, especially if your computer decides to restart while you’re doing something important on it. There are several things you can try, if this has happened to you.
Make sure you have the latest drivers installed for all your hardware components. That includes network cards, motherboards, graphics cards etc.
Check whether your system has been infected with a malicious file.
Your motherboard may be triggering a restart due to a conflict. Consider powering down your system completely, then removing the power supply, then checking the heatsink fan on the CPU, to see if its working correctly. Remove any dust build up that may be on its fans. If dust has built up on the CPU fans, it may be what’s causing the CPU to heat up, which in turn, is causing the motherboard to restart.
5. Printer Issues
A printer can experience a wide range of issues, which could have an adverse effect on your system.
Here are some things you can do, if you find yourself in this situation.
If your computer is running slower than usual, it could be because the printer has encountered an issue.
To see whether or not this is the case, first, disconnect then uninstall the printer, then check whether that has fixed the performance issue.
If it is found that the printer is the culprit, then you’re probably best contacting the manufacturers support team, to find out why, as they should have a solution for you.
A refusal to print could be due to a number of issue on the printer itself.
Make sure all your cables are properly connected. Make sure the printer is connected to the system and is properly powered up.
If you’re system is connected the printer wirelessly, then make sure both devices are paired up correctly.
If this fails to fix the problem, then consider using a USB cable to connect it to your system.
This way you will be able to determine whether the problem is due to your wireless connection or your USB cable.
–AUTHOR INFO—
Uchenna Ani-Okoye is a former IT Manager who now runs his own computer support website https://www.compuchenna.co.uk.