Frequently Asked Questions

Below are various helpful questions and solutions about common computer issues. If you can not find a catagory that relates to your issue or the solutions do not work, please move onto the next steps page using the nav bar at the top.

1. Check the power supply

  • If it’s a laptop, a loss of power could result from a battery that has completely run out of charge. So, the first you should try is to plug it in and leave it to charge for a few hours. If that doesn’t work, it could mean the charger is faulty. So, if you can try a different charger that fits your laptop, use that. If the charger has a power indicator, check whether it lights up when you plug it in.
  • If your PC is a desktop computer and it doesn’t start, check that the electrical socket is not at fault by plugging the computer into a different one. If that doesn’t work, it could be that the power supply in your PC has failed.

2. Make sure the monitor or display is functional

If you can see that your PC has power, because the fans start-up or the power lights come on, but nothing else happens, there are a couple of possible faults.

  • If you have a desktop PC connected to an external monitor, it could be the display that’s faulty. Check the power connection to the monitor and that it’s properly connected to your PC. Try disconnecting it and reconnecting it. If that doesn’t work, try connecting a different monitor, if possible. That way you’ll be able to either determine it’s the monitor’s fault or rule it out.
  • If you have a laptop, or if you’ve ruled out the external display, it could be that your PC is in sleep mode and is having trouble waking. To check that, shut it down completely and restart from cold. To do that, hold down the power button for 5 seconds and then press it again to start your PC.

3. Eliminate external hardware

If none of the steps above work, the peripherals could be the culprit. This could either happen because of electrical issues or external hardware failures. Unplug all USB devces including keyboard and mouse if on a desktop PC. If on a laptop, unplug any USB dongles or other devices.

After doing this, try restarting the system again. If it still does not work, move onto the final step.

4. Reinstall system

If none of the above steps work, the last possible thing you would want to do is, reinstall windows. At this point, you can be sure that it’s a software issue and not a hardware one. This is not something that should be attempted by yourself especially if you have never done anything like it before. If you suspect windows is the problem, move on to the next steps page.

Nothing can be more frustrating than a slow internet connection. If you're having trouble streaming, checking emails, or websites won't load at all. Follow the steps below to try get it back up and running.

Problem Areas

  • This problem is usually pretty easy to deal with in most cases. It usually comes down to two main problem areas, internal issues (Issues related to your internet appliance) and external issues (Issues related to your Internet Service Provider)

1. Restart Your Router

  • To do this, simply unplug your router and wait three to five minutes. After that, plug the router back in and wait for it to boot up. Once it has done so, check your computers interent connection. If it is still slow or not connected at all, move on to the next step.

2. Fix/Check your wifi signal

  • After doing the steps above, you might find that your router and internet are fine, but your wireless signal is weak. This can cause a slowdown or, at minimum, a latency-filled browsing experience. In that case, you may need to reposition, tweak, and boost your router with the following steps.
    1. You could try moving your wifi router closer to where you use your computer.
    2. If you cannot move your router, consider getting wifi range extenders or a mesh system. With either one of those installed, you should have excellent connection no matter where you are in your house.
    3. Consider the fact that your wifi router might not support the interent speeds that you are paying for from your provider or it is simply to old and outdated. If this is the case, the only way to increase your speeds is to upgrade your wifi router to one that supports higher speeds and bandwith. If you think you need a new router, head to the next steps page.

3. End Unwated Background Programs

  • Sometimes other software such as system updates or unwated programs will run in the background causing a slowdown of your internet.
    1. You can use windows task manager to end unwanted applications. To get to the task manager, simply use the key command ctr-shfit-esc. This will bring up a list of running programs that you can than scroll thorugh and end if you see fit.

4. Contact Your Internet Service Provider

  • If none of the above steps work, your problem could be with your ISP. This could be something like a network upgrade, bad weather, a bad wire connection, etc. They will assess your internet signal from their end and inform you of the necessary action to take.

No Sound in One App/Program

  1. Sometimes a computer restart is all it takes to fix some audio issues. So before moving to the next steps, reboot your computer and check the audio again.
  2. Sometimes audio in browsers can get muted. In browsers like Chrome and Firefox, each tab can be muted individually. Right-click a tab to see its status. (The option will say “Unmute tab” if currently silenced.)
  3. If you still can’t hear any audio, try uninstalling and reinstalling the program. Back up any data and/or write down how your settings are configured first, in order to speed up the reinstallation process.

No Sound at All

  1. First, check to make sure Windows is using the correct audio device for sound output by clicking on the speaker icon in your taskbar. Windows 10 will sometimes switch output to a different device, unknown to you. At the top of the pop-up window, you’ll see the name of the speaker currently in use. Ex. Speakers (2-Anker PowerConf). Click on that name to switch to the proper device, if other options are available. If using external speakers powered speakers, make sure they are powered on and plugged in correctly.
  2. Reboot your computer to see if your changes worked.
  3. Check the speaker icon to make sure your audio is turned up and not muted.
  4. Check that your computer isn’t muted via a hardware button, such as a dedicated mute button on you laptop or keyboard. Play a song or open a video file to test.
  5. Right-click on the volume icon and open the Volume Mixer. Ensure that all the sliders are on and turned up.
  6. If internal speakers are not working on your laptop. Plug headphones into the audio jack and test the audio again. If you hear sound through the headphones, remove them and continue to internal speaker problems to troubleshoot them
  7. For desktop computers with external speakers plugged into the audio jack, try USB speakers or a USB headset. If either of those devices works, remove it to continue troubleshooting the initial set of speakers.

Internal Speaker Problems

  1. Right-click the volume icon again and choose the Open Sound settings option. In the window that opens, find the option called Related Settings, then click on Sound Control Panel. In the Playback tab, confirm that your audio device (most likely ‘Speakers’) has a green checkmark next to it. Then click Properties and make sure that Use this device (enable) is selected.
  2. If your sound still doesn't work after following the above steps, the problem could be a result of hardware issues or corruped drivers. Head to the next steps page and explain the issue you're having, and I'll help you get it fixed.

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