Not sure what’s wrong with your computer, or if anything is wrong at all? No worries!

Here are some tips for identifying common problems with your PC, and what to do about them.

 

Sluggishness

If your computer seems slower than it was in the past, it may be infected with a virus, or it may simply need a tune-up. If your hard disk is more than 90% full, this can also slow things down. If your computer is very old (5+ years), it could be a hardware problem. It could also be overheating.

Disruptions

If you’re noticing odd things in your browser, such as toolbars you don’t remember installing, or that your homepage has changed, or simply an abnormal abundance of obnoxious advertisements, you are probably infected with adware.

Non-starts

If you try to open programs and nothing happens at all, you may have corrupted sectors on your hard disk, or a damaged file system.

BACK UP your important data immediately if this occurs, as drive failure may be imminent.

Crashing

If your PC shuts down suddenly, seemingly at random, it may be overheating. This is especially true if the shutdown interval gets shorter after you reboot. A full cleaning and possibly replacement fans are in order.

Indeterminate

Some problems don’t have obvious causes. If something seems wrong, but you’re not sure what it is, don’t ignore it! A good computer should be fast, reliable, quiet and easy to use. If anything about your computer is clunky, obnoxious, sluggish or noisy, it could be a sign of trouble.