Computer Hardware:
• Tools, Static & Cleaning
• Form Factor
• PC Case & Fans
• Motherboard
• Processor (CPU)
• Power Supply Unit
• RAM
• Hard Drive
• Solid State Drive
• Optical Drive
• Floppy Disk Drive
• Graphics Card
• Sound Card
• Network Card
• Computer Monitor
• Keyboard & Mouse
• Laptop / Netbook
• Building a Computer
• Overclocking
Operating System & Backup:
• Operating System
• Drivers
• Windows Tools
• User Accounts
• Backup
• Windows 10
Internet & Network:
• Internet
• Wi-fi or Cable
• Improve Broadband Speed
• Network Computers
Computer Peripherals:
• Printer
• Scanner
• External Hard Drive
• USB Flash Drive
Computer Security:
• Anti-virus
• Anti-Spyware
• Phishing
• Firewall
Common PC Problems:
• Slow Computer
• Hardware Failure
• Software Failure
• Printing Problems
Miscellaneous:
• Windows Shortcuts
• Glossary of Terms
• HTML Colour Picker
• Number Base Converter
• Tools, Static & Cleaning
• Form Factor
• PC Case & Fans
• Motherboard
• Processor (CPU)
• Power Supply Unit
• RAM
• Hard Drive
• Solid State Drive
• Optical Drive
• Floppy Disk Drive
• Graphics Card
• Sound Card
• Network Card
• Computer Monitor
• Keyboard & Mouse
• Laptop / Netbook
• Building a Computer
• Overclocking
Operating System & Backup:
• Operating System
• Drivers
• Windows Tools
• User Accounts
• Backup
• Windows 10
Internet & Network:
• Internet
• Wi-fi or Cable
• Improve Broadband Speed
• Network Computers
Computer Peripherals:
• Printer
• Scanner
• External Hard Drive
• USB Flash Drive
Computer Security:
• Anti-virus
• Anti-Spyware
• Phishing
• Firewall
Common PC Problems:
• Slow Computer
• Hardware Failure
• Software Failure
• Printing Problems
Miscellaneous:
• Windows Shortcuts
• Glossary of Terms
• HTML Colour Picker
• Number Base Converter
Software can cause errors on your computer due to compatibility problems, and your operating system can fail to start because of malware or corrupt system files.
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The first thing to do is think about any recent changes that you have made to the computer which may have caused this problem. Have you recently installed any new hardware or accidentally unplugged something inside your computer. If you have recently installed new hardware then remove it. Also remove all devices and only connect the monitor, mouse and keyboard to the computer. Have you recently installed some software that has caused problems or is it possible that a virus has caused the problem?
See if you can boot your computer into Safe Mode. Details on doing this can be found here. If it boots into Safe Mode then select 'Repair your computer' and see it that fixes the problem. If this doesn't work then enter Safe Mode again and select 'Safe Mode with Command Prompt' and type 'rstrui.exe' (without the quotes) and press 'Enter' on the keyboard and it should run 'System Restore' where you can restore your computer back to an earlier time before you had the problem. More information on 'System Restore' can be found here. If you have corrupt system files then you can try entering 'sfc /scannow' (without the quotes) into the command prompt to restore the files.
If your computer will not boot into Safe Mode then try the following: If you have a Windows operating system disk or a recovery disk then try booting from this. You may need to enter the BIOS (CMOS setup page) to make your optical drive the first boot device. If you do not have a Windows operating system disk or a recovery disk then try to borrow a friends disk or use their computer to create a system repair disk. With this disk you should be able to repair your operating system.
Computer will not shut down
This is caused by a program that will not close properly. Open Task Manager by pressing 'Ctrl', 'Alt', 'Del', and selecting 'Task Manager', then look on the 'Applications' tab and if there is a program running then end the task. Also look at the 'Processes' tab to see if you can find the culprit. Once you know which program is causing problems then you can uninstall or reinstall it.
I connected a new device to my computer and
installed a device driver but it doesn't work correctly
First you need to remove the device driver. Open the Device Manager by clicking Start, and enter 'devmgmt.msc' (without the quotes) into the search box, and press 'Enter' on the keyboard. Find your device in the list and right-click on it and select 'uninstall'. More information on the 'Device Manager' can be found here.
You will need to make sure that you have the correct device driver for your operating system, and find out if you have a 32-bit or 64-bit operating system. To find this out then press the 'Windows key' and the 'Pause key' together which will display a screen that gives you this information. It is advisable to download the device driver from the manufacturer's website (look under support) as it will be the most up-to-date version. Select the correct device driver for your computer and download and install it and your device should work okay.
My Browser is displaying a different homepage
This may be caused by downloading a free program which also downloaded additional software and changed your browser homepage. You should be very careful when downloading free software that you do not also download additional unwanted programs.
Your browser's homepage could also be changed by malware which has hijacked your browser. In this case you should run an Anti-Spyware program and Anti-Virus software before resetting your browser homepage back to how it was.
To change Internet Explorer's homepage you would click 'Tools', then 'Internet Options', and select the 'General' tab. Type in the address of the website that you want as your homepage and click 'Apply', and 'OK'.
The text is too small for me to read in my browser
If you are struggling to read small text on a website then try pressing 'Ctrl' and '+' repeatedly together on the keyboard and the text should enlarge. To make the text smaller again then press 'Ctrl' and '-' repeatedly together on the keyboard. You may also want to reduce the screen resolution to make it easier to view text on your screen by right-clicking on the desktop and selecting 'Screen Resolution' and reducing it.
Software will not work on my computer
When buying software you need to read the 'system requirements' which tell you the operating system needed as well as the processor, memory, and directX version etc.
If you have some older software or games that are designed to work on a older version of Windows but does not run on your computer then you can try changing the compatibility mode. To do this find the icon for your software on the desktop and right-click on it and select 'Properties' and select the 'Compatibility' tab.
The compatibility tab will let you run the program in various early Windows modes which may help to get your program to work. You can also try changing the screen resolution, number of colours used and also run in administrator mode.
You can also try clicking 'Start' and entering 'Program Compatibility' into the text box and pressing 'Enter' on the keyboard. Click 'Next' and select the software or game from the list then click 'next'. Follow the on-screen prompts to see if your program will load properly.
Software Freezes
If a program freezes and you can't close it then open the Task Manager by pressing 'Ctrl', 'Alt', 'Del', and selecting 'Task Manager', then look on the 'Applications' tab and click on the program and select 'End Task', and the program will close.