Find Solutions to Common Technical Problems Here
Machine Not Turning On | Machine Turns Off | No Display | No Internet
Slow Device (Computers) | Virus/Malware Removal | Misc Issues
Machine Not Turning On
Disconnect the power plug from the wall and ensure that some other device works from that outlet (a lamp is usually a good tester), Also unplug from the device itself as sometimes the connection will be loose from the back of the unit
Disconnect the battery and try to power on, sometimes a bad battery causes the machine to not boot up (this usually only pertains to portable devices like a laptop or phone).
Try a different cord or power adapter (i.e laptops & Phones). I have had some cords go bad over time and replacing them fixes the problem.
Tap the power button a few times, Sometimes the power button itself will cause the problem and if you tap it you may notice lights blink on and it may work.
Typical components that cause no power problems:
Power supply
Power cord
Power button
Memory
Motherboard
Machine Turns Off
Check "Not turning on" section
Let Machine cool down for about 20 min and try starting again
Sometimes dust causes the problem and it will need to be serviced, on Desktops you can blow it out, but on laptops you would need to take it apart to clean the fans and intake places on the unit
Most issues for this problem have the same steps as previously mentioned, the cause is sometimes different.
Typical causes:
Overheating
Power supply
Power button
Memory
Motherboard
No Display
Check the monitor light
Look for blinking cursor
Check the power cord (both on the unit and at the outlet)
Disconnect and reconnect the cable from the monitor to the computer.
Check the input of the monitor and ensure it is on auto, this setting is available on most monitors as buttons
Turn off the computer and turn on the monitor, check to see if it has a test box displayed, this box is generated by the monitor.
For laptops use a cable to connect the laptop to a different monitor, this is usually an HDMI or VGA connection on older models (sometimes you need a different adapter i.e. MAC)
When you turn on the computer turn on the sound and listen for the operating system start up sounds
Typical causes:
Bad Monitor
Bad/Loose Memory
Bad power cord
Computer Not turning on
Corrupted operating system
Bad Hard drive
No Internet
Check wired connection (looks like a phone connector but wider), disconnect and reconnect at the unit and at the wall or switch.
Make sure WIFI is enabled on your computer, if it has it.
Check WIFI and make sure it is connected to your WIFI (lower right hand corner to check).
Forget network and resign into it (could be password trouble.
Check your router and make sure the internet light is lit (sometimes it is a picture of the world and sometimes it is just a blinking light).
Turn off router and turn back on.
Plug directly into router and test for connectivity.
If you have a switch make sure it is on.
Create a new admin account on the same computer, Login and see if you have internet.
Check your ip address. Usually 169.254._._ means it has not obtained one the normal way. You can set your ip manually if you want to test if there was some sort of trouble with the auto Ip addressing. (you will need to know the ip address range to do this, traditionally it is 192.168.1.1 or some variation of this [192.168._._]. The last number can be changed 192.168.1._ make it a number between 2-253 as 1 and &254 are usually reserved for the router). The subnet mask for this range is 255.255.255.0 & the gateway is usually 192.168.1.1. Once set, apply and see if you get connected.
Typical causes:
Router
Switch (where all devices are plugged into before the router)
Network card or adapter
Password was changed for WIFI
You are too far from WIFI to get a reliable signal (it says connected but are too far for fast communication)
Slow Device (Computers)
Create a new user and make it a local admin. On Windows 10, go to user accounts and create a user without signing into a Microsoft account. Select 'Family and Other People', then select ' I don't have this user's sign in information', then add user without a Microsoft account. Choose a name for the account, then a password. After you have done so, you will have to change the account type to administrator. Once done, log into the new account and see if the problem is resolved.
If it gets slow over a period of time it may be overheating. Sometimes dust will cause the problem and it will need to be serviced. On Desktops you can blow it out, but on laptops you would need to take it apart to clean the fans and intake places on the unit.
Shut down the computer, an update may be stuck and never finishes installing. Some updates will only finish installing when the unit is shut down, not just restarted.
Check virus protection and malware protection for updates and scanning. Slowness comes from processes running in the background and this will cause issues. You need to be in the administrator to do certain tasks that Windows or virus/malware protection needs to complete. Perform all scans and restart after.
Open other programs that you do not use often. There are times when a program needs to be reinstalled to get it to work properly. A single program that is not running right may slow your whole computer down. (Remember when you first open a program it will be slower, but when you open it a second time and every time thereafter it should open quicker as it loads itself into the faster processing memory of your device).
Disconnect all other devices attached to the computer (i.e. printers, drives, DVD). I have had failing devices slowing the computer down, so having less attached might help with any slowness.
Check your backups. If the unit is performing a backup it will slow down due to the resources it needs to perform this function. Set the backup to when you are not using your computer.
Refresh or reset your browsers. Be aware you may lose your bookmarks, so back them up! Usually you need to do this only with the main browser you use. Resetting puts the browser back to the state it was in when installed. This should get rid of toolbars and other things that install themselves when you get a 'free' program off the internet. The fee is you install their toolbar or other applets that send their company information about your browsing habits, so we believe it is best to uninstall it. Install an ad blocker to help keep this from happening.
On Mac, clear PRAM & NVRAM. This is where the Mac stores certain information it uses to make your device faster but it occasionally gets corrupted so it needs to be refreshed. You should not lose data when doing this procedure. The link is here: Apple Support.
Check your hard drive to see if it is getting full. Most computers today automatically defragment the drive, keeping files in an orderly fashion but when it is getting full there is no room for this operation and the computer slows down.
Scan hard drive for errors. There are tools for this in Windows and Mac computers.
Typical causes:
Updates pending
Backup running
Scans running
Dust in cooling unit/fans
Malware/virus
Hard drive full
Hard drive malfunction
Virus/Malware Removal
Disconnect any drive attached to the computer.
Hit Control/Alt/Delete keys at the same time and stop the offending program from running. (Mac- Option/Command/Esc)
Create a new user and make it a local admin. On Windows 10, go to user accounts and create a user without signing into a Microsoft account. Select 'Family and other people', the select ' I don't have this user's sign in information', then add user without a Microsoft account. Choose a name for the account, then a password. After you have done so you will have to change the account type to administrator. Once done log into the new account. You may need to do this from safe mode (Mac or PC).
Do NOT go online yet for any reason!
Run Virus protection (update definitions) and restart.
Run Malware scan (update definitions) and restart.
Check for recently installed programs or Apps and remove them. Restart.
Choose a browser you do not normally use but was installed previously on your computer. Make sure an ad blocker is installed and working on all browsers.
Try restoring your computer to an earlier date.
Typical causes:
Opening email that is infected
Opening a file from a USB or other portable drive or email
Bad website
Running 'free' software on your computer
Misc Trouble
Keyboard/Keypad/Mouse not working correctly: Disconnect and reconnect the connector or you could try a different keyboard/mouse, this even works on laptops (you can have more than 1 of each attached). Check to see if it is enabled (laptops only)
No sound: See if you get sound when you plug in headphones/earbuds, Check connectors and power to speakers. Try other speakers