Fixing The Most Frequent Laptop Problems

Computer malfunction happens more often than not with laptops as their extreme portability means that they're subjected to more extreme conditions than their home-based cousins. This, like death and taxes, is a fact of life over which we have no control. It IS going to happen. So it's a good idea to know a little bit beforehand about what the problem could be. That is unless you are one of those rare individuals who actually enjoy calling tech support.

Although it's so obvious that it shouldn't have to be mentioned - I'm going to. Because the obvious is often what is the most easily overlooked. Instinctively, we tend to look for a major mysterious problem. But in the case of computers in general, and laptops in particular, the number one reason it won't boot up - is a dead battery.

If checking that everything is solid around the battery casing - IE - the compartment is completely closed, thus ensuring the contacts are touching the right places, you should then look to see if your PC has some sort of lock. Manufacturers often include this feature, especially on their "budget" models, to guard against the machine being turned on accidentally. Simple enough in principle to correct. But, in practice, you could invest more time than you imagined searching through the manual to see just where this "safety guard" is located. But, that's part of the fun of laptop ownership, is it not? (NOT!)

A lack of Speed is one of the other common laptop problems. If yesterday your PC was a rocket to the moon and today it's performing like a 20 year old V-8 on 4 cylinders, there are a few possible culprits. The first one, surprisingly, is YOU! You have too many unused programs installed. Thus, your hard drive is clogged up and everything is in "turtle mode." The solution is the obvious one. Blast all those unused programs into cyberspace! Then run your choice of cleaning/anti-virus utility to get rid of any electronic bad guys that may be contributing to your "molasses in January" performance.

Keep in mind also that anti-virus utilities are not all created equal. Some guard against certain threats, but not others. It's not particularly a question of quality, but rather a function of what the software was designed to catch. Bottom Line: No one anti-virus can guard against all possible computer threats. So, best to have at least two. One for viruses, and the other for spyware/malware, etc.

It's one of life's little "true-isms" that whenever you need a product or service the most -whenever it's absolutely critical for your program, that's the time it's not available. Nowhere is this more true, or more frustrating, than with computers.But the good news is that most of the time lack of internet access can be restored without having to call tech support. Your solution will relate, naturally, to your mode of connection. If you're on WIFI, head on over to the bottom right and right click on "network settings." This will tell you if anything has been changed you weren't aware of.