How can i troubleshoot my computer

Ask someone else to logon to your computer to see if they can or not. Click on the Advanced tab and then click on Reset. Tick the box next to 'Delete Personal Settings' to delete temporary internet files.

Note: you will not lose your Favourites. Close and then reopen IE. If you have another web browser installed such as Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome , try running that and see if you can browse the web.

If you can't, then there may be connectivity problems. If you are having problems accessing your e-mail via Outlook as well as the internet, try restarting your computer. Cannot access email Restart Outlook.

You should be prompted for a username and password when Outlook starts. Try accessing your e-mail via Outlook Web Access. If you can, then Outlook itself is having problems. If you can't, then there may be a problem with the e-mail servers. Check ICT's service status page to see if there are any general e-mail issues. Click on 'Microsoft Office Professional Plus ' and then click on the Change button in the toolbar. Choose Repair and click on Continue. Speeding up a slow computer.

Run fewer programs at the same time Don't have too many programs running at the same time. Restart your computer If you haven't restarted your computer for a while, or your normally put it into Sleep or Hibernation modes, allow it to restart. Remove viruses and malware Viruses and malware can slow down your computer, as well as causing other problems like not allowing you to access the internet or programs installed on your computer.

Make sure you have antivirus software installed on your computer, and that it is enabled and up to date. Then run a full system scan to remove anything suspicious from your computer. The College uses Symantec Endpoint Protection to scan for and remove viruses and malware. No problems detected" Click on 'Scan for threats' in the left hand column and then click on Full Scan.

This may take a while to complete: You can also use a free dedicated malware scanner such as Malwarebyte Anti-Malware to scan your computer. Download, install and run it. Allow it to update itself, and then choose 'Perform full scan' At the end of the scan click on the 'Remove selected' button to remove the malware. You may need to restart your computer. Free up hard disk space Use the Disk Cleanup tool to free up space on your hard disk.

In My Computer, right click on the C: drive icon and choose Properties. Click on the Disk Cleanup button: Disk Cleanup will take a short while to scan the hard drive. Once done, tick the boxes next to the items you would like deleted and then click on Ok to delete. It should be safe to tick all the boxes if you wish: Windows 7 users have an additional button labeled 'Clean up system files'. Clicking on this button will add a tab labeled 'More Options'.

This will allow you to remove old System Restore points and Shadow Copies backups of files, which will free up a lot of space. You'll be prompted to confirm that you want to cleanup old restore points. Verify windows system files Use the System File Checker tool to scan for and fix corrupted Windows system files. In the list of programs that appears, right click on cmd. Say Yes to the confirmation prompt.

This will take a few minutes to scan and fix any problems. Download, install, and run each of the following programs to get rid of the adware on your computer.

AdwCleaner - general-changelog-team. Reset your internet browsers. Most adware infects your web browsers to install unwanted toolbars, change your homepage, and redirect your searches. Resetting your browsers will remove everything that has been added to it. Click here for tips on resetting Internet Explorer. Click here for tips on resetting Chrome. Click here for tips on resetting Firefox. Click here for tips on resetting Safari. Look up a guide for your specific infection.

The steps above are general adware removal steps, but many infections require extra steps such as resetting the hosts file or fixing browser shortcuts.

Perform a search on your specific infection you can usually tell by what search engine you are redirected to. Method 5. Run error checks on your hard drive. Errors on your hard drive can cause your computer to slow down, corrupt files, or prevent you from loading programs or the operating system.

Windows and Mac have tools that can find and correct some errors. If your hard drive is failing you'll need to replace it. Click here for tips on running chkdsk in Windows to find and repair disk errors. Click here for a guide on installing a new hard drive. Test your computer's RAM memory for errors. If your computer isn't booting properly or crashes a lot, there could be a problem with one or more of your memory modules.

These can't be repaired if there's a problem with them. Luckily memory is one of the cheaper computer components and is fairly easy to replace. Click here for tips on running MemTest in Windows to check your memory for errors. To test your memory on your Mac, reboot the computer and hold D as the computer boots up.

This will start the testing process. Test your computer's power supply. The power supply is the unit that takes in power from the wall and then sends it to each of your computer's components. If the power supply is failing, your computer may crash or refuse to start at all. If your hardware draw more power than your power supply can provide, your computer may crash whenever it is under a heavy load.

Click here for a guide on testing your power supply. Click here for tips on replacing a faulty power supply. Test your graphics card with a different monitor if nothing appears on your display.

If you're having problems with the image, it's usually either the monitor or graphics card. Plug a new monitor into the computer if possible. If the image works on the new monitor, then your old monitor is faulty. If the image doesn't work on the new monitor, then there is likely an issue with your graphics card. Click here for a guide on replacing a graphics card. Method 6. Clean out the inside of the computer.

The main cause of a noisy computer is usually dust buildup inside. Cleaning out your computer will help keep the heat down and the noise to a minimum. Clean the inside of the computer every six months. Clean more frequently if you have pets or smoke. Click here for a guide on cleaning a computer. Make sure to focus on the fans, which are usually the source of noise.

Replace your case fans. The fans inside your computer keep it cool, but are also the largest source of noise. Replacing your fans with larger, more-efficient ones can keep it quieter and cooler.

Click here for tips on installing fans. Replace your CPU cooler. One of the loudest fans in the computer is usually the CPU fan. Replacing your CPU fan with a more efficient one can reduce the noise coming from your computer. Click here for a guide on installing a new CPU cooler. Did you know you can get expert answers for this article? Unlock expert answers by supporting wikiHow. Luigi Oppido. Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

Not Helpful 0 Helpful 1. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 0. Have you tried turning it off and on? That may solve the problem. If not, follow the steps here! The good news is, you can often get things working by asking a few questions to limit the variables. Depending on the severity of the issue, you may still need to seek out professional tech assistance. However, this list should get you started on the path to solving the most common problems. The better questions that you ask, the more you can eliminate things and get closer to the root of the problem.

See if you can replicate the issue. Consider the following questions:. Search engines can be your best friend when it comes to error codes or detailed problems. If you have a vague issue, i. Take a minute and ensure that everything is properly plugged in. Many computer problems are caused by outdated and un-patched software, from outbreaks of ransomware to glitchy keyboards that refuse to spit out the correct letters when you tap them.

Focus on your operating system first. Make sure you apply any updates that are pending. The update feature should be fairly prominent in any app, but consult the built-in help options if you get stuck. After applying all the updates you can find, your issues might be fixed. If they are, maintain this process as a way to prevent future problems in addition to fixing existing ones.

Make sure as many of your installed applications are updating themselves automatically in the background, and you should run into fewer computer issues as a result. You might think that leaving older, unused programs on your hard drive is pretty harmless, but as more and more applications mount up, your operating system has to work harder and the files on your computer get broken up more often and spread out further as your computer tries to save them—something known as fragmentation.