5 of the Most Common IT Problems in 2021 and How to Fix Them

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Whether for the better or for the worse, computers have changed our lives drastically. Many of us rely on our computer devices heavily on a day-to-day basis, so when they stop working, it’s a serious problem.

In this post, we’ll walk you through 5 of the most common everyday computer problems that our clients encounter. Read on to learn our top tips for troubleshooting these IT issues, so that you can get your computer back up and running in no time.

  1. My computer isn’t turning on. What do I do?

When a computer isn’t turning on at all, it means that there’s probably something wrong with its power supply. It might sound obvious, but the first thing to do is to unplug your computer and plug it directly into a power outlet that you know is 100% working. It sounds silly, but some problems are solved by simply changing power outlets. If you’re using a laptop, make sure that your charger is plugged into the power outlet and the laptop’s charging port correctly, and also make sure the charger isn’t faulty.

Once you’ve checked the power and charger cables, turn up your brightness all the way and try to turn your device on again. If there’s still nothing—i.e. no fans running, no lights, no sounds, no images—, then there’s probably a bigger issue at hand and you should get a professional to replace your power supply.

 

  1. When I turn my computer on, the screen is blue.

If you’ve never encountered the Blue Screen of Death, count yourself lucky. This annoying glitch will frustrate even the most patient people. Blue screens usually occur when there’s an issue with your computer’s hardware or its hardware driver software. On a healthy, well-functioning computer, blue screens should be rare, if not totally nonexistent. Unfortunately, the error messages that pop up are unintelligible to everyday users, so our advice would be to take a photo of the screen and send it through to an IT professional.

 

 

  1. My computer is always running slow and lagging.

Time is valuable, so a slow computer is a surefire way to drive anyone crazy. The best thing to do is to first close all unneeded programs, tabs, and applications. Every file and window that’s open uses up system resources for the duration that they’re open, so if there are a dozen different windows piled up in the background, your computer’s system is probably being overworked. You can also open up your computer’s Task Manager (or Activity Monitor for Mac users) to access diagnostics that break down which files are using the most resources. From there, you can force quit programs that are frozen or no longer being used.

If you find yourself running into this issue frequently, it’s a good idea to have a professional look at your device to see if there are any other underlying issues behind it. A well-maintained computer shouldn’t present this issue often.

  1. I lost a file on my computer. Can I get it back?

We all know the feeling of sheer panic when you realise you’ve lost something that you really need. If you’ve accidentally deleted a file, you can usually recover it from the recycling bin on your computer desktop. If you deleted it a while ago and have only just realised that you need it back, the recovery situation is a little more complex, so it’s best to ring an IT specialist to come help.

The best way to ensure that you’re not at risk of losing important files is to have your computer backed up regularly. If you don’t have much data to store, cloud backup services will usually do the job fine. If you’d like something a little more, you can have your IT provider backup your servers and PC. Backup services are much cheaper than file recovery services, so it’s definitely worth doing.

  1. I keep falling for fake emails. How can I tell if an email is spam?

There were about 306.4 billion emails sent and received each day in 2020, so it’s fair to say that most of us receive dozens of emails everyday. While emails are a convenient way of sending and receiving messages, it’s also a great opportunity for spammers and hackers to access people’s personal information and data.

Many spam emails look fairly harmless at first glance, so it can be difficult to distinguish a spam email from a genuine one. A good way to tell if an email is legit is to look at the sender’s email address. If the email is purporting to be from a business, it shouldn’t come from a free email service address such as Gmail or Yahoo or Hotmail. It’s also handy to evaluate the kind of information the sender is requesting from you. Reputable businesses don’t ask for sensitive information like credit card numbers or bank details via email, so you have reason to be wary if an email is asking you to share this information. If you don’t already, we would recommend utilising your email account’s spam settings to help you filter your inbox.

If you require some computer assistance or would like further clarification on any IT issues, give the team at Jim’s IT a call today. We believe that computers should make your life easier and more convenient, not harder and more frustrating. Our friendly and highly qualified team will work with you to troubleshoot your issue, and will provide you with the best solution for your unique situation. Give Jim’s group a call today on 13 15 46 for an obligation-free quote.

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