As a technology educator for more than twenty years, I’ve seen a lot of crashed programs and frozen screens.  I’ve also seen the frustrations that such problems cause, from agony over lost data to the extreme of damaged equipment.

To help my students and colleagues gain confidence in becoming a quick ‘tech-support’ person for themselves, I’ve developed a list of five troubleshooting steps that you are most welcome to use.  They will help fix many of your minor computer issues, and restore happiness where colourful language most likely existed moments before.

Step #1:  Check Your Cables.

There are usually five cables that go into a PC (power, monitor, network, mouse, keyboard), and two into most Macs (power, keyboard).  Over time, given jostling of cords and the minor movements of a computer on a desk, they can work loose.  If you see that one has fallen out, or it moves too freely in its socket, try this:  shut down your computer, gently take each cord out (power cord first), then carefully plug them back in (power cord last).  Check all wall connections, too.  Restart your computer.

Step #2:  Check Your Software.

Most software issues arise from using a new version of a program at one site (e.g. MS Word 2010 at work) and an older one (e.g. MS Word 2003 at home) to edit the same file.  Older programs can’t read the newer versions unless updates or patches exist.  Solution:  save your file as the lowest common version (2003 from the previous example).  Browse the Help Menu of your program to see how exactly this is done for your program’s version, which leads us into the next Step.

Step #3:  Check The Manual. 

As much as most of us love to plunge right in and learn a program firsthand, there are times when we have to face reality--we need help!  To save a lot of initial frustration, check the manual and/or use the Help Menu.

Step #4:  When In Doubt, Restart.

If Steps #1 - #3 haven’t solved the problem, try one of these three options: shut down normally, press and hold the power button for five seconds, or unplug the computer.  Restart, and see if the problem persists.

Step #5:  Call For Help (And Be Nice To Your Tech).

If you’ve reached this step and need a tech NOW to fix your problem, the level of support you receive (and how quickly it arrives) is often related to the relationship you’ve cultivated.  Ask yourself:  how valuable is my data and productivity?  How quickly can each be restored?  Of all the people you have a good working relationship with, I recommend keeping that person high on your list.

My students and colleagues have found these steps to be quite useful.  I hope you do, too.  Happy Computing!

This content was provided by one of our users, rsuchow