Don’t get frustrated  when your computer plays up. Check out the tips and tricks here to see if you  can easily solve the issue.
DISCLAIMER: DP  Computing will not be held responsible for any damage or data loss to your  system. If you are in doubt over something or if anything is different to what  you see on your computer contact DP  Computing.

1. Take a deep  breath and don’t panic. Stand up and step back from your computer.  You need to approach things in a calm, and controlled manner. Panicking won’t  help solve the problem, and it could make things much worse.
2. Save your current  work.Before doing anything, if you can, make sure you save your  current work so that you don’t lose it. Save it on the hard drive or on a USB  drive. It doesn’t matter where just make sure you save it.
3. Backup your  critical data.If it looks like your hard drive may crash or the  computer may not start up again, take steps to backup all of your critical data  while it is still working and before you turn it off. Hopefully you have a  recent full backup and will only have to backup your most recent documents.  Consider copying the data to a network drive, USB drive or burning it onto a  CD-ROM.
4. Check with others  in your office. Ask if anyone else in the office is having the same  issues.
5. Reboot your  computer / modem / peripheral. Turn off the device you are having  issues with, let it sit for a 10 seconds, and reboot it. Sometimes one command  of the hundreds a computer executes every second can cause corrupted memory or  other unexplainable problems. Rebooting will clear out all the gremlins and  gives everything a fresh-start.
6. What did you do  last? Did your problems start just after you installed a new  software program or some other update or change? This can be a great clue as to  the source of a problem. Undoing what you just did may solve the problem.
7. Is everything  plugged in properly? Asking this a question may seem very basic, but  you will be surprised how often it can often be the fix you are looking for.  Cables get knocked or work themselves loose over time. Make sure they are all  snug and tight. If you want to look under the hood, and are comfortable doing  so, ideally you should check the cables and connections within your computer  case as well. You should also make sure all cards and memory are firmly seated  by gently but firmly pushing them into their respective slots.

Generally a tech  will need to be called in now. If it is an emergency and a technician is not  available consider going through the following steps as  well.

1. Is your hardware  happy?Unhappy hardware is often the source of problems. To check  your hardware, right-click on My Computer, select Properties, click on the  Hardware tab, and then the Device Manager button. This will open the Device  Manager dialog box. It lists all the hardware devices on your computer. Devices  that aren’t working properly will have a yellow exclamation mark next to them.  Double-click on the problem devices to open a dialog box that may have details  on the problem, and a listing of suggestions on how to fix it.
2. Check your  computer for nasties. Run a complete system scan with your  anti-virus software (make sure you update your virus definitions before you run  the scan). You can do a free online scan at TrendMicro’s Web site (http://housecall.trendmicro.com/au/).  You should also scan your computer for adware, spyware, or other malware with a  product like Malwarebytes (http://www.malwarebytes.org). Scanning your machine with these  products can be helpful as sometimes you will find something that one product  missed.
3. Install software  or driver updates. If it seems one program or hardware device is  acting up, check the manufacturer’s Web site for updates. The code in most  software is thousands if not millions of lines long and it is impossible for  software companies to find all the bugs in their programs. As users discover  problems, software and hardware manufacturers often release revised software or  updated drivers that include new code to address newly discovered problems.
4. Contact the  manufacturers support team. If you get as far as this step, your  problem is probably more complex. Most hardware and software manufacturers now  have extensive support information. Phone the appropriate support company for  further assistance.
5. Still having  problems? • A technician will need to diagnose the issue. Contact DP Computing now to arrange a technician to  visit your site. • Document the detailed description of the problem and  the exact wording of any error messages. Knowing exactly what is wrong and being  able to share the message is critical to determining a solution. • Consider whether or not the problem occurs at random times or at  consistent/specific times. Random and/or intermittent problems are usually more  difficult to diagnose and fix. But if a problem occurs at a specific time and  you can reproduce the problem, the technician may be able to isolate the problem  to help find a solution.

DP Computing are a computer  support company providing IT consulting and support services throughout Adelaide  and the surrounding areas to SMB’s (small and medium sized businesses). If you  need any type of computer or IT help please contact  us.
A full list of services to  help small and medium sized businesses (SMB’s) is provided on our computer services page.