What Is Computer Troubleshooting?
Computer troubleshooting refers to the process of attempting to diagnose the root cause of a computer problem–a difficult task in the best of times. If you’re a kid and have been having problems getting your computer to start or playing your favorite software, there are some simple actions kids can take to attempt to remedy the problem. These steps will take a bit of time, but they will be worth it when you have fixed the problem by yourself.
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Boot Failure
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Check the power cord if your computer will not turn on after pressing the ‘on’ button. Be sure to look at the connection from the cord to the computer and the cord to the wall, as either could have jostled loose over time, resulting in a non-booting computer. Firmly remove and reinsert the power cord from both the computer and the wall to see if that solves the problem.
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Blank Screen
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Check the power cord to the monitor if your monitor will not power up, using the same techniques as described above for checking the PC power cord. If the monitor powers up, but the screen is blank, check the connection from the monitor to the computer, removing and replacing the connection at both ends (remembering to tighten the connection again) to see if the problem can be easily solved.
Program Crashing
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Perform a program reinstall where your favorite piece of software is repeatedly crashing. Simply insert the disk that came with the software into the CD drive and click the “repair/reinstall” button when the menu pops up. This will replace all of the files for the program, hopefully correcting the crashing problem.
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Slow Computer
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Shut down all extra programs if your computer is running slower than expected. Accomplish this by first closing all extra open windows. Next, go to the menu bar by the clock in the lower right hand corner of the screen. Right click on each icon and close the ones that are not currently being used by selecting the ‘Close’ or ‘Exit’ button.