The One Thing Your Computer Repair Man Doesn’t Want You To Know.

Unexpected computer problems are certainly a nightmare but, not all problems require expensive repair costs! There is a tool that has been in my utility belt for many years. It has saved countless hours and money in computer repairs, and no, it is not a hammer.

Even though there are times, every day, when you want to use the hammer on your computer, we all know that tool will only make you feel better for a few minutes. There are many times in my professional career in which I was unsure which tool to pull out of my belt first. So, I have adopted the following mantra;

When in doubt, reboot.

When you are working in a program (Ex. AutoCAD, Photoshop, Microsoft Word) and are able to run the program for some amount of time ... and suddenly the program crashes! Yes, the first question is always, “when was the last time you saved your work?”. After the concern over any lost work;

The first tool out of your utility belt should be the motto; when in doubt, reboot. As with any kind of repair in our lives, the first tool doesn’t always take care of the problem, but this one does the job in a surprising number of situations.

Rebooting (restarting) your computer allows the system to run diagnostics that clean up problems. All computers run diagnostics when they start and when they shut down. Restarting your computer can solve some software glitches. Programs borrow memory from the system while they are being used and sometimes do not give it back when done. This causes memory buffer problems and can cause any program running, to crash unexpectedly. I always shut down, unplug the computer for a few minutes, plug it back in and turn the computer back on. Of course there can be other reasons for software problems, but I always use this tool first.

Another Example; You are trying to print and suddenly your computer cannot find the printer. You know it is plugged in, and turned on (hint), but now you can’t print. When in doubt, reboot. Communication problems can occur between the computer and the printer for no apparent reason. Turning your printer off and then back on, and then restarting your computer, in that order may solve the problem. Obviously, this will not solve printer driver issues or fix any mechanical problems with either the computer or the printer, but it can save a lot of time rummaging for a fix.

Mechanical issues will never be corrected using this tool. If the equipment is mechanically malfunctioning the first tool out of the belt is usually the screwdriver. Or the phone, if you don’t feel confident in doing the repairs yourself. This tool can save a lot of unneeded agony in fixing connections to external devices such as printers, scanners, cameras, external hard drives or flash drives. It can also help to alleviate an untold number of software and operating system problems. Before you take drastic measures. Before you reinstall software. Before you reformat your computer or hard drive. Before you take your computer to a professional, remember to pull the first tool out of your tool belt;

When in doubt, reboot!