Some Common Issues... and Relatively Easy Solutions

We know you are probably not a computer technician. When your computer works, life is great. But, every once in a while technology throws us a curve ball. Almost immediately we wonder what life was like without our computer. Fear not, hopefully your problem is just a little hiccup in the system and can be fixed relatively quickly... even by you!

Below we have a few of the most common fixes that can easily be performed in a few quick steps. In some cases, periodically running these may even prevent a problem. We encourage you to take a look and give them a try to see if they resolve your issue. Naturally we want you to leave the major computer issues to the trained experts. If you have any questions or need assistance, we are here for you! Stop in at 255 West Street in Keene or just give us a call 603.357.4360.

Running CheckDisk for Windows 7
Windows 7 includes a disk checking tool called CHKDSK which is similar to the "scandisk" tool from older versions of Windows. This application scans your hard drives for errors such as lost sectors, bad sectors and corruption.

To do a CHKDSK on your PC:

• Open the Computer option from the Start menu, which will display all of the drives available on your PC
• Right click on the drive you wish to scan for errors and select Properties
• Click the Tools menu, then Check Now under the error-checking section
  

You have several options within the check disk tool. It is always recommended you leave the "automatically fix file system errors" box checked, as this repairs and problems found. If you want to perform a deeper scan, tick "scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors". This second option takes longer, but is worth doing if you suspect a drive problem. Once you are configured, click Start.

If you try to check a disk that is currently in use, you will receive a message asking if you wish to schedule a scan. Accepting this will perform the scan next time you restart your PC.

Delete Temporary Files
Manually cleaning out the Temp folder in Window XP is often a necessary maintenance step when the Windows XP Disk Cleanup utility fails to clean out the Temp folder automatically.

Removing temporary files is a quick and easy task that can help save disk space and keep your PC clean of file clutter. Just follow the step by step directions below to manually clean out the Temp folder:

• Click on Start and then Run.
• In the text box in the Run window, type %Temp% and click OK. A folder full of files and other folders will appear. All of the folders and files you see in this Temp folder are no longer being used by Windows XP and can safely be deleted.
• To remove individual folders or files, hold down your Ctrl key while left-clicking on each item you want delete. Release the Ctrl key when you're finished. To delete these items, hit your Delete key or choose File and then Delete from the menu.
• Confirm that you want to delete the files by clicking Yes on the Confirm Multiple File Delete window that opens.
• If you'd instead like to remove everything inside the Temp folder, choose Edit and then Select All from the menu. Note: If you're prompted that there are hidden files in this folder, just click on OK to bypass the message. A few hidden files hanging out in the Temp folder probably aren't important enough to worry about.
• Now that all of the files and folders are selected, hit your Delete key or choose File and then Delete from the menu. 
• Confirm that you want to delete the files by clicking Yes on the Confirm Multiple File Delete window that opens.
  

After all of the files have been deleted you can close the window and empty your Recycle Bin, permanently removing the files from your PC.

Disk Utilties for Macs
If your computer won't start up normally, you may need to use a disk repair utility to fix the issue. Mac OS X includes two utilities for this—Disk Utility and fsck (a command-line utility). You can also use these even when your computer starts just fine but you want to check the disk for possible file system issues. For Mac OS X 10.4.3 or later, check out "About live verification in Mac OS X 10.4.3 or later," below.

Important: If you're using Mac OS X 10.4 or later, you should use Disk Utility instead of fsck, whenever possible.

In some situations, file system errors may prevent your computer from starting up. This can occur after an improper shutdown, forced restart, or power interruption. If your computer shows any of the following symptoms on startup, use a disk repair utility ...

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Software Updates for Macs

Generally, you must have an Internet connection to receive software updates. If you work on a managed network, software updates may be provided by a network server.

• Choose Apple menu > Software Update. The Software Update window opens. If there are any updates available, they appear in a list.
• Click the checkbox to select the items you want to install, then click Install. Type an administrator name and password (the name and password you used when you first set up your computer).

When the updates complete, Software Update checks for updates again. It does this because some updates require that you have installed previous updates.

You can hide updates for specific components, so you don't get notified when future versions of that update are available.

If your computer is on a network and Software Update preferences are dimmed, the network may not be able to access the Internet or your computer may not be allowed to access Internet locations. See your system administrator to find an alternate location to access Software Update or to get information about the proxy server you use to access the Internet.