Category: Basic Troubleshooting

Audio and Microphone Open the voice recorder and see if the recorder can pick up the microphone sound. Type Voice Recorder in the search box. Select the Voice Recorder application. Select the Record button. Stop the recording. Click the recording and listen to the recording to make sure you can hear sound. The saved recordings are stored in the […]

Audio and Microphone Make sure there is a speaker icon at the bottom of the screen. Make sure the volume is not muted. Right-click the speaker icon, then select Open Sound settings. Make sure the correct output device is selected (for example, the computer’s speakers). Try increasing the Master volume.

Make sure the Touchpad is enabled. If the touchpad is not working, use these steps to access Touchpad options: Select the Windows logo key + I (capital i). Another option is to use Windows key + S. Type touchpad. Select the Turn the touchpad on or off option (use the arrow key to move down the list and […]

When you turn on the computer, press the F8 key on your keyboard repeatedly until you get a Windows startup menu. Choose to start Windows in ‘Safe Mode‘. If Windows boots up and you can log in, restart Windows and let it boot as normal which may resolve the problem. When you turn on the […]

Windows may automatically restart after displaying a blue screen, as shown below. You may also get a Windows startup menu upon reboot. If you do, choose ‘Start Windows Normally‘ and see if the problem goes away. It may be a one-off glitch. If Windows hasn’t automatically restarted after displaying a blue screen, press the Ctrl […]

Remove any floppy disks, CD/DVD discs, and USB memory sticks or external hard drives and try booting up again. If you can hear a repeated scraping or clunking noise, power off the computer as soon as possible, as there may be a physical problem with the hard disk and you may lose data.

Check that all the cables are securely plugged into the back of the machine and the monitor. Check that the power cables are plugged into a power socket and the socket has been turned on. Try using a different power socket or, if you are using a power extension strip, plug the power cable directly […]

Try restarting your computer. Many basic problems can be resolved easily and quickly this way. Press the Ctrl & Alt & Del keys on your keyboard together at the same time. This should bring up a menu that will allow you to run Task Manager. In Task Manager, switch to the Applications tab. Highlight any programs with the status […]

Press the Windows key + Shift + Ctrl + B at the same time. This should bring the screen back. Then apply any Windows updates. If this does not work, see the following Microsoft link for more information: Troubleshoot black screen or blank screen errors in Windows 10 Starting the PC in safe mode can help […]