TOP 10 MOST COMMON COMPUTER PROBLEMS

Although most complex computer issues at work can often be solved by the business IT support team, there are many other small, but common, issues that occur on a regular basis on a personal computer. The good news is that many problems with computers have simple solutions, and learning to recognise a problem and fix it yourself will save you a lot of time and money. The following are the top 10 common computer problems that you shouldn’t panic over.

1. The Computer Won’t Start

A computer that suddenly shuts off or has difficulty starting up could have a failing power supply. Check that the computer is plugged into the power point properly and, if that doesn’t work, test the power point with another working device to confirm whether or not there is adequate power.

2. The Screen is Blank

If the computer is on but the screen is blank, there may be an issue with the connection between the computer and the screen. First, check to see if the monitor is plugged into a power point and that the connection between the monitor and computer hard drive is secure. If the problem is on a laptop, then you may need to get a professional to fix it as some of the internal wires may be worn.

3. Abnormally Functioning Operating System or Software

If the operating system or other software is either unresponsive or is acting up, then try restarting your computer and run a virus scan. To avoid having this happen, install reliable anti-virus software.

4. Windows Won’t Boot

If you are having troubles booting Windows, then you may have to reinstall it with the Windows recovery disk.

5. The Screen is Frozen

When you computer freezes, you may have no other option than to reboot and risk losing any unsaved work. Freezes can be a sign of insufficient ram, registry conflicts, corrupt or missing files, or spyware. Press and hold the power button until the computer turns off, then restart it and get to work cleaning up the system so that it doesn’t freeze again.

6. Computer is Slow

If your computer is slower than normal, you can often fix the problem simply by cleaning the hard disk of unwanted files. You can also install a firewall, anti-virus and anti-spyware tools, and schedule regular registry scans. External hard drives are great storage solutions for overtaxed CPU’s, and will help your computer run faster.

7. Strange Noises

A lot of noise coming from your computer is generally a sign of either hardware malfunction or a noisy fan. Hard drives often make noise just before they fail, so you may want to back up information just in case, and fans are very easy to replace.

8. Slow Internet

To improve your Internet browser performance, you need to clear cookies and Internet temporary files frequently. In the Windows search bar, type ‘%temp%’ and hit enter to open the temporary files folder.

9. Overheating

If a computer case lacks a sufficient cooling system, then the computer’s components may start to generate excess heat during operation. To avoid your computer burning itself out, turn it off and let it rest if it’s getting hot. Additionally, you can check the fan to make sure it’s working properly.

10. Dropped Internet Connections

Dropped Internet connections can be very frustrating. Often the problem is simple and may be caused by a bad cable or phone line, which is easy to fix. More serious problems include viruses, a bad network card or modem, or a problem with the driver.

On PRISM, surveillance, and terrorism

I've been asked to write about PRISM, the recently rumored government surveillance program. Details are scarce, especially once the hype has been filtered out. I don't know much about PRISM or Snowden in particular, so I'll discuss the topic generally.

One of the principal benefits of a government is that a government provides peace and security for its citizens. A government provides peace by preventing people from causing harm. In modern governments, this is usually done by establishing punishments for bad behavior; for example, imprisonment for theft and fines for minor infractions.

A government must have more power than any of its individual citizens in order to effectively enforce its own laws. After all, laws can only be enforced against people who are willing to break them. As such, the government must have the power to coerce people in order to punish them.

Many modern governments also recognize that it is beneficial to limit the power of the government. This is the motivation behind the checks and balances in the Constitution of the United States of America: each branch of the government can prevent the other branches from overreaching its bounds. There are also specific limitations placed on what the government can do to individuals. These limitations, such as due process, are designed to prevent governments from oppressing individuals, as many governments have done throughout history.

We have seen significant changes in the government of the United States since their inception. There are many more laws and the laws are much more complex. And the ways that information is generated, stored, and obtained are completely different.

These days, we're increasingly aware of people who are unaffected by our legal deterrents; for example, terrorists who aren't bothered by the prospect of dying aren't discouraged by the fact that officers of the law who figure out what they're up to will probably shoot them. It may be that there are more of these people; it's certain that we hear more about them. And technology marches on, ever enabling offense far more than it does defense.

The result is that we have a government that gets increasing demands from its citizens to protect them against some really scary people. In order to be more effective, it does what organizations naturally do: it expands its power.

Unfortunately, the emphasis on pre-emptive law enforcement requires secrecy, as people can change or cancel their plans if they know that they've been found out. And secrecy prevents anyone from watching the watchers.

One of the most frightening implications of our current political and legal climate is that it is impractical for any individual to know whether he or she is breaking some law. What's more, citizens have no idea whether or not their governments are investigating their actions. In a society where people regularly break laws, possibly because there is no course of action that is not against some law, and in which the laws are not all enforced, it is possible for individuals and groups to be targeted by government officials – and that targeting has the appearance of being the rule of law.

Government has always sounded a bit paradoxical; it protects liberties by restricting them. A government designed to promote freedom is necessarily a balancing act. Absolute freedom means that no laws are enforced and people are allowed to kill as they please. Absolute security means that no one has any freedom or privacy.

Unfortunately, there is increasing evidence to suggest that our government is encroaching more and more on its citizens' liberties and privacy. To make matters worse, many experts believe that the denial of these liberties does not provide additional security but merely the appearance of security.

I'm reminded of an occasion when a friend of mine called another friend. She had a virus on her computer and she called a computer expert. After some time talking about it, he offered to visit her apartment in the following couple of days to clean up her computer. She explained that she'd talked about it and felt better and that he needn't bother.

If what we're after is feeling better about it, we're doing fine. But if we actually want to solve these problems, we're going to have to look them square in the eye.

It seems clear that we can't prevent all terrorism. So we must decide what we will and will not do in our attempt to increase our security. At what point have we ceded enough liberties that the lives we save aren't worth living? What risks are we willing to take in order to live free? This debate is certain to be sticky, as these decisions must be made in aggregate and not everyone will see eye to eye.

There's plenty of room for dissent, but my opinion is that we ought to be expanding, not limiting our freedoms. We ought to expand the legal notion of search and seizure to include data, even if those data are stored in servers outside of an individual's direct control. We ought to ensure that people know when a subpoena has been served to collect their data. We ought to actually stick to our current legal doctrines, like habeas corpus. We ought to take our chances that someone will get past ordinary law enforcement and be willing to stand up ourselves to protect others.

One last change we ought to make for our security is that we ought to become the kind of nation that no one wants to attack. This is not a governmental change. It is a cultural change. Most of the important needs we have today are not needs that can be met by any government. They must be met by ordinary people, one at a time.

Am I scared by news like the PRISM story? Absolutely. I think I'm scared most of all that we have politicians and ordinary citizens that have not only allowed this sort of thing to happen, but have made it inevitable.

Overcome Wet Laptop

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If your laptop accidentally spilled liquids, the most important thing to be done is the cleaning process as soon as possible before the corrosion! Fluid intrusion can cause some damage to the laptop, namely:
• There is a short (short circuit / short circuit) because of the nature of conductive liquid (this problem may not occur if the liquid has dried up)
• There was short due to residual / residual fluid has dried
• Occurs corrosion (if acidic liquids, eg coke)
• Electronic components are damaged due to short circuit in the
Soon after liquid spill occurs, turn off the laptop, remove the adapter and the battery, the laptop upside-down position for several hours.
Remove the remaining / residual liquid: to eliminate residual / residual liquid dries, remove your laptop keyboard. Use cotton (cotton buds) and alcohol for cleaning and do it carefully. If liquid spills allegedly contains elements of corrosion, then redeeming the cotton and WD40 (anti-corrosion).

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Petey's dating manual: Tell it like it is

"I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."

My last post was about asking direct questions for the sake of clear communication. Direct questions aren't much use unless the answers to them are given honestly and openly. The reasoning for honesty and openness is largely the same as the reasoning for direct questions – and the reasons we shy away from honesty and openness are also mostly the same.

There are many reasons to be honest (and, as I discussed in this post, honesty includes openness). In fact, there are many reasons for honesty that are independently sufficient to make it a moral imperative for all of us. In this post, I will discuss only one of them: honesty respects the autonomy of other people.

Although our lives interconnect, every person makes decisions independently of all other people; in other words, my decisions are my own just as your decisions are your own. But my decisions and yours cannot be wiser than the information we have to guide them. When we give people incomplete, insufficient, or inaccurate information, we do so in an attempt to influence their actions. Moral obligations aside, any relationship that relies on such manipulation is inherently flimsy. The truth always comes out eventually and our lies (or our omissions) have a strong tendency to make things worse than they would have been had we been honest.

So show your confidence in and respect for others. Be honest. Be clear. Be tactful. Trust people to respond maturely when you tell them the truth.

I've written about related topics before. For another discussion on clarity, see this post. For a discussion of communication generally, see this post.

Solving Laptop Keyboard Problems

Most of the problems that are encountered by the keyboards in your

laptop are simple enough that they can be handled at home. Hence, by following some simple steps it is possible to rectify these problems and you will not be required to take your device to a nearby service center for repair. By cleaning your keyboard regularly you can effectively keep all problems associated with at bay. Some of the most basic problems like certain keys not working or the need to press the keys hard to get the desired results can be solved right in your home. Given below are some useful ways of solving these kinds of problem:

1. Keys not working
There could be occasions when certain keys may stop functioning altogether. This could be due to dust settling down on them or when you spill something over it. Certain keys may also stop responding when they are pressed gently because of insufficient lubrication or using them excessively while playing games. The below given steps should help combat these problems.
A] First up, you need to use a small screwdriver to carefully remove all keys from your keyboard. Then loosen the rubber pieces from each of them and place them separately.
B] Once all keys are removed from your keyboard, you can either use an ear bud or a cotton swab dipped in water to gently clean the inner regions of the keyboard. However, make sure that you do not use too much water for this cleaning purpose.
C] After cleaning the inner regions of your keyboard you need to start cleaning the individual keys using a light fluid and foam rubber. After cleaning these pieces you need to leave them alone to get dried up.
D] Once the keys are dried up you can assemble them back into the keyboard carefully. Make sure that the rubber pieces too are assembled in their appropriate places.

2. When wrong characters are typed by keys
When wrong characters are typed by keys the underlying problem could be related to software, rather than hardware. During these circumstances, you may need to change your control panel settings. There is an option called "Change Key Sequence" within the section "Key Settings". So you need to click on this option to kick-start the troubleshooting steps.
While the above mentioned steps are pretty useful for handling minor problems, you may need to take your device to a service center and get the laptop keyboard checked there for major problems.

When laptop keyboards are smooth and truly functional it can be a fun-filled experience working on your laptop. However, when it starts malfunctioning, your problems could get compounded. So you need to make sure your device is original and is covered under warranty schemes.

Petey's dating manual: If you want to know, ask

"Do you like me? Check yes or no"

Have you ever thought to yourself as you watched a movie that it would be really boring if the characters communicated well? The plot twists and challenges that make a movie interesting usually come from the fact that they don't listen to each other.

Despite the fact that we recognize the problems in these relationships, we emulate them in our own lives. We guard our feelings and rarely say the things we actually think or feel. We wait for others to act, especially when action means vulnerability. And we assume based on insufficient data instead of asking clear questions.

To make things worse, our mass media tell us that it's more romantic if we don't talk about things. When the right moment comes along, we'll both just know. In my experience, waiting for the fireworks to go off on their own is a good way to ensure that nothing ever happens.

It's understandable that we resist direct communication; it can startle people – and startling someone in an arena such as love, where emotion is such a powerful force, is extremely risky. But you can't play it safe in love and have any hope of success.

We ought to be more concerned with what is true than we are with anything else – including what is comfortable. Even if the truth is unpleasant, it'll come out eventually – and uncertainty is almost as painful as (and hurts much longer than) unpleasant certainty.

We should recognize what we do and don't know to avoid unwarranted conclusions. Allow me to list a few common assumptions that are sometimes, but not always, right. These aren't terribly gender-specific, so feel free to adapt as you see fit.

• It's been 24 hours since I left a message and she hasn't called back. She must be avoiding me.
• It's been 24 hours since I left a message and she hasn't called back. This is inexcusably rude.
• He didn't hold my hand. He must not be interested.
• He didn't open my door. He must not be considerate.
• She seems withdrawn tonight. I bet she's changed her mind.
• He did this thing that I really don't like. He must have a serious character deficiency.

Instead of assuming or speculating, ask a question. I think all of the following questions are fair game, as are the responses.

• We've been on a few dates, but you're physically distant. Where do you see this going?
• I don't know but I know I want to keep going on dates to find out.
• To be honest, I don't actually see this going anywhere.
• Really? I just didn't want to rush you.
• What do you mean to communicate by holding hands? Kissing?
• Are you saying no because you're busy or because you don't want to go out?
• I want to go on dates but I'm really busy. How about we talk in a few weeks?
• I have something going on with someone else but I'm otherwise interested. May I call when I figure things out?
• Honestly, I don't want to go on any more dates. I was just trying to be gentle.
• What can I do to improve?
• You said these words. What I understood was this, but that doesn't seem right. What did you mean?
• You seem distant/distracted/peeved today. Are you okay? Did I do something?
• I'm just tired (not feeling well) today. It's not you and I'll be fine tomorrow.
• I do have something on my mind. It doesn't have to do with you but I would love to talk about it.
• Actually, there is something.

It is crucial to phrase questions well. Identify what you actually want to know and ask that. To stick to the facts and not your interpretation when describing another person's behavior. Ask questions that show both your interest in the truth and your interest in the other person. Make sure there's room for the other person to be genuine. In short, love first, understand next, and act last.

I'm frequently surprised by how natural the conversations are that start with these questions. In many cases, both of us want to talk about the topic in question but have been dancing around it for some time. It's not only natural; it's a relief to finally get it out in the open.

The idea of asking difficult questions is uncomfortable for many people and can be especially uncomfortable for those who feel that their gender role makes it unnatural to do so. But I cannot overstate the importance of each person asking hard questions: the fact that something confuses one party often comes as a surprise to the other and few people bring things up when they think they've already been clear. If you wait for the other person to bring something up, you could be waiting a really long time.

So if you want to know, ask.

How to Install RAM in Your Laptop

The general process of installing memory modules, or RAM, in a laptop is very similar from one brand to another; today, nearly every laptop design places an access panel on the bottom of the laptop and uses similarly latching sockets. The description used here is for the Toshiba Satellite P205 laptop.

You first want to make sure that the laptop has no electrical power and is cool and stable. Take these steps:

1. Turn off the computer using the Windows shut-down process.
   Keep in mind that you lose stored data if you use Sleep or Hibernation mode.
2. Unplug the AC adapter cable that runs to the laptop.
   Why remove the AC adapter and the battery before installing memory modules? First of all, plugging them in while power is on could result in damage to the RAM. Secondly, doing any work on a laptop while power is applied could result in a damaging spark.
3. Remove the battery.
4. Disconnect any other cabling to the laptop, including an Ethernetmodem wire. cable or a telephone
   If the laptop has been running recently, allow it to cool for about 15 minutes; memory modules can become quite hot when they are in use.
5. Locate a small Phillips-head screwdriver.
   This is the screwdriver with an X-shaped head.
6. Place a soft cloth or other protective mat on a desktop.
7. Turn the laptop over so that its bottom is facing up.
8. Locate the memory module slot cover.