Make Sure It’s Broke Before You Waste Time Trying to Fix It

Make Sure It’s Broke Before You Waste Time Trying to Fix It

While this tip is for all of you using Windows 10 or Windows 11, this is also good advice for those using tablets or smartphones.

Here are two quick and easy tips that we are sure you’ll use… “maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon. And for the rest of your life…” 

Anyone who uses a computer knows they will have problems from time to time. It’s expected. It’s the nature of the beast. We’re here to remind you that if you start having computer problems, the first thing you should do is make sure there’s something really wrong with it before you set sail on a long, time-consuming voyage googling tips or trying to find ways to fix it.

Here are two things you should always try as soon as you notice something’s not right with your computer – in order:

1. Restart your computer.

As silly and simple as that sounds, restarting your computer can correct a lot of minor temporary errors and put your computer back on track. It won’t work every time, but it’s the first thing you should try if something isn’t right with your computer.

And… if restarting it does not work, we have one more simple thing you should do before you go off searching for help and fixes.

2. Shut down your computer completely and wait a few minutes…

Make sure all power is off and all power lights are off. Wait five minutes and then turn your computer back on. 

You’ll find the second method may be successful if simply restarting your computer doesn’t work.

Now, we’re not here to convince you that these two simple tricks will fix all your problems and assuage all your computer woes – they won’t. But many times restarting your computer or shutting your computer down and waiting for a few minutes before restarting can correct many minor, yet annoying errors. And since it does not take much time or effort to try one or both of these tips, there’s no reason not to give them a try. We’ve seen restarting and shutting down the computer and waiting a few minutes before powering it back on, work many times on our computers and other folks’ PCs as well.  

And this trick also extends to other electronic devices – tablets, smartphones, streaming devices, etc. Sometimes the best fix is the simplest – just restart the device or shut it down completely  – wait a few minutes and restart it.

It works more often than you think.