Types of Computer Problems
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Get to know the different types of problems that you may experience with your computer. It is important the you know the type of problem you are facing so that you would know the best approach to use in resolving it.
There are 2 types of computer problems.
HARDWARE PROBLEM
SOFTWARE PROBLEM
THE HARDWARE PROBLEM
A hardware problem is classified as a fault in an actual component (e.g. electrical failure) – or in the configuration of that component – leading to issues with the computer. It is distinct from a software or firmware problem, which is normally caused by a defect in the software or operating system code respectively.
Hard Drive: If your hard drive starts failing, files on your hard drive may become corrupted. You may see long delays when you attempt to access files or save to the hard drive. Windows may stop booting entirely.
CPU: A failing CPU may result in your computer not booting at all. If the CPU is overheating, your computer may blue-screen when it’s under load — for example, when you’re playing a demanding game or encoding video.
RAM: Applications write data to your RAM and use it for short-term storage. If your RAM starts failing, an application may write data to part of the RAM, then later read it back and get an incorrect value. This can result in application crashes, blue screens, and file corruption.
Graphics Card: Graphics card problems may result in graphical errors while rendering 3D content or even just while displaying your desktop. If the graphics card is overheating, it may crash your graphics driver or cause your computer to freeze while under load — for example, when playing demanding 3D games.
Fans: If any of the fans fail in your computer, components may overheat and you may see the above CPU or graphics card problems. Your computer may also shut itself down abruptly so it doesn’t overheat any further and damage itself.
Motherboard: Motherboard problems can be extremely tough to diagnose. You may see occasional blue screens or similar problems.
Power Supply: A malfunctioning power supply is also tough to diagnose — it may deliver too much power to a component, damaging it and causing it to malfunction. If the power supply dies completely, your computer won’t power on and nothing will happen when you press the power button.
THE SOFTWARE PROBLEM
Software problems are usually a lot easier to fix. Through uninstalling and reinstalling programs, running repair programs, or updating your software and apps, your computer can be fixed and ready to go in no time. Software problems can be caused by inaccurate data edits, glitches in out-of-date installed programs, or even a mistake in a computer’s coding.
Some common software computer problems include,
- Peripheral commands interpreted incorrectly
- Computer freezes
- Attachments won’t open
- Pop-up Ads
- Google is acting weird
COMMON PROBLEMS
1. Slow computer
Remember that if you’re watching online videos that buffer a lot or have websites that take forever to load, this could either be an external site or internet related problem, or you could be experiencing serious problems on your computer. You may need to fix problems to improve your computer’s performance, and other times it just requires patience to wait for videos to buffer and websites to load.
Hardware Problem: Your computer’s hard drive could be damaged or failing, or it could have a full memory. If you have a slow computer, check your computer’s storage and hard drive memory. Your computer’s performance suffers when your computer’s memory is full, both the hard drive storage and CPU usage. Consider upgrading your memory capacity, saving files to an external hard drive or secure online storage.
Software Problem: A slow computer could be the result of malware or virus, so scan your computer and clean out and repair and bad or damaged programs. Don’t open too many tabs or applications, since many open windows take up a lot of CPU memory usage and will slow down your computer.
2. Computer Restarts RandomlyIf your computer sometimes seems possessed and will shut down or restart on its own, you need to check that out. Something is clearly wrong and letting the problem continue could only cause you further damage and data loss. Figure out what’s causing your computer to fail and take immediate steps to fix it.
Hardware Problem: Possible hardware issues that could cause your computer to restart or shutdown at random could be issues with your graphics card or even damages in your network card drivers or your motherboard.
Software Problem: Again, malware and virus could be the cause of your computer’s untimely decision to shutdown or restart on its own. Scan and clean your computer accordingly with virus and malware repair and security programs. Otherwise, make sure all of your programs and applications are updated. Outdated software and installed programs can go faulty or be riddled with glitches that can cause issues on your computer if these programs aren’t updated.3. Slow Internet
Slow internet can be caused by several things. It could be a bad WiFi connection, or maybe you have too many devices using one router, thus slowing the speed of your internet connection. It could be a router or a connectivity problem, slow internet or failure to connect to WiFi could be the result of internal computer problems.
Hardware Problem: You could have a damaged hard drive causing your slow internet or a bad internet card if you have a laptop and rely on a WiFi connection.
Software Problem: A background program could be eating up a lot of your bandwidth, your DNS tables might be out of date, or your computer’s memory could be full. You also could have cookies and other add-on features or plug-ins that are slowing down your internet, do try deleting your internet history to try and clear up some of that space. Malware and virus can also slow down your internet, and can even be using your internet to send spam and corrupted content.
There are definitely more reasons your computer could be having problems, but we’ve listed a lot of the common causes of computer problems to help you discern what is wrong with your device.
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