Computer Meltdown
About halfway through December I noticed my computer becoming very slow. On the morning of the 18/12/2013 my computer screen just froze, (I live in a part of the world where it happens to be the middle of summer and I have frozen screen).
No matter what I did nothing could get my PC to work. Some how I managed to shut my computer down. I left it for a while and when I restarted it, it worked for a while and then just froze again. I immediately phoned my local PC repairman, told him my problem and was told in turn that this was his busiest time of the year and I would be lucky to get it back before the new year.
When I told him that I would be lost without my PC, he responded by saying that was what all the others were saying too. He took my machine away and promised to get it back as soon as possible.
On the morning of the 24th he phoned to say all was OK I could pick the PC up as soon as I liked. Needless to say I wasted no time and went round to his shop to collect the errant piece of equipment. (Remember I had been kicking my heels for 7 days). Can you imagine 7 days without WA, especially as I had got to a very interesting part of bootcamp "Research Jaaxy Keywords, Then Show & Tell".
The wretched machine worked for a few hours and then started to slow down again and right at the beginning of a video Kyle was giving on bootcamp, the screen froze again. One thing I did notice before it froze was that I had no sound. This could be significant but you will have to wait for the end of my story.
I need to explain that when I asked the computer man if he had found anything seriously wrong with my PC he said, not really, it just needed a good clean and a thorough service, as I had not taken it in for nearly 2 years. So when I phoned him and explained that the same problem was back, he immediately said that as it was the day before Christmas, there was nothing he could do until the new year. After pleading and begging he finally agreed that I could bring it in on Saturday the 28th and he would see what he could do.
I was at his workshop bright and early on Saturday. He ran several diagnostic checks and finally said he could find nothing wrong. While he was running his checks I noticed he had plugged the sound jack into a different port from the one I normally used. By now I was clutching at straws and when I explained that, that was not the port I had been using, he immediately said that could explain what was wrong with my machine. Remember I said earlier on that when I started Kyle's video there was no sound. I could not believe that something so simple could be causing my problem.
There was nothing left but to go home and try again. I was very careful to connect the sound jack into the port he had shown me. My computer has never worked so well. It has now been 9 days since that Saturday and I have not had another moments trouble.
Has anyone else experienced this type of problem or something similar?
Recent Comments
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Pcs are like automobiles and cell phones—they are great when they work, but awful nuisances when they don’t.
Although there are a ton of things that can cause problems with a PC or Mac, instituting a regular maintenance routine can help keep things running smoothly.
Btw, Mark Tait is absolutely correct. There are some things you can easily learn to do yourself to help make your relationship with your computer less problematic. The more “junk” you have on your computer, and the more “fragmented” your files become, the less efficient the computer becomes and the slower it gets.
As a start, I would do those four tasks Mark mentioned. If you feel uncomfortable doing them, ask a knowledgeable relative or friend to walk you through each process. They are all relatively easy once you've done them a time or two.
Some other considerations are:
Make sure you have some kind of “security” software running (typically, this will be an antivirus suite of some kind). However, you should ONLY have ONE antivirus program INSTALLED on your pc. Otherwise, your pc may become plagued with problems caused by incompatibilities (antivirus programs rarely play well together). Meanwhile, you could have one or two other “portable” antivirus programs on a flash drive to run periodically to catch stuff that may be missed by your installed program (no antivirus is foolproof and catches everything). However, ensure that the portable version does not install itself to run.
Also, have several different “anti-spyware” programs installed or on a flash drive. Run them periodically (one at a time). However, be sure to keep them all updated with the most current definitions. As a rule, having more than one anti-spyware program installed does not cause incompatibility problems like antivirus programs do. Just to be sure, I would keep that number to a minimum and have additional ones (portable versions) on a flash drive.
Keep the number of icons visible on your desktop to a minimum. Use folders to group like items. The more you have, the slower your computer runs. Also, reduce the number of programs that run on start-up or that continue to run in the background to the minimum required. Again, this acts to put a drain on resources, resulting in a more sluggish pc.
There are other things that can be done to help keep your computer running smoothly, but the ones mentioned are probably the best to begin with. Wish you the best.
Joshua
I was working on a project involving 20 years of trust accountings that had to be done. I worked at home one day a week on these accountings for 10 to 12 hours. One night I had sit my laptop on the coffee table and got up to get some water. When I got up I knocked the laptop over. In the process, I cracked the screen. I attempted to save the work I had done. I went the next morning and took in my laptop. They were able to retrieve the data for me. I was lucky. Thanks for sharing and glad you computer is working better. Debbie
Oh poor you. I have had experience of not clearing the rubbish of my computer myself and that's what's most likely to slow it down!
Hi - yes, there are a few things you could learn, for example:
- clear download folder
- clear temporary internet files
- run chkdsk
- run defrag
These are just some basic tasks built into the OS of most computers, that pretty much is what a lot of "shops" will charge you a fortune for. Of course, don't do anything unless you are comfortable - but if you're not, post here.
Although this is a business community, we need computers to run those businesses - so I'm sure there are hundreds (probably more) people that are more than happy to try and help with PC related problems. I am, it's part of what I manage at my 9-5 (remote assistance).
At the end of the day though, if you have someone local you trust, that can take the stress out of PC problems and you trying to fix them on your own, then use them.
All the best, Mark
i have terrible luck with technology & pc's. My home is like a graveyard for towers. I have 4 that have gone kaput & 2 that work. My pc crashed about 3 mths ago now. (before i joined WA) so i decided i wud buy 2 pcs. So i wud have a spare. I bought one for just 16 GBP (secondhand) & another from ebay for just 17GBP including p & p. I also got a free money, as i advertised online to see if anyone had one to give away locally.
I feel more confident i have a spare pc now. :o)
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I had similar problem some years back. Took it in and they wanted to replace motherboard at a price! i then read something on the .net re: dust....I opened PC up and it was so clogged with dust that I could not even see gaps between the CPU cooling fins. (of course the computer techs did not seem to notice this) Anyway I took out the RAM and other delicate bits, took it up to the garage, got an air hose and blew everything out! (may have been risky but was old 5yrs PC) It then worked without a problem for many years after....DUST.... NOT a new Motherboard. (But then they cannot make $$$ by giving PC a good clean can they?!)