1- Desktop PC Heating Up

One of the most common desktop PC troubleshooting problems is a computer heating up beyond acceptable levels. This problem could have several causes and solutions.

Some of the most useful ways to fix this problem are:

• Tuning up heat sinks by applying new thermal paste.
• Opening the PC case and making sure that fans are running and plugged in properly.
• Ensuring proper heat exhaustion and avoiding putting the PC in an enclosed box or on a mattress, and
• Cleaning the PC casing to prevent dust accumulation and exhaustion issues.

2 – USB Port Not Working

To narrow down the list of possible causes of a USB port not working, you can plug-in your USB device into the USB port of a different computer, or plug it into a different USB port on the same computer.

If it’s established that the problem is with a specific USB port, try the following solutions:

• Clean your USB port. You can use a toothpick or cotton bud for that.
• Open Device Manager, right click your computer name and scan for hardware changes.
• Open Device Manager, click the small arrow next to the little USB cable. Right-click on the first USB controller in the list and select Uninstall device. Repeat for each USB controller you find.

3 – Desktop PC is Too Slow

Apart from the obvious solutions like getting more RAM, increasing hard disk space and installing an SSD, below are some of the solutions that work to fix a slow computer problem.

• Open task manager and see which apps are the biggest users of your CPU resources. Stop those apps if you can, or uninstall them if they are not useful.
• Uninstall unnecessary programs that you don’t use or rarely use.
• Go to My Computer and click on the “Windows” folder. Open the “Temp” folder and delete all files in the folder.
• Open My Computer and right click on your hard drive. Go to Properties and click on the Tools tab. Click on Defragment Now or the Optimize option.

 4 – Blue Screen of Death

One of the most common desktop PC troubleshooting problems is the blue screen of death, or BSOD.

The problem could be fixed by trying various solutions. Some of them are mentioned below.  You will have to try to get the computer into Safe Mode before attempting some of the solutions below.

• You should update the device driver software for all devices by going to Device Manager. Open Device Manager and click on Update Driver Software for each driver.
• If you are facing the blue screen of death error after installing an update, go to Settings -> Update & Security -> Windows Update  and click on Uninstall updates.
• Using system restore points in Windows is also a useful way to get rid of the blue screen of death problem.
• If nothing works, a clean installation of Windows will get rid of the BSOD issue, as long as it’s not hardware related. However, please note that you will lose data while performing a clean install of Windows. Therefore, make sure to back up your data

5 – Computer Won’t Turn On

Computers not turning on is a very common problem. This can be solved by trying the following solutions:

• Unplug any external hard drive or USB before turning on your computer. External storage devices are known to be a common cause of this problem.
• Sometimes, your computer won’t turn on because it’s not getting enough power. If you are using a power strip, extension socket or UPS, unplug your computer and plug it to a direct power source like a wall socket.
• Check the power cord to verify that it’s connected properly with the computer. Unplug and plug it in again and try turning on the computer.
• Check your motherboard. Faulty capacitors, fresh soldering or cracks in chips are some of the common causes of this problem.

6 – Desktop PC Keeps Restarting

A computer that keeps restarting is a problem faced by many PC users. Here’s how to solve it:

• Go to Control Panel -> System -> System Properties and click on the Advanced tab. Under the Startup and Recovery option click on Settings button. Uncheck the “Automatically Restart” option.
• Another common cause of this problem is dust and heat. Make sure your CPU, motherboard, RAM, hard drive and other components are clean and your fans are working. Try opening the case of your desktop PC to let the heat exhaust.
• Make sure your power supply is working correctly. When your computer is not getting enough power, it goes into a loop and keeps restarting.

7 – Desktop PC Keeps Freezing  

• Update your device drivers by going to Device Manager. Updating drivers almost always resolves this issue.
• Fixing or replacing the Power Supply Unit (PSU) has resolved this problem for a lot of users. When your computer cannot get enough consistent power, it starts to freeze. Try checking your power supply or replacing it with a new one to resolve this problem.
• Use third-party tools like CCleaner or Digeus System Optimizer to troubleshoot your PC. Often times these tools remove the memory blockages, errors and resolve problems that are causing system freezes.
• If nothing else works re-install your operating system. This will likely solve the system freeze issues.

8 – Keyboard Not Working

There are several ways to fix a keyboard that’s not working.

• In Windows, open Device Manager, go to the Keyboards option and right click on your keyboard. Now click on Update driver.
• Make sure the “filter keys” option is turned off. Open the Run box and type “control” and click the OK button. When you see the control panel, make sure your view mode is set to Category. Click on the Ease of Access heading. Now click on “Change how your keyboard works.” Make sure that the “Turn on Filter Keys” checkbox is off.
• Make sure that your keyboard is plugged in properly. If you are using a USB keyboard, try plugging it in a different USB port.

9 – Error 0x80300024 while installing Windows on a SSD

A lot of people face this error when trying to install Windows on a SSD. Usually this happens when you connect a new SSD to a motherboard which already has an HDD.

Here’s how to fix this problem:

Make sure to disconnect the HDD and leave the SSD attached. After installing Windows on the SSD, you can attach the HDD.

10 – Programs “Not Responding” in Windows

Many users face the “not responding” error for different programs in Windows 10 and Windows 7. Here’s how to fix this problem.

• Open Settings -> Updates and make sure no due updates are left uninstalled.
• Defragmenting disks is known to fix this problem. Go to the properties of your disk drives to start defragmentation.
• When system resources are exhausted, the system stops responding. A quick way to fix this problem is to increase virtual memory. To do that, right click on Computer and go to Properties -> Advanced system settings. Open Performance and click Settings. Click the Advanced tab and under Virtual memory, click Change. Clear the ‘Automatically manage paging file size for all drives’ check box. The paging file should be on the C: drive. Click Custom size and type a new size (in MBs) and click OK.

11 – Microsoft Edge Is Not Working

• Go to the Settings of Microsoft Edge and locate the ‘Clear browsing data’ section. Now, clear browsing data, cache, and browsing history.
• Another troubleshooting step to try is to go to the Settings of Microsoft Edge and locate the ‘Reset settings’ section. Reset Edge to its original settings.

12 – Start Menu and Task Bar Not Working in Windows 10

Go to your desktop screen and make a new shortcut. The system will ask you for a location. Type “msconfig” in the location box and click next. Give the shortcut any name you want.

Double click the shortcut and click the boot tab at the top.

After opening the boot tab, open safeboot and then click network underneath, click Apply and OK. Now restart the computer. After restarting, open msconfig again and turn off safe boot and then click Apply and restart your computer again.

This should fix the problem.

13 – App Store Not Opening in Windows 10

If you are having trouble opening the App Store in Windows 10, try the solution mentioned below:

Go to this location: C:\Users\user_name\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.WindowsStore_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache

Delete all the files and folders at this location.

Now try opening the App Store. It should work.

14 – YouTube Videos Not Playing

A lot of users face this problem. You can try the following solutions to fix this issue.

• Go into Internet Explorer and open Internet Options. Open the Advanced Tab and make sure to check the box titled “Use Software Rendering Instead of GPU Rendering.”
• Right click on your speaker and select different playback devices. Sometimes selecting a different playback device and then selecting your default playback device fixes the problem.

15 – Printer Not Working After Windows 10 Upgrade

Open Device Manager and update drivers for your printer. This almost always works. You can also install device drivers for your printer from the website of your printer’s company.

16 – Mouse Not Working 

• Plug in a different mouse in your system to make sure that your mouse isn’t
• Make sure your mouse (USB or PS/2) is plugged in correctly. Try using a different port as well.
• A specific Windows update is a known culprit behind the mouse not working problem in desktop PCs. You should uninstall this update to fix your mouse. To do that, go to Settings -> Update and Security ->View installed update history -> Uninstall updates and find “Security Update for Microsoft Windows (KB4074588)” and uninstall it.

17 – Search Box Not Working in Windows 10

Open Run, type “powershell” and hit enter. Now paste the following command:

Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}

18 – PC Unable to Wake from Sleep

Updating your graphics card drivers will most probably solve this problem. To update your graphics card driver, go to the Device Manager, click on Display Adapters and right click on your graphics card name and click the update driver option.

19 – The Print Spooler Service Stops Unexpectedly in Windows

Open Control Panel and go to Programs and Features. Click “Turn Windows Features On or Off”.  Under Print and Document Services, check LDP and LPR.  This will fix the spooler problem.

20 – Unable to Login to a Microsoft Account in Windows 10

Adding a new user often solves this problem. To do that press Windows key + R. Now type lusrmgr.msc and hit Enter.

Open users and right click the blank area and select new user option. Enter the name of the user and choose a password. Uncheck the must change password option. Now double click the account and use the member of tab to make yourself a member of the local admins group. This will fix the problem

21 – Cannot See NAS Drives in Windows

Open Command Prompt.

Type “sc.exe config lanmanworkstation depend= bowser/mrxsmb10/nsi” and hit Enter.

Type sc.exe config mrxsmb20 start= disabled and hit Enter.

Restart your computer.

22 – Unable to Shut-down or Restart the Computer Properly

Sometimes shutdown and restart options fail to work and you have to use the power button. If you are unable to shut down or restart your PC properly in Windows, try the following solutions:

• Open command prompt and type: shutdown /s /t 0 and hit Enter. This will shut down your computer.
• Try to run a registry repair program. That will fix the power issues and take care of the shutdown/restart problem.

23 – Cannot Open Word Documents

The best solution for this problem is to do a fresh install of Microsoft Word. If your MS Office program is not activated, try to activate it as soon as possible.

You can also try the repair option.

Open Control Panel -> Programs and Features. Select Microsoft Word and hit Change. Choose the Quick Repair option and then choose Repair.

24 – Mic Not Working in Desktop PC 

• Open Control Panel and go to the Sound section. Head over to the Recording tab and check if your mic is set as default. Double click on it and go to Properties -> Levels and make sure it’s not muted.

You can also try this step.

• Open the Recording tab in Sound settings. Right click on your mic and select Properties.

Right-click on your Microphone or Headset listed here and select Properties. Click on the Listen tab. Check the box next to Listen to this device and click the drop down arrow below this option to select your device. Click Apply and OK.

25 – No Sound in Windows 10 

• Make sure you have installed updated drivers for sound in your desktop PC.
• Make sure your speakers or audio device is plugged in.
• Go to Sound Settings and open Playback tab. Select your audio device and make sure it is set to default.
• Windows 10 also offers the “audio troubleshooter”. In Windows 10  search bar search for Find and fix problems with playing sound to fix audio problems.

26 – Monitor Not Working

• Make sure your display drivers and graphics card drivers are installed and updated. Open your graphics card manufacturer website and ensure that you have the right driver installed. Otherwise manually download the correct driver and install it.

• Another common solution is to recheck your cables. Make sure your DVI and HDMI cables are working and you are using the right cables. To confirm the cause of the problem, try connecting a spare monitor to your computer.

27 – Internet Not Working

• Type Regedit in the Search Box to open the Registry Editor. In the registry editor app, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NlaSvc\Parameters\Internet. Right click on “EnableActiveProbing” and select Modify. Change the “Value data” from 0 to 1. Click OK to close the window and save your edits. Close the Registry Editor. Restart your computer.
• Go to Device Manager and Open Network Adapters. Right-click on your network adapter, click Uninstall device. Now uncheck Delete the driver software for this device option. Click Uninstall button and restart your PC. The system will automatically reinstall the adapter while restarting and the Internet should start working.

28 – Left Mouse Button Not Working While Dragging and making Selections

This problem involves the left click button of a mouse not working. If you try to keep pressing it for selecting several items to drag, the selection will undo without you releasing the button.

In almost all cases, this problem is related to hardware. Try to change the mouse or replace the left click button.

29 – Windows Explorer Crashing 

• Open command prompt and type the following: Dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth and hit Enter. Now type: exe /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth and hit Enter. Now type sfc /scannow and press Enter.
• Creating a new user also fixes this problem. To do that, open Settings and go to Accounts and then to Family and Other users. Now, select add someone else on this PC option. Enter a name and hit enter. Now click Finish. Sign out from the current account and log in from the new account.

30 – Seeing Black Screen with Cursor After Running CHKDSK

Turn on your computer and press F8 to go to the startup screen. Go to “Repair your computer” and press enter. Open command prompt and type: ICALS c:\ /grant everyone:F /c /t and hit enter (this will take some time). You can replace c:\ with other drives for giving access to the file for example ICALS d:\ /grant everyone:F /c /t. Restart your computer.