Corey Sandler

When you run a computer in safe mode, you can start it, test most of its systems, and change certain settings. Safe mode is an excellent way to diagnose — and often fix — your computer’s problems. Start your computer in safe mode If you can start your PC in safe mode, its basic hardware probably isn’t the cause of your problem.

If you don’t know how to perform software updates, you won’t benefit from application improvements, bug fixes, and new security defenses (including virus and malware attacks). Follow these instructions and get the new software versions online. These steps show how to manually update applications, but you can set up your computer to automatically update.

Clean your hard drive to keep it in tip top shape and your data safe. The best repair is the one you don’t have to make. If you can keep your computer up to date and in tune, you and your PC will live a happier, more productive life. Start by making sure that you clean your hard drive to keep it in tip-top shape with regular cleanings.

When you buy a new PC from a retailer or directly from a manufacturer, it ordinarily comes with a version of the Windows operating system already installed. However, if you’re experiencing issues, reinstalling Windows should fix almost any problem.Reinstallation works best if: The manufacturer supplied a restore disk with the computer.

Several events may result in unexpected, unwanted changes in critical files on your computer. Fortunately, you may be able to resolve problems by restoring your computer’s settings. System Restore, featured in all current version of Windows, allows you to go back to a specific restore point — a group of settings that were in effect last night, last week, or at some other time.

To keep your computer running its best, you should defragment, or consolidate files, on your hard drive. Defragmenting your hard drive improves your computer’s performance and is something you should be doing regularly. Disk defragmenting may take a while. If you have energy-saving features active (such as a screen saver), they could cause the defragmenter to stop and start all over again.

When the computer is built, the system configuration information is stored in part of the computer’s memory where it won’t get lost when the power is turned off. You can use the System Configuration tool to search for the sources of problems caused by corrupted, missing, or misassigned programs and elements of Windows.

Keeping your computer in tip-top shapes helps you avoid system crashes. If you’re the forgetful type, you can even set a reminder for your computer’s maintenance tasks. Choose Start→Control Panel→System and Security and then click Schedule Tasks in the Administrative Tools window. The Task Scheduler dialog box appears.