My #1 Computer Troubleshooting Solution
Sometimes we humans just make things more difficult on ourselves than we need to. An example of this weird phenomenon that I see every day in my classroom is computer troubleshooting.
Of course, we've all had those moments when our computer/software just didn't react the way we thought it should. It happens to me too so I understand how frustrating this can be. However, it's the way we react to these moments of frustration that separates the experienced/savvy computer user from the novice.
Luckily, I have a quick and simple fix for you. So, in the hopes of saving you from hours of frustration, here's my #1 solution to 90% of your computer issues:
When In Doubt, Re-Start
Wow, that was a little anti-climactic wasn't it? Unfortunately, I'm not kidding. The simple act of re-booting your computer will fix about 90% of your computer troubles.
I can't give you the technical reason why this works because it will be different for each of you. All I can tell you is that 9 times out of 10 this will fix whatever issue you were experiencing. And here is where your mindset is going to come into play.
Just Get Out Of Your Own Way
The only way this is really going to work for you on a consistent basis is if you are able to quit obsessing over the details. Here's what I mean by this. Based on my 15+ years of teaching experience, computer users break down into two main groups:
Those that feel like they need to understand every single technical thing involved in using their computer system, no matter how small or random it may be.
Those that just want to get stuff done.
It's the people in the first group that tend to waste a huge amount of their time trying to understand why they get a certain error message or why something isn't working the way they think it should. They'll often spend as much as half an hour or more trying to "beat a dead horse" when they could have simply re-started their computer and been up and running again in 2-3 minutes.
The people in the second group tend to be focused on finishing tasks. Because of this, they don't bother wasting the extra mental energy needed to figure out why something went wrong. They simply re-start and move on. Problem solved.
In other words, they stay out of their own way. You need to find a way to join this second group.
What About The Other 10%
At this point there's probably a few of you asking, "What about when re-starting doesn't fix my problem"? As I mentioned before, about 10% of the time you'll find that re-starting your computer won't fix your problem.
This is when you'll have to dig a little deeper for a solution. Check out your owner's manual, surf Google or the forums. If this still fails you may need to call tech support.
However, if you do resort to calling tech support be prepared for one of the first questions they ask you to be something like, "Well, have you tried re-starting your computer?" And that's the moment when I hope you remember this tip and say to yourself, "Man, Bill really does know what he's talking about!" :)