Common PC problems and how to fix them: Software – DIY in 5 Ep 207

If your PC is slow or if it randomly restarts or shuts down, it may not need an upgrade or to be entirely replaced—it might simply need a software solution. This video is part of our series on solving PC problems, and in this episode we will focus on software. PC problems are never fun, but if a software fix could save you a costly hardware repair, that’s a win.

There are common issues that could point to either software or hardware problems. For example, a slow computer could be caused by malware, too many start-up items (for Windows PCs), or a buildup of temporary files. All of these are software issues. The problem could also be caused by a fragmented or failing hard drive, by a lack of RAM, or a need to upgrade your CPU, all of which are hardware-based.

If your computer is randomly restarting, software causes include an OS update problem, or an adware, virus, or malware issue. However, it could be a hardware issue with your GPU, motherboard, or network card drivers. Slow internet could be an app in the background eating up precious bandwidth, or a hard drive failing. These issues are very common, but there are fortunately simple steps that may save you in the long run.

Before messing with your PC, please back up your data. The Kingston XS1000 and Kingston XS2000 are fantastic options for making sure your files are safely stored away, just in case. Next, put on your detective hat and start gathering clues. Check any error messages or codes that may have popped up recently. Run a system and malware scan. Use the task manager or resource monitor to check your CPU, RAM, storage and network usage, and see if anything looks… off. Google Search the issue and see if anyone else has had similar problems. Hopefully, one of these clues will point you in the correct direction. If your clues are pointing towards a hardware issue, feel free to visit one of our previous episodes in this series for your specific problem area, linked below.
DIY in 5 Ep 206: RAM    • Common PC problems and how to fix the...  
DIY in 5 Ep 205: SSD    • Common PC problems and how to fix the...  
DIY in 5 Ep 204: GPU    • Common PC problems and how to fix the...  
DIY in 5 Ep 203: CPU(   • Common PC problems and how to fix the...  
DIY in 5 Ep 202: Motherboards    • Common PC problems and how to fix the...  

If your clues turn up nothing useful, sometimes the most basic solutions are the most effective! Modern PCs can self-repair during reboot, so turning it off and on again is at least worth a try. Next, make sure your drivers, software, and OS are up to date. If that doesn’t think it, you can try rolling back recent updates, since sometimes updates conflict with each other, one update completely breaking something else. This is especially important to try when the problem has been worse since you did your update.

Something else to try is to go through and disable any unnecessary startup programs. By trying to get your system as clean as possible, you’ll hopefully be able to figure out the problem by process of elimination. A system restore point at a time your system worked properly can potentially restore your system to a functional state. Another suggestion that can help is periodically clearing your cache, cookies, and temporary files.

As a last resort, you can do a fresh install of your operating system. If it works, no need to spend money on a new computer! However, it will erase all data and your settings. Frustrating, but that’s why backing up before you start troubleshooting is essential.
Hopefully one of these solutions for PC software issues has worked for you!

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