So, something I have learned in my IT career is what some users put up with when it comes to their personal computers. No, it should not take 20 minutes for your computer to load. No, it should not take 10 minutes for Word or Chrome to load. Yes, you should be able to print. Man I could go on and on.

Woosah…

Bare with me now, I do have a story to go with this post. People are using their personal computers or laptops more than ever due to the ability to work from home. Some people are lucky enough to work for a company that is able to provide equipment to use. Either way, this post is for anyone that has a personal computer. I will tell you why.

So, I had a friend come to me with a laptop and said that it would not connect to WIFI. (My grandpa likes to pronounce that weefee. HAHA) Now, this is when I start feeling like a mechanic. A good one though. A trustworthy one, of course. There is usually not one easy fix to computer issues and no one really wants to hear that. I could probably find a few things that could be causing any certain issue. In this situation, that was exactly the case. The computer was so slow that I could not even get to the network settings to troubleshoot her network adapter and settings. Once I was able to reboot the computer I found out that there were operating system updates that have been waiting for six…yes 6 years. There were manufacturing driver updates that were waiting for 3 years. I was even able to find some adware and malware that was on the computer. Once I was done the computer started normally and my friend was so grateful and excited. A new laptop was not needed.

I want to give some tips on how to maintain a personal computer. This is not for equipment provided by an employer. Odds are the employer has a maintenance schedule established for those devices. I am not trying to endorse any particular software, so I will be as general as possible. These tips should be done periodically and are similar to changing the oil in your car. We all know what happens if you don’t change the oil in your car. Be careful when you search and download any software online. There is a high probably that you will download something that you do not need or at the worst, will be harmful. These tips will not fix all issues, but they should keep your personal computer running smoothly.

• routinely check for operating system updates (there is usually a setting that can check and install updates automatically for you)
• check for driver updates by your manufacturer (Dell, HP, Lenovo, etc.)
• check for malware on your computer (some software has free trial periods that you can use to scan your computer)

Let me know if you try this and notice any differences. Also, let me know if you still continue to have issues. I hope you have a Happy Holidays!!