Error Codes to Registry Cleaning: How to Troubleshoot Computer Problems

When your computer breaks, follow some basic troubleshooting steps and possibly avoid costly repair bills

. Look for error codes and try to duplicate the problem. Close other programs. Reboot your system. Reinstall the broken program, installing patches, plug-ins, and updates one by one to see if any of them cause the error. Clean your registry and run virus and spyware checks. Only if all these steps fail to solve your problem should you take your computer in for repair.

Duplicate the Error and Shut Down Other Programs

Troubleshooting should start when you first get the error. Try to remember what you were doing and write down any error codes that you see. Often the error codes will give you enough information to solve the problem. If possible, you should try to duplicate the problem to make sure it wasn't a one-off glitch. The problem might be caused by other programs running in the background. Try to shut down other programs, one at a time, and see if the error still happens. If not, it may be a conflict with those other programs.

Reboot Your Computer

If the problem is still happening, you need to reboot your computer. Programs put information into your computer's memory when they are run, and that information can remain there even after you close the program. Sometimes the only way to completely clear that information is to restart the entire computer. If you call up a customer support service, most of the time the first question asked will be if you have rebooted the machine.

Reinstall the Problem Program

The next step is dependent on whether you determined what program is causing the problem. You should reinstall the program, after first using whatever uninstall options are available to you. After reinstallation try an attempt to duplicate the error. If it doesn't happen, install any plug-ins, patches, or updates one at a time, checking to see if the error happens again. If the problem happens when an update or plug-in is installed, you will need to contact the creators of the software for a fix.

Clean the Registry

If you were unable to figure out which program caused the error, or reinstalling didn't help, you should clean your registry. Use a reputable registry cleaner and run it at least twice. The very best registry cleaners will also try to help with other errors you might be having, and could solve your problems without further steps needed.

Check for Viruses

The next step is to run all your security software, both anti-virus and anti-spyware at the very least, to check for infections that may be causing the problems you are having. While most problems caused by viruses and spyware are very dramatic, sometimes they can cause smaller issues that mimic effects of other errors. Making sure the problems aren't caused by viruses or spyware is important.

Expert Help May Be Needed

If all else fails, then it is time to call in the experts. You may need to take your computer to an expert to solve the issue. But most of the time you should be able to solve your problems by following these steps.

Error Codes to Registry Cleaning: How to Troubleshoot Computer Problems

By: Carl Haugen

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