Here are some tips for identifying common problems with your PC, and what to do about them.

Sluggishness

If your computer seems slower than it was in the past, it may be infected with a virus, or it may simply need a tune-up. If your hard disk is more than 90% full, this can also slow things down. If your computer is very old (5+ years), it could be a hardware problem. It could also be overheating.

Disruptions

If you’re noticing odd things in your browser, such as toolbars you don’t remember installing, or that your homepage has changed, or simply an abnormal abundance of obnoxious advertisements, you are probably infected with adware.

Non-starts

If you try to open programs and nothing happens at all, you may have corrupted sectors on your hard disk, or a damaged file system.

BACK UP your important data immediately if this occurs, as drive failure may be imminent.

Crashing

If your PC shuts down suddenly, seemingly at random, it may be overheating. This is especially true if the shutdown interval gets shorter after you reboot. A full cleaning and possibly replacement fans are in order.

Indeterminate

Some problems don’t have obvious causes. If something seems wrong, but you’re not sure what it is, don’t ignore it! A good computer should be fast, reliable, quiet and easy to use. If anything about your computer is clunky, obnoxious, sluggish or noisy, it could be a sign of trouble.

This is the operating system of choice at the moment. It has all of the features of Vista, with a much more refined interface. All of the bugs and performance issues of Vista are also a thing of the past with Windows 7.

Everything that Windows XP and Vista were supposed to be, Windows 7 is. Entirely worth the price, this will be the OS of choice for the next five years, or more.

Windows 8

Frankly, an insult to computer users everywhere. This operating system has a drastically changed interface which is clearly intended for small tablet PC’s with touch interfaces, not desktops.

No part of this OS makes sense or functions correctly. Even the most basic tasks, such as accessing the Control Panel, or shutting down your computer, is needlessly complicated.
Windows 8.1 alleviates some of these issues, but it still stinks. Notably, newer Windows 8.1 professional license keys can be used to install and activate Windows 7 Professional.

Windows XP

No longer supported by Microsoft. That means no new security updates will be available. It also means no new drivers from Microsoft or 3rd party vendors (HP, Intel, etc.).

Windows XP is no longer a safe, functional platform for any kind of computing. Upgrading is absolutely necessary.

Windows Vista

This is the oldest operating system still supported by Microsoft. It has most of the features you would expect from a modern operating system, but it was rushed to market and has numerous issues.
Startup and shutdown procedures taking ten minutes or more are common. User Account Control features are also slow and clunky, as is finding and installing updates.

More importantly, Vista uses large amounts system memory, even when idle.

Windows Vista is adequate for most users, but falls well short of realizing the potential of your PC. It is not recommended.

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