SOS

When your computer freezes or “locks up,” one sure fire way to get things back to normal is to perform a full system reset by pressing and holding the power button for a full 20 seconds. The screen should go black but it’s important to keep holding the button for a full 20 seconds. Then, let go of the button, wait another 10 to 15 seconds and then turn the machine back on by pressing the power button again as you normally would.

If that doesn’t work, give us a call at 888-752-9049 or send us a message through our Contact Us form…

• If your computer won’t power up, it may seem obvious but check the power cable. Make sure it’s firmly plugged into the power outlet or power strip (make sure the power strip is turned on), and make sure the power wire is firmly seated in the back or side of the computer.
• Also make sure the power cable is firmly seated in any transformer block or “brick” between the power plug and the computer.
• Try pressing and holding the power button for a full 20 seconds to force the system into a reset.

If none of these tips work, give us a call at 888-752-9049 or send us a message through our Contact Us form…

Probably the most common call we get – you click the print button and nothing comes out of the printer. Seems like a simple issue but this problem can have many causes and solutions.
Here are a few things you can try…

• Check the “Destination” field before clicking the final print button. This field is often overlooked as people assume there’s only one place for the print job to go (the printer) but most systems have “virtual printers” installed like the “print to PDF” option. Hitting the final “Print” button with this option selected will result in a “Save As…” box opening asking where you would like to save your PDF. That’s a sure sign the destination option is not pointing to the actual printer you are trying to print to.
• If the printer is spitting out blank sheets of paper instead of what you are trying to print, this is a pretty good sign you are either out of ink or your print heads are clogged. Try replacing the ink cartridge or run the print head cleaning routine from the printer’s maintenance menu a couple of times.
• Make sure the printer has paper and that there is no paper jam.
• You may have a “clogged print queue.” Open the printer’s print queue and clear out any previous print jobs that have been sent to the printer but failed to go through. Once the print queue is cleared, close all programs and do a restart of the computer to reset things and then try your print job again.
• If your printer is showing as “offline” even though it is powered up that means your computer has lost contact with the printer. Try unplugging the printer from the power source, waiting 30 to 45 seconds and then plugging it back in. Wait a minute or 2 and make sure the printer turns back on. Check again and if it is still showing as offline, close all programs and restart the computer to reset things. When the computer wakes back up check again, if it’s still showing as offline then try reseating the printer cable on both ends or try plugging the printer cable into a different USB port. If the printer is not connected to the computer with a cable, check it’s connection to the router or go through the steps to rejoin the printer to the WIFI network and try again.

If none of these solutions work, give us a call at 888-752-9049 or fill out our Contact Us form and we’ll be happy to help.

Another common call we have gotten over the years, again a problem that can have multiple causes and solutions. Here are a few things you can try…

• First look for the network status icon at the bottom right hand corner of the desktop (usually located there – a small globe icon) and click it. Make sure “Airplane Mode” is not active and make sure the WIFI adapter is turned on. If Airplane Mode is turned off and the WIFI adapter is turned on, you should see your WIFI listed as an available connection. Click it and make sure the “Connect Automatically” check box is checked and then click the connect button.
• If you do not see your WIFI identifier (the SSID) listed, reset your router by unplugging it from the power wire for 45 seconds to a minute. Plug it back in and then wait about 5 minutes and try again.
  
  

  If you still cannot connect you may need to contact your internet provider. or give us a call at 888-752-9049 or fill out our Contact Us form and we’ll be happy to help.

• Close unnecessary programs: Running too many programs at once can slow down your computer. Close any programs you’re not using.
• Restart your computer regularly: Restarting your computer can help clear out temporary files and refresh the system.
• Scan for malware: Malware can slow down your computer. Run a full system scan with a reputable antivirus software.
• Update your drivers: Outdated drivers can cause performance issues. Update your device drivers through your operating system’s update manager or the manufacturer’s website.
• Increase your RAM: If your computer has limited RAM, consider upgrading to a larger amount.
• Check for hardware issues: Hardware problems can slow down your computer. Check for any physical damage or overheating issues.
• Use a solid-state drive (SSD): SSDs are much faster than traditional hard drives and can significantly improve your computer’s performance.
  
  If none of these tips work, give us a call at 888-752-9049 or send us a message through our Contact Us form…

• Adjust the “Zoom Level” of your web browser by clicking the browsers settings menu (usually the 3 dots at the top right hand corner of the screen and look for the “Zoom” settings.
• Click the “+” button to make the text larger or the “-” button to shrink the text.
• You can also try using keyboard shortcuts: Use the following keyboard shortcuts:
  
  • Increase font size: Ctrl “+” (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+’+’ (macOS)
  • Decrease font size: Ctrl “-” (Windows/Linux) or Cmd+Shift+’-‘ (macOS)

This is a very common scam (see video below)

• The message you’re seeing is not from Microsoft but from scam artists trying to get you to call the number displayed. DO NOT CALL THE NUMBER!
• If you call the number you will be connected to a highly trained con-artist who will use every trick in the book to separate you from as much of your money as they can.
• The presense of a phone number is a sure sign that it is a scam – genuine Windows security messages absolutley do not come with a phone number.
• To regain control of your machine you can open the task manager by pressing “CTRL+SHIFT+ESC” or “CTRL+ALT+DEL” and use the task manager to end the web browser process.
• Or, you can press and hold the power button to perform a full system restart, break out of the loop and regain control of the machine.

If you’ve already called the number and someone has taken control of your machine, hang up the phone and power your machine down by pressing and holding the power button for 20 seconds. Then give us a call at 888-752-9049 or send us a message through our Contact Us form and we can go through the machine and make sure your machine is safe to use.

Remember the presense of a phone number in any urgent message on your computer is a sure sign that it’s a scam – Never call the number!