Solving Software Problems

Aloha!

Getting stuck on the computer, stymied by something you have done while mouse-clicking or typing is no fun. Whether you are working in a document, surfing the web, or playing a game, having the computer misbehave can ruin the best of moods.

Why do computers do these things - stop responding to inputs, lose data, lock up, crash? I could say these are age-old questions, because they are so often asked and so ingrained in the consciousness of any computer user. But as you know, computers are relatively new on the landscape. PCs, first made by IBM, have only been around since the early 1980s.

Frankly, computers work pretty darn well most of the time. The more technical exposure you have to them, the more you are amazed of they work as well they do, considering the complexity of their electronic "guts" and "nervous system".

Most computer problems can be attributed to software issues, and many to user errors. No, that's not a potshot from a computer super geek, condescending to the masses of frustrated users. Bad things happen to us tech guys too. In my case, it's usually because I'm trying to do too many things at once and/or too quickly, either in one program, or with multiple programs and processes running. Sometimes the computer just can't handle all workload. Just like us humans, right? Patience is a virtue…

So my first tip about minimizing problems is to run as few programs as you need to at any given time. If you do need to run more than three programs (not three files, but three programs), I advise closing them all after 2-4 hours, and perhaps even rebooting the computer to refresh the memory. Reboot at least once per day if you are a heavy multi-tasker.

Second tip, this one for laptops, is to place a cooling pad under the laptop. This helps evacuate warm/hot air that accumulates under the machine. When the hardware gets hot, the software can lockup.

Third, add more RAM (random access memory) to your computer. If you are running Vista, make sure to have at least 2 GB; 4 GB is better. With XP have at least 1 GB. The more applications you want to run at once, the more RAM you need.

Fourth, if you are having a recurring problem with a particular program, look on the vendor's website. Many times it's a known issue and the vendor provides a patch or work-around solution for the problem. Sometimes you may even need to reinstall the application.

Last, in my experience, computers in heavy use need to be backed up, erased, and then reloaded about 1-2 years. This cleans out lots of "debris" that has built up in the software over time. You may even need to replace the hard drive at that time. I've prolonged the life of many a PC by installing a new hard drive and reloading the software.

Wishing you akamai computing!