Aug 5 2010

How to Fix 99% of Computer Problems

It never ceases to amaze me how often people automatically contact their IT department or technical support when problems occur on their computer. Typical issues are programs freezing, not seeing a folder on a network, or e-mail not sending. While some of these may be due to hardware failures, most often they are very simple to fix.

So, here is my list of things to do (not in any particular order):

1. Reboot the Computer

Software isn’t perfect. There are many components in an application which interact with each other and the operating system and things can go bad and crash. Or the application may just stop working correctly. Closing the program and running it again may be enough to fix this, but if the problem is with .NET, Java, or a memory leak, rebooting would be the best solution.

2. Press the F5 Key

An error can occur when trying to view a web site, or you can’t find a file that a coworker just placed in one of your folders. Pressing the F5 key will refresh a web browser or file browser and you’ll get an updated view of it. Most applications have options to refresh content and have a context menu (right click in a blank area) that will give you the option to refresh.

3. Wait a Little While

If your e-mail isn’t sending, the problem may be with your internet provider. They may be down or doing maintenance. Instead of phoning them (after being on hold for 10 minutes) and complaining, give them some time to fix the problem. Phoning them won’t fix the problem faster. You can be assured that they are doing the best they can to get back online because they want your continued business.

4. Learn More

This isn’t really a quick fix, but learning how to use your computer and software can really go a long way in being productive and working well. I find that most people know just how to push buttons but don’t really understand what’s going on. So when any problem occurs, they don’t try to think about how to fix it and call someone more technical for assistance.

By Johan • How To • 0

Aug 4 2010

Getting the PowerShell Version

To find out which version of PowerShell is installed in your computer, you need to do more than just run it. When you start the command line interface, your lead to believe that version 1.0 is installed from the directory location displayed in the dialog box.

The text in the dialog box shows C:\WINDOWS\system32\windowspowershell\v1.0\powershell.exe, which would make it seem like you were running version 1.0. The best way to determine which version is installed is to run the PowerShell command line interface and execute the following command:

    $Host.Version

This will give you the major and minor versions, along with the build and revision.

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By Johan • Programming • 0

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