Whether it’s in our personal or professional lives, technical difficulties pop up that can throw a wrench into your routine. Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows 10, powers over a billion devices around the world as of March 2020 – a number that has undoubtedly grown as many companies make the shift towards partial or total remote work routines.
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Thankfully, with over a billion devices running Windows 10, there are plenty of FAQs, forums, and guides online that can help you dodge your technical difficulties the next time that an issue arises. SeedSpark’s 24/7 technical support team works around the clock to support our clients, sharing insights that come from decades of hands-on experience working within Windows to help keep your day on track.
We sat down with our tech team, digging into their databases and collecting some of the top tips that they provide each day. The next time your Windows PC runs into an issue, here are a few tips to try to help cut downtime and get you up and running ASAP.
1. Restart your device
It may seem simple, but restarting your device – whether it’s a tablet, a 2-in-1, a laptop, or a dedicated desktop pc – resets the internal components that make the magic happen. Many users only put the computer to sleep when they wrap up a work session rather than shutting them down. Shutting down and restarting completely ensures that all apps are closed and resources are freed up, creating a clean start for your machine when it boots back up.
2. Install updates
For our managed services clients, operating system updates are installed automatically through our proactive management approach. However, for the general user, it’s important to ensure that the latest updates are installed from the team at Microsoft. From increased security against malware and viruses to performance optimizations, regularly checking for and installing updates is imperative.
To check for updates, head to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check for Updates.
3. Disable apps on startup
For older machines or those with lower specs, booting up can be one of the most taxing tasks depending on how many applications are set to run when you power on the machine. When programs are set to open when your machine boots up they gobble up resources, potentially making a startup that should take a few seconds into one that takes much longer.
To review what apps are set to start at startup, head over to Settings > Apps > Startup. Once there, click the Sort by dropdown menu and choose the Startup impact option to organize the list based on apps that have the highest impact on your PC. Once finished, restart your machine and see how much faster it can be!
Note: Never disable any important apps, such as Windows Defender or another security software that you may use. Doing so could result in vulnerabilities online.
4. Uninstall nonessential apps
Storage in many computers has grown exponentially over the years… but so has the size of many applications. While the standard Office 365 productivity suite and other communication apps may not take up a significant part of your storage, any additional high-powered programs, games, or files that you install could eat away at your storage space.
It’s a good practice to revisit your installed programs on a regular basis, clearing out anything that you may not need and freeing up that space for other files and applications. To see what apps are installed on your machine, head over to Settings > Apps > Apps & Features.
Here you’ll see a comprehensive list of everything installed on your machine. Dropdown menu options allow you to customize how the apps are sorted or even filter through applications based on what drive they are installed in (if you have multiple drives installed to begin with).
5. Reset Windows 10 to Factory Defaults
If your machine is running slowly, then resetting it could be the solution. This resets everything on your PC to factory defaults, but leaves your files and applications untouched.
To access this option go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery and choose Get Started under Reset this PC.
The reset option provides the option to keep files and programs or remove everything from your machine entirely.
Make sure that you choose “Keep my files” if you want to keep your data during the reset.
Continue following through the steps and choose Local reinstall, the Next button, and finally the Reset button once reviewing the information on the screen.
After all of these steps are completed, you can sit back and let the process work its magic. Once finished, you should have a refreshed PC that leaves your files and applications untouched while restoring some of that high-speed functionality that comes with a brand new device.
While there is no one-size solution for PC issues, these are a few of the most common methods to help iron out any issues and get you up and running ASAP after a technical difficulty pops up. As a leading MSP, SeedSpark provides constant support that our clients can rely on 24/7/365. For businesses that are searching for ways to cut cost and maintain uptime, our team can work with you to develop a plan. Connect with our team today to learn more!
