Common Problems

PC monitor not working

• Make sure the power cable and video cable are connected securely
• Verify the monitor’s power light is on
• Try another cable or monitor to rule out hardware
• If it still doesn’t show anything, test with a different computer or port (HDMI/DisplayPort).

Printer prints weird patterns

• First, check if the correct printer driver is installed
• Try printing a test page.
• Check the paper and ink/toner.
• Run the printer’s built-in cleaning or alignment tool
• Reinstall or update the driver if the issue continues.

My computer turns on but the screen is black

Do you hear any fan noise, lights, or Windows startup sounds?

Is the monitor showing anything like a logo, ‘No signal,’ or blinking power light?

Check the monitor power — “Do you see a light on the monitor? If not, press the power button on the monitor itself.

Check cable connections — “Please make sure the cable connecting your monitor and computer is fully plugged in on both sides. If possible, gently unplug and plug it back in.

if they have more than one port or cable: “If you have another cable (HDMI, DisplayPort, or VGA), or another port, try switching to that. Sometimes the cable or port can be the issue.

Force Restart Test External Display or Input (If Laptop)

• Plug the laptop into an external monitor or TV using HDMI (if available).
• Press the display switch key (e.g., Fn + F4 or Fn + F8) to project to the external screen.
• Ask if they can see anything on the second display If external works → laptop screen or backlight issue. If nothing shows → likely boot or hardware issue.

Try to Enter BIOS or Boot Menu

• Restart the computer.
• As soon as it powers on, press the key repeatedly (e.g., F2, Del, Esc — or tell them the right key for their brand if known).
• Ask if any logo or BIOS screen appears.

If BIOS appears → display works, OS may be the issue.

If still black → could be GPU, RAM, motherboard, or monitor issue.

Listen for Beeps or Startup Sounds

• One short beep or fan = system is booting → likely a display problem.
• No sound or continuous beep = possible RAM/GPU failure.

If It’s Windows Boot Issue

• Restart the PC.
• Press Shift + F8 or use advanced startup options if applicable.
• Enter Safe Mode → then check display driver or roll back updates.

My computer is running very slow.

Clarify the Problem

• How long has it been running slow?” (today, a few days, weeks)
• Does it slow down at startup, when opening apps, or when browsing the web?
• Have you installed or updated anything recently?”
• Are you seeing any error messages or high fan noise?”

Check Task Manager

Restart the Computer

Check Startup Programs

Check for Viruses or Malware

Free Up Disk Space

• Check if the C: drive is almost full.
• If yes: Use Disk Cleanup (cleanmgr), Delete temp files, Uninstall unused programs.

Check Windows & Driver Updates

Check for Background Apps & Browser Issues

Check Hardware Resource Limits (Basic): If the device is old or has low RAM (e.g., 4 GB), slowness might be hardware-related.

Blue Screen of Death after installing update

Acknowledge & Reassure

Boot Into Safe Mode (Recovery Environment)

• Power off the PC completely.

• Power it back on.

• As soon as Windows starts loading, force shutdown again (hold power 10 sec).

• Repeat 3 times → Windows should boot into Automatic Repair.

• Select: Troubleshoot → Advanced Options → Startup Settings → Restart.

• Then choose Option 4 (Enable Safe Mode) or Option 5 (Safe Mode with Networking).

• If Safe Mode launches successfully — it confirms the issue is likely the update or driver, not hardware.

Uninstall the Problematic Update

• Press Win + I → Settings → Windows Update.

• Click Update history → Uninstall updates.

• Select the most recent update (by date) and uninstall it.

• If they can’t access settings in Safe Mode: Go to Control Panel → Programs → View installed updates → Uninstall the last update.

Check Stop Code & Logs (for advanced troubleshooting)

• Press Win + R → type eventvwr.msc → Enter.
• Check Windows Logs → System for critical errors at the time of BSOD.
• Note the stop code or driver involved (e.g., ntoskrnl.exe, dxgmms2.sys).

Update Drivers / Windows Manually (Once Stable)

My Mac won’t start — just shows a question mark folder.

This usually means the Mac can’t find a valid startup disk (the OS is missing, corrupted, or the drive isn’t being detected).

Reassure and Clarify

• Did anything happen before this started — like an update, shutdown, or new install?”
• “Is this a MacBook or desktop Mac?”
• “Is it Intel or Apple Silicon?” (if they don’t know, I’ll help them figure it out in the next step).

Check the Type of Mac (Intel vs. Apple Silicon)

• If they say they see the Apple logo with startup options when holding the power button → Apple Silicon.
• If they say they see a chime or need to press Command + R → Intel.

Start in Recovery Mode

Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3):

• Hold the power button until “Loading startup options” appears.
• Select Options → Continue.

Intel Macs:

• Turn on the Mac.
• Immediately press and hold ⌘ Command + R until you see the Apple logo or spinning globe.
• Release the keys. If Recovery loads, move on. If it doesn’t load → the internal disk may be failing → escalate.

Check Startup Disk

• In Recovery, click Apple menu  → Startup Disk.
• If their macOS disk appears, select it and click Restart.

Run Disk Utility (if no disk appears or still question mark)

• In Recovery → Disk Utility.
• Select the internal drive (usually named “Macintosh HD”).
• Click First Aid → Run.
• If it completes successfully, Restart. | If the disk doesn’t show up or can’t be repaired → likely drive failure or corrupted OS.

Reinstall macOS (if disk is visible but won’t boot)

• In Recovery → Reinstall macOS.
• Follow on-screen instructions.
• Wait for installation to complete and restart.