Whether you’re trying to get college coursework handed in on time, or you’re working hard to meet a deadline for your manager, when your IT goes down, it can be devastating. Days, weeks or even months of hard work can be lost in a split second. However, not all is lost. Most common IT issues are easy and simple to fix once you know what you’re doing. Even better than knowing how to fix issues, is preventing them from occurring in the first place. Try to take all measures possible to stop your laptop, computer or tablet going down – from updating your software to taking care of your devices.
Turn it off and on again
It might sound like a joke or too obvious to work, but before you try anything, restart your device. This can sometimes kick start whatever was going wrong before, and you’ll come back to a laptop or PC that’s running perfectly normally. However, don’t forget to save any work before doing so!
Check the basics
Wondering why you can’t connect to the printer? Or having issues with getting online? Well, make sure that everything’s switched on. Sometimes, especially if you work in an office, you’ll be so used to someone else turning machines on, that you might not remember to do it yourself. You should also stay clued up on computer maintenance. If your computer crashes a lot, is slow to run, or makes a weird noise, it can be due to a lack of care. You clean the fans and de-frag the device to solve these problems.
Save your work
One of the worst things about using a laptop to work on, is how easy it is to lose files. From accidentally deleting them to programs crashing, we’ve all experienced that heart-stopping moment when you realize all your work is gone. However, if you do lose your work, you can use a data retrieval tool – whether through a professional service or by yourself – to get it all back. Do remember that if you are attempting to use these tools to help yourself, you may do more harm than good as self-help programs can overwrite data – if you unsure, call the professionals
Run updates
Those update notifications are annoying, but you get them for a reason. Software needs to be running at its most recent version if it’s going to handle your workload and comply with what you want it to do. Putting off updates and running old versions can make your system slow down and crash frequently. Don’t ignore the notice next time – just get it over and done with.
Get good anti-virus software
Prevention is always better than cure, so whether you’ve been the victim of a spammy, virus-filled email before or not, you should aim to protect your device. One virus can be responsible for taking down an entire system, can cost you a lot of money, and can be incredibly stressful. Anti-virus software will ensure that even if you accidentally click on a dodgy link or download a suspicious attachment, it won’t harm your device or your network.
