Latest news with #troubleshooting
Forbes
12-05-2025
- Forbes
Microsoft Tells Windows Users—Do 6 Things To Stop Blue Screen Of Death
Don't panic — do this instead. No Windows user ever wants to see Microsoft's dreaded blue screen of death on their screen. Many will have fresh memories of the Crowd Strike plague of blue monitors adorning airports and railway stations last year. Albeit a fail at home or at work on your own PC is even more of a heart-stopper. Cue Microsoft's latest advisory. As spotted by Neowin, 'Microsoft has shared steps on how users will be able to troubleshoot and hopefully fix such a problem.' This comes courtesy of an updated support document that previously 'only mentioned Safe Mode troubleshooting and the Get Help app.' Not very helpful, ironically. But now stopping a BSOD should be easier. 'Most Windows users must have experienced [a BSOD] once in their lives,' Neowin suggests. 'When a PC is running into having BSOD woes, the difficult thing for the affected user is to troubleshoot the root of the issue. The BSOD screen although blue, is not completely blank as it provides information related to the issue.' In its support document, Microsoft first lists six 'Basic Troubleshooting Steps for Blue Screen Errors,' which should hopefully be all you need: Microsoft also lists three more advanced options for more experienced users — although you're best not going down these routes unless you know what you're looking for: Microsoft's updated advice is no doubt helpful and will be welcomed by all those experiencing that 'once in a lifetime' moment; if it's a lot more frequent than that, you might want to do something more drastic. We're in a big six months for the Windows-maker when it comes to updates, with the end of Windows 10 fast approaching. The news over the weekend that the company has surprisingly extended its support for Microsoft 365 apps on Windows 10 for three years will be even more welcome. Many of the 700 million WIndows 10 holdouts will be hoping for wider concessions for the OS itself before October's deadline.
The Guardian
10-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Tim Dowling: Help! We have no internet and I really do have work to do
I'm sitting at my computer when a link refuses to load, leaving me with a white screen. I click on several of the 37 other windows I have open. None of them loads. I go and find my wife in front of her computer. 'Are you having trouble with the internet?' I say. 'Why yes,' she says. 'I am.' She doesn't seem as put out by the situation as I am. I go and look at the wifi router, which is pulsing with an eerie blue light – a sign that all is not well. I unplug it briefly, and let it reset itself. After shifting through many different shades, the blue light returns. 'That ain't good,' I say. It's not good because my internet provider's customer service is rated among the worst in the nation. If the problem proves to be their fault, I am in for a difficult day, or days. Also, I have work to do. I cannot afford to get obsessed with my lack of internet. My wife appears behind me, holding a shopping bag. 'Where are you going?' I say. 'Out,' she says. 'You mean you're leaving me here to deal with this?' I say. 'Yes,' she says. 'I am.' Using my phone, I access my internet provider's unloved troubleshooting guide. First, it checks to see if I have paid my bill. 'Typical,' I say. The troubleshooter then checks for outages in my postcode. Then it shows me illustrations of wifi routers flashing different colours, and asks me to choose. I click on blue, only to look up and see the box is now flashing red. The procedure ends with the problem unresolved, and the opportunity to book a visit from an engineer. The first available slot is for the following morning. This seems rash – the internet has been down for 20 minutes – but there is no less rash option, so I click. When I look up again, the box is giving off a steady white light. 'Are you kidding?' I say. My wife returns an hour later to find me still hovering over the router. 'There was a man out there messing with the junction box,' she says. 'Where?' I say. 'What kind of man?' 'A human man,' she says. 'I mean, like a cable engineer, or a vandal?' 'He said he was installing the wifi for next door,' she says. 'I asked him if he had anything to do with ours going down, and he said no.' 'He would,' I say. It is possible to access the internet by linking my laptop to my phone, but it's deeply unsatisfactory. That evening I try to tell my wife what a frustrating day I've had, but she refuses to engage with the technical details that bring the story to life. 'Periodically the wifi would come back on,' I say. 'Just long enough to reconnect to everything and break the 5G link,' I say. 'I have no idea what you're talking about,' she says, sitting down and grabbing the TV remote. The television displays a blank blue screen with a box in the middle saying No Signal. 'Wait, does this mean we can't watch telly?' my wife says. 'I'm afraid so,' I say. 'Do something!' she says. The next morning I'm in the kitchen waiting for the engineers. At 9am the internet starts working, like a rash clearing up on the morning of your GP appointment. At 9.15 the signal quits again, much to my relief. At 10 I check to see if my time slot has narrowed. I receive a message that says 'You do not have an engineer appointment.' 'What?' I say. 'Would you like to book an appointment?' the message says. 'This is why you are the most hated service provider in the entire …' The doorbell rings. I open the door to find two uniformed engineers on the step. 'This is weird,' I say. 'Is it?' says one. 'Come in,' I say. The two men are unfailingly polite and helpful. They quickly trace the problem to outside. One of them shows me the spot where the door between the front and back gardens has rubbed the insulation off the cable. 'So it's my fault,' I say. He smiles. 'We can fix that for you no problem,' he says. And they do, in about half an hour. One of them gives me his mobile number, in case I encounter any difficulties while they're working in the area. 'It was amazing,' I tell my wife later. 'They even put these slippers on in the house to protect the floors.' 'It's enough to restore your faith in humanity,' she says. I think: steady on.
Fox News
09-05-2025
- Fox News
Struggling with the latest Windows 11 update? You aren't alone
If your Windows 11 PC has been acting up since the latest update, you're not alone. Many users have reported slow performance, Wi-Fi issues and even the dreaded blue screen of death. If you are struggling with Windows 11, the good news is there are easy fixes. Whether your PC is running slower than usual or dealing with annoying glitches, here's how you can troubleshoot and get things running smoothly again. Before troubleshooting, make sure your PC meets the minimum requirements for Windows 11. Running Windows 11 on unsupported hardware can cause instability and update issues. Here's what your PC needs to run Windows 11 smoothly: If you're unsure whether your PC meets these requirements, you can use Microsoft's PC Health Check app to assess compatibility. If an update is causing issues, you can remove it without downgrading back to Windows 10. Here's how to uninstall a Windows update: Windows has a built-in tool that can automatically detect and fix update issues. Here's how to use it: Outdated or incompatible drivers can cause serious issues after an update. Updating them might fix crashes or performance problems. Here's how to check and update drivers: If the problem persists, you can restore your PC to a point before the update was installed. This won't delete your personal files, but it will revert system settings and drivers. Here's how to use system restore: Microsoft has a recovery tool called "Fix problems using Windows Update" that can reinstall the latest update without deleting your files or apps. Here's how to run it: Before you start troubleshooting, check if Microsoft has already identified the issue. Update problems can sometimes affect numerous users, and Microsoft may already be working on a fix. If your issue is listed, Microsoft may already be working on a fix, so checking here first can save you time. If your PC won't boot properly, you can access Windows 11's advanced startup options. Hold down the Shift key while clicking Restart from the Start menu. From the recovery menu, you can: If all else fails, you can use the "Reset this PC" option from the advanced recovery menu to reinstall Windows while keeping your files or to perform a clean reset if needed. However, use this option as a last resort; resetting your PC can result in loss of software and some personal data, and the process can sometimes fail or cause system problems. Always make a full backup of your important files and data before proceeding to avoid permanent data loss. If you're having issues after a Windows update, the first thing to try is uninstalling the latest update or running the built-in troubleshooter. If that doesn't work, checking for driver updates or doing a system restore can help. The key is to go step by step as most update problems can be fixed in a few clicks. What features or improvements would you like to see in future Windows updates to make troubleshooting easier or more effective? Let us know by writing us at For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Follow Kurt on his social channels: Answers to the most-asked CyberGuy questions: New from Kurt: Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
