FAQs

Q?My computer will not turn on
A.
  • A power outage may have caused you computer’s soft switch to become confused.
  • The switch in the back of the computer has been flipped to 0.
  • There is no electrical power reaching the computer.
  • The computer has a bad power switch.
Q?My computer is locking up
A.
  • Screen saver problems
  • Too many applications open at once
  • There is a multitude of other possibilities / contact support
Q?A blue screen appears saying there has been a fatal error
A.
  • The computer has become confused for any number of reasons
  • Follow instructions on screen

    Note: It is suggested that you reboot your machine to make sure there are no glitches within the program even if the program reappears.

Q?I have lost my work because of a computer lock-up or shut down
A.
  • Is Auto Backup setting selected in your program?
  • File may be in Temp or My Documents as .bk or .bak file
  • Preform a search using Start and Search functions
Q?My printer won’t print
A.
  • Is the printer cartridge empty
  • Is the wrong cartridge loaded in printer
  • Has the alignment process been run when you installed new cartridge
  • Communication to printer has been lost
  • Print job was stopped by turning off printer


    Solutions

  • Shut down printer and restart it.
  • Check printer cartridge
  • If all else fails, reload printer driver from CD that came with printer.
Q?My inkjet printer leaves voids in the print
A.
  • If the ink cartridge is new was the alignment test run from the printer software?
  • Was the cleaning procedure performed using the printer software?

    Solutions

  • All inkjets have the above options available in the software that was installed with the printer driver
  • Ink cartridge may be low on ink
  • Printer (inkjet/laser) will not feed paper
  • Make sure paper is loaded correctly
  • Remove all paper from paper tray and check for foreign objects (paper clips, staples etc).
    Sent print job to printer but nothing happens
  • Are any lights flashing on the printer or is more then one light on?
  • Check the printer’s user manual to see what code is indicated

    Solutions

  • Printer is out of ink/toner (20% of all printer problems are caused by this)
  • Paper problems: printer is out of paper / paper jam/paper will not load
  • Make sure printer cable is plugged into printer and computer
  • Make sure you are printing to the correct printer. your print job can easily be sent to somebody else’s printer.
  • Turn off computer and printer, wait 10-15 seconds, and turn it back on.
  • Make sure printer is plugged into power and turned on.
  • Make sure surge protector is turned on.
Q?I can’t open some of my email attachments
A.
  • Save file to your desktop before opening it !!
  • Choose Notepad or WordPad from the list on the drop down menu and see if one of those programs will open your attachment.
  • Ask sender to note in the body of the email what application was used.
  • If all else fails, ask sender to include attached information in body of email message.
Q?Program won’t open a document
A.
  • If you are using a newer version or a different application and want to access it on an older version or different application, you must save it as that version or application.
  • Do a “Save As” and then check the drop down menu next to “Save as Type” to see if the older version or different application is there.
  • Save your file as that version or application.
  • The newer version or different application should be able to read the older version or different application, but if you do a “Save or Save As” it may ask if you want to upgrade the old version or change the application.
Q?Machine comes up in “Safe Mode”
A.
  • This problem can usually be fixed by going through the shutdown process and rebooting.
  • If this does not work, you should contact technical support
Q?My computer won’t recognize drives
A.
  • Reboot computer.
  • If drives still do not appear, get technical support
Q?Why are there multiple different versions of XP?
A.

XP was released in two different versions: Windows XP Professional (for businesses) and Windows XP Home Edition (for consumers.) Although the kernel for both operating systems are the same, the Home Edition is a stripped down version of the Professional version. Its main focus is the consumer home PC market, and it is designed to be easier to use. Much of its interface assumes that you have a full time internet connection and that your primary online activities are browsing, e-mail, instant messaging, listening to MP3 and online music, and sharing photos and other digital media on the web. XP Professional is designed for business and advanced home users who need security and enhanced networking capabilities. It looks and feels just like Windows 2000 once you drop the XP color scheme and choose “Windows classic.” Windows XP Media Center Edition and Windows XP Tablet PC Edition are special versions of the operating system designed for specific hardware. You can only get these versions when you purchase the specialized hardware directly from the manufacturer.

Q?What are “cookies” and why do I receive them while connected to the Internet?
A.

A cookie in Internet terms is a small text file sent from an Internet server to a web browser to be stored on a user’s computer. The file is stored for future access by the same server. Usually, cookies store basic information about an individual to identify him to the server and often to setup a personalized web page or web browsing experience for that user. For instance, when you visit a web site it will ask for your name or other information. The information is sent to your web browser for storage as a cookie file. The next time you access that server, you don’t have to re-enter the same information. It will retrieve the information from the cookie file. This allows companies and individuals to personalize their web sites for each visitor.