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Simple Tech Tips to Fix What Ails You - Please Don't Flame

By
Real Estate Agent with RVA HomePRO Realtor with Keller Williams serving Hanover, Henrico, Chesterfiled and Richmond, Virginia 0225205023

Microsoft WindowsMac OS XToday I spent some time helping out a colleague who was experincing strange behavior with her computer. And then I had to do many of the same things on my computer because it was acting wierd. These steps apply to both Windows and Mac OS X. Most of the things I do are simple steps even someone with the most basic computer experience can perform. I developed many of these steps in my 12 years of doing corporate IT, none of them are magic, they work and often take care of most issues.

When your computer is not behaving try these simple steps:

1. Shutdown your computer, wait 5-10 seconds, and restart it. Sometimes computers just need a refresh.

2. Check for updates. When you perform step one you may notice your computer installs updates. When your computer is turned on again go look for updates. Sometimes computers start acting wierd when updates are waiting to be installed or have installed and the computer has not been rebooted (even when the update does not require a reboot). Java

3. Keep running the updater until it says "No updates are available" and reboot one more time. Sometimes programs like Java also have updates waiting and can cause issues with the way a computer performes; check those updater programs too.

 

I can't tell you how many times the most strange behavior was corrected by doing step 1. Printing problems, network issues, display problems, programs crashing, etc. I know it can be a pain, but sometimes you computer needs a micro cat nap to regain it's senses. 

Please don't use the comments to flame one side or the other. This is not the place for such discussions. I've spent time doing high level tech support for both platforms (and currently have both Apple and Microsoft products in my home). It really doesn't matter what platform, I'm ambidexerous and can make either sing, and both have their issues from time to time.

Posted by
RVA Home Pro
Michael Hottman As a Licensed Real Estate Agent in Virginia and a Licensed Professional Counselor in Virginia I strive to help others achieve their goals in life, whether it's selling or buying a property or becoming the person they were meant to be.


My background includes a Bachelor of Architecture from Virginia Tech and a Master of Science in Rehabilitation Counseling from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), managing residential properties, graphic design, corporate information technology, and being a third generation Realtor®. My experience in real estate started when I was old enough to help my dad clean out rental properties and I have started taking my son on showing appointments already.

My goal is to always provide my clients with 5 STAR service from the time I meet them to far beyond the close of their initial transaction, making them clients for all the real estate transactions they may ever have.

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While the information in this blog post is thought to be accurate and reliable on the date it is posted, it is provided on an “as is” basis and without warranty of any kind, either express or implied and is given for educational and informational purposes only. The contents of this article should not be considered as theraputic, legal, accounting, or other advice. For a comprehensive consultation regaring your personal situation please consult a competent professional in the appropriate field.

 

Found in Real Estate Blogs Directory - a directory of real estate blogs and
blogs of industries affiliated with and serving the real estate industry.

 

 

RVA HomePRO Michael Hottman
RVA HomePRO Realtor with Keller Williams serving Hanover, Henrico, Chesterfiled and Richmond, Virginia - Glen Allen, VA
Helping you achieve goals in life & real estate

Kathleen Luiten - no need to do it every night, sometimes machines actually will run better if left on overnight - gives times for good, through virus scans and automatic updates to occur. If the machine is off then it can't scan or update and then it does the scans and updates when people are working on them. Maybe move to an off every Friday schedule would be a better plan.

Kimo Jarrett - You've been told correctly, machines generally do better being left on at least most nights for scans and updates as I said to Kathleen above. Powering off on weekends is fine for energy conservation, but most machines enter a low power mode which isn't much more than phantom power when the machine is off. I would reboot once a week, like during your Monday coffee run.

Sandra Paulow - Not all updates install on shutdown. Sometimes you still need to run the updater. I reccomend manually running your updater at least once a month on a Wednesday. Microsoft typically releases updates on Tuesdays but they don't get pushed out to everyone at the same time. If you're running your updater it's going to get all the updates. Also I reccomend running your updater until you get a notification that no other updates are available. Sometimes updating causes other updates to apply.

Nina Hollander - I'm glad I could give you some simple tips to keep the tech doctor away.

 

Dec 17, 2014 05:55 AM
RVA HomePRO Michael Hottman
RVA HomePRO Realtor with Keller Williams serving Hanover, Henrico, Chesterfiled and Richmond, Virginia - Glen Allen, VA
Helping you achieve goals in life & real estate

Pat & Wayne Harriman -  still run the updater manually once a month to catch some updates that are not installed and not all updates require reboots. Computers can be smart, but they're also as dunb as the programming inside which has errors from time to time... like the autoupdater not always working. 

Richard & Beth Witt - thanks for the kind words, it's my second time on the daily drop and I am significantly humbled that people like what I put out there. It's done in a spirit of contribution and sharing the talents I have with others.

Dec 17, 2014 05:58 AM
Sandra Paulow
Aspen Properties, Inc. - Pinetop Lakeside, AZ
REALTOR, Associate Broker, GRI, SFR

Dear RVA - thanks for the tip.  I appreciate any advice that will keep my computer running smoothly.  Nothing hurts more than being in the middle of something and your computer desides to quit! 

Dec 17, 2014 06:26 AM
John DL Arendsen
CREST "BACKYARD' HOMES, ON THE LEVEL General & Manufactured Home Contractor, TAG Real Estate Sales & Investments - Leucadia, CA
Crest Backyard Homes "ADU" dealer & RE Developer

Great advice and good information. But I'm still long on APPL! LOL! Definitely worht sharing with others. Thanks.

Dec 17, 2014 06:51 AM
Laura Moore
Coldwell Banker - Granite Bay, CA
Competent ~ Caring ~ Committed

Our machines are kind of like us. Every once in a while we need to reboot too!

Dec 17, 2014 08:56 AM
Sharon Parisi
United Real Estate Dallas - Dallas, TX
Dallas Homes

RVA HomePRO Michael Hottman I needed to read this post.  My computer screen is bouncing around.  Turning off the computer generally takes care of the issue.  Thanks for the reminder at just the right time!

Dec 17, 2014 12:40 PM
Nancy Middleton
Counselor Realty, Inc. - Excelsior, MN
Nancy Middleton, Counselor Realty, Minnetonka, MN

Michael I loved your trying to keep your advice narrowed down to three  simple steps. My favorite is step one which has worked for me in the past. After using pc's for many years, I finally switched to Apple, so I'm still looking in different spaces for buttons to push or click.  As a Great Depression-age user, I check with my children or my grandchildren and if they can't fix my problems, I go straight to the Apple Store where I pay an annual fee for them to help me with any problems. I'm a Happy Camper and am getting better and better every day.

Dec 17, 2014 01:03 PM
RVA HomePRO Michael Hottman
RVA HomePRO Realtor with Keller Williams serving Hanover, Henrico, Chesterfiled and Richmond, Virginia - Glen Allen, VA
Helping you achieve goals in life & real estate

John DL Arendsen - I cut my teeth on Macintosh computers and I still really like them. Apple makes a very cohesive product and there is huge benefits to manufacturing the hardware and software. Maybe that's also why I really like my Microsoft Surface Pro 3. Windows machines just offer the for factors I prefer currently. 

Laura Moore or at least a cat nap from time to time.

Sharon Parisi if this keeps happening you may have something more to do than a reboot. If you have a desktop make sure all your cables are securely connected. You could also have a loose video board. If you have a laptop you may be on your last legs.

Nancy Middleton - Congratulations on embracing technology and reaching out to others around you for service. There are far too many people much younger than you who seem to fear tech, but computers are more and more a part of our lives. You are folowing one of the other suggestions I often offer people when they ask me what computer to get, especially when considering Mac or Windows. I tell people to get what their friends and family use because that is the first line of tech support for many people. Real tech support can get expensive. The experience that prompted my post was 6 hours of work on a colleagues computer. I didn't charge them, but I felt taken advantage of even though they did give me a gift card as a thank you that wouldn't have paid for one hour of regular tech support.

Also the Apple Genius bar is a stroke of genius (pun intended) on Apple's part. What other manufacturer can you walk into a store and get EXPERT help. And the people that are at the genius bar really know their stuff. They aren't some kid that "knows computers" or use some diagnostic tools to figure out what's wrong, they are constantly educated and tested on all Apple devices.

Dec 17, 2014 01:48 PM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

Now I'll show just how non-techie I am. Where do you find the manual updater?

Dec 17, 2014 10:38 PM
RVA HomePRO Michael Hottman
RVA HomePRO Realtor with Keller Williams serving Hanover, Henrico, Chesterfiled and Richmond, Virginia - Glen Allen, VA
Helping you achieve goals in life & real estate

Marte Cliff it depends on your operating system. For both Windows 7 and 8 go to your control panel and look for Windows Update or do a search in your start menu/charms bar. For Macs it's under the Apple menu at the top of any screen I believe.

Dec 17, 2014 10:46 PM
Marte Cliff
Marte Cliff Copywriting - Priest River, ID
Your real estate writer

Thank you Michael. 

Dec 17, 2014 10:56 PM
Troy Erickson AZ Realtor (602) 295-6807
HomeSmart - Chandler, AZ
Your Chandler, Ahwatukee, and East Valley Realtor

Michael, I have often turned off my computer in order to fix what is ailing it. It is amazing how often that seems to correct the problem, and it's the easiest thing to do.

Dec 18, 2014 12:26 AM
RVA HomePRO Michael Hottman
RVA HomePRO Realtor with Keller Williams serving Hanover, Henrico, Chesterfiled and Richmond, Virginia - Glen Allen, VA
Helping you achieve goals in life & real estate

Troy Erickson I always love the simple solutions.

Marte Cliff you're welcome 

Dec 18, 2014 11:54 AM
Greg Mona
West USA Realty - Scottsdale, AZ
Professional Real Estate Representation for YOU!

Michael - I just love the fact that sometimes just shutting down your computer/tablet/phone for less than a minute is all it needs to get back on track.  As many others have already written, it is very frustrating when they act up right in the middle of something you are trying to get done.  It's sort of like us humans, when we get stuck and can't seem to move forward, just taking a quick walk or power nap "resets" your brain and then you can proceed from there.

Dec 18, 2014 10:42 PM
Liane Thomas, Top Listing Agent
Professional Realty Services® - Corona, CA
Bringing you Home!

Thank you for the post. I never turn off my computer or phone and yes, there are times things just "stall".

I will follow your advice! Today!

Dec 19, 2014 02:41 AM
Bill Reddington
Re/max By The Sea - Destin, FL
Destin Florida Real Estate

Great tips. I help friends and family out with computer issues. Interesting what happens when a computer is up to date. Merry Christmas!!

Dec 21, 2014 07:03 AM
Adele Langdon
Los Angeles, CA
Exclusive Realty Inc.

Thanks  Michael, I have found the same thing.  Once I was on the phone to the apple tech support for 30 mins just so they could tell me that.  It works most of the time.

Dec 22, 2014 11:08 AM
Gene Riemenschneider
Home Point Real Estate - Brentwood, CA
Turning Houses into Homes

Mike,

great points.  The computers we have today or much more complex but much more dependable than what we had 10 years ago.  

Dec 29, 2014 03:39 AM
RVA HomePRO Michael Hottman
RVA HomePRO Realtor with Keller Williams serving Hanover, Henrico, Chesterfiled and Richmond, Virginia - Glen Allen, VA
Helping you achieve goals in life & real estate

Gene Riemenschneider yes, I love the advancement in computers and while they have gotten more complex, they have also become more dependable and even novices  can do things that it took me months to learn or figure out years ago. 

Adele Langdon Apple has great support but as you learned sometimes a simple nap for your computer can fix the most bizzare issues.

Dec 29, 2014 03:48 AM
Gary L. Waters Broker Associate, Bucci Realty
Bucci Realty, Inc. - Melbourne, FL
Eighteen Years Experience in Brevard County

I have found the shut down and wait works well for the computer and my attitude. Have a great day!

Aug 20, 2015 08:46 PM