I get asked a lot, “How do I fix my pc on my own?” If you’re not a computer person and the problem is bad enough, the answer might be, “you can’t.” I couldn’t fix my car if my transmission died but I can certainly chance the oil. This brief article will show you some quick steps to fixing common PC problems on your own.

1) Run anti-virus software. Do so at least once every week. This should go without saying, but some still don’t do it. I recommend AVG Free. Just do a google search for it, it’ll show up right at the top. I’ve used it for years, it’s free and it works. You can’t ask for much more.

2) Run anti-spyware software. Again, do it about once a week. Spyware software is a bit more tricky and the free versions don’t always get everything. Look up Spybot Search and Destroy and A-Squared to get started.

3) For a computer that won’t boot because it gives you an error message about some Windows file, try this: Insert your Windows XP CD and reboot the computer. Press any key to boot from the CD. Wait a bit. Eventually you will be given the option to hit “R for recovery console.” Do so. It will ask you which Windows you would like to look at. Unless you have multiple partitions, just hit “1″ then push enter. Push enter again when asked for the administrator password. Now type “chkdsk /r” and hit enter. Let it run. This isn’t a guarantee, but this fixes a LOT of Windows errors.

4) Use safe mode to diagnose problems. If Windows is giving you troubles, restart the computer. Before windows loads up, push the f5 key. I usually just reboot and keep pushing it until the menu pops up. Select “safe mode with networking.” This will often allow you to get back into windows to fix things. You can run your spyware scans in here. If you need to do a virus scan in safe mode, AVG won’t work. Try http://www.bitdefender.com and run their free online scan.

5) Remember the things you last did before the problem started. Did you just install a new program? Try removing it. Did you just install a new piece of hardware? Try removing it. Generally, PCs don’t break on their own, something you’ve done recently is causing it grief.

Those are just a few things you can try. I realize it isn’t an exhaustive list of you you can fix your own PC, but it’s a good start.