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Error messages can cause a lot of unnecessary bad experiences for many users and especially for beginners. Such experiences can sometimes be easily avoided by following a simple strategy.
1. Do not believe error messages when you are logging on to the internet. Once your dialup configuration is established and working, it will most likely continue to operate properly until you change it. Do not change the information for your dialup connection unless you're sure it needs to be changed. 2. whenever you get an error message when attempting to log onto the internet, simply close the error dialog box and try to log on again. Try again and again (at least three times) if necessary. Most of the time, the problem is with your Internet Service Provider (ISP), not your PC. If you continue to have problems, call the ISP and ask if they are experiencing problems and what you should do if anything. Also, if you wait a while ( an hour or so) before trying to log on, you probably will be successful. 3. Some error messages are put into software programs based on a possible operation by the user. The person writing the error message tries to guess at what the user might do and writes a general message which covers a broad set of possible conditions. Knowing this, you should make a judgment as to whether the message is believable or not, based on what you were doing when the problem occurred. 4. There is one common error message which is always correct. It is a pop up message that reads, in part, "...program performed an illegal operation". This message usually will shut down your PC, requiring you to restart it to get back to whatever you were doing. Also, all work you had done before the message will be lost up to your last save. This is why it is so important to save files often, before you complete them. |
5. When your computer hangs up and does nothing for a considerable length of time, you may not get any message but you figure it is hung up and something needs to be done to get it working again. You need to do the following:
a. Press down the Ctrl key, then hold down the Alt key and while holding them both down, tap the Delete key. Without my explanation, this key stroke sequence is written as Ctrl+Alt+Delete. This will cause the following pop up to open:
b. Select the item that has the program not responding message, if it is not already selected. Then click the Shut Down button. The computer will close the violating program and allow you to continue. The violating program will have to be restarted. If the violating program can not be shut down, you will have to do the Ctrl+Alt+Delete key sequence again and this time the computer will shut down and restart itself. c. On rare occasions, nothing you try will revive your system. In that case, you will have to turn off the power to shutdown the computer and restart it. Modern computers have different ways for shutting them down. Some require you to press and hold the power switch. You must check your computer's hardware documentation to find the proper way to shut down. Following the above five tips will solve most of the problems you'll ever encounter using your PC.
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