Fix PC hardware problems
DISCOVER SOME EASY FIXES FOR TROUBLESOME COMPUTER COMPONENTS WITH OUR GUIDE TO SOLVING YOUR WINDOWS HARDWARE WOES.
ONE OF THE annoying things about upgrading Windows is when you suddenly discover that your older hardware is no longer supported. You plug it in, and either nothing happens, Windows tells you drivers aren’t available or — in the case of AMD graphics — it installs a basic display adapter that’s stuck at a low resolution.
Before you throw out the baby with the bathwater, press ‘Win-Pause/Break’ to open the System Control Panel and confirm your operating system type (32-bit or 64-bit). Visit your hardware manufacturer’s website and seek out the latest version of its driver, making sure it matches your system type — Windows 8, 7 and even Vista drivers should work.
If you own two or more printers, it can be a hassle switching between them. One workaround is to switch default printer to whichever one you printed to last — click ‘Start > Settings > Devices > Printers & scanners’ and flick the ‘Let Windows manage my default printer’ switch to ‘On’.
Struggling to get your network printer working? If your wireless printer doesn’t have a WPS switch for easy connection to the network, connect it to your PC with a USB cable after downloading and running the latest printer software — be sure to select ‘Wireless’ during setup to allow the installer to help you connect the printer to your wireless network.
COMMON LAPTOP ISSUES
Problems with your laptop screen? If the screen flickers or the resolution is too cramped, open Device Manager (press ‘Win-R’, type “devmgmt.msc” and press Enter). If a yellow exclamation mark is present next to either the Display Adapter or Monitor then doubleclick the entry to find out what the problem is; look for an updated driver from your laptop manufacturer or take a closer look at any error codes or troubleshooting options offered.
If the screen appears to be dead and you recently plugged it into a monitor, it may still be set to output to the HDMI port — check for special keys that enable you to cycle through available displays — typically something like ‘Fn-F3’ — to see if the screen comes back, or re-connect it to a monitor and go to ‘Start > Settings > System > Display. Look under ‘Multiple displays’ to set the default screen back to the laptop.