Common Problems & Solutions

Computer Hardware Issues

The computer turns on, but the screen is not displaying anything.

The issue could be either software or hardware related. Check if the computer functions and displays when an external monitor is connected. A common problem is the screen backlight burning out, in which case the screen often needs to be replaced. Additionally, the computer’s motherboard or graphics card could be faulty.

The computer does not work with an external monitor.

It’s likely that the monitor has been disabled in the software, so you need to enable the external monitor in Windows. If it turns on but still doesn’t display, there could be an issue with the cable or the connection. Also, it’s a known issue that HP computers have problems with USB-C (Thunderbolt) firmware, which can be resolved by updating the firmware.

The computer turns on, the screen displays, but the Windows or macOS operating system does not load.

The most likely cause is a faulty hard drive or a damaged boot sector of the disk. In this case, it may be sufficient to repair the boot sector software-wise, but you might also need to replace the hard drive. Even if the hard drive is damaged, there is still a possibility to recover the data that was on the disk.

The computer does not turn on and shows no signs of life.

There could be several issues that need to be checked. First, ensure that there is power supply to the outlet the computer is connected to. Then, check the computer’s power adapter. The third thing is to make sure that the battery is charged and functioning. If all these are working, then it’s likely that the computer’s motherboard is damaged.

My computer’s hard drive is dead.

Trust me, in very rare cases it’s impossible to recover data. It’s mostly a matter of cost and in 99.9% of cases, the data can be recovered. Data can be restored even in these scenarios:

  • Hard drives making clicking noises
  • Issues with hard drive heads
  • Hard drives not appearing on the Mac Desktop
  • Hard drives not detected in BIOS or not visible in Windows Explorer on PC
  • Macs showing a “Flashing Question Mark” during startup
  • Flash Drives with broken USB connectors
  • Devices not receiving power, affecting Hard Drives, Flash Drives, or SSDs
  • Controller issues in USB Flash Drives, SD Cards, and MicroSD Cards (chip-off data recovery solutions available)
  • Extremely slow data read speeds on drives
  • Burned-out PCBs
  • Hard drives or PCBs emitting smoke
  • Liquid or water damage to devices
  • HDD Firmware issues, including 0MB size, partial readability, or extremely slow read/write speeds
  • SSD Firmware problems, such as BAD_CTX errors and 8MB size issues
  • “Stiction” problems where heads are stuck to the platters
  • Motor or spindle issues, leading to weak functioning or getting stuck
  • PCB replacement or adaptation services
  • Solutions for corrupt ROM or NVRAM
  • Hard drives with weak heads
  • Data recovery from accidental formatting
  • Retrieval of accidentally erased, trashed, or recycled files
  • Recovery from corrupt file systems or operating systems
  • Assistance with missing or lost files
  • Virus infection data recovery
  • Situations where local computer repair shops or IT departments cannot recover data
  • Data recovery challenges when software tools fail
  • Resolving encryption corruption issues (including McAfee Endpoint Encryption, WinMagic, PGP Desktop, BitLocker, TrueCrypt, etc.)
  • Recovery solutions for lost, missing, or unknown hard drive passwords (in certain scenarios)

WiFi and internet issues

Wifi signal is very weak in some areas.

In this case, you need to extend your wifi range. The best way to do this is with mesh points connected by cable. These will create a unified network and allow you to seamlessly connect to different points while moving around the office or home, ensuring fast internet performance.

My house doesn’t have cables, but my computer needs to be connected through cable.

In this case, you can use the electrical wiring to transmit data. You will need to install special adapters that allow internet data to be transmitted through the electrical network.

We have a house far from the city, but we want to connect it to the internet.

In this case, there are several solutions. One option is to install a powerful receiver and try to receive Verizon internet, or install a Starlink satellite internet antenna and receive internet from a satellite.

We have mobile phone coverage, but it is very weak.

In this case, you can install a mobile signal booster, which will strengthen your connection.

Email problems

Users are complaining that my emails are going to SPAM.

You need to have SPF, DMARC, and DKIM records properly configured for your domain. If that doesn’t help, you might need to change your domain or SMTP service providers.

Someone is sending a lot of spam emails from my email address.

It’s likely that you haven’t set up SPF and DMARC restrictions, which allows spammers to use your email address to send spam.

Website issues

The browser indicates that my website is not secure.

The likely problem is that your website does not have an SSL certificate installed. Many providers offer free certificates.

I receive a lot of spam through my website.

It’s likely that your website has contact forms without CAPTCHA installed, allowing various bots to send you emails through your forms.

My provider notified me that there is a virus on my website.

Likely, your website was hacked and a virus was inserted because it wasn’t updated in time. The easiest solution is to restore from a backup and update the website. If that’s not possible, then you will need to manually clean the code from harmful entries, which would take longer.

Cybersecurity

Due to the nature of our business, we collect sensitive personal data.

In this case, only necessary data should be collected, a process for their removal should be established, and they must be stored in an environment that is strictly monitored and restricted. We can create an environment through which users can log in, see data, but cannot copy it.

We suspect that our remote employee is outsourcing their work to others.

After warning the employee, software can be installed on the computer to automatically monitor computer activity and inform if suspicious actions are taken or information is handled unsafely.

We suspect that our employees are leaving their workplace during work hours.

After informing the employees, special monitoring software can be installed on the computer to track their activity and notify about their departure from the workplace.

We suspect that employees are handling customer data irresponsibly.

We can create an environment where data cannot be copied, and employees’ computers are periodically scanned to find data stored irresponsibly, with reports sent to management.

We have several departments, but they use one CRM and file sharing system.

It’s not safe to directly connect to the CRM system or share files over the internet. The best practice is to store the data on your computers and make it accessible only through a VPN network. In this case, we would create such an environment and implement a private VPN network, so the company’s computers are connected to a private VPN network.