Windows 7 offers plenty of help for troubleshooting problems.
Even the most well-maintained PCs can run into problems, but thankfully Windows 7 includes a Help and Support section that can provide assistance in getting everything running smoothly again. You’ll find a link to the Help and Support section on the right of the Start menu, and once you’ve selected this you’ll be met with a new window where you can enter details of your query. Either enter some search terms into the box at the top, or browse the help topics using the link underneath. In the majority of scenarios you’ll be taken through a step-by-step troubleshooter that will try and pinpoint the cause of your computer problems as well as suggest some possible solutions.
As you would expect, the Help and Support pages make extensive use of online content, which is integrated seamlessly into the same window. You can find additional online resources at the official Microsoft support pages, and again you can enter some search terms or browse through the lists of issues manually. By the time you’ve worked your way through the options here, you should have fixed the problem or have a good idea about how to proceed. A Google search is always worth trying as well, because it’s likely that other users have suffered the same difficulties you have – because of the wealth of information out on the Web, try and be as specific as possible in your search (this might involve including any error codes you can see and the version of Windows that you’re running). We’d also recommend taking a look at our PC Help blog, which covers a wealth of popular queries.
(For a full guide to Windows 7, order the Essential Windows 7 Handbook 2nd Edition, on sale now from newsagents and online.)
