A brand new Windows 10 computer isn’t necessarily free of errors. Even with the best system configurations and all components upgraded, a Windows 10 computer can become a headache to operate.
With a Windows 10 PC, you may face several problems on a daily basis. From turning the computer on to shutting it down, these issues are temporary and can be fixed easily. Even so, you’ll find a lot of these problems common between your computer and some other Windows 10 system.
Here’s our take on the most common Windows 10 problems that you may face at some point or another. And, with that, you’ll learn how to get these problems fixed with some simple steps.
Troubleshooting the Most Common Windows 10 Problems (2019 Guide)
The Windows 10 operating system is packed with a lot of pros, and at the same time, riddled with a significant number of cons. Simply put, you can download a cool new app from the Windows Store only to face difficulties while installing and using it.
So, let’s work our way through these common Windows 10 problems and get them fixed one by one.
1. Computer won’t turn on
As a problem, there’s nothing more common than having a computer that won’t even start. You push the power button and wait for your Windows 10 computer to turn on but to no avail.
When your Windows 10 computer doesn’t start normally, it gets stuck at the bootup stage. Now, you can press the Esc or F2 keys to go to the BIOS menu and boot your PC in Safe Mode .
It can also be the case of corrupted system files. You can scan your PC for corrupted files to see if it helps the system boot up normally. Also, make sure to check the health of your hard drives . Faulty drives can disable Windows 10’s boot up sequence and stop necessary system files from loading.
You can also disable the Fast Startup feature if your Windows 10 is taking time to boot up. Removing the recent update or uninstalling new apps can also fix Windows 10 that won’t start .
2. Keyboard or mouse doesn’t work
Once your Windows 10 computer starts booting up in normal mode, you need a mouse and keyboard to operate it. Some users can face basic hardware issues that circle around these two devices.
Mouse or other pointing devices can easily go missing on a Windows 10 computer. Especially after installing some recent updates , you need a fix for the disappearing mouse cursor .
Besides this, another basic issue with your mouse is its sluggish speed. You’ll face mouse lagging while using a software suite or running some unsafe apps. To fix this, check your mouse device for faults.
You can also tweak some settings to fix mouse lagging on your computer.
It is difficult to operate Windows 10 without a mouse. You can still use some keyboard shortcuts to navigate through files and carry out simple tasks. But, when your keyboard goes out of order, it puts your Windows 10 PC out of action.
To fix this, you can replace the keyboard on your PC or test it on another system to find the fault. However, fixing a keyboard on Windows 10 laptops is a bit trickier.
Also, follow some pro tips on how to maintain laptops and avoid such keyboard and mouse issues in the future.
3. Not enough disk space
Don’t compromise on the disk space and system memory of your computer. You can avoid several problems if you have enough disk space on your Windows 10 PC.
With insufficient disk space , you can face issues while installing updates or running new apps. You can fix this shortage of disk space in two ways –
- Expanding your hard drive with additional memory
- Disabling unwanted processes that take up more disk space
If you can’t add more disk space to your computer, then learn a few ways to manage your hard drives. You can use a disk partition tool to manage your hard drive storage.
You can also run registry cleaner tools and clear up unwanted system files. If your computer is running low on disk space, Windows may even face problems while recognizing an external hard drive .
The best way to manage disk space is clearing out unwanted processes running in the background. Open the Task Manager program and remove background apps to fix the 100% disk usage .
4. Removing a defective Windows Update
System upgrades are supposed to improve your computer, but that hasn’t been the case for the Windows 10 operating system.
Microsoft’s latest Windows 10 updates are troubling users and giving rise to more problems.
If you have recently used Windows Update to install an upgrade and started facing some issues, then you need to remove the update immediately.
There are different ways to remove updates on Windows 10 . It is good if you discard the updates manually, instead of using third-party tools for the removal.
For hardware updates, you can use driver updater tools to perform safe installations.
Automatic installation of updates is also a common problem in Windows 10 computers. You won’t even when an update got installed and started messing up your computer. To fix this —
Microsoft’s working on software patches to fix the bugs with its latest updates . Till these developments are put into effect, you can stay away from installing any further updates.
5. Facing multiple Blue Screens of Death (BSOD)
Getting stuck with a blue screen is probably the most frustrating problem for Windows 10 users. There’s a reason why it is termed the “ Blue Screen of Death ”.
To fix this, you first need to know everything about BSODs . There’s no single solution to fix Blue Screens on Windows 10.
Each blue screen error has a specific fix for it, and you can’t disable these screens like any other feature on Windows 10. These screens will continue to show up on your desktop from time to time, whenever you face a system error.
6. When a DLL File is missing
A lot of us don’t know much about Dynamic Link Libraries (DLLs) till we come across an error message that reads – “ The program cannot start because a ***.dll file is missing .”
A missing DLL file is a common error in Windows 10 and happens mostly while opening an app .
You can reinstall the app or program to fix this issue. You can also manually locate the missing DLL file on your computer and place it in its default destination.
However, there’s no fixed way to retrieve each and every DLL file that goes missing.
When a DLL is missing on your Windows 10, you need to try out various ways , with each method being trickier than the other.
7. Unwanted extensions and pop-ups on your browser
Web browsers can bring down your Windows 10 experience significantly. Some browser would stop working after installing Windows 10 updates. In others, you may face problems like –
- unable to load web pages
- downloading media files fails at 99%
- takes too long to redirect to your online user accounts
A bigger problem is your browser overloaded with extensions and plug-ins. Google Chrome, in particular, is a browser that keeps installing unwanted extensions for you.
When you remove or disable unwanted extensions and plug-ins , Google Chrome becomes lighter and loads pages faster. This helps you avoid further browser-related problems.
You need to get rid of these extensions if you want your computer to remain free from malware.
Excessive pop-ups being thrown up on browsers is also a problem for Windows 10 users. You need to remove malware pop-up ads on Chrome and extend your online engagement.
Without pop-ups, you won’t get distracted while browsing through web pages.
If you are looking for ways to keep your Windows 10 browsers problem-free, consider clearing the browser caches and removing the browser history from time to time.
8. The classic “Page Not Found” (404) Error
As discussed earlier, if you are unable to load a web page on your browser, then you have a major Windows 10 problem. The 404 error is a common issue for browsers on Windows 10.
You get an error message that reads – ‘Page Not Found’. This error is a little tricky to fix since it is a client-side mess up. You can’t do much about this error as your browser was unable to access the web page from the client server.
It either means that the current URL of the webpage has been removed or deactivated, or you’ve typed it incorrectly.
So, check for the latter and re-enter the URL again to load the webpage. Also, if the webpage is moved to a different address (URL), then you may face a similar 404 ‘Page Not Found’ error on Windows 10.
9. Files get opened in wrong apps
You expect an app to open properly when you double-click on its icon. Likewise, you’d want a file to open in its default program whenever you double-tap it.
On Windows 10, however, some files can randomly open in wrong apps. This strange behavior is a result of interference from security programs such as antivirus software or third-party programs.
Try disabling the antivirus software to see if you are able to open files in the correct apps on Windows 10.
10. Too many desktop notifications
Windows 10 has an Action Center that keeps you in pace with the latest updates.
Desktop notifications are the only way for Windows 10 to let you know about new app launches, interesting offers, critical system errors, and status of your hardware.
You may find these notifications distracting. So, to get rid of too many desktop notifications on Windows 10, you can selectively disable this feature for some apps.
- Open the Start menu and click on the gear icon
- In the Settings window, go to Notifications and Actions section
- Use the toggle switch to disable notifications for specific apps
Make sure you don’t disable notifications for apps and services that require instant action from your side.
11. Can’t play videos (from DVDs)
This problem is common in almost every Windows operating system.
You can’t play videos from DVDs or other sources directly. Now, in earlier Windows versions, new programs helped users to play videos from DVDs and external sources such as hard drives, memory sticks, etc.
In Windows 10, you need a roundabout fix to solve this issue. The Windows Media Player won’t be of any help when you want to play high-quality videos. So, get this issue fixed with two ways -
- Download a media player that supports all video formats on Windows 10
- Update your display adapter (driver software) to support high-end video-graphics
The quickest way to play DVD videos on Windows 10 is downloading a universal media player like VLC and getting the right codex to run different multimedia files.
12. “Printer Offline” issues
You’d hate to find out that some devices that aren’t able to connect easily to your Windows 10. Among them, printers are having the most problem connecting to a Windows 10 computer.
It’s mostly a case of printer going offline on your computer. Now, you can get printer online on Windows 10 with some simple steps, but that won’t guarantee you not facing printer issues any longer.
You may have to face a similar ordeal the next time you connect a new printer to your Windows 10 PC.
13. Default privacy settings are not good enough
By default, the privacy settings on Windows 10 are not strong enough. You may still unknowingly allow other apps and websites to access your personal data.
To make your privacy settings better on Windows 10,
- Go to Start menu and open Settings window (click on the gear icon)
- Navigate to the Privacy section
- Review the settings under – General , Camera , Location and more
- Now, switch the toggle to adjust your privacy preferences for each of these settings
This is a simple way to improve privacy settings on your Windows 10 PC and avoid any data security problems.
14. System Restore goes missing
If you’ve used Windows 10 for a while and have started facing several problems, then you can use the System Restore feature. It helps you retrieve an earlier version or older state of your Windows 10 system.
Your PC becomes brand new and doesn’t get bugged with the problems you had earlier. You can also use this feature to restore Firewall settings on your Windows 10 computer.
Sadly, the worst part of this feature is that it may go missing from your computer. In many cases, the System Restore option on a Windows 10 computer has gone missing.
To get back System Restore on your PC,
- Open the Start menu
- Type ‘ system restore ’ in the search box and click on ‘ Create a restore point ’
- In the System Properties window, go to the System Protection tab
- Select C: drive and click on Configure
- Hit the radio icon near the option that says - Turn on system protection
- Now, move the slider and set restore points for the hard drive — usually keep it in 5-10% range
Now, you’ve turned on System Restore on your PC and it will take some time for Windows 10 to roll back. Don’t shut down your PC when the System Restore is running.
15. Computer takes time to run apps
Lastly, you’ll be bummed out to use Windows 10 that does everything slowly. An operating system is supposed to be fast, but Windows 10 can become really sluggish after a while.
Start using tips to fix a slow Windows 10 PC and make sure you follow them as much as possible. Also, adjust your system configurations to match up your processing requirements. If you use Windows 10 for software development, video editing or other heavy tasks, then optimize your PC’s performance in terms of memory, CPU, GPU, and other parameters.
Please feel free to share your problems on Windows 10 with us by commenting below.