How to Fix a No-Input Signal to a Computer

1. Turn off your computer.

2. Unplug the cable running from your monitor to your PC and plug it back in, making sure the connection is firm. The most common cause of this error is a loose cable.

3. Reattach the cable running from your monitor to your PC. If the monitor is still not displaying a signal after firmly reattaching the cable, the problem could lie with the cable, especially if the cable has visible damage.

4. Replace your monitor with another monitor if possible. If the "No Input Signal" error still appears, the problem does not rest with the cables or the monitor, but with your PC.

5. Open your PC case and locate your video card. Remove the card and then replace it firmly in its slot or, if possible, insert the video card into another slot on your motherboard. A video card that is not making a firm connection will not display images to the monitor. Close your PC case and test the monitor again.

6. Replace your video card completely. Your video card may suffer from internal damage that is not allowing it to output a signal.

Tips

If you are still not receiving a signal even after replacing your video card, you may also need to replace the computer's power supply and, in a worst-case scenario, your computer's motherboard.
If your computer is still under warranty, arrange for an official repair before you open up your computer. Often, opening your computer yourself will void your warranty.

Warning
Always ground yourself by touching a metal object before touching any component in your PC case. Failure to properly ground yourself can result in damaged components.

How to Identify Which Hardware Component is Failing in Your Computer

Concluding that your computer has a hardware problem is just the first step. If you’re dealing with a hardware issue and not a software issue, the next step is determining what hardware problem you’re actually dealing with.

If you purchased a laptop or pre-built desktop PC and it’s still under warranty, you don’t need to care about this. Have the manufacturer fix the PC for you — figuring it out is their problem.

If you’ve built your own PC or you want to fix a computer that’s out of warranty, this is something you’ll need to do on your own.

Blue Screen 101: Search for the Error Message

RELATED: Everything You Need To Know About the Blue Screen of Death

This may seem like obvious advice, but searching for information about a blue screen’s error message can help immensely. Most blue screens of death you’ll encounter on modern versions of Windows will likely be caused by hardware failures. The blue screen of death often displays information about the driver that crashed or the type of error is encountered.

For example, let’s say you encounter a blue screen that identified “NV4_disp.dll” as the driver that caused the blue screen. A quick Google search will reveal that this is the driver for NVIDIA graphics cards, so you now have somewhere to start. It’s possible that your graphics card is failing if you encounter such an error message.

Check Hard Drive SMART Status

RELATED: How to See If Your Hard Drive Is Dying with S.M.A.R.T.

Hard drives have a built-in S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) feature. The idea is that the hard drive monitors itself and will notice if it starts to fail, providing you with some advance notice before the drive fails completely. This isn’t perfect so your hard drive may fail even if SMART says everything is okay.

If you see any sort of “SMART error” message, your hard drive is failing. You can use
 SMART analysis tools to view the SMART health status information your hard drives are reporting.



Test Your RAM

RAM failure can result in a variety of problems. If the computer writes data to RAM and the RAM returns different data because it’s malfunctioning, you may see application crashes, blue screens, and file system corruption.

To test your memory and see if it’s working properly, use Windows’ built-in Memory Diagnostic tool. The Memory Diagnostic tool will write data to every sector of your RAM and read it back afterward, ensuring that all your RAM is working properly.




Check Heat Levels

How hot is is on your computer? Overheating can result in blue screens, crashes, and abrupt shutdowns. Your computer may be overheating because you’re in a very hot location, it’s ventilated poorly, a fan has stopped inside your computer, or it’s full of dust.

Your computer monitors its own internal temperatures and you can access this information. It’s generally available in your computer’s BIOS, but you can also view it with system information utilities such as Speed Fan or Specy. Check your computer’s recommended temperature level and ensure it’s within the appropriate range.

If your computer is overheating, you may see problems only when you’re doing something demanding, such as playing a game that stresses your CPU and graphics card. Be sure to keep an eye on how hot your computer gets when it performs these demanding tasks, not only when it’s idle.



Stress Test Your CPU

You can use a utility like Prime95 to stress test your CPU. Such a utility will fare your computer’s CPU to perform calculations without allowing it to rest, working it hard and generating heat. If your CPU is becoming too hot, you’ll start to see errors or system crashes.

Overclockers use Prime95 to stress test their overclock settings — if Prime95 experiences errors, they throttle back on their overclocks to ensure the CPU runs cooler and more stable. It’s a good way to check if your CPU is stable under load.



Stress Test Your Graphics Card

Your graphics card can also be stress tested. For example, if your graphics driver crashes while playing games, the games themselves crash, or you see odd graphical corruption, you can run a graphics benchmark utility like 3DMark. The benchmark will stress your graphics card and, if it’s overheating or failing under load, you’ll see graphical problems, crashes, or blue screens while running the benchmark.

If the benchmark seems to work fine but you have issues playing a certain game, it may just be a problem with that game.





Swap it Out

Not every hardware problem is easy to diagnose. If you have a bad motherboard or power supply, their problems may only manifest through occasional odd issues with other components. It’s hard to tell if these components are causing problems unless you replace them completely.

Ultimately, the best way to determine whether a component is faulty is to swap it out. For example, if you think your graphics card may be causing your computer to blue screen, pull the graphics card out of your computer and swap in a new graphics card. If everything is working well, it’s likely that your previous graphics card was bad.

This isn’t easy for people who don’t have boxes of components sitting around, but it’s the ideal way to troubleshoot. Troubleshooting is all about trial and error, and swapping components out allows you to pin down which component is actually causing the problem through a process of elimination.

This isn’t a complete guide to everything that could likely go wrong and how to identify if — someone could write a full textbook on identifying failing components and still not cover everything. But the tips above should give you some places to start dealing with the more common problems.

How to Activate Windows 8

The quickest and easiest way to activate your copy of Windows 8 is to activate it over the Internet. If you do not have an Internet connection, or if it is inconvenient to make a network connection, see the Other ways to activate Windows 8 section of this document.

You must be signed in as an administrator to activate Windows 8. To activate Windows 8 over the Internet:

Log on to the computer as an administrator, and connect to the Internet.

Press the Windows + I keys to open the Settings charm.

Select Change PC settings 

n the lower-right corner of the screen.

In PC settings, select the Activate Windows tab.

The Activate Windows tab

NOTE:

Once Windows is activated, the Activate Windows tab will no longer appear in PC settings.

Select the Enter key button.

Enter key

If you used discs to install Windows 8, you might find the product key on the disc packaging. If you bought Windows 8 over the Internet, the product number might have been included in an email you received after purchasing and downloading Windows 8.If you have the Windows 8 disc packaging, apply the Windows 8 Certificate of Authenticity label to your computer for easy reference in the future.

6.Type the product key into the Product key field.

Entering a product key

Windows automatically detects whether the product key is valid.

Detecting the product key

If a User Account Control message appears, enter your password or provide confirmation.

7.If product activation is successful and a Thanks, you're all done message appears, click Close.

Windows is successfully activated

If activation was not successful, check the key and try entering it again, or continue to the Other ways to activate Window 8 section of this document.

Confirming that Windows was activated:

Follow the steps below if you want to verify that Windows activation was successful.

Press the Windows + I keys to open the Settings charm.

Select Change PC settings in the lower-right corner of the screen


Change PC settings

In PC Settings, select the PC and devices tab.

Selecting PC and devices

In PC and devices, select PC info.

In PC info, look under Windows in the right pane to confirm that Windows is activated.

Windows is activated



Adding features or getting a different edition of Windows 8:

You can add features to Windows 8, or get a different edition of Windows 8. From the Start screen, type adds features to open the Search charm, and then select Add features to Windows 8.1 from the search results. When the Add features to Windows 8.1 screen opens, follow the onscreen instructions.

Adding features to Windows 8.1

20 steps to improve your online security and stop hackers

Internet security: 20 ways to keep your personal data safe from online snoopers

The internet has changed our lives in countless positive ways, but it has a dark side. Personal privacy has been lost, leaving you at risk from shady individuals, companies and security agencies. But there are steps you can take to limit your exposure

What this means is that no form of electronic communication handled by commercial companies can now be assumed to be secure. In that sense, the NSA has really fouled the nest of the US internet industry. And it is even suspected that about 90% of communications routed through the TOR network are using encryption that may also have been hacked by the NSA. What can you do if you're someone who feels uneasy about being caught in this web? The honest answer is that there's no comprehensive solution: if you are going to use telephones (mobile or landline) and the internet then you are going to leave a trail. But there are things you can do to make your communications less insecure and your trail harder to follow. Here are 10 ideas you might consider.
TWENTY COMMANDMENTS: THE DOS AND DON'TS OF ONLINE SAFETY

1. Never click on a link you did not expect to receive

The golden rule. The main way criminals infect PCs with malware is by luring users to click on a link or open an attachment. "Sometimes phishing emails contain obvious spelling mistakes and poor grammar and are easy to spot," says Sidaway of Integralis. "However, targeted attacks and well-executed mass mailings can be almost indistinguishable [from genuine emails]." Social media has helped criminals profile individuals, allowing them to be much more easily targeted, he adds. "They can see what you're interested in or what you [post] about and send you crafted messages, inviting you to click on something. Don't."

2. Use different passwords on different sites

With individuals typically having anything up to 100 online accounts, the tendency has become to share one or two passwords across accounts or use very simple ones, such as loved ones' names, first pets or favorite sports teams. Indeed, research by Of com last month revealed that over half of UK adults (55%) use the same passwords for most, if not all, websites they visit, while one in four (26%) use birthdays or names as passwords. Any word found in the dictionary is easily crackable. Instead, says Sian John, online security consultant at Symantec, have one memorable phrase or a line from a favorite song or poem. For example: "The Observer is a Sunday newspaper" becomes "toiasn". Add numerals and a special character thus: "T0!asn". Now for every site, you log on to, add the first and last letter of that site to the start and end of the phrase, so the password for Amazon would be "AT0!and". At first glance, unsaleable. But for you, still memorable."

3. Never reuse your main email password

A hacker who has cracked your main email password has the keys to your [virtual] kingdom. Passwords from the other sites you visit can be reset via your main email account. A criminal can trawl through your emails and find a treasure trove of personal data: from banking to passport details, including your date of birth, all of which enables ID fraud. Identity theft is estimated to cost the UK almost £2bn a year.

4. Use anti-virus software

German security institute AV-Test found that in 2010 there were 49m new strains of malware, meaning that anti-virus software manufacturers are engaged in the constant game of "whack-a-mole". Sometimes their reaction times are slow – US security firm Imperva tested 40 anti-virus packages and found that the initial detection rate of a new virus was only 5%. Much like flu viruses and vaccine design, it takes the software designers a while to catch up with the hackers. Last year AV-Test published the results of a 22-month study of 27 different anti-virus suites and top-scoring packages were Bitdefender, Kaspersky, and F-Secure. Meanwhile, security expert Brian Krebs published the results of a study of 42 packages which showed on average a 25% detection rate of malware – so they are not the entire answer, just a useful part of it.

5. if in doubt, block

Just say no to social media invitations (such as Facebook-friend or LinkedIn connection requests) from people you don't know. It's the cyber equivalent of inviting the twitchy guy who looks at you at the bus stop into your home.

6. Think before you tweet and how you share information

Again, the principal risk is ID fraud. Trawling for personal details is the modern day equivalent of "dumpster-diving", in which strong-stomached thieves would trawl through bins searching for personal documents, says Symantec's John. "Many of the same people who have learned to shred documents like bank statements will happily post the same information on social media. Once that information is out there, you don't necessarily have control of how other people use it." She suggests a basic rule: "If you aren't willing to stand at Hyde Park Corner and say it, don't put it on social media."

7. If you have a "wipe your phone" feature, you should set it up

Features such as Find My iPhone, Android Lost or BlackBerry Protect allow you to remotely to erase all your personal data, should your device be lost or stolen. "Absolutely, set it up," advises Derek Halliday of mobile security specialist Lookout. "In the case where your phone is gone for good, having a wipe feature can protect your information from falling into the wrong hands. Even if you didn't have the foresight to sign up, many wipe your phone features can be implemented after the fact."

8. Only shop online on secure sites

Before entering your card details, always ensure that the locked padlock or unbroken key symbol is showing in your browser, cautions industry advisory body Financial Fraud Action UK. Additionally, the beginning of the online retailer's internet address will change from "HTTP" to "https" to indicate a connection is secure. Be wary of sites that change back to HTTP once you've logged on.




9. Don't assume banks will pay you back

 


Banks must refund a customer if he or she has been the victim of fraud unless they can prove that the customer has acted "fraudulently" or been "grossly negligent". Yet as with any case of fraud, the matter is always determined on an individual basis. "Anecdotally, a customer who has been a victim of a phishing scam by unwittingly providing a fraudster with their account details and passwords only to be later defrauded could be refunded," explains Michelle White man, spokesperson for the Payments Council, an industry body. "However, were they to fall victim to the same fraud in the future after their bank had educated them about how to stay safe, it is possible a subsequent refund won't be so straightforward. Underpayment services regulations, the onus is on the payment-service provider to prove that the customer was negligent, not vice versa. Credit card protection is provided under the Consumer Credit Act and offers similar protection."

10. Ignore pop-ups

Pop-ups can contain malicious software which can trick a user into verifying something. "[But if and when you do], a download will be performed in the background, which will install malware," says Sidaway. "This is known as a drive-by download. Always ignore pop-ups offering things like site surveys on e-commerce sites, as they are sometimes where the malcode is."

11. Be wary of public Wi-Fi

Most Wi-Fi hotspots do not encrypt information and once a piece of data leaves your device headed for a web destination, it is "in the clear" as it transfers through the air on the wireless network, says Symantec's Sian John. "That means any 'packet sniffer' [a program which can intercept data] or malicious individual who is sitting in a public destination with a piece of software that searches for data being transferred on a Wi-Fi network can intercept your unencrypted data. If you choose to bank online on public Wi-Fi, that's very sensitive data you are transferring. We advise either using encryption [software] or only using public Wi-Fi for data which you're happy to be public – and that shouldn't include social network passwords."

12. Run more than one email account




Thinking about having one for your bank and other financial accounts, another for shopping and one for social networks. If one account is hacked, you won't find everything compromised. And it helps you spot phishing emails because if an email appears in your shopping account purporting to come from your bank, for example, you'll immediately know it's a fake.

13. Macs are as vulnerable as PCs


Make no mistake, your shiny new MacBook Air can be attacked too. It's true that Macs used to be less of a target, simply because criminals used to go after the largest number of users – ie Windows – but this is changing. "Apple and Microsoft have both added a number of security features which have significantly increased the effectiveness of security on their software," says Sidaway, "but determined attackers are still able to find new ways to exploit users on almost any platform."

14. Don't store your card details on websites

Err on the side of caution when asked if you want to store your credit card details for future use. Mass data security breaches (where credit card details are stolen en masse) aren't common, but why take the risk? The extra 90 seconds it takes to key in your details each time is a small price to pay.

15. Add a DNS service to protect other devices

A DNS or domain name system service converts a web address (a series of letters) into a machine-readable IP address (a series of numbers). You're probably using your ISP's DNS service by default, but you can opt to subscribe to a service such as OpenDNS or Norton ConnectSafe, which redirect you if you attempt to access a malicious site, says Sian John. "This is helpful for providing some security (and parental control) across all the devices in your home including tablets, TVs and games consoles that do not support security software. But they shouldn't be relied upon as the only line of defense, as they can easily be bypassed."

16. Enable two-step verification

If your email or cloud service offers it – Gmail, Dropbox, Apple, and Facebook to – take the trouble to set this up. In addition to entering your password, you are also asked to enter a verification code sent via SMS to your phone. In the case of Gmail, you only have to enter a fresh code every 30 days or when you log on from a different computer or device. So a hacker might crack your password, but without the unique and temporary verification code should not be able to access your account.

17. Lock your phone and tablet devices

Keep it locked, just as you would your front door. Keying in a password or code 40-plus times a day might seem like a hassle but, says Lookout's Derek Halliday, "It's your first line of defense." Next-generation devices, however, are set to employ fingerprint scanning technology as additional security.

18. Be careful on auction sites

On these sites, in particular, says Symantec's Sian John, exercise vigilance. "Check the seller feedback and if a deal looks too good then it may well be," she says. "Keep your online payment accounts secure by regularly changing your passwords, checking the bank account to which it is linked and consider having a separate bank account or credit card for use on them, to limit any potential fraud still further."

19. Lock down your Facebook account



Facebook regularly updates its timeline and privacy settings, so it is wise to monitor your profile, particularly if the design of Facebook has changed. Firstly, in the privacy settings menu, under "who can see my stuff?" change this to "friends" (be warned: setting this to "friends of friends" means that, according to one Pew study, on average you are sharing information with 156,569 people). Also in privacy, setting "limit old posts" applies friends-only sharing to past as well as future posts. Thirdly, disable the ability of other search engines to link to your timeline.

You should also review the activity log, which shows your entire history of posts and allows you to check who can see them. Similarly, you should look at your photo albums and check you're happy with the sharing settings for each album. In the future you may want to consider building "lists" – subsets of friends, such as close friends and family, who you might want to share toddler photographs with, rather than every Tom, Dick, and Harriet.

Also, remove your home address, phone number, date of birth and any other information that could be used to fake your identity. Similarly, you might want to delete or edit your "likes" and "groups" – the more hackers know about you, the more convincing a phishing email they can spam you with. Facebook apps often share your data, so delete any you don't use or don't remember installing. Finally, use the "view as" tool to check what the public or even a particular individual can see on your profile, continue to "edit" and adjust to taste. If this all sounds rather tedious, you just might prefer to permanently delete your account.

20. Remember you're human after all

While much of the above are technical solutions to prevent you being hacked and scammed, hacking done well is really the skill of tracking human beings, not computers, by preying on their gullibility, taking advantage of our trust, greed or altruistic impulses. Human error is still the most likely reason why you'll get hacked.

UPS and Power Inverter Problems with Solutions

 
UPS / Power Inverter is not turning on.


Possible Cause & Remedy:

1- Power switch is defective. Take it to service center for repair.

2- UPS / Inverter is tripped. Press Trip reset button on UPS / Inverter to reset it.

3- Battery is not connected. Connect the battery.

4- Battery terminals are loose. Check battery terminals.

5- Battery terminals are corroded or rusty. Clean them.

6- Battery is weak. If it is old, replace it. Otherwise, charge it.

6- Battery is discharged. Charge it for several hours before putting it to work.

7- Battery is faulty. Replace battery.

8- Battery terminals are reversed. Connect terminals correctly. Refer to user’s manual for details.






Battery is not getting charged.

Possible Cause & Remedy:

1- Battery is dead. Replace battery.

2- Rectifiers are burnt. Take UPS / Inverter to service centre for repair.

3- Fuses are melted. Replace them.

4- Battery connection is loose. Check battery terminals for corrosion. Clean them and clamp them firmly.




Backup time is shortened.


Possible Cause & Remedy:

1- Too much power consumption. Disconnect extra load.

2- Battery has worn out. Change battery.

3- Battery is not properly charged. Charge it. If charger appears to be faulty, get UPS / Inverter fixed.

4- Battery has lost electrolyte. Top up flooded lead acid battery with distilled water regularly. Sealed (dry or maintenance free) battery requires replacement.





UPS / Power Inverter works only in inverter mode.


Possible Cause & Remedy:

1- Input is not connected. Check power cable.

2- Fuse is melted. Change it.

3- Input protector is effective. Reset input protector.

4- Input is too high to be accepted. Check input voltage.

5- Input is too low to be accepted. Check input voltage.




Alarm buzzer beeps continuously.


Possible Cause & Remedy:

1- Overload. Disconnect extra load.

2- Cooling fan is stuck. Take UPS / Inverter to service center or service it yourself.

3- Battery terminals are wrongly connected. Refer to user’s manual for details






.LCD displays fault code.


Possible Cause & Remedy:1- Internal problem. UPS / Inverter circuit needs to be repaired.

2- External problem. Check battery cables, input and output wires, load etc. Correct any fault generating error. (Read user’s manual to determine fault code and its remedy)


Hear noise coming out of UPS / Power Inverter.

Possible Cause & Remedy:

1- Wind noise. It is normal.

2- Fan is noisy. Clean fan. If problem persists, replace it or get it done by trained personnel.

3- Humming noise produced by non pure sine wave UPS or Inverter. It is normal.

LCD/LED indicates overload.



Possible Cause & Remedy:


1- Devices drawing excessive power. Remove high power consuming devices

2- Shorted circuit causing overload error. Check if phase and neutral are joined together in wiring

3- Internally damaged. Needs repairing.

How to Speed up your Computer

Step 1: Remove Malware, Spyware, and Adware

Malware, spyware, and adware can slow down your computer tremendously. Though there are many free utilities out there that can scan your computer and remove these nasty critters, I personally recommend Microsoft Security Essentials because it is a free antivirus, malware scanner, keylogger scanner, and much more.

Download at here:http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security-essentials-download

Step 2: Run Error Checking

From time to time, it is a good idea to check your mechanical hard drive(s) for errors; that is damaged files that can slow down drive access speeds.

To access the error checking utility, open up My Computer, right-click a drive icon, and select "Properties" and then “Tools". Now press “Check now” in the “Error-checking” section. The utility will then scan the drive. This process can take several minutes to complete.

I recommend running the error check periodically (every few months) on any mechanical drives that are in use regularly.

Step 3: Clean Up Unnecessary Files

Removing unnecessary files from your computer can boost its performance. To do this, I recommend using CCleaner. CCleaner (short for Crap Cleaner originally, I believe) is a free, easy to use maintenance utility for Windows. I’ve used it for years to remove “junk” files from my computer without any troubles.

Download at here:http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download

Once downloaded and installed, launch the application. You should be on the "Cleaner" tab. Press the "Analyze" button. After a few minutes, CCleaner will display a list of files (Temporary Internet Files, Cookies, Windows Log Files, etc.) that it can remove to free up disk space. Now press "Run Cleaner". When the cleaning is finished, close the application.

For advanced users: CCleaner also has a built-in registry cleaner (on the Registry tab), and the ability to control which applications are launched automatically when Windows is started (Tools | Startup), both of which can speed up the boot time of your computer. This is not recommended for beginners.

Step 4: Uninstall Unused Programs



Removing programs you don’t need can free up disk space and speed up your computer’s boot time. To do this, open the Start menu, select Control Panel, then select "Add/Remove Programs" or" Programs and Features" (depending on your version of Windows).

Uninstall any applications that you know for sure you don’t use/need. For beginners, I recommend you play it safe. If you’re not absolutely sure what a specific program is/does, do not uninstall it. Uninstalling some programs may require a reboot.

Step 5: Disable Visual Effects

Disabling Windows visual effects like window animations fades and slides, etc. will lessen the visual appeal of Windows, but can boost the performance of your computer a bit, especially if your computer is a few (6+) years old. To do this, follow the instructions for your version of Windows below:

Windows XP - Right click on “My Computer”, select “Properties”, then select the “Advanced” tab. Now click the “Settings” button under the “Performance” section. In the “Performance Options” window, go to the “Visual Effects” tab, choose "Adjust for best performance", then press OK.

Windows Vista - Click the Start button, and then select “Control Panel”. Now select “System and Maintenance” and then “Performance Information and Tools”. Now click “Adjust visual effects”. Finally, click the “Visual Effects” tab, and then choose "Adjust for best performance".

Windows 7 - Click the Start button, and then select “Control Panel”. Now select “System” (or “System and Security”), and then “Advanced system settings” on the left. On the Advanced tab, click on “Settings” under the “Performance” section. Now choose “Adjust for best performance” and press OK.

Note: You can also select the "Custom" option and try turning on/off the different settings to see which visual/performance options you can live without, and which ones seem to improve your Windows experience in terms of speed and responsiveness.

Step 6: Set Energy Settings to High Performance

Windows has Power/Energy settings that can be configured to allow your computer to favor performance over energy savings or vice versa. To access these settings, go to your Control Panel and select Power Options. Select the “High Performance” option to squeeze a little more juice out of your computer.


Step 7: Make Sure Windows Is Up to Date

In general, it is a good idea to keep Windows and your most commonly used applications up to date so that they can run optimally. To keep Windows up to date, use Windows Update, usually located in your Start menu under "All Programs". You can also set Windows to download and install updates automatically through this same interface (pictured above).

As for other software applications you use regularly, you have at least two basic options:

* Some applications have a built-in feature to update themselves. If so, use this feature.
* Periodically, download and install the latest version of the application from the developer’s official wbsite.


Step 8: Disk Derangement

With mechanical drives, it is recommended that you defragment the hard drive from time to time so that files can be accessed faster. If the computer is frequently in use, I recommend defragmentation every month or two, and less often if not used very frequently.

To open the Disk Defragmenter, go to “My Computer”, right-click a drive icon, and select "Properties". On the “Tools” tab, press “Defragment now”.

The utility will then clean up fragmented files and free up some space on the drive. This process could take several hours depending on the size of the drive and number of files on the drive, so I recommend starting this process before you go to bed or plan to be away from the computer for a while.
Step 9: Consider Using Open-Source Software

Open-source software is often faster and more lightweight than bulky, expensive commercial software applications/suites. The list below displays just a few of the open source alternatives to commonly used Windows applications.

Commercial Open-source alternative
Microsoft Office OpenOffice
Microsoft Outlook Thunderbird
Adobe Illustrator Inkscape
Adobe Acrobat PDFCreator
Adobe Photoshop GIMP
Skype QuteCom
iTunes Songbird
McAfee VirusScan ClamWin

Switching to open-source software is easy. Simply bring up Google.com in your favorite browser and search for “open source alternatives”. You will find thousands of websites that provide information about open-source alternatives as well as links to download them.

Step 10: Clean Install

If t

he previous steps haven’t left your computer feeling any faster, you may want to consider reinstalling Windows and starting fresh. I usually consider this a last resort, but it can help to get that “new computer feel” back. In fact, many advanced users do this routinely (every 6 months to a year) so their computers are running in tip-top shape.




Step 11: Consider More Memory (RAM) or a Solid State Drive (SSD)

If you still don’t notice a significant performance increase in your computer after following this tutorial, it may be that your hardware needs a little upgrade as well. Increasing the memory (RAM) in the computer is one upgrade that can improve your Windows experience, particularly when it comes to multitasking.

Swapping out your mechanical primary drive for an SSD (solid state drive) can also boost performance significantly because data can be read and written to your hard disk much faster.

If you decide you want to purchase more RAM or upgrade to an SSD, I recommend consulting with a PC specialist before purchasing and installing the parts. New parts need to be compatible with your computer and installed properly.

How to Fix “No Internet Access” Error on Windows 10, 8, Fix Reddit Error: 503, 405, 403, 504, how to Fix Them

 Read on, if this problem has ever been an obstacle to your online activity.

We’ve all had it happen, before. At one moment, you’re happily scrolling through your Facebook feed, zeroing out your email inbox, or clicking through content on your favorite websites. Then, one link fails to load. You try another one. Suddenly, you can’t connect to your email server. You slowly realize, through trial and error, that you can’t connect to anything. Your computer seems healthy. Your modem and router are both blinking healthy, green lights.


What’s the issue, then? Windows isn’t telling you what to do about this particular problem, so what’s the next step?

Thankfully, we’ve organized all of our troubleshooting into a list of easy steps, below. While this particular problem is occasionally indicative of hardware failure, or something else very serious, it’s usually something that can be resolved quite simply. Wireless cards can occasionally have software driver errors and require a reset. Sometimes, Windows operating system updates will cause conflicts in your connectivity but can be easily resolved.


No Internet Connection?!

Any computer hardware engineer will be quick to tell you — our online services and activities are almost blessedly automated. Browsing the web, sending emails, or even performing more advanced functions requires only minimal input from the user. The systems that we have in place — the basic functions of Internet connectivity — take care of all the rest of it. That means that we can perform quite a few online functions without having any idea about the technical wizardry that’s behind it.

In most cases, that’s something to be thankful for. When something goes wrong, however, it can prove troublesome, since we don’t know where to even begin if we want to resolve it.
Windows is pretty good about letting us know when there’s a problem, at least. The message “No Internet Connection” will pop up in your web browser or online client, usually accompanied by an error code specifying the nature of the problem. The operating system has built-in troubleshooting features that have become increasingly more useful, too. Windows 10, in particular, is very good at resolving operating system problems with only a minuscule amount of effort necessary on part of the user.

1.Errors in your modem or router.

2.Service interruption from your ISP.

3.Conflicts in software drivers, for your computer’s hardware.

4.DNS (domain name system) lookup errors.

5.Local wireless interference.

6.Windows update errors.

7.Hardware failures (a rare circumstance, thankfully!)


Below, we’re going to work through the various things that you can do to resolve this issue, beginning with the simplest, and ending with the most difficult. We’ll cap it off with some suggestions for how to best contact your ISP if we determine that the issue isn’t with your hardware or software, but with their services.

After all, if you’re paying for a persistent, high-speed internet connection, it’s absolutely within your right as a customer to expect your ISP to resolve any errors on their end, as swiftly as they can!

Restart Your Computer

This might seem like a no-brainier, but it’s a good first step. Occasionally, restarting your computer will resolve the issue entirely, since it also allows your network adapter to restart, and your online services to reconnect anew.

Additionally, you will want to check in on your Windows operating system updates, before resetting your computer. In some cases, network issues can be prompted by something as simple as your computer requiring a reboot, after beginning the installation of OS updates. 

Use the Windows Search bar to search for Windows Updates. Check to see if your computer is requesting a restart.

In the Start Menu, select the Power option, followed by Restart. Allow your computer to shut down, and then reboot. After, check to see if you’re now able to connect to the internet. If not, then we can continue — with the reassurance that Windows has installed all necessary updates, to boot!

Windows Network Troubleshooter

Next, you’re going to want to run your Windows Network Troubleshooter. This is a tool that’s become increasingly useful with each successive iteration of Windows, but even if you’re using Windows 7, it’s still quite a strong feature.

In the Windows Search bar, type in “Network Troubleshooter,” and then select it from the list. In the window that follows, select Identify and repair network problems.
Reset Your Modem and Router

It’s a good idea to regularly reset your modem and router, to ditch cached information and free up your bandwidth. However, if you’re running into the “No Internet Connection” issue, we recommend that you do it as part of these troubleshooting steps.

Find your modem and router, and more specifically, where each of them is connected to a power source. Unplug them, and allow them to remain powered off for 30 to 60 seconds.



Running a ping test will help you to further determine the nature of this problem. It’s fairly easy to do, too!


Open the Windows Command Prompt by typing “cmd” in the Windows Search bar. Ensure that you right-click it so that you can select “Run as Administrator.” 1.Within the Command Prompt, type ipconfig.
2.Find the IP address next to “Default Gateway” and make a note of it.
3.Next, type ping [default gateway], and replace the brackets and text with the IP address from above.
4.Your computer will now attempt to ping the IP address several times. You’ll give given a detailed report of packets received and lost, which you should also make note of.
5.If the ping is successful, and you have no lost packets (but still can’t connect to the internet) it’s time to contact your ISP.

Contacting Your ISP

The idea of being on-hold, waiting for an operator from your ISP sounds like a drag, but it might be necessary if you want to figure out why you’re unable to contact the internet. Check your most recent bill from your ISP for a service number, and give them a call.

Seeing that “No Internet Connection” error can be quite the bummer, but we hope that the above troubleshooting steps have helped you to resolve it. Windows 7, 8, and 10 contain fairly comprehensive diagnostic tools, and where they’re lacking, some fuss and elbow grease no your router and modem can also help to fix the issue.

Reddit is one of the most popular sites on the Internet, but over the past couple of years, users have been complaining about error codes such as 503, 405, 403, 504, etc. This all are similar in what they do to you so I will be teaching you today how to fix them each. There will be some general tips that may work for all of them and some specifics. They all are essentially telling you that you can’t connect to their server for whatever reason, which can be extremely annoying, especially if you are a diehard Redditor like myself. So if you want help fixing these errors then you’ve come to the right place.

What Is Reddit?

Reddit is personally one of my favorite websites out there because of all it has to offer. Its slogan is “the front page of the Internet” and that is definitely true. It has information on any subject matter that you could possibly think of. When I say any, I mean anything. News, humor, job-specific pages, skills, DIY projects, fan theories, the list goes on and on. If you’d like to read about the most interesting subreddits written by yours truly, check out this article.

Each of these subjects has their own “subreddits” as they are called and anyone can post them. That’s what makes this site so unique. Once you post on a page, people can like, dislike it, or leave a comment, which can lead to a long thread of interesting commentary and discussions. It’s basically the most massive forum online, with interesting discussions taking place all the time about interesting subjects.

It started out back in 2005 as a desktop only site but has since moved to including an iOS app as well as an Android one on the Google Play Store. I mention that to make the point that these errors are not specific to either of these versions, but can happen whether you are using your desktop computer or your mobile device.

It’s kind of funny, but I actually got a lot of these solutions that I’ll get to later from Reddit. They have subreddits about Reddit and these solutions are ones that other users recommended as they said they worked for them.





What Are all of These Errors?

These errors are all similar in nature and there are a couple of small details that separate them, which can be difficult to see. Here’s a brief overview of what exactly these common errors mean and what exactly they are telling you.






503 & 504

503 and 504 are so similar that the difference between them is technicand beyond the average users grasp, so I’ll be including them together in this post. Probably the most common error on this list and as you can see from the screenshot above, these errors tell you that their servers are busy. You really wouldn’t expect this to be common for such a massive website like Reddit but unfortunately, it is all too common. The worst part about it is that there’s not much you can do to fix it, except try again in a couple of minutes.

405

405 occurs when you are trying to post something on a page. It won’t let you post and this error will come up which can be super annoying if an awesome thought popped into your head. It’s not as bad at 503 or 504 though, because at least you can still access and view the site.


403
This one also occurs when you are trying to post in a subreddit, but for a different reason. The message will read that you are “forbidden” from doing so, and it usually means that you are banned. So it’s not as much as an error message as it is telling you that you were banned for some reason.

How to Fix Them

I already touched on that there are some solutions that you should try first for all of these as they are all similar errors. If you try those and you are still receiving this error, then move on to the more general solutions for the individual error

General Solution


Solution #1 – Reinstall the App


This one is obviously only relevant if you are using the app and if you are this may do the trick. Simply just delete the app from your smartphone and then download it again. You’d be surprised how effective this step which takes only a couple of minutes can be.


Solution #2 – Try Accessing It With a Different Web Browser

This is essentially the desktop version of the step above. Several of these errors are web browser specific, so exit out and try all of your other web browsers to see if that will work.

Error Specific Solutions


Many times the two general solutions above will fix the problem. However, if they don’t, consider trying these steps which are specific to each error.503 & 504



405

The biggest thing that usually gets rid of this error message is to use Reddit on Chrome as most commonly it happens while using Firefox or Safari. That goes along with solution number 2 above. It also effects mobile commonly, so if you get this error using the mobile app, then consider trying to access Reddit in the browser on your phone.

403

So as you can see from the description of this error, it is telling you that you are banned from posting on whatever subreddit. This isn’t so much an error as it is telling you information. If you have an idea about why you might be banned, like posting inappropriate or vulgar content or posting false information, then these are all reasons why the moderator of a subreddit might ban you. If that’s the case, then there’s really nothing you can do, as it’s your fault you got banned in the first place.

However, if you have absolutely no clue as to why you were banned, consider contacting the moderator and asking. It may be an error or they may have done so by mistake.

Also, one feature that most people aren’t aware of, is an auto-ban feature that some subreddits enable. It works like this. If you post anything in a subreddit deemed offensive, then you are automatically banned from the other subreddit. Not many have this and I wasn’t even aware of this and it can confuse people as to why they are banned. Check to see if this subreddit has it; it’s usually in the description.

Summing up this section, here’s the worst but honest truth about these errors. Sometimes, there’s just simply nothing that you can do about fixing them, and calling customer support of any kind won’t do you any good. Reddit is a simple but immensely popular site and sometimes their servers are just overloaded. If you’ve gone through all of these solutions and you are still getting this error, then my best recommendation would be to just walk away and come back in an hour. It should be back up and run by then.


Conclusion


Many times the errors we talk about here aren’t that common and you probably won’t ever experience them when using whatever the system is. For instance, there are many Windows codes we have detailed, but you may have never even gotten one even if you’ve been a PC user for life


Unfortunately, that’s just not the case with Reddit. Users have reported about several of these errors happening very frequently, like 50% of the time they log in. These reports are mostly from around a year ago and it appears that Reddit has done a somewhat decent job in fixing these. However, if you use Reddit a lot, the chances are high that you may receive one of this errors at least at some point.


That was my purpose for writing this article. Because out of all the error codes on this site you may be using this article the most. It’s important that you know how to do these quickly, so you don’t spend all of your time trying to fix these annoying problems. You can also see that they are actually quite easy solutions that anyone with basic computer skills can do. The worst part is that many of these are simply not fixable as you’ll have to wait for the ones out that have to do with overloaded servers.