Ever notice how each PC has a personality of its own? Or maybe even multiple personalities? In the course of a week, your computer may act friendly, moody, and sometimes downright mean.However, don’t take a hammer to your PC just yet. The following is a list of common symptoms and treatments to help even the most troublesome PCs. You don’t even have to be a psychologist (at least not yet) to deal with your PC’s neuroses
Problem 1: You keep getting a “your system is running low on virtual memory” message
Perhaps you’re more than familiar with this scenario: You’re working on your PC and notice performance getting gradually slower and slower. Programs become harder to open and close. You wait forever for Web pages to be displayed. And then, you get some serious-sounding “virtual memory is too low” message. Don’t worry: This message isn’t as scary as it sounds.
Perhaps you’re more than familiar with this scenario: You’re working on your PC and notice performance getting gradually slower and slower. Programs become harder to open and close. You wait forever for Web pages to be displayed. And then, you get some serious-sounding “virtual memory is too low” message. Don’t worry: This message isn’t as scary as it sounds.
out-of-memory-message
Virtual memory is the space your computer uses when it’s short of RAM (Random Access Memory), which is the memory used when running programs like Microsoft Office Word or Microsoft Office PowerPoint. So what can you do to correct this problem and prevent this message from coming up in the future?
Bump up the virtual memory size on your computer.
Add more RAM to your computer. If you keep getting that dreaded “Your system is running low on virtual memory” message-even after you increase your computer’s virtual memory-then you may need to buy more memory for your computer. I recommend a minimum of 1 GB but 2 GB or more is better.
If you would like me to take care of this for you, let me know.
Problem 2: Your windows slide off the desktop – and you can’t grab them
We’re all familiar with moving program windows around the desktop. You can click-and-hold the window’s title bar to move it around. But what do you do when you accidentally move a window’s title bar off the desktop so you can’t grab it anymore? The window is stuck in that inconvenient position. You’re going to use your keyboard to move a window.
- Select the program window you’re trying to move,
and then press ALT+SPACEBAR on your keyboard. The program’s shortcut menu is displayed. - Click Move.
- Use your left arrow, right arrow, up arrow, or down arrow keys to move the window so you can see its title bar on your screen.
- After you move the window where you want it, press Enter.
Problem 3: You taskbar has disappeared
The taskbar is that horizontal bar at the bottom or your computer screen that displays open programs on your desktop. The taskbar also contains the Start menu, which allows you to navigate to various programs installed on your computer. In many ways, it’s your command central.
Thus, there’s nothing more frustrating than going to start a program, only to find the taskbar gone. A computer without a taskbar will bring you to a grinding halt.
The good news is that the taskbar never disappears-it just hides. It may be hiding behind other open windows, or at the top or side of your screen. You can also (unintentionally) make the taskbar so thin that it seems invisible.
Click here for solutions to keep your taskbar from ever running away again.
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