How to Resolve "Weird" PC Issues: A Troubleshooting Guide

By Steve Cowling

This isn't going to be an interesting read, but hopefully at some point parts will be useful. Here are some tips to help resolve weird issues you may hit with your PC. For the purposes of this article, I'm assuming that the majority of people are using Windows 10 or 11. Most tips will work on all versions of Windows, but accessing and running them may be different.

What issues are we targeting?

●     Websites behaving unexpectedly

●     Applications failing to load correctly and small windows errors

●     Major errors like the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) or random system reboots

AI tools (like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude) are very much your friend in these situations. Telling them exactly what is happening will likely give you some very helpful suggestions. You can also use them to explain more about any of the tips listed below.

Storage can affect everything…

Windows and your apps need system breathing room to create temporary system files while you work. If your main hard drive is completely packed to the brim (less than 10% free space), apps will suddenly crash, freeze, or refuse to open at all. Type "Storage settings" into your Windows Start menu to quickly check if your drive is lacking space.

 Section 1: Resolving Website Issues

If a specific website is acting strangely, the problem is often related to local files stored by your browser.

Perform a Hard Refresh

●     Open your browser to the website that has the issue.

●     Press Ctrl + F5 on your keyboard.

●     (Note: On a laptop, you may also have to press the fn function key).

●     Watch the page reload completely.

●     Result: This forces your browser to ignore local temporary files for the website and get fresh files straight from the server.

Next Steps: If this doesn’t help, it's worth restarting the machine or checking the same website from another device.

Try Incognito / Private Browsing Mode Incognito and Private Browsing mode will open a new window with no browser extensions, history or local files.

Ctrl + Shift + N in Chrome/Edge, or Ctrl + Shift + P in Firefox)

If the site loads here then it’s a problem with your main browser. Use AI to get instructions on clearing cache, cookies and disabling extensions.

Section 2: Resolving Application Issues and Windows Errors

The "Turn It Off and On Again" Rule

The first thing to try is the classic “turn it off and on again”. While this is a meme, it can work exceptionally well. However, these days it isn’t as straightforward as it seems, and shutting down your PC doesn’t clean temporary files or reset drivers like it used to.

Normal Reboot

●     Click the Windows Menu.

●     Select the Power icon.

●     Click Restart.

●     Result: This reloads Windows completely from scratch.

Full Shutdown

●     Click the Windows Menu.

●     Select the Power icon.

●     Hold down the Shift key on your keyboard.

●     Click Shut Down while still holding Shift.

●     Release the key once the screen goes black or says "Shutting down...".

●     Unplug the PC from mains power (if you have an older laptop with a removable battery, take it out too).

●     Wait 30 seconds before turning everything back on.

●     Result: This fully powers down the machine and all internal hardware, causing state data to be reset.

Check for Updates

Outdated software is a primary cause of system instability.

Updating Windows

●     Click the Windows Menu.

●     Type update into the search bar.

●     Click on Check for updates.

●     The Windows Update app will open.

●     Review pending updates or click the Check for updates button manually.

Updating Individual Apps

●     If a specific application; such as Photoshop, Spotify, Discord, Zoom, is causing a problem, look within the application to see if it has an update option.

●     This is usually found under the Help or Settings section, but you may have to Google to find out.

●     The official website for the application may also have updates that you can download.

Section 3: Create a New Local User Account

Creating a new user account is always worth a go too, sometimes something in your current user account has been corrupted. The quickest way to do this is from the Command Prompt.

Step 1: Open Command Prompt as Administrator

●     Click the Windows Menu.

●     Type cmd.

●     Right-click Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator.

●     Click Yes on the pop-up prompt.

Step 2: Create the Windows User Account

Type the following in the command window and hit Enter:

net user steve2 password /add

(Note: Replace steve2 with the name you’d like to use, and password with the password you want. Don’t use spaces in the password, and the username must be different from the one you are currently using).

Step 3: Upgrade the Account to Administrator

To make things easier, we’ll add the account into the administrator group so it is all-powerful. Type the following in the command window and hit Enter:

net localgroup Administrators steve2 /add

(Note: Remember to replace steve2 with your chosen username).

Step 4: Log Out and Test the New Account

●     Right-click on the Windows menu / Windows taskbar icon.

●     Select Shut down or sign out.

●     Click Sign out.

●     At the logon screen, use your new account to log in.

●     Give Windows a few minutes to finish setting the fresh account up.

●     Once logged in, check to see if the issue has gone.

Analyzing the Results

●     If the issue disappears: Your old profile is corrupted. There is a chance you’ll have to install some software again and copy personal files from your old profile. AI can help guide you through this file transfer process.

●     If the same issue occurs: Log out and log back into your old account. More investigation will be needed.

Section 4: Resolving Major Errors (Blue Screen errors or Random Reboots)

Advanced System Repair (DISM & SFC)

Warning: The following tips are generally regarded as advanced. If this seems too hectic, don’t do it.

If your machine has a working internet connection, you can use these tools to refresh and restore Windows system files and components to resolve major issues like unexpected reboots or crashes. These commands will not affect your personal files.

If these commands won't run, or if the system still has issues afterward, then there are major issues that will need investigating by a professional.

Step 1: Open an Elevated Command Prompt

●     Click the Windows Menu.

●     Type cmd.

●     Right-click Command Prompt in the menu.

●     Select Run as Administrator.

●     Click Yes on the pop-up prompt asking "Do you want to allow this app to make changes?". (If prompted for a password, type the password for your admin account).

Step 2: Run the DISM Tool

A small black command window will open. Type the following exactly as shown below and press Enter:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

●     What it does: The Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool connects to Microsoft servers to download any important windows files that have changed or become corrupted locally so that you have a clean backup of components.

●     Duration: Generally takes 10 to 30 minutes. If there are a lot of issues or your internet is slow, it can take a few hours.

●     Crucial Tip: Progress will show as a percentage. It may look like it has hung or crashed, but just leave it running until it explicitly says "The operation completed successfully." If you do think it has completely hung, reboot and try again.

Step 3: Run the SFC Tool

Once the DISM command has completed, run the following in the exact same window and press Enter:

sfc /scannow

●     What it does: System File Checker scans your system and replaces any broken or missing files using a healthy internal backup image that was created previously using DISM

●     Duration: This scan usually takes 5 to 15 minutes.

●     Understanding the Output: Once finished, it will show one of three outputs:

SFC Final Message	What It Means	Next Step
Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.	Your core Windows system files are completely healthy.	The problem is with third-party software, a driver, or hardware. Look at updating, uninstalling, or disconnecting anything that was added prior to the issue occurring.
Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.	The tool successfully located and replaced the broken files.	Hopefully, this has resolved your problem. Reboot the computer and see what happens.
Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them	Severe corruption is present that the automated tools cannot fix.	There is a bigger issue. A professional needs to have a look.

Conclusion

Troubleshooting computer issues can be incredibly frustrating, but the above steps may resolve some common issues. If you’ve gone through these fixes and your system is still misbehaving, try to feed your exact symptoms or error messages back into an AI tool for deeper, tailored advice or contact a professional to investigate.