Manually fixing any problem that arises in your Windows computer would be a very tedious task and something that is very difficult especially to those who don’t even have the slightest knowledge on some geeky matters and other technical sections of the Windows operating system.
Doing this is like looking for a needle in a bunch of haystack or in reality, it is synonymous to being impossible.
This is the reason why Microsoft has included some wizards that will help you through the process of solving problems that would occur in your computer every now and then. Getting your way out of some problems manually will surely be very hard but with the help of some built-in wizards, everything will happen like a breeze.
Windows allows users to use wizards when problems related to Network and Internet, Hardware and Sound as well as Internet and Security occurs. These problems really sound technical no matter what angle you view it from and so it is really obvious that fixing them manually would take too much time and would also require some technical knowledge and expertise.
In this tutorial, we will be looking into each one of these wizards and see how we can use them so you can automatically fix problems in your computer without dabbling into the difficult side of these things.
The Network and Internet Wizard
Wireless networks are everywhere. They are like mushrooms sprouting in almost every house in your neighborhood or in every place down the city. However, it is not a guarantee that you will be able to access the Internet using these available networks.
Secured networks would require a password which you can get from the network administrator while some free ones would allow you to access it on-demand but there might be problems that could come to the surface such as “DNS not responding”, “IP configutation problems” and many others.
In other cases, you might also get problems even with your broadband stick or pocket WiFi. When these things happen, you can get assistance or even solve them using the Network and Internet wizard that is included in your Windows computer.
Using this wizard in Vista, Windows 7 and even Windows 8.1 all look the same so we will be using this same wizard in Windows 8.1 so you can get familiar with it.
How to Access the Wizard
Accessing the Network and Internet wizard is pretty simple, all you need to do is right-click on the network connection status icon located on the system tray of your machine’s taskbar. If you don’t know where this section is, just put your attention on the taskbar and move towards the right.
The section that displays the time and date as well as the bettery and sound levels is the system tray and from here, you should be able to see the network status icon as highlighted below.
In case you don’t find this icon on the system tray, it might have been moved to the hidden system tray icons and so in order to access it, you can simply click on the arrow-up icon which is located at the extreme-left portion of the system tray as shown below.
After doing so, a box that contains all hidden icons will appear and from here, you should be able to see the network status icon. You can choose to drag it back to the system tray for easier access.
Now, after right-clicking on the icon, you will be able to access a menu box showing some available links related to the Network and Internet aspect of the Windows operating system.
From here, simply click on the “Troubleshoot problems” link and the wizard should open right away.
From here, simply click on the “Troubleshoot problems” link and the wizard should open right away.
How to Access Other Available Wizards
Since network problems are not the only ones that could occur in any Windows machine, Microsoft also managed to include others that would assist users in fixing or finding out the cause of the problem.
To access these other wizards such as the “Hardware and Sound” as well as the one for “System and Security”, you can simply use the Search screen to locate them. To do this, just press the Windows + S keys on your machine’s keyboard and you should be able to see the Search screen that would slide-in from the right-edge.
From here, you will need to enter the words “find and fix problems” into the search input box that is located on top and wait until the search results start appearing below it.
If you don’t have an idea about the origin of the problem that you are having, you can first take a look on all available wizards in your computer by clicking on the “Find and fix problems” link which is located on the search results.
After you do so, you will be taken to the “Troubleshooting” Window of the Control Panel where you can see the four main categories of troubleshooting wizards for you to choose from.
Now, if you are having problems with any peripheral device that is connected to your computer, you can click on the link that corresponds to your problem under the “Hardware and Sound” category.
This is where you can find and fix some problems with printers, keyboards, mouse or even with some audio and playback problems.
Now, moving down, you will see the “Network and Internet” category which will now offer help in solving problems with your Internet or network connection in case you get into some trouble with it as we have shown previously. You can also access some settings for sharing and HomeGroup in this section
Lastly at the bottom portion of the “Troubleshooting” Window is a category which says “System and Security” and from here, you will be able to find some help in fixing problems with Windows Update.
Running some maintenance tasks that will help your computer perform at its best are also found in this section and if you’r machine’s battery is failing, you can also make some changes with its power usage and other options from here.
What Else?
At the left hand portion of the “Troubleshooting” Window is a navigation pane with links that will bring you to some other important places within your Windows computer such as the “Action Center”, “Help and Support” and “Recovery”.
The is also a link that says “Get help from a friend” which we will be learning to use in one of our next tutorials.
After choosing any of the wizard which are available in your Windows machine, all you need to do is follow the instructions that it will give for the resolution of the problem that you are experiencing.
In other cases, the wizard would somewhat fail to automatically fix the problem but you don’t need to worry about it because it will give you some recommendations on where yo find help regarding the issue.
You can also choose to do your own research regarding the problem via the Internet and you will surely find a lot of expert forums which gives ideas and solutions for you to apply in order to solve your problem.
