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'Bout Computers Your New Software
Doesn’t Work! Did you ever buy or download a program and find everything on your computer is acting weird? Applications open so slowly? Some things that were working no longer work? Whoops - uninstalled that program and now everything is back to normal! So what happened here? Did this program have bad programming code? Maybe it did, but maybe not. For a program to run perfectly on your computer, there needs to be nothing else running that will cause a conflict. Just about every computer using a version of Windows has at least several programs written by a variety of programmers. Besides Microsoft programs there is, or should be, a program for finding and removing viruses. There should be a firewall as well. Most of us have at least one or more games, maybe a graphic editing program like PaintShopPro or PhotoShop and more than one little utility. Some computers, like mine, have a suite of utilities to keep the computer maintenance automatic or at least available to run manually. Some of us use accounting type software like Quicken or Money. There are countless applications that people use everyday. Most of these programs live together on your computer quite happily and don’t cause conflicts. Considering how many of these programs are available, that alone is quite remarkable. Now, about that program that caused everything on your computer to act weird - there could be more than one answer. There may be another program running that caused a conflict or there could be a bit of corruption in the download. Download the program again to be sure. If the uninstall and a new install fixes the problem, then the first install may have been a bit ‘off’. But if the uninstall and reinstall didn’t fix the problem there could be a conflict somewhere with another application. There might be something in the FAQs on the program’s website. So before you give up, check out the FAQs. Occasionally an upgrade to a program that you are using will cause problems. When that happens, don’t automatically assume the upgrade is buggy. It could be that new virus scanner you are trying has a conflict with the program upgrade. It could also be something else running in the background causing the problem. Just about every program of any size can have a ‘bug’ lurking within its code, but unless there is something else interfering you may never notice it! Every computer is different. The same manufacturer’s brand may come preloaded with programs, but as soon as the new owner gets it set up, changes are starting to occur. Some folks don’t perform regular maintenance and garbage is starting to cause slowdowns. Spyware starts to degrade performance. Even savvy computer users that do keep up the maintenance and prevent spyware and viruses from sneaking in are making changes which can cause degradation. Some preloaded programs are uninstalled and new programs are being loaded. So if you install a new program or upgrade a program and it doesn’t work or causes strange things to happen to your computer, don’t automatically assume the program is buggy. Even Microsoft updates cause problems for some folks, but the updates are working just fine and cause no problems for most of us. More than likely there is a conflict somewhere for those with MS update problems. If the program is one you have purchased, contact customer service if there is nothing pertaining to the issue on the support or FAQ page. Often there is a really simple fix that will make everything work ok. Just don’t automatically assume the problem is the software, because it could be your computer! (Or something running on it!)
Martha Bagwell, aka surfinmac or Mac, is the web master for
http://www.marthas-web.com |
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