If you’re having desktop issues, there are a few things you’ll want to check first.

Heads up: Before you try any fixes mentioned here, consider if you bought a pre-built computer. If you did, it might be under a warranty so check this first.

1. How old is your computer? The most common reason for PC issues is the age of your computer. There are a few primary pieces of hardware that can suddenly start having issues, and they are hard disk drives and power supplies. “Even with proper care, PSUs don’t last forever. Consider replacing your PSU if you notice any of the failure signs mentioned earlier or if it’s approaching or exceeding the typical lifespan of 5 to 10 years” (How Long Does a PC Power Supply Last?). Hard disk drives also fail or have issues after about five years. If you’re still using an HDD to run your operating system, consider replacing the HDD.
2. Did you just make a hardware change in your computer? The second most common reason for a sudden hardware issue is that you replaced something in the computer. First, check that the hardware you installed is compatible with your system. You can use https://pcpartpicker.com to build your whole computer setup for free to check this. Next, double-check you installed it correctly. I get it, that seems so obvious. But I’ve had it happen enough where that GPU wasn’t pushed all the way in, or that SATA cable was loose for the new SATA SSD. While this probably won’t be happening with a new NVMe drive, it’s still worth checking and can happen with a lot of hardware. Also check that you’re using newer cables that may have come with the hardware. A new PSU? Well, you should be using the newer cables that came with it. Been there, done that, it’s embarrassing.
3. It’s a power issue. If things aren’t turning on, or turn off randomly, double-check that you aren’t plugged into a surge protector or check your breaker. It’s a common issue and can happen after storms hit your area.
4. Overheating. Did your computer just suddenly turn off after your case fans were running hard? It’s probably a heat issue. There are a number of causes to this. The main causes are 1) You don’t have the right air flow in your PC case (chassis). If you feel above exhaust port(s) for your case and it’s constantly hot air, you may want to double-check how you installed your fans. If you don’t know what an exhaust fan is then that’s your problem and you need to decide which fan will be your exhaust fan. It’s not always the rear fan on your case, but it is most of the time. This also includes the fans for your heatsink, GPU, and PSU. 2) You need to replace thermal paste on your CPU. This isn’t as common as you might think. But if you’re noticing signs of heat throttling (odd performance issues, case fans running harder than normal, excessive hot air from your exhaust fan), then it’s worth checking the thermal paste on your CPU. Severe thermal paste failure will have burnt-toast-like appearances on your CPU where the thermal paste was. This is a quick and cheap fix.
5. It’s an operating system issue. Most people still use Windows 10 and Windows 11 as their primary operating system. Windows has a suite of tools that can help you diagnose oddities with your computer. dism, chkdsk, sfc, and diskpart are the four primary tools you can use for this. The latter three are more common to use. You should research these tools to determine what they can do for you. More often than not, they can fix common performance issues that Windows can have after it’s been used for a while.
6. It’s something more complicated. We’ve reached the point where it isn’t something simple and you will likely need to use a diagnostic tool to determine the cause. These are the sort of tools that a PC technician uses frequently. Including benchmarking, anti-virus/anti-malware, disk volume analysis, defragment tools (not as common anymore), and many more. If you’re experiencing issues that fall under this category, it’d be best to find a local IT technician in your area. You can also contact me using these contact details, and I can help you find an actionable, and (hopefully) inexpensive fix in no time.