Search PC symptoms and error codes

Something wrong with your PC?
Find out what to check first.

Look for symptoms of various problems that occur on your PC, including power, boot, screen, blue screen, games, and Internet.
Enter the symptoms you are experiencing or the error code shown on your screen.

In addition to symptoms, you can search for error codes such as 0xc0000005 and Code 43.

Common PC problems

Check out the most common PC problems first.

Gaming

Screen goes black and computer reboots while gaming

Among gaming issues, the “black screen reboot while gaming” symptom may be related to GPU driver or power issues, or graphics card overheating. Check error messages, game files, graphics drivers, overlays and hardware stability in that order.

Gaming

Game crashes or closes unexpectedly

If you are experiencing “game crashing” symptoms, possible causes include game file or driver issues, overlays, or background app conflicts. Check error messages, game files, graphics drivers, overlays and hardware stability in that order.

Performance

Computer suddenly slows down

If “computer slows down” repeatedly, it is better to narrow it down to excessive background processes and insufficient storage space rather than changing several settings at once. First look for CPU, memory, and disk bottlenecks in Task Manager and check startup programs, storage space, and temperature.

Display

Computer screen suddenly turns black

If you are experiencing the “screen suddenly goes black” symptoms, possible causes include a graphics driver crash or display output change. First check if Windows is running, then check the output mode and graphics driver in that order.

Windows

Windows blue screen keeps happening

Among Windows problems, “blue screen” symptoms may be related to driver or hardware errors, or memory/storage problems. Record the stop code and when it occurred, then narrow down the cause by recent changes, RAM/storage, and system files.

Power

Computer suddenly turns off

If the current symptom is close to “the computer suddenly turns off,” first check for overheating protection and power supply output instability. It is easy to find the cause of sudden shutdown or reboot by checking the power supply, temperature, and tuning settings separately.

Boot

The computer turns on but does not boot into Windows.

Among boot problems, the “powers on but does not boot” symptom may be related to boot file corruption or storage device issues. Distinguish between the POST stage and the Windows startup stage, then check in that order: external device, boot settings, and recovery environment.

Peripherals

USB device not recognized issue

When troubleshooting USB devices not being recognized, it's important to rule out the causes one at a time. Based on the “USB not recognized” symptom, check the port/cable problem and USB driver, then proceed to the next step. Cross-test devices, cables, and USB ports and check for power management and driver issues.