Its just around the time when you will be visiting your loved ones. If you are computer/tech-savvy then get ready to answer some newbie questions and fix some computers. I am sure you can relate to the situation. Geeks never miss such a trip, without fixing a computer or two.

Now, I am not saying that you shouldn't help people out, in fact it is always nice to do so. What I am actually trying to say is: wouldn't it be great if there was an easy solution to the same common windows problems that you have to fix every time? Missing Recycle Bin icon, hijacked IE homepages and the likes are very common. If the computer happens to be running Windows you can use the following tool to quickly fix a lot of common problems and save yourself some time!

Case in point: Fixwin. Fixwin is excellent little tool that can save you a lot of time that you would spent searching for a solution or a registry key value on the Internet. You can download FixWin here. The software doesn't require installation, just extract and run FixWin and you are all set to squash some problems!

The Fixwin page as well as the application start page recommends two initial steps (which make a lot of sense) that you should follow before using FixWin. First step is to run the System File Checker utility. SFC as it is known, checks for corrupted Windows file and can replace them if required. Follow that by creating a System Restore point.

common windows problems

Once you have created a System Restore Point you now have an assurance. You can always restore the computer back in case things go wrong. You are now ready to fix some issues!

FixWin provides one-click fixes for a number of common windows problems. The issues (and their fixes) are divided into categories like: Windows Explorer, Internet, Media, System and a miscellaneous category. Click on any category and you will see the many common problems that can confront you. Towards the right is the "Fix" button that will do all the magic. Click on it and behind the scenes, FixWin will modify a value or two in the registry to give you the desired results. FixWin can also be used to enable utilities like task manager, command prompt, registry editor and others which may have been disabled due to virus infections.

common windows problems

There may be occasions where the computer at hand has multiple issues that need fixing. One important thing to keep in mind in such situations is that you should only apply one fix at a time and then restart your computer. This lets you know if the last fix was successful and in case something goes wrong, you instantly know what caused it.

fix common windows errors

Keep in mind that there can be many reasons leading up to a single issue, FixWin tries to fix the most common cause for an issue. If something else is causing the problem, then the problem can persist after applying the fix as well. In such a case, we advice you search various forums that are out there for your problem, before applying other fixes

All in all, FixWin is a great tool to have in your repertoire for dealing with common windows problems. Granted it may not offer solutions for every issue that you are likely to encounter but it can save you valuable time and headache when dealing with common issues pertaining to Windows. Do you know of other applications that provide similar one click solutions? We would love to hear about them.