The Top 11 IT Support Issues for Small Businesses (And How to Fix Them)

Introduction

As one of the UK’s leading IT support providers for small businesses, the team at Get Support are experts at handling everyday technology problems.

In this article, we’ll share 11 of the most common IT support issues we see and how you might tackle and resolve them.

While we’ll share some basic solutions here, it’s always faster and safer to sign up for an IT support agreement rather than try to fix tricky IT support issues yourself. Find out more now.

#1: The internet is running slowly

When the internet slows down, it can be a real drag, especially when you’re trying to get things done.

If your internet speed is dropping, one of the following is the likely culprit:

• Too many users on the network at once.
• You or one of your teammates is downloading something and using up most of the bandwidth.
• It may be the website itself that’s suffering speed issues, so be sure to check other sites before assuming your network is at fault.

#2: You can’t log in or you’ve forgotten your password

Problematic passwords are nothing new for the team at Get Support.

If you’ve either forgotten your password or simply locked your account by entering it incorrectly too many times, you’ll want to use the “Reset my password” option to get a second chance.

If your Windows account is the problem, and you’re using the Azure Active Directory service or Microsoft 365, you should be able to use the ‘password reset’ feature. If that doesn’t work, however, you should speak to your IT support team for more practical advice.

#3: Your computer is crashing (a.k.a “the Blue Screen of Death”)

The infamous “blue screen of death”, or BSOD, is something we’ve probably all heard of — but also try to avoid.

Impacting Windows operating systems, the BSOD is a “fatal” error meaning that the computer has hit a problem it cannot resolve and must shut down.

BSODs can’t usually be solved without the help of an expert IT support team, but you may be able to get some pointers by searching the web for the specific error message listed on the big blue screen.

#4: You accidentally deleted an important file

Deleting files used to be a pretty one-way street. Thankfully, Windows has evolved in various ways to help you undo the problem should you accidentally wipe a file.

Here’s how you light be able to rescue a mistakenly deleted file:

• Check the Recycling Bin. The file will usually be there, where you can right-click and Restore.
• If you’re using a cloud-based system such as OneDrive or SharePoint, you should first check the recycle bin for the relevant app. If that doesn’t work, it’ll be time to ask your IT support team to restore the file, which should still be in the cloud for them to retrieve.
• If you lost work due to an unexpected shutdown, Microsoft Office may have recovered the file for you — just open it and look for the message.

#5: You can’t connect to your Wi-Fi network

Wireless internet problems usually stem from two different things: a bad network or a bad client (i.e. your computer).

In the first instance, restart both the router and the computer and see if the Wi-Fi restores itself. If not, remove and reinsert any USB internet dongles. Of course, if you’re on your company’s corporate network, you should not try to reset network equipment network yourself.

In this case, and if everything else fails, you should speak to your IT support team (probably over the phone) for expert help.

#6: Your computer is getting slower all the time

A computer which starts to lag here and there is a common IT support problem, but doesn’t always have the same cause.

Here are a few reasons your computer might be slowing down:

• You have too many applications running at once. Click Start and search “Task Manager” to open a list of what’s running, then see if things are overcrowded.
• It’s just getting long in the tooth. In this case, you might want to consider a new IT support agreement which includes full hardware consultation and 5-year roadmap.
• If your files are taking longer to open, it might be time to upgrade to a Solid State Drive (SSD) for lightning-fast file access.

Of course, sometimes a slow computer can be the result of a temporary bug – so a reboot is always worth a try.

#7: Printers. Full stop.

Which specific aspect of printers are the problem? Well, most of them, to be honest.

If you’ve ever tried to set up a printer at your office (or even at home), you’ve probably discovered just how finicky they can be.

For this reason, it’s always a good idea to talk to an IT support team if you’re having trouble getting a printer set up on your local network — especially the wireless type.

#8: Your webcam’s video or audio isn’t working

With webcams becoming more important to our daily working lives, IT support teams are seeing more issues cropping up with webcam audio and video feeds.

The most common reasons for webcams not working are:

• For USB devices, the webcam isn’t plugged in correctly.
• You’re muted or your camera is disabled (it happens to the best of us).
• Search for your device name “drivers”, then reinstall a new set. This will essentially reinstall your device from scratch.

If none of that does the trick, there’s always old reliable: turn the computer off and on again.

#9: You don’t have access to a particular file or folder

If you’re working within your company’s network, you might occasionally find a file in a shared folder, or even on your hard drive itself, which you can’t access. You’ll usually see an access error message of some sort.

This is usually a problem with your account permissions. If your company is using Microsoft 365 and the Azure Active Directory, which manages user permissions, your IT support team will be able to check and resolve any permissions-based access problems.

Of course, this could also be a matter of a corrupted or broken file – and your IT support team should be able to help there, too.

#10: A new device isn’t working or isn’t recognised by the computer

USB devices today come in all shapes and sizes, from coffee warming coasters to ever-growing storage drives, but sometimes they just don’t work.

Whether you’re seeing a “device unrecognized” error in Windows or your device simply isn’t showing signs of life, here are a couple of things to try:

• Boring, we know, but be sure to unplug and replug your device.
• Try a different USB port on the computer.
• Try the device in a different computer to see if it works there.

#11: You can’t open an email attachment

Email attachments are a bit of a tricky area, because they’re often used as a vector for cyberattacks. Because of this, you might find that your company email actually actively blocks the download of attachments.

In this case, you should consider using a more secure method of file-sharing, like Microsoft Teams, or talk with your IT support department to enable a more secure means of transferring files than email attachments.

Want even more expert IT support advice… anytime?

Naturally we can only cover so many IT support issues here in this short article, but you’re almost certain to encounter more.

That’s where a reliable IT support provider comes into play, and that’s Get Support. With our comprehensive IT support agreements, you can access anytime support for almost any technological problem your business might face – and much more.

To learn more about the Get Support IT support agreements today, just call our friendly team on 01865 59 4000, or fill in the form below, and we’ll explain exactly how they could boost your business.