These instructions are meant for St. Edward's Faculty and Staff devices, and following them has resolved most of the Fall 2024 Windows issues without User Services needing to wipe and reimage the computer.
Issues with your Windows computer and apps slowing down, freezing, and/or crashing can usually be fixed by running updates. You'll likely need to check for updates, reboot, and repeat several times, depending on outstanding updates. Check for updates once a week to keep your computer healthy.
We'll provide more detailed instructions below, but if you need further assistance, please contact support@stedwards.edu to schedule an appointment.
If your computer won't respond to anything, try a cold reset:
- Unplug your computer from the power cable/charger.
- Hold down the power button until the device turns off, plus another 15 seconds to drain all energy from the device.
- Plug your computer back into the power source.
- Power back on.
- If you still can't get it to respond, please contact support@stedwards.edu to schedule an appointment.
If you're able to get the computer functioning, verify that your computer is up-to-date. We recommend updating, rebooting, and repeating this process until there is nothing left to update:
- Check the Windows Settings app > "Windows Update" section for updates.
- Windows 10 users should be prompted to update to Windows 11. Win11 will take 1-2 hours to install, and you won't be able to use your computer during the second half.
- If you're up-to-date on Windows 11 and still experiencing issues, you can try manually updating to Windows 11 v24H2 [download it here]. This will take around one hour, and there will be more small updates available afterwards.
- You will also be prompted to download, install, and run the "PC Health Check" app. It may not provide an answer due to it being an SEU-managed device, but just running it will allow you to refresh the 24H2 installer and begin updating.
- If the 24H2 installer fails, try it again after rebooting your computer. If it continues to fail, please contact support@stedwards.edu to schedule an appointment.
- Check the Dell Command Update app for updates. If we applied the settings correctly when setting up your computer, this app shouldn't need as much attention as Windows updates.
In addition to these steps, you can also stop apps from starting with your computer via the Task Manager app. This will free up RAM and CPU for more important tasks:
- Right-click the Taskbar and select "Task Manager" to open the app, then go to the "Startup apps" tab on the left side (looks like a speedometer).
- From here, you can disable every app EXCEPT: CrashPlan, Realtek Audio, Waves Audio, and Windows Security (see picture below). Keep any of the apps that you normally use, like Box Drive, Google Drive, or Global Protect (VPN).
