Solving your hardware problems

My PC has never recognised my USB digital camera so I have to use a memory card reader.

First, switch on the camera before connecting it. If that doesn’t work, check the camera’s menus: some have several modes for a USB connection. Look for one called ‘USB mass storage’, or similar.

My PC freezes after about 30 minutes. If I switch it off and leave it for a while, it returns to normal – but only for half and hour.

This is most likely to be caused by a part inside the PC overheating. Install Speedfan (for more information on installing a Speedfan, visit Almico's website) – this will allow you to read and monitor the various temperature sensors inside your PC and see where the problem lies. Simply removing dust and dirt from the cooling fans can often help.

The colours on my monitor look odd – the display seems to show that there is more green than any other shade.

More often than not, colour issues such as these are caused by nothing more complicated than a loose VGA cable. Turn off the PC, disconnect the cable from the PC and monitor, then fit it firmly back in place.

The on-screen mouse pointer movement is very jumpy.

Flip your mouse over and clean or blow away any dust that’s gathered on the optical sensor. If it’s an old-fashioned mechanical mouse with a ball, rotate to release the holding cup, allow the ball to drop out and clean the rollers inside with a cotton bud.