Guide
A first-pass checklist for a slow or broken computer
Turn a vague complaint into evidence and a safe next step.
Write the symptom in one sentence
Do this before you run anything. "Laptop is slow and the fan is loud for 30 minutes" is a symptom. "Clear the cache" is a fix, not a symptom.
Pick one area
- Speed and heat
- Disk space
- Network, Wi-Fi or DNS
- A program or service that will not start
- Recent errors
Capture safe context
- Operating system and version
- When it started and what changed
- Whether it happens all the time or comes and goes
- Which network the computer is on
Read before you change
Start with checks that only look at the machine.
- Speed: load, the busiest programs, memory pressure, recent errors
- Disk: free space, the largest folders, downloads, caches, old logs
- Network: the active connection, the gateway, DNS servers, a DNS lookup, an outside site
- Services: status, recent logs, restart loops, port conflicts
Keep facts and guesses apart
Write what you checked, what you saw, what you think caused it and how sure you are. Someone else should be able to read it and not repeat your work.
Get approval before any fix
Stopping a program, restarting a service, deleting files or changing network settings can lose work or hide the cause. Look at the evidence first, then decide.
How CommandGate fits
CommandGate runs the read-only checks, shows what it found, and lists any fix as steps. Nothing changes until you press Launch fix.