Why will a large file not copy to my USB stick?
The stick is not full — its format has a 4 GB ceiling per file. Which format to change to depends entirely on what has to read the drive.
beginner20 min4 min read
Troubleshooting
A method for when something just stopped working.
79 guides in Technology
How do I connect a laptop or phone to a TV?
Cable and wireless options, and what to check when the TV shows no signal or the wrong picture.
beginner20 min2 min readHow do I fix Bluetooth that will not connect?
Getting headphones, speakers and car systems to pair again — usually by removing the pairing rather than repeating it.
beginner15 min2 min readHow do I set up a printer?
Connecting it to the network, adding it on each device, and the fixed address that stops it disappearing later.
beginner45 min2 min readHow do I speed up a smart TV that has become slow?
Why televisions get sluggish after a few years, what genuinely helps, and the cheap external option that is usually a better answer than replacing a perfectly good screen.
beginner30 min4 min readWhy can I not delete this file — it says it is open in another program?
Something has the file open, or the file is marked read-only, or the permissions are wrong. Three different causes with three different fixes, and one that is almost always the answer.
beginner20 min4 min readWhy does my laptop screen have a line or a mark on it?
A short diagnostic that separates a software fault from a panel fault in one step, then identifies what kind of panel fault you have and whether it is worth repairing.
beginner20 min5 min readWhy is my keyboard typing the wrong characters?
Almost always the keyboard layout rather than the keyboard — and it is a two-second fix once you know.
beginner10 min2 min readWhy will my printer not scan to my computer?
It prints perfectly and will not scan. Why those are two separate systems that fail independently, the three ways to start a scan, and the network settings that break scanning while leaving printing alone.
beginner25 min5 min readWhy will one website not load when everything else works?
How to tell in two minutes whether a site is down for everyone or only for you, and the handful of local causes when it is only you.
beginner15 min3 min readWhy will this file not open, and what do I do about it?
How to work out what a file actually is from its extension, the free ways to open the awkward formats, and the file types you should not open at all.
beginner20 min3 min readWhy does my TV keep losing channels?
Working out whether missing Freeview channels are a retune, a weak aerial signal or a fault in the cable, and the checks that separate them without guessing.
beginner30 min4 min readCan I connect Bluetooth headphones to two devices at once?
Multipoint is the feature that lets one pair of headphones stay live on a laptop and a phone together. Which headphones have it, how to turn it on, and why it sometimes grabs the wrong audio.
beginner10 min3 min readHow do I connect old equipment to a modern TV?
Getting a video recorder, an old console or a DVD player onto a set that only has HDMI — which converter you need, why a passive adapter cannot work, and the UK-specific setting that catches people.
intermediate40 min4 min readHow do I undo a change that broke my computer?
There is a ladder of undo mechanisms, narrowest first. Using them in order fixes most self-inflicted problems without reinstalling anything.
intermediate45 min4 min readWhy does my wireless keyboard or mouse keep disconnecting?
The four causes of a dropping wireless peripheral — batteries, distance and obstruction, interference, and power saving — and how to tell which one you have in a couple of minutes.
beginner20 min4 min readWhy does text on my monitor look blurry or too small?
Resolution, scaling and refresh rate explained through the one symptom they all produce — and why a screen not running at its native resolution can never look sharp.
beginner20 min4 min readWhy is my ethernet connection only running at 100Mbps?
A wired link that works but runs at a tenth of the speed is a classic single-pair fault. Why ethernet degrades rather than failing, and the four things that cause it in a home.
intermediate25 min3 min readHow do I start Windows or a Mac in safe mode, and what does it tell me?
Safe mode loads the minimum and leaves out everything optional. That is a controlled experiment: if the problem goes away, the cause is in what was left out.
intermediate30 min4 min readWhat should I do before sending a device for repair?
Backing up, what to remove, the account locks that block repairs, and recording condition before it leaves.
beginner45 min3 min readWhy does my Bluetooth audio sound terrible on calls?
The moment the microphone is used, Bluetooth switches to a completely different mode with a fraction of the quality. Why that happens, and the three ways round it.
beginner10 min3 min readWhy is the sound out of sync with the picture on my TV?
Why lip sync drifts once a soundbar or wireless speaker is added, how to work out which box is causing the delay, and the settings that correct it.
beginner20 min4 min readWhy will my laptop not wake up from sleep?
Separating a machine that is genuinely asleep from one that has crashed or run flat, the safe way to force a restart, and the settings and drivers that cause it to keep happening.
beginner25 min5 min readWhy does my file say it is corrupted, and can I repair it?
Either the file is genuinely damaged, or the program cannot read it for another reason. How to tell which, what can honestly be repaired, and where the real copy usually is.
intermediate40 min4 min read
Going deeper: DecisionHQ
Product and option comparisons with explicit criteria, rather than a single recommendation.