Fix common problems with all electronic devices from computers and smartphones to vapes and kitchen appliances.

Many of the gadgets that we use in our everyday lives are popular products whose features and common problems are well documented. Those might include things such as your computer and your smartphone. At the same time, though, you probably own a number of other gadgets that don’t have a great deal of troubleshooting information available in print or online. Those gadgets might include things like printers, set-top boxes and kitchen appliances.

If you have a gadget that isn’t working as you expect and are having difficulty finding troubleshooting information for it online, this is the article for you because we’re going to provide a general troubleshooting strategy that you can use for any type of gadget. Even if you don’t know how a specific gadget works and aren’t able to find an instruction manual for it, it’s still possible to resolve many common issues by following a few basic steps. We’ll explain them here.

Restart Your Device

Have you ever needed to contact your cable company because your Internet or TV service wasn’t working? If you did, there’s a good chance that the customer service representative began the call by asking you to unplug your equipment for a minute or two and plug it back in. This basic troubleshooting technique is called a power cycle, and it resolves a host of unexplained issues. Virtually every gadget on the market has some type of microprocessor and firmware to control its basic functions – and just like the operating system on your computer, a gadget’s firmware can sometimes run into issues.

If your gadget doesn’t have a restart option, unplug it from the power outlet for several minutes and plug it back in. If the gadget doesn’t run on wall power, you can power cycle it by removing the battery or by allowing the built-in battery to die. After the gadget has had no power for a few minutes, turn it back on and see if it works.

Perform a Factory Reset

If your gadget has a built-in menu system, it probably has certain options or settings that you can configure – and if that’s the case, it’s very likely that the device has a built-in factory reset function. Also known as a hard reset, a factory reset erases all user-configured options from the device and restores the device to the state it was in when it was first removed from the box.

In some cases, performing a factory reset on a device is actually a fairly simple process. To perform a factory reset on an iPhone, for instance, you simply need to open the Settings app. From there, you’ll navigate to the “General” subcategory and select “Transfer or Reset iPhone (News - Alert).” The “Erase all Content and Settings” option begins the factory reset process.

If you want to perform a factory reset on a device that has a screen and a menu system, the first thing that you’ll want to do is check the menu system for a factory reset option. In most cases, you’ll find that option in the menu. Occasionally, though, a device’s factory reset function is a hidden function that isn’t easy to find. If your device doesn’t have an online or printed manual, try turning it off and then turning it back on while holding various buttons. That’ll often do the trick. In rare cases, gadgets may actually have physical reset buttons. When that’s the case, you’ll sometimes find the reset button under the device’s battery cover.

Are you troubleshooting a gadget with built-in storage for pictures, music or other media? If you are, you should take care to back up the content on your device because performing a factory reset will probably erase that content.

Isolate the Cause of the Problem

Are you using a gadget with components that you can remove? If you are, then removing and replacing components can often be a very effective way to troubleshoot unexplained issues. Replacing a component allows you to determine which component is causing the problem. That way, you’re not wasting your time troubleshooting something that’s actually working properly. Here are a few practical examples of isolating the cause of a problem with a gadget.

• If you’re using a 510-thread battery from a company like Rokin Vapes, you can remove the cartridge and connect a different one. If one cartridge works, you know that the other cartridge is faulty. If neither cartridge works, you know that you need to troubleshoot an issue with a battery.
• Are you experiencing unexplained crashes with a computer? A faulty memory module can sometimes cause system instability. You could try installing a different module if you have one available.
• Do you have a portable device that either doesn’t turn on or dies quickly when running on battery power? Try replacing the battery and see if the issue persists.

Determine Whether the Issue Is Predictable

If you’re trying to figure out where to begin in troubleshooting a gadget, it’s useful to determine whether the issue is predictable. Put in the context of a computer, for instance, maybe you have an application that crashes every time you try to launch a specific application or perform a certain function in an application. If you experience an issue with a gadget every time you do a specific thing, then you have a solid basis for troubleshooting. Could you do that thing in a different way? For example, a computer application will sometimes offer a “safe mode” that disables loading certain plugins or optional features. That might help you find a conflict that’s preventing the program from running.

Finding out how to make a problem repeat itself can also give you a better chance to find a solution for the problem online because it can give you more specific search keywords to use. Construct a search that includes the name of the product in quotation marks along with a short description of the problem – just two or three words – also in quotation marks. The search will return only pages containing those two exact phrases. By refining your search carefully, you should be able to eliminate irrelevant results. With luck, you’ll end up finding someone who has experienced and resolved the same problem.