MEPX
Chapter 1 of 10All chapters
  1. 1Devices and operating systems
  2. 2Files and folders
  3. 3The cloud
  4. 4Browsers and the web
  5. 5Privacy and metadata
  6. 6Searching well
  7. 7Email and messaging
  8. 8Accounts and identity
  9. 9Information and media
  10. 10Fixing things yourself

Chapter 1 of 10

Devices and operating systems

What is running underneath.

The layers

Hardware runs an operating system, which runs applications. Most problems belong to one layer, and knowing which one turns a mystery into a search you can actually perform.

  • Restarting resolves a surprising share of issues by clearing state.
  • Updates fix security holes and are worth the interruption.

Storage and memory

Storage holds files permanently; memory holds what is currently running. Running out of either causes different symptoms, and both are usually the reason a device feels slow.