Computer or laptop playing up? Here’s how to use AI to try to fix it yourself
An error message you’d like explained. A laptop that’s mysteriously slowed to a crawl. Wifi that reaches the kitchen perfectly well but gives up the moment you walk upstairs. Computer advice online often assumes you already understand half the words in it.
AI starts from wherever you are. It asks what it actually needs to know and gives you steps in plain English. Used properly, it can talk you through fixes you’d otherwise have paid someone to come and do.
Step one: tell it plainly what you’ve got and what’s happening
Start with the basics, in your own words. What the device is (laptop, desktop, tablet) and roughly how old it is if you know. Then describe exactly what you see: the actual message on screen, what it won’t do any more or what’s changed.
Try something like: “I have a [type and rough age of computer] and it’s doing [describe exactly what’s happening]. Can you help me work out what’s wrong and whether I can try to fix it myself?”
Step two: ask for simple steps, in order
Once it understands the problem, ask for a short list of practical steps to try, one at a time, starting with the simplest. “Can you give me the simplest things to try first, in order, before anything more complicated?” That stops you being handed five things to do at once when the answer might just be step one.
Tip for the reader: if it gives you several steps together or the explanation feels like too much in one go, just say “Can we go through this one step at a time?” It will slow down, deal with one thing, wait for you to say what happened and only then move to the next step.
Step three: report back and let it adjust
After each step, tell it what happened, even if it’s “nothing changed” or “now there’s a different message.” AI will use that to rule things out and refine its next suggestion, the same way a good engineer would, rather than guessing blindly. The back-and-forth conversation is what makes it so useful.
Step four: know when to hand it over
Sometimes the honest answer is that it’s a job for a professional or a call to whoever supports your computer. A good AI tool will tell you this plainly if you ask: “At what point should I stop trying this myself and get help instead?”
How I built my own home mesh network
The job that surprised me was upgrading my home internet to a mesh system. That’s several small units placed around the house that work together to give every room a strong signal, replacing a single router that simply couldn’t reach everywhere. I’d never set one up before and assumed I’d need someone in to do it.
Instead, I described my home, my existing setup and the mesh system I’d bought and AI talked me through the entire installation step by step: where to place each unit, how to get them talking to each other and how to fix the one point that didn’t connect first time. I did the whole thing myself and it works better than the old system ever did. It’s the kind of job I’d always assumed was for an engineer and it turned out I could do it myself.
Questions you can use word for word
“I have a [type of computer] and it’s [describe the problem]. What are the simplest things to try first?”
“This error message says [type or describe it exactly]. What does it mean and how do I try to fix it?”
“I’m setting up a [name of device or system] for the first time. Can you talk me through it step by step?”
“I’ve tried that and [describe what happened]. What should I try next?”
Still using Windows 10?
Windows 10 reached the end of its regular support in October 2025, which means the free security updates that keep it safe online have come to an end. If your computer still runs it, AI is a great place to start working out your options, from checking whether your computer can move to Windows 11 to understanding any extended updates still available.
“My computer runs Windows 10. Can you help me check whether it can upgrade to Windows 11 and explain my options in plain English?”
A sensible note
AI is excellent at the software niggles, settings and set-up jobs that make up the vast majority of everyday computer problems. It’s wise to be more cautious with anything that involves opening up the physical machine or work that would void a warranty if you’re not confident doing it. A good AI tool will generally flag this itself if you’ve told it honestly what you’re comfortable attempting. It’s always worth asking outright too: “Is this safe for me to do myself or should I get a professional?”
One simple rule keeps you safe: genuine companies such as Microsoft and BT do not phone out of the blue to fix your computer. If a caller offers to help and asks to connect to your computer remotely, just hang up. The Spot the scam post shows how AI can give you a calm second opinion on any call or message.
A note on dates. Everything here was checked when it was written and I go back over my posts regularly to keep them up to date. Apps, prices and rules do change, so for anything important a quick look at the official source is worth it.
Fancy trying this yourself?
There’s only so much Kevin can fit into a free talk, so jobs like this one are best tackled together, hands on. Come along to a session and ask for a few minutes afterwards one-to-one or book a full hour’s coaching and bring along whatever you’d like help with. Kevin will work through it with you, step by step.
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