“Dumb” IT Questions People Are Too Afraid to Ask

We’ve all heard the teachers’ mantra that there are no dumb questions, only dumb answers. Putting aside whether that’s true or not, we don’t think people should ever feel dumb about not knowing something! We’ve all spent time learning things that our peers haven’t learned yet. And when it comes to our industry, AesirTech wants you to feel comfortable coming to us with “dumb” IT questions people are afraid to ask. 

Here are some of those questions we get from time to time. You may be among those who think they’re so obvious that they’re dumb, or you may be relieved that we’ve put an answer here. You may even find you’re split between the two!

Regardless, stay humble, and remember there’s always something we don’t know!

How Do I Safely Turn My Computer Off and On? 

This one seems basic, which is why it’s one of those IT questions people are too afraid to ask. 

Ideally, you should always turn off the computer by using the shutdown protocol (meaning selecting it with the mouse), not by pressing the button and holding it down or unplugging it. 

Forcing a shutdown can lead to file corruption and, in some cases, hardware damage. Luckily, with 

In newer systems, this danger is greatly reduced, but it’s still best to be on the safe side whenever possible. 

How Do I Safely Clean My Computer?

Firstly, what do you mean by clean? IF we’re talking about physically cleaning, you should use an antistatic cloth and maybe some canned air. 

But, if you mean the more common of the two IT questions people are too afraid to ask, you’re speaking of system cleaning. 

Firstly, if you get a message that says something like “You’re PC isn’t working properly” or “it’s time to clean your Mac” from an email or pop-up with a file attached with a title that says something like “clean your Mac or pc,” don’t use that!

Those messages are almost universally scams that install malware. 

To safely clean your computer, you’ll need to delete junk files and organize what you do have. 

Check out our previous blog on cleaning your computer for more details.

Or, if, like many people, cleaning your computer is too intimidating a task to tackle on your own, contact your friendly Virginia IT company, AesirTech, to handle it for you. 

If you’re on one of our service plans, good news: it’s already included!

Where Is the Any Key?

Here’s a fun one to end on. A customer once asked a colleague, “where is the any key?” Confused, the technician asked for more details. The customer explained, “The screen says press Any Key to proceed.”

In case it’s not clear, “any key” is not a specific key on your keyboard! The message is stating that any button will do. 

Dumb IT question? Maybe. Too afraid to ask…nope. So if that customer wasn’t, why should you be?

What Are Your “Dumb” IT Questions People Are Too Afraid to Ask?

We’ve all misread something. We all make mistakes. So don’t worry about dumb IT questions you’re too afraid to ask. 

Never fear. With AesirTech, friendly IT service is here.