Skip to main content

Microsoft Launches Windows Fix It Center Beta

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Anyone with experience troubleshooting Microsoft WIndows can testify that, sometimes, getting to the bottom of a software problem can be a little…time consuming. To help ease the pain, Microsoft has unveiled a beta version of its Microsoft Fix It Center, which hopes to make fixing the most common Windows problems as easy as clicking a button—something even technology-phobic Windows users might be able to do.

Microsoft Fix It Center is designed to help users install appropriate software updates and identify known problems that might be impacting their Windows systems. The application features automated troubleshooters and a series of wizards that guide users through set-up and routine maintenance tasks. The software scans a users’s PC to create an individualized software and hardware profile; that information is then compared against Microsoft’s databases of known support issues and updates, and lets the user know about anything relevant to their particular computer—and the software keeps records of everything its done so users know what’s been changed on their computer. Users can control the level of automation that Fix It Center users, and the system even supports multiple devices.

Microsoft Fix It Center is available for Windows XP SP3, Vista, and Windows 7; it’s a free application, but users will need a Windows Live account to use the service.

Editors' Recommendations

Geoff Duncan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Geoff Duncan writes, programs, edits, plays music, and delights in making software misbehave. He's probably the only member…
How to disable VBS in Windows 11 to improve gaming
Highlighting VBS is disabled in Windows 11.

Windows 11's Virtualization Based Security features have been shown to have some impact on gaming performance — even if it isn't drastic. While you will be putting your system more at risk, if you're looking to min-max your gaming PC's performance, you can always disable it. Just follow the steps below to disable VBS in a few quick clicks.

Plus, later in this guide, we discuss if disabling VBS is really worth it, what you'd be losing if you choose to disable it, and other options for boosting your PCs gaming performance that don't necessarily involve messing with VBS.

Read more
The most common Windows 11 problems and how to fix them
Person using Windows 11 laptop on their lap by the window.

With Windows 10 officially losing support next year, Windows 11 is poised to take over as the dominant operating system. Many users have already switched over to the latest Microsoft OS – and while it's not perfect, most are finding it to be a nice step forward from Windows 10. Of course, there are a few quirks people will have to get used to, but most of the bugs and technical issues have already been ironed out.

That's not to say Windows 11 is perfect. In fact, there are still a handful of common Windows 11 problems that people are encountering, including ones that cause no sound to play, network connections to be laggy, and games to run at less-than-optimal speeds. Thankfully, many of these issues are easy to resolve without extensive troubleshooting or the need to contact customer support.

Read more
The most common Microsoft Teams problems and how to fix them
A close-up of someone using Microsoft Teams on a laptop for a videoconference.

Microsoft Teams was introduced in 2017 as a unified communication and collaboration platform aimed at helping businesses and organizations get things done. Microsoft leveraged the company's existing Office software experience and created a unified experience between Teams, Office 365, and Skype for Business. However, as with all software, things don't always go according to plan. Sometimes you can run into Teams problems.

We're big Teams users here at Digital Trends -- it's our go-to communication and meeting tool -- and we've come across a few issues ourselves over the years. In the event you're having Microsoft Teams issues, here's how to fix some of the most common problems.

Read more