When things go wrong on a computer, (especially one that is on dialup) there are a few rules of thumb one must do before you call a service technician.

Don't delete any important Windows files, it will only make things worse and will force you to do a clean install.

Write down the error and name of the file causing the problem, if you have a spare computer at home search the WWW and see if there are other users having the same problem, because odds are finding a fix for your computer problems will be on the Internet.

If you can get into Safe Mode; (press F8 when loading Windows) assuming you have a problem with a application loading and it is freezing Windows in normal mode, go to Safe Mode, go to Start, then Run and type MSConfig, go to the startup tab and remove the affected program. If the affected program is still causing problems remove it from the computer.

Viruses, Worms and Trojans are another problem in the Windows world; update the virus definitions because there are always new and at times very destructive ones coming out every day.

Spyware and Adware is a problem with Windows, when surfing the Internet and you go to a site, and it asks you to install some software from a strange company, don't unless if it is by Microsoft or a company you recognize because some Spyware and Adware can take a while to delete while giving lots of pop-up ads.

If you have young kids at home, keep an eye on what they do, since sometimes they can inadvertently delete an important file necessary for Windows to run.

Most importantly even if you have a powerbar, keep your computer unplugged during a thunderstorm, even with powerbars, a lightning strike can fry a computers motherboard and internal components in a second.