One of the most typical Skype complaints is that the program loses connection to an important component, such as your camera, speakers, or microphone. While some of these difficulties may be traced back to hardware issues, driver issues, or basic Windows failures that can be resolved by restarting, many are the result of Skype's own blunder.

The first place to look for problems is under Tools > Options. Show advanced options by clicking Audio Settings, then Show advanced options by clicking Show A list of all the audio devices your computer has ever used may be found here. If you have a headset that you use on occasion, it will be greyed out here. When Skype tries to utilize this device even when it isn't plugged in, it causes problems. Under Video Settings, you'll see a similar drop-down.

You probably have a few dollars in Skype credits if you've ever made a call from Skype to a landline. However, if you don't use them at least once every 180 days, Skype 'deactivates' your credits for no apparent reason. Those credits, on the other hand, are not deleted. It just locks them away in a virtual back room.

Look for a 'Reactivate credit' button where your balance used to be to get them back. If it isn't there, go to this website to manually reactivate the credits. It is necessary to log into your Skype account. (On this screen, you can also check your balance and the date when your credits will expire.

Skype is a boisterous companion by default. When almost anything happens, Skype will notify you with a chirp or beep as well as an SMS notice, even if it's one of your contacts' birthdays. Uncheck the items you don't want to hear about by going to Tools > Options > Notifications > Notification settings and unchecking them. To make Skype even quieter, go to the Noises tab and uncheck any other choices you don't want, or click 'Mute all sounds' to completely silence Skype.