PC Troubleshooting 101

Computer Basics : Essential for troubleshooting Part-2

Conrad — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:18:27 +0000

If this is your first time, get hold of a can of compressed air specifically developed for cleaning computers and not from your garage compressor. Canned air is moisture free to avoid contaminating the electronics. Hold the Power supply for a few minutes while you take a look inside to admire the parts (this discharges any static electricity from you) Check all vents for the internal fans along with the one for the power supply. If they are dirty try to blow air through them to remove all dust and debris from all visible parts. If the said computer is visually dusty, you might want to do this outside the house. Also pay close attention to the CPU and blow air onto the fan and heat sink. Once you are satisfied and all visible dust and fido hairs are gone, you can reverse the process and take the camera shots to re-connect all the cables and chords that you took out and boot up. A clean computer runs cooler and more efficiently, besides too much dust on any of the internal components can lead to parts failure due to the insulating properties of dust.

Windows error

Conrad — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:26:23 +0000

If your PC boot�s up but doesn�t load windows, then it might have been shut down without using the shutdown facility provided. To fix it, simply press F7 and select safe mode from the command line menu and follow all in-screen instructions. Some files or system drivers get damaged by such events so have the driver cd�s at hand. Once the check disk facility finishes, you should be able to gain access to your PC normally. If it still won�t load properly, try shutting down and re-starting for there might be some corrupted programs that need to be restored. Try getting the windows installation CD�s and re-install windows to restore all the damaged system files.

Monitor won’t work

Conrad — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 21:20:22 +0000

First check the power chord and the cable that connects to the CPU. If these are firmly seated and there is still no display, the video card may be defective or the least needs to be re-seated. Pull out all the plugs and wires connected to the CPU and open it. Try to remember the place where the monitor is connected and you get the video card. Remove the said card by unscrewing it from the casing and removing or sliding any retention tabs that was supposed to prevent it from pulling loose. Pull it out while taking care not to remove any of the other wires that are in the CPU unit itself. Check for any visible damage such as burn marks or a smell that I assure you that you won�t soon forget. Any of those signs and get packing for you are getting a new one. If unsure of the type (there are several types of video cards), bring the one you pulled out as a basis. When at the store, try getting something either equal to or better than the one you have. When you get home, touch the CPU power supply to again discharge static and re-install the aid card. Remember to re-attach any cable or fan power supply you might have had to pull out to get access. Re-assemble the unit and boot up(you might have to install the drivers of the new card if you were unable to get the same type and brand).

PC does not Boot Up

Conrad — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 06:41:30 +0000

You are getting ready to work so you turn on your PC and, for some reason, it won’t boot into its operating system. One of the most scary scenarios is when you press the power button and nothing happens. Lights wont turn on, fans wont turn on, and you don’t hear the sound of the hard discs. It’s like theres no electricity at all. This situation happened many times in the past and i am pretty sure that the solution to this dilemma is very simple. This may seem like a stupid suggestion but you have to see the electrical outlet first because you may have forgotten to plug the computer.

Dust and Grime may cause your PC or Gadget to malfunction

Conrad — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:40:33 +0000

Every gadget that has electrical contacts will always have some sort of failure sonner or later. Whether it is caused by dust, dirt, corrosion, or just plain wear and tear it will happen.

Moving on, everything from CF cards to flash memory cards, from batteries to USB peripherals can encounter this problem. I remember that the same thing happened to me with my PlayStation Portable unit. When I inserted the Memory Stick Duo, it was not recognized. I was sweating profusely and I restarted the unit and turned it on again, much to my shock that it seems it was empty. All my photos, saved games, or movies seemed lost. It was almost a year since i cleaned my memory card so i proceeded to clean the contacts using the eraser on my pencil and inserted it back to my PSP and Voila! The Memory Stick was alive again.

Home Computers Troubleshooting (Part 2)

Sherill — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 06:33:06 +0000

mgi-computers.com

More common problems are internet connection problems and sound problems. This is maybe due to some cable fault, network interface card problem, or simply a weak strength of your internet connection. There may also be sound problems. This can be caused by bad placement of speakers or incorrect sound settings. This will surely affect the output quality of the sound.

Still, there are other problems that would require you to have knowledge on basic troubleshooting so you can resume the smooth functioning of your PC. To avoid all of these problems, you have to consult an IT troubleshooter to provide regular computer check-ups.

Home Computers Troubleshooting (Part 1)

Sherill — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 06:32:12 +0000

usinfo.state.gov

Home computers are used by different types of people at home, ranging from geeks, experts, or novice users. Take for example if someone is earning from home, and is using the computer for his or her daily work or business; kids are using the PC to play online games; or housewives who are looking for new ways of decorating homes, searching for recipes, or being in touch with friends and family over the internet.

The worst thing that you can do to your home computer is to mishandle it, as this may result in expensive computer repair. Other problems are simple to solve.

Clean Your CPU Regularly

Yalung Brian — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:44:16 +0000

While our main CPU will always be closed, you will be surprised at the dust it can accumulate if you don’t check it regularly. Enclosed as it may, there are still holes to which these things go through. Besides, don’t forget that your computer needs ventilation and they are passages that can be gone through especially if turned off.

To clean your computer regularly would be a good way to maintain it as well. Just use a paint brush and perhaps a blower or vacuum to make sure that all the chips and the board are fused together without any dusts that can hamper your PC’s performance. Logical but true.

When Peripherals Don’t Fit

Yalung Brian — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 07:44:49 +0000

To most people it may not make sense but once your computer starts crashing or provides you with error messages that you haven’t seen before. You just have to backtrack a bit and see what you did. Other than perhaps installations, you should recall the last hardware component such as memory modules or even video cards that may have been incompatible with your system.

A computer is like a puzzle. If you place something there that does not fit, chances are you will be in for a lot of computer headaches. You don’t have to be a computer tech to know this. Just be aware of your computer’s history and you will be able to remedy the problem.

USB – Powered and Un-powered

Conrad — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:47:18 +0000

The many gadgets and gizmos we have in our possession may have one thing in common, they are most likely to have the ability to interface with your computer through a USB port. Older computers have passive USB ports that cannot provide power to devices hence the need for an external power supply to power the gadget. Newer standards have the ability to power devices directly form the USB port for which we can use as an example the ever popular iPod among the many, who use the USB port to charge and sync with the host computer.
Thumb drives also use power form the USB port to function as well as many other gadgets that a few years back, used those bulky 9-pin or 25 pin connectors. Not many recognize the ease by which we use our computers today that used to have several communications standards fro the many gadgets we connect to them. Old computers had PS2 ports for the keyboard and mouse, 2 serial ports, a parallel port for the printer and a joystick port for the joystick of course. All these connectors have been replaced by one simple and convenient standard, the USB which uses only four wires. Many thanks to the USB port, you can plug in a printer, mouse, thumb drive, keyboard and just about anything to your computer that has a USB port, making lie simpler and better for all of us who uses computers.