PC Troubleshooting 101

CPU failure

Conrad — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 21:27:23 +0000

If you experience frequent CPU failures and get feedback from the store that the power supply has blown. Try to get a larger capacity or higher rated power supply. You might have too many devices hooked up to the power supply (internal and externally) both of which take power from the same power supply if they have no individual power adapter. Say if you have a 300 or 400 watt power supply, try getting hold of a 500 watt or higher model and try to get the bit pricy one so it would last. Repetitive power supply failures can cause damage to the internal parts of your CPU and even the board itself which has built in fuses to protect the Microprocessor unit itself from such damage. If the board has also failed, you would have to get another board to transfer the cpu onto.

Beginners Guide: Computer Repair (Part 3)

Sherill — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 06:22:00 +0000

www.geeksontime.com

To junk some of your unused files and clean the Windows registry, you have to grab yourself a cleaner software program. Once you have this program, just close all of your applications and open the software. Click on “Clean Now” and you will see that the program will remove almost all of the temporary programs or files in your machine, which are normally the cause of many common problems. Then you will see the result on the screen on how much files were removed.

Then, click on the “Repair Errors” button. Click “Scan for Errors,” and when the process is complete, just click “Fix Errors” and it’s all complete. Restart the machine and if the problem is not yet fixed, you already have a more serious problem which needs a technician to troubleshoot it for you.

Beginners Guide: Computer Repair (Part 1)

Sherill — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 06:17:01 +0000

www.hardatworkpc.com

As a beginner, repairing your computer can be a very tedious task. You have to ask yourself which part of the computer needs repair since computers can have a single error or multiple problems that needs to be solved. Here are the simplest questions:

1. Is it on? – If your computer does not turn on, you have to check if it is plugged and also check if the surge protector (if any) is plugged on as well.
2. Is it on but producing a strange error message? – This may be a software problem. Windows are sometimes developing errors over time, which may not be your problem, but nevertheless, it needs to be addressed.

Screech….ing hard drive – Inspecting the PC (Part 1)

Conrad — Mon, 10 May 2010 22:28:25 +0000

Well, this might not be a sound you would want to hear from your hard drive, for it might be in it’s death throes. The screeching sound may be the bearings that make the platters spin breaking down or they have been in use for so long they have worn out the hard metal coatings on the teeny tiny bearings. The first thing you do is to copy as much data that you can to another hard drive to prevent total disaster. Most drives will continue to function for sometime before total failure of the drive. You’ll be glad to know that they have become more reliable than ever but that does not mean totally.

Video Card Errors – Part 2

Conrad — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 21:33:19 +0000

Look for the video card and check if it hasn�t popped out of it�s slot (remember the monitor, the card to which it is connected to is the video card), if so re-seat and try booting up. If the video card is embedded (meaning it is part of the motherboard) it may have failed (sorry, replacement is the only option for this form of motherboard) or if you have a slot for third-party video cards you may purchase one and disable the one embedded within the system.

Note: It is normal for Video Cards to pop out of their slots (AGP or PCI) due to some manufacturers making them with teeny-tiny edges where the contacts are located that fail to seat firmly into the board. They tend to jump out by themselves especially if the PC is used heavily or there is a source of vibration nearby say in an office. The short edges, instead of being grabbed by the connector on the motherboard, sits just above the clamping part which acts as a spring hence the jumping part.

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.