Fix Computer Problems Guide

One the most dreaded questions a PC tech hears is, “How do I fix my slow PC?” You start to explain various fixes but then the client shakes his head and says, “No…I’m not doing all that…what software do I buy?”

If you have spent any time on the Internet, you have seen the ads and websites claiming that they have this “software” or that “registry fix” that will “auto-magically” fix your slow PC.  Well the truth is folks that most of those programs are just plain, old-fashioned “snake-oil” cures and are not worth the money.

In my experience, below are the top 10 causes of computer slowdowns and the best way how to fix them…

Cause 1 - Spyware & Adware

If this is your problem you have already seen an increasing number of nasty little popups. Or your homepage has been hijacked and replaced some weird website, and now you see a strange little “icon” sitting on your desktop telling you that your “virus protection” is not activated! Yep, you been slammed with a heavy duty dose of spyware/adware.

The Fix - Download and scan your computer with a good spyware/adware killer like “Spybot” or “Ad-Ware”.

Cause 2 - Not Enough RAM

Your machine had done its best with what RAM (computer memory chips) it came with but lately it has become overwhelmed. You have been updating your operating system faithfully and have added several new programs that you let you run your new scanner/printer. And all that is just too much for the original memory.

The Fix - Check your owner’s manual or look your computer up online to find out what type, size and speed RAM you need.

Cause 3 - Viruses

Your PC is crashing and restarting by itself every few minutes or it just locks up and stops running. Programs you used to use everyday are not working properly or have stopped working together. You can’t print anymore and now you are getting lots of strange error messages and warnings. You are officially infected.

The Fix - Download a good anti-virus program like Norton, McAfee or AVG and scan all your files.

Cause 4 - Program Overload

You just have too many junk programs. Like a cluttered closet you have downloaded too many applications without cleaning out the old ones. Also a lot of programs use “Terminal but Stay Resident” applets. This means that the main program closes down but basically leaves a smaller “watchdog” program out monitoring your system. Too many of these can cause processor slowdowns and hog the PC’s memory banks.

The Fix - Use the “Add/Remove Programs” function to get rid any old programs you no longer need. And use the “SysTray” to close down programs you don’t need open.

Cause 5 - Dying Hard Drive

If you repeatedly keep hearing strange “tapping sounds” or “clicks” coming from your hard drive you may want to quickly do a backup because it may soon shuffle off this mortal world. Unlike the elephant’s graveyard, a dying hard drive will not lead you a hidden treasure. More like a very nasty surprise in lost files and high repair expenses.

The Fix - Do a full backup as soon as possible and buy a new drive that comes with “drive image” software so you can make a “mirror” copy of your old drive onto your new one.

Cause 6 - Video Card Woes

Oddly enough video cards are seldom included in the line up of usual suspects that cause sluggish PCs. But in my experience a damaged video card or video card driver can cause a host of hidden problems that are difficult to detect in the normal course of running your computer.

The Fix - Locate and download the latest software driver you can find for your video card. Reinstall it and reset your display settings. Notice if the driver gets corrupted or stops working again. Instead of a software issue, you may have a video card slowing going bad and slowing down the entire system.

Cause 7 - Too Many Old Files

If you are like me, you may be a bit of “info-packrat”. I download lots of information from the web and storage in my PC for research or whatever and put them on my hard drive. I make copies of every password and keep documents I have written, well practically forever. But too many files can slow down the access speed between devices in your computer and your hard drive.

The Fix - Archive those old files either to a DVD or like me to an external hard drive. I took an spare hard drive I had and bought an external case and use it to store all my old recipes, documents, etc.

Cause 8 - Removing Clutter

Even if you remove your old files, you may still have a bunch of old temp files from surfing the web, bits of half-installed programs, etc. These snippets of code like metal filings in a well oil machine can cause unexpected software crashes and lock ups.

The Fix - Run the built in Windows Disk Cleanup program, scan your hard disk for errors and finally run the disk defragmentation program to setup your system to run more efficiently.

Cause 9 - Overheating

If your PC keeps crashing and restarting you have already run a virus scan, Or say your computer runs fine in the cool morning or nights but slows down or locks up in the heat of the day? You have an overheating problem.

The Fix - Due to increase temperature sensitivity, newer CPUs can automatically drop to a slower speed when they become overheated. Open your computer case and use a small, natural bristle paint brush to clean away any dust or debris. Listen to the fan housing over your CPU and inside your power supply for strange rattles or whines.

Cause 10 - Operating System damaged

Windows is much more reliable than it used to be but it still can become corrupted over time and develops errors which effect overall computer performance. This type of problem is obvious due to increase number of “Blue Screens of Death” and runtime errors.

The Fix - Reinstall your operating system. Make sure to do a full backup If possible. Since Windows 2000, you can now do what’s called a “repair install”. This kind of install will save all your files and settings for other installed programs.

In summary…

Don’t waste your money on worthless software “slow PC cures” that you can easily fix using programs freely available from the Internet or already built into your operating system

Five Practices for a Strong Password

Fact: no password is unbreakable. In theory, any password can be cracked given the right software; enough computing time and the money to pay for them. If someone REALLY wants to break into your accounts, they can.

But most of the bad guys you will encounter (hackers, nosy employees, distrustful business partners and curious kids) are not that hard to keep out.

1. Mix’em Up! When creating a password use mixture of characters like upper-case, lower-case letters(A-Z or a-z), numbers and special symbols such as: !,@,#,$,%,^,&,*,= , etc.

2. Psst…can you keep it a secret? Your passwords must be kept a secret. So MEMORIZE them! Don’t write them down on the back of your bank card, credit card or on a note stuck on your computer monitor. Tips for properly storing your passwords are covered more thoroughly later on in this article.

3. The more the merrier. Use multiple passwords. You should have one for each individual account. Yes, I know it’s a drag but you use the same over and over, you run the risk of a bad guy (a hacker or a jealous former lover) discovering it and running amok through all your accounts. Also take special care to use your strongest passwords on your more critical or valuable applications and accounts.

4. Size does matter… Bigger is better, for passwords anyway. For minimum security, the experts recommend a password be at least six characters long. For business use or financial accounts I would go up to seven or eight for more bangs for the buck. One or two extra keystrokes add a few million more combinations a cracking program has to work through.

5. Do it frequently. Change your passwords often. You should alter all critical passwords every six months or once a year at a minimum or non critical things. More every 90 days if it is critical.

So what is critical? Your money market accounts should be more critical to you then your membership to Critters Online! Some systems prompt you when change; others you have to remember and manually change it. Either way, do it frequently.

Additional Strong Password Tips

The science of creating strong passwords or any secret code for that matter has always been plagued with this problem: how to make it easy to remember (and decode) but difficult break.

A common way to design a strong password is to use a phrase cipher. For example, take the phrase, “Girls who wear glasses don’t get passes.” To create a password from this, use the first letter from each word. Then change one or more characters into an upper or lower case letter.

For added security you can add a numbers and/or special symbol. A few sample passwords could be: “gwwgdgp”, “gWWgdgp1″, “GwwGdGp!”

Another way is to use a substitution code and change a common word like “password” into “Pa55wo4d”. But bear in mind the more common substitutions are like “5″ for “S” are checked by most password cracking software. Use your imagination.

The best way to remember a password to use something memorable but don’t make it obvious. People love to use birthdays, anniversaries, street addresses, Social Security Numbers, their pets’ names, family member names, etc.

Your password should mean something to you but should not be so easily guessed or quickly discovered like your personal information. Use memorable things only you would know or would have meaning only to you.

Protecting Your Privacy With Passwords!

Your cash, your personal history and your private identity information is stored in computers all across the Internet. And you control the access to all of these with a simple password.

So you think your password is unbreakable, huh? No one would ever guess what it is right? Let’s face it. Your password is probably not as good as you think. Strong passwords are seldom used even by people who should know better.

The story goes that in the 50’s then President Harry Truman boasted to a security specialist that no one could break his password. Rather quickly the specialist broke the code: it was based on the date of Truman’s inauguration: 1-20-1949

People create and use “weak” or easy to break passwords for two simple reasons:

1. They don’t know much about the password system in the first place.

2. They don’t understand how to make a strong password, i.e. one that would be tough to crack.

The Password System

A “password” is secret combination of characters that is actually half of a two part “key” that computers require for someone to login into a locked or “password-protected” account or network.

The first part of this “key” is your Username. A username can either be assigned by the organization that controls or administers the account or made up by you.

Since most usernames are created from readily discovered items like your email addresses, nicknames, etc. security experts tell us that the “password” half, has become the most the important part of the key.

A password is almost always created by the end-user…that means you! As such, you control just how “weak” or “strong” it will be. A weak or poorly thought out password can be cracked in less than one second with software any ten year old can download for free.

A “weak” password is an easily cracked password. And No Password; No Privacy!

Step 5 - No Physical Location

Due to fears of, (I don’t know what) some people never list their business’s street address on their websites. Bad sign, folks. I always look for an address. No “addy”, no “moola”.

Now the street address could be as fake as “1313 Mockingbird Lane” (the Munsters home address) for all I know, but human nature being what it is, most are probably mailbox deliverable.

Instead of a street address, some people use a Post Office or private mailbox address. No problem but they had better have a working phone number to act as backup.

Have I ever called a number posted online just to see who picked up? You bet ya. Called this one guy once at o’dark in the morning and got a very groggy solopreneur (wrong number, don’t ya know). But hey he sold me a book, because after the call, I knew he was “real” person.

Called another and got a “this number has been temporary disconnected”. Hmmm….can we say “bugged out”?

Step 6 - Try WHOIS

Who’s on first…? Huh? What’s a WHOIS?

WHOIS is a domain name lookup tool. It can be found all over the web but I use www.whois.net or www.networksolutions.com

The idea is the surf to www.whois.net, plug in “Technoweasel” in the “WHOIS Lookup” you will find my website’s Registrant (that would be me) the address I used when I created my domain name, and the domain (website) host that I am using.

Now all of this could be bogus…but since you have to pay for a domain name with a working credit card, the address and name were legit at the time of registration.

Check out the age of the site. I created my domain in 2001. If a site has only been in “business” for a few months…do a real gut check before passing out any credit card info.

Step 7 - Are they are a Blacklist?

Check out www.spamhaus.org and squidguard to see if their domain names are listed. If their name is on a well-respected blacklist, then you are probably better off blacklisting them too.

Is the web host in China, Eastern Europe, South America or South East Asia? Fifty percent of all spammers are Americans but they like to host their “ugly American” email and websites overseas.

Step 8 - The last one…

Yeah, I know I only promised seven, but it’s an oldie but a goodie…”If it’s too good to be true…” Just remember that bogus sites, email scams and all internet fraud in general rely on your human nature to want pick the sweetest berries without the thorns.

Honor your feelings. Your best defense is often your own intuition. If something about a website or email gives you that itchy-scratchy on the back of the neck or that sinking in the belly then don’t buy from them. The only times I have regretted buying something on line has been from violating this last rule! Honor your feelings.

Take five minutes and check out a site using the above steps before you just jump in and plop down your hard earned cash.

Recently a friend emailed me a link to a software website. On the site they proclaimed to be selling OEM (Original equipment manufacturer) software at a very steep discount.
OEM software is typically the software that is bundled with or installed on a new PC. OEM software also has different “licenses” than regular “boxed” software sold through a retail outlet. Most the time the license is tagged to the hardware it was sold with.

The computer hardware is actually the “license owner” in a weird kind of way. That’s why on eBay, when I buy software, most of the time, I get a piece of hardware (part of the PC the OEM software came with.) along with the CD.

Now there is nothing wrong getting OEM software. Lots of times, vendors who buy off-lease equipment (computers, etc. whose rental leases have expired) and will split off the software that came with the computer and resell it elsewhere.

BUT….ah, you knew I would stop yakking and get to it!

How the heck do you tell if a website is on the up and up and selling legit products software?

Or is it just some scummy Internet con artist with a slick website crammed full of pirated crap-ola, poised to capture and fence off your precious credit card number?

To check out a website to see if its legit follow these 7 simple steps:

Step 1 - Just how slick is it?

Look at the web page design. You can buy some very professional cool and slick looking website templates very cheaply. Is if full of picture of people with “clear-skinned smiles”, or lots of bouncing, hopping, graphics?

Even if they use a professionally designed template or website, most small businesses do some type of customizing to their websites. They add pictures of themselves, their storefront, their offices, etc. They change and mismatch colors, add clip art, etc.

Professional fraudsters don’t. There is no need. They have their good buddy Ivan or Sam create a very nice vanilla site, where they throw up stock photos and get on with the business of robbing you of your identity and credit card info. No need to customize any for that. .

Now amateurs (baby crackers/hackers) tend to like LOTS of customization. Dark, broody backgrounds with neon fonts in hard to read styles and as many annoying banner ads or animated graphics/cartoons as possible. They like to offer “free” stuff, i.e. software, music, etc. so they can also download their little Trojans along with them.

Step 2 - Search for “Reviews” or “Comments” on the web

I always “google” the actual web address of a site to see what folks are saying about it. If something is hot or popular, someone has either written a review, a blog or posted a comment on it somewhere in a public forum. These could be from satisfied users or from paid affiliates.

You can also add the words: “sucks”, “ripped off”, etc. to the list. Granted you will only find the negative people posting these but they act as a balance for any over hyped items you find.

Step 3 - Icons and links are dead

Bogus sites seldom take the time to keep links live to other sites. If they have icons that proclaim them members of a “Better Business” this or that, click on the icon or link shown. If it is dead or just goes somewhere else on the website, get your “suspicious” antenna up.

Legitimate sponsoring organizations usually require their members keep a “live” (clickable) link back to them. Or you can open another browser window and visit the sponsoring group’s membership list on your own. Are they listed or reviewed there as promised?

Step 4 - No way to keep in contact

Most folks install ways for you to keep in contact with them and their company. Newsletters, ezines, blogs, sales letters, phone numbers or just posted emails for “feedback”, “support”, “customer service”, etc.

Also, be leery of the “online comment” form. Many people use these “fill in the blank” forms. However, if this is the only way you find to reach them, this is not good. No contact information is a very bad sign.

Use Email Responsibly: A couple of years back, a business associate came to me with a deal he and a friend were working on. They wanted my help in setting them up with an online web server or a web host who would let them send out unlimited “unsolicited emails” to a list of small businesses they had just bought.

Seemed their current ISP had frozen their account and then banned them. Both were complaining about how unfair the local ISP was being. The friend told me until they got shutdown that she had been making over a $1000 a week from people ordering their print services.

Now the print service was legit. They were a local printing company that would accept orders from over the net and then submit odd-job lots to a local printer who would run them on the cheap and drop-ship them to the customer.

The printer kept his presses and print crews busy, my associate and friend made a nice commission, and the customers got a nice stack of affordable business cards and letterhead. I told them, no thanks.

So what was the problem? IT was spam. It was spam then and it is spam now.

Any direct marketer can tell you it is very, very hard to get people to open up “junk”; I mean direct mail any more. Why do you think Publisher’s Clearinghouse spends millions on contests, celeb endorsements and television commercials?

Why to get you to open their envelope when it comes to your mailbox, of course. Currently, over 40% of all emails delivered in the US are spam. Forty percent! For some people it may have reached over 50% or more. With that kind of volume it’s becoming increasing tempting for your clients/customers/associates to just select all and hit DELETE.

There are legitimate ways to use email for marketing and customer service. Take the time to learn them. Why risk long-term earnings and reputation for just a few extra bucks?

So what happened to my associate? To the best of my knowledge, they finally found somebody who would let them run their spam list through their server. But after a couple of months, I noticed that his business had closed down.

Rumor had it several folks had noticed some shady deals he was involved in and wouldn’t work with him anymore. Hmm…

Stop falling for the “We Holding Your Money in Dubai” scams and other Phishing Stories: Nope. You have not won the lottery. You do not have a large sum of cash sitting and waiting for you in a bank in Dubai, Nigeria, Kenya or LA (Lower Asheville, NC).

Nope, no, nein, non, no way, it ain’t your luck day. Give it up already and stop clicking on these internet frauds. They are just neat ways crooks have to capturing selling your identity information to other spammers and credit card forgers.

Got an email from your bank, PayPal, eBay, Amazon, or some Federal Credit Union Association, lately? Unless you have initiated contact with these organizations, (you asked them to contact you) don’t click on the hyperlink in the email. It is a scam. Sam’s Club is not giving you a free gift certificate (even after all the money you spend in there).

Fake or spoofed emails from reputable companies is called “Phishing”. Pronounced, “fishing” like you reel them in. Some phishing emails are good, very, very good. And why not, since spammers pay some very good programmers top dollar for their work.

For them bilking you out of money, credit card info and identity is a full time job. You can move your mouse over your email and right-click on the link and view properties. You will notice that the link to www.paypal.com really is something that looks like this “http://186.126.1.2./%23%232%243″.

The interesting thing about email fraud, it’s the only crime where you decide whether or not to become a victim. What’s your best defense? The same as always: If it sounds (or in this case looks) too good to be true…

Don’t Just Let Anyone Use Your Business Email Addresses: Control who can use your email accounts. People love to say, “But I don’t have any employees, it just me and my spouse who run the business.”

Sure but you let your sister-in-law (the little witch) use your computer last weekend. And your brother, Bubba who is still looking for work use it for place resumes on a job forums; and your cousin Jack , when he dropped by on the way to visiting the family last month. And, of course your kids, and all their friends.

Just you and the spouse, huh? See what I mean. Password protect all your business accounts. Look in the help file for your email reader if you are not sure. Snoops be they be causal shoulder-over-lookers or determined diggers will open your private stuff if given the means and the access.

Remember the rule of thumb from step 2. Now you should add a new one: if the information contacted in your emails were to become generally known would it negatively affect your business or your family?

To paraphrase an old an War World 2 slogan, “Loose lips, sink more than ships!”

Set Aside an Email Address For Online Use: Create and use an email address just to use online when you sign up for email lists, chat rooms, websites and online registrations, etc. Keep your other email addresses for direct-to-direct contact with customers and business associates.

Yes, everyone says they will respect your privacy, and everyone says they will not sell your information…so how did my spam address, “spam(at)mydomain.com” get out so quickly…?

Hmmm? Try not register or sign up for every “special report” or white paper you see online. Free can sometimes have a price tag paid with spam.

Learn How To Control Your Email Filter: Unless your email is going through one of the big boys like AOL, a broadband ISP or an online service Yahoo! or Google, your messages are going to a private email box from your ISP or through your website.

That means “you” are in control of how many email addresses you can create and the email filters that they pass through. Get comfortable with your email filter.

I’m sure your ISP or website hosting service has reams of documentation and will gladly spend time explaining how to set and monitor any email filters you have. Spam costs them lots more in lost money and business than it does you!

Learn how to adjust your “spam” indicator on your filter and monitor for a few days. Do you get more or less spam? Does it eliminate most of the silly stuff but let in the “hard core” junk? Play around with it to see.

Make sure and “whitelist” (preset it “OK” for delivery) the email addresses from all your professional lists, associates, family and friends you trust (leave off the “forwarder”).

Now set your email filter to dump all suspected spam into a bulk or “holding tank” email account (that you will check for good items at least once a week!) or you can just take the chance and have it delete all spam emails.

DON’T forward or bounce spam emails from your ISP/Web Host accounts to another system (from your website to your AOL account). You will get a “nasty-gram” from them offering to either help you or freeze your account! Not a good idea.

Stop Chain mail, Bad Jokes and E-Mail Hoaxes: Now about off-color jokes, chain e-mails and hoaxes. I got two words for you: STOP IT!

Sexually explicit messages, racist jokes, goofy virus warnings and hoaxes or any hate-filled e-mails have damaged reputations; gotten people fired and even arrested. As a small business owner, you will often have a “public” email address and a “private” one.

You or your friends and family will eventually get them confused. Instead of trying to remember which email you need to forward the “Hot Bod of the Day” out on, just stop it and don’t send it at all.

Here’s a good rule of thumb; if it would embarrass you if someone other than the intended recipient read your message, don’t send it. People will and have “forwarded” along the most private and explicit of emails to other people. Why take a chance?

For example, there was a young business executive who sent an email to her then boyfriend detailing their latest sex-capdes with pictures…he in turned forwarded it to his two “best” friends on the shush-shush (who worked at the same world famous law firm he did it).

Somehow, it ended up in the international news channels via the internet (not the pictures; just the story!). If I recall correctly, she got fired and he got severely reprimanded. And, no it wasn’t fair…see what I mean.

Just stop it. Psss! Pass that one on to five friends and get a free dinner for two!

Don’t Display Your Email Address in Public: Don’t put any company email addresses in public. Not on a webpage, not inside the code of a unsecured web form, not in the About Us, Contact Us or Privacy or Policy pages.

Okay….so can my clients and customers reach me? Create an email page like this: EMAIL - Please email me using this address: Myname(at)mydomain.com. Please include the words “All Clear” or “Reese2007″, etc. typed exactly as shown somewhere in the subject line! Due to spam, I will not respond to any messages without the above password!

Link this page to all the places where your email address would normally appear. If people want to contact you, they will understand and take the needed steps to reach you.

You can set your email filters to release or “whitelist” any message that comes through with your chosen password in the subject line.

Like those other famous siblings the Hilton sisters, (Paris and Nicky), Spam and Email are both in the headlines a lot.

Email is one the primary workhorses of modern communications. Email has made business-to-business communications fast, scalable, and extremely cost-effective. Without email, millions of dollars in data and deals would just simply not be possible.

However, its evil sister Spam (unsolicited messages) is drowning the business world in a constant flood of drunken digital debauchery costing US organizations an estimated $10 billion dollars in lost revenue and shadow costs (hidden expenses) to combat it.

As a result most business people are starting to take a closer look at the email they receive as well at the messages they send out. It used to be that email etiquette mainly consisted of not using profanity, learning all the latest “:) smileys and “NOT WRITING IN ALL CAPS”. But now people’s reputation and careers have been tarnished and sidetracked due to what was deemed inappropriate emails.

So what can you, a small operation do to protect your business? Follow these eight tips to lessen the impact spam and bad email has on your company.

Beware The Unknown Attachment: If you didn’t ask for it and you are not expecting it, “DON’T OPEN IT”. So what if your kid is “always” sending you pictures or cute little things they find on the internet.

“DON’T OPEN IT”.

Email them back and ask if they sent something to you. And most importantly ask where they got it from! Everyone knows the “forwarder”, they just “looove” to laugh and click the “forward” button on their email so you can share a laugh with them.

Be careful of what they send to you! They are the primary movers of the “dancing baby, hopping skeleton, bowling Santa and Bonzi Buddy Bear” and whatever else is the newest spyware and virus bomb. Whatever is cool or cute, the forwarder will find it and pass it on to you. Along with the latest Trojan downloader and the porn popups that are sure to come with it.

“DON’T OPEN IT”, enough said.

Now you can “fix” all of the above problems by buying after-market parts like keyboards, mice and monitors but you did get this thing to be mobile, right?

Laptop replacement parts for the average “do-it-yourself” Joe are expensive, hard to come by and tough to work with. Trust me on this one. Imagine lots of itty-bitty screws and tiny plastic parts and that’s just opening the case.

Since you aren’t an authorized dealer, you will spend hours online or on the phone tracking down spec sheets, part numbers and used/new laptop components. The word “labor-intensive” is not applied lightly.

You get the picture. All those things could be easily modified or changed on a regular old desktop with a quick trip to your local electronic superstore.

And I won’t go in the short battery-life (which are never covered in the warranty and cost almost as much as a used laptop of the same age); “lug damage” (oops, I dropped my laptop and it can’t get up) and overheating issues some laptops have; this article is just too short for that.

So, Now What?

Unless you have to have one for work or study, I would say why spend the cash? For the same amount of moo-la it would take to get an average laptop, you could have a superior new desktop or even two older “legacy” machines you can network together (you know the ones, just one or three years old).

But what you say?

You say you have a fantasy of yourself answering emails while sitting in bed, or working while lounging in the garden?

Forget about it. Part of the small business mindset is learning to conserve your money for those important technology functions, which push your business to greater productivity (i.e. profits), not just getting a cool new toy or gadget to impress your pals.

But if you just have gotta have one, make sure you toady up the extra cash for a minimum 3 year warranty. Having a long term support contract is essential with a laptop purchase.

Should You Buy a Desktop or a Laptop?

So why would I compare a car manufacturer to an appliance maker? And what the heck does any of that have to do with your computer?

When people ask me to either upgrade or repair their laptop for them; I usually tell them to take it to an authorized dealer, wait 1 to 3 weeks and be prepared to take out a second mortgage. I’m just kidding, but only a just a little bit.

Of course you can replace parts in a laptop like you can any other PC, but the point I’m trying to make is that desktops and laptops are fundamentally different.

Ok, smarty-pants, we both know that laptops were designed to be the ultimate, portable computing tool for road warriors, students on the go and other users who desire mobility (i.e. surfing the web from bed or paying the bills from the kitchen table). While desktops, on the other hand were designed to be the stay-at-home workhorses.

Desktop computers (either a true “desktop” model or a floor-based “tower”) are designed like automobiles in that they can be easily modified or upgraded with standard after-market parts. This is called “open-source architecture” since any hardware producer using standard sizes and configurations; can sell their components to the public (and to PC vendors) and be assured that it will fit inside most industry standard computers.

Laptops, on the other hand, are designed to be more like a household appliance. Sure, you can upgrade a laptop but all the parts are extremely proprietary and custom made for that laptop manufacturer to fit inside that specific model.

With the exception of the memory (RAM) and the hard drive (which is smaller than a typical desktop hard disk), often the only other “standardized” items are the connector ports on the back and sides for phone/network jacks, mice, USBs or printers.

Everything else, from the keyboard, pointer device or glide pad and LCD screen not to mention all that other nifty internal stuff is designed to either be smaller or lighter weight than the norm. In addition, laptops use “molded” high impact plastic cases that don’t contain any easy, user-friendly way to open or modify things.

Like refrigerator manufacturers, laptop producers really don’t want you monkeying around inside their products. Everything is more or less designed to function within that single unit and to run “as-is” for its lifetime. What you buy is pretty much, what you get.

Don’t like your laptop’s size or style? Buy a new laptop!

Is the screen too small? Buy a new laptop!

Is the keyboard awkward and you can’t type using those tiny, little keys? Buy a new laptop!

Can’t get the hang of a glide point? Buy a new laptop…

Check out part two for the rest of the story…

Before you close the case and throw away the receipt, power up and test everything!

Ok, you have reinstalled or replaced the defective part. Now you should test it. And test it and test it. Turn your machine on and off several times. Testing keeps down the frustration levels.

Go online and poke about for a while. Open the word processor and write a letter. This is the time to run any diagnostic programs you may have. Make certain things are running smoothly before you put the case back on and put the whole thing back under your desk.

Don’t lose your mind if something is still flaky. Just go back to step 2 - go take a break! Simply walk away, clear your head and start over. Start with the simple and obvious.

Did I tell you how frustrating it was when after having spent over an hour working to replace my modem; I accidentally loosened the power cable on the monitor?

So, I when I got everything repaired and turned on the computer all I got was a “BLANK SCREEN” followed by a major hissy fit until I figured out what was wrong. Trust me when I say to test, test and retest.

The only three things you ever have to do to repair any computer…

Now that you have a good idea of which part has gone bad, you may begin the decision-making process of whether or not to reinstall/reconfigure your software (and any accompanying device driver software) or to replace a failing hardware component.

But before you do you need to understand that computer problems especially hardware failures come in two flavors:

1) It never really worked…

The “It has never worked” problem most often crops up when installing new hardware or software in older computers. Or you try installing non-standard components (putting your very old parts or very cheap parts into a new machine). Or you attempt to put your brother’s copy of Windows XP on a PC that originally came with Windows 95. Hmm… When you mix “cutting edge” technology with an older, slower operating system or device drivers, you often create a troublesome “it has never worked” problem as a result.

For example, some older BIOS/motherboards simply can’t handle the huge 100+ gigabyte hard drives available today. Putting one of these babies in your ancient computer would be like trying to put a V-8 Hemi motor inside a Mini Cooper.

Interesting but not very practical (and yes I saw the “You Tube” video.)

Your best bet is to simply remove the offending component or software and reinstall it with something compatible. You may also have to uninstall or reconfigure any device driver software that works with this part. Double check your system requirements to make sure the part will work with your operating system and your machine. Or, bite the bullet and get a completely new system.

2) It stopped working…

The “it has stopped working” issue can occur through ordinary wear-and-tear, a change in an industry standard or software. For example, when my local telephone company upgraded their services, overnight my old modem couldn’t “connect” to anything!

I had to buy a new modem just to get back online. I reinstalled the driver software which bought me another six months but in the end I had to get a “new” modem when my old one was still working.

Or “it has stopped working” can also be a result of a “glitch” or a “bug” from new software patches, updates or upgrades…

“A computer glitch is the failure of a system, usually containing a computing device, to complete its functions or to perform them properly”.

“A software bug (or just “bug”) is an error, flaw, mistake, failure, or fault in a computer program that prevents it from behaving as intended (e.g., producing an incorrect result). Most bugs arise from mistakes and errors made by people in either a program’s source code or its design…”

According to computer folklore the first “bug” was an actual dead moth trapped inside the Mark II (an early room-size mainframe computer) in 1945, which crashed the entire machine.

Okay, you’ve checked the simple stuff and now you know for sure something is “bad broke”. Here’s what to do to next. There are two ways of diagnosing computer problems:

METHOD #1 - TROUBLESHOOTING TO THE “BAREBONES”

This method, while not the quickest way to identify defective hardware parts is the most basic and the most foolproof.

A “Barebones” is a computer that has been stripped down to the minimum items needed to boot up (power supply unit, memory, video card and motherboard + CPU). No, you really don’t need the metal/plastic computer case. I have run a barebones computer setup sitting on a cardboard box!

METHOD #2 - TROUBLESHOOTING WITH FLOWCHARTS

With this method, you can just follow the diagrams and let them lead you to the correct answer. This method is very quick, very straightforward and requires the least amount of time messing around in the computer case.

It also one of the only ways a home computer user can analyze a defective laptop! Flowcharts can also be used determine software problems as well.

You can download a free special report that details both the “barebones” and flowchart methods here

But first check the obvious…

More times than we would like to admit, computer problems are often caused by simple human error. This is good because then the problems then are very easy to solve.

• Is the power on in the room? I know…just how dumb do I think I think people are…? Well, I heard this story from girl who was my classmate. Seems a guy complained to her IT dept. that his PC was dead when he came in from lunch.

  After pulling her hair for a few minutes, my classmate discovered that ALL the power to his office had been accidentally cut off by a building maintenance man. But since the office was always filled with natural light this guy never turned on any overhead lighting so he hadn’t noticed the room-wide power outage. Okay…enough said?

• Is the computer plugged in? Check all the power plugs, surge protectors or power strips. Pull out each one and firmly reseat it. Check the wall outlets too.
• Listen for the POST error beeps. If you hear something other than the normal 1 short beep (System OK) look up the error code.
• It the monitor screen black? Check both ends of your monitor’s cables - the power cable from the monitor to the wall outlet and the data cable from the monitor to the PC. Reseat it one firmly. Screw down the data cable to the computer’s port only finger-tight.
• Is the surge protector/power strip still on or good? These little guys are workhorses. You buy a surge protector once, plug in your devices, drop it behind your desk and never look at it again. If it a newer one check to make sure it’s “circuit breaker” light is on.

  Power off everything. Yes, everything…the computer, the printer, your DSL or broadband modem/router, the monitor, even the surge protector strip. Everything!

  Now starting from the wall turn on the surge protector, now your PC, the monitor, the modem/router, finally the printer.

  Sounds silly but I can’t tell you how many times as a computer technician, I have solved problems just by cycling the power on and off to all devices. I have seen it work with million dollar server “farms” (a collection of computer servers) to simple home PCs.

• Remove any floppies, CD/DVD disks or any other removable drives (USB thumb drives or cameras or external drives). Sometimes computers can get caught in a software loop while looking for missing or corrupt files on removable disks or drives.

Play Detective and look for clues…

The most difficult part of troubleshooting a computer is to find out what actually has happened or what is going on right now.

I know it sounds crazy…you were standing right there when the dang computer went on the fritz. You know what happened, right?

What you saw was a “symptom”. And, like a doctor diagnosing an illness, a symptom is simply a sign or indicator of what is really going bad in the background.

Getting a symptom description (looking for a pattern) is simply a way for you to understand what is really happening to your machine. You should always document every error message and note what programs were open when the problem occurred, even the time of day!

I’m not kidding with that last idea. I saw one computer once that only acted strange after lunch! It was in a very hot, poorly vented office and would routinely overheat in the afternoons.

Get it down on paper because you will forget all the details! (Trust me on this one). Detail any error messages you see. The “Blue Screen of Death” will have a message explaining what is going wrong. Break out your pencil and write this stuff down.

I know you want to fix all your problems as soon as possible, but if worst comes to worst, you may have to take your machine to the repair shop and you will have to share what you have seen or done with your tech support person.

So stop being such a slacker, and write down it!

A Good Attitude Is Everything

Now that you are calmer and refreshed, we can get down to work. First, let’s talk about your attitude. Do you have the RIGHT one in place? I know I just fussed at you for having a “right at any cost” mindset before. But this kind of attitude is different.

Understand this: most computer problems can be fixed with the proper tools and a positive attitude! I have come to the conclusion that anyone with a basic education, a simple toolkit and a positive mental focus can fix almost any computer if they know the steps to take.

Attitude is everything. I admit that there are better PC techs than me out there, but I can usually whip them in a fair fight because I very rarely quit or give up when it comes to working on a computer problem.

I have solved complex problems where other, more experienced people have failed, simply because I kept plugging away. I can persevere like this because I have the “right’ attitude.

A negative attitude automatically blocks creative ideas and closes the door on alternative pathways. It whispers, “This is too tough. I can’t do…I had better quit now and get someone who knows what they are doing to do this!” A positive attitude says you can keep trying until you reach a roadblock and then study that obstacle until you figure out a solution.

A positive attitude says, “If you can’t get over it (any obstacle), then go around it”. I know it sounds like I’m contradicting myself.

A positive attitude doesn’t mean to keep doing the same dumb things over and over on the same problem. Remember this is what the adult hikers did. They just kept on walking! They were lost…because they kept moving away from a known trail.

Albert Einstein once said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results…”

But you know better. You’ve stopped screwing around on your machine and you have not panicked. Now with a positive attitude you are ready to try a new and creative solution for your problem.

Don’t make things worst…

Okay, so now that you have stopped and studied the situation, and you’ve have determined that it’s not a simple or obvious “glitch” and it looks pretty serious.

What’s next?

OK, now is the time to go get a cup of coffee, tea or a glass of your favorite cold beverage. Huh? Yes, I want you to simply walk away and clear your head.

What? You got work to do!

Yes, I know. But if the PC is “bad broke”, you standing over it, fretting, and wringing your hands will not bring it back from the dead or off the critical list.

Don’t Panic! YOU can do something about this. Remember you only have to do one of two things: reinstall something or replace something. Just one of two little things! I will let know when it’s time to panic.

If you must stay busy, get those phone calls done, do that filing you have been putting off or do some isometric chair exercises.

Panic and mental fatigue create confusion and frustration worse than anything a broken computer can do to you. Just stop now and go get something to drink! Take a walk! In addition, when your mind is clear and calm, you can come back to your PC problem.

Stop and look at what is happening to the machine! Stop banging on the keyboard, talking on the phone. Just slow down and study the situation. Don’t ignore it and think you are too busy and you will “worry” about it later. Stop when you know you are in trouble.

I learned this helpful lesson from one of those adventure shows on “Tee-Vee”. A wilderness park ranger was explaining that children were often easier to find than adults when they become lost while hiking.

It seems that lost kids will usually stop wandering around once they realize they are in trouble. They then would either start walking in a tiny circle to see if they could orient themselves or if they can’t; they will either sit or lie down and start crying for help while waiting for help from a grown up.

Adults, on the other hand would almost never backtrack or stay put (admit to being in trouble.). They would always push on thinking “civilization” was just over the next ridge or down in the next valley. They just end up putting more and more miles between themselves and help they need.

The same thing happens with folks and their computers. A lot of people almost never stop when they come in contact with an unknown problem or situation.

The urge to “be right” keeps them from stopping and looking things if they get into trouble. They either ignore it or keep banging helplessly away at the keyboard until the system is good and locked and they are frustrated.

The first key is to stop what you are doing! Just stop, recognize and accept that something is wrong with your machine. You can’t fix what you don’t recognize as a problem.

Ignoring a minor problem can cost you more in repair bills but it can also potentially harm your business files and records if the situation is severe enough.

Eight Things You Should Do When Your Computer is Misbehaving

Before you pick up that screwdriver and download one of the mini-guides you should read over these 8 tips on what to do when things start going badly.

• Step 1 - Don’t Ignore Problems
  Admit something is wrong with your computer. You can’t fix it if you keep overlooking the situation.
• Step 2 - Don’t Panic
  Don’t let your “feelings” carry you away. Anger, aggravation and confusion are normal when your computer goes bad. Take a deep breath and relax.
• Step 3 - A Positive Attitude Helps
  A good mental attitude will help more than you will believe. Stay positive - stay focused.
• Step 4 - Find Out What’s Happened
  Try and remember what was happening at the time your machine went bad. And write it down - else how will you remember it?
• Step 5 - Identify and Isolate the Problem
  Without doing this properly all your repair efforts will be wasted.
• Step 6 - Learn how to troubleshoot
  Use the Troubleshooting checklists to narrow down and determine what went wrong.
• Step 7 - Reinstall, Reconfigure or Replace
  The only three things you ever have to do to repair any computer.
• Step 8 - Test, Test And Then Test Some More
  Before you close the case and throw away the receipt, power up and test everything! Testing keeps down the frustration levels.

How Power Surges Can Smoke Your PC Without The Right Surge Protector.

Surge protectors are often the last thing most people buy when setting up a new computer system. Computer? Check! Flat panel monitor? Check! Printer? Check! Now to plug everything in. Oops, you don’t have enough outlets for all the different power plugs. Not to worry, you’ll just nip out to the local retail store and grab a cheap power strip.

STOP right there…

By using a power strip (a fancy extension cord) in place of surge protector you are setting yourself up to accidentally damage your computer.

A surge protector has two functions. Like a power strip, it provides extension outlets for your devices but its main job is to minimize the damage caused by random power fluctuations called power surges.

What is a power surge?

A surge is any short-lived high voltage pulse that is above the normal 120 volts standard in US homes and offices. Power surges only last a few nanoseconds (1/100 of a seconds or less) but in that short time, they can easily damage the internal parts of your computer. Uncontrolled, a surge can either smoke a part outright or shorten its useful life from years to months.

One way to think of it is to imagine that electricity “flows” like water. And like water, electricity can placed under “pressure” in this case called “voltage”. So see, the higher the voltage, the higher the “electrical pressure”. And like water pipes in winter, the micro circuits inside your PC can become overloaded and “burst”.

What causes them?

Power companies have done lots of research in this area and they have discovered that are two main types of electrical fluctuations: internal (inside the house), external (outside the house).

Let’s look at the causes of those inside the home or office first. According to research 80% of all surges occur from devices located inside your home or office.

The biggest villains are air conditioner systems, and refrigerators. Both have large electrical motors that routinely shut off and then “surge” back on. It’s this “power on” that causes all those surges, spikes and blinking or flickering lights. Other “motor monsters” are hair dryers, power tools and computer printers.

External surge sources are caused by vehicle accidents involving utility poles, small animals falling into transformers, lightning strikes, construction boo-boos, fallen or swaying tree limbs, blackouts and wind or ice storms.

What to look for in surge protector…

As you can see picking a good surge protector is very important to the long term health of your PC. And choosing the right protector is easy with a few simple tips.

People often think that power “surges”, “spikes” and “blinks” or “flickers” are all the same. To the layman they close enough to be “kissing cousins” but technically the differences are important. A surge lasts as long ad 3 nanoseconds while a spike lasts from 1-2. A blink or flicker is less than even that.

A cheap protector may cover minor blinks and spikes. But in order to protect your computer, you should get one that can handle a true surge.

So look for one with at least an Underwriters Lab’s rating of “UL1449″ and labeled “Transient Voltage Surge Protector”. Now don’t get sticker shock here. You do get what you pay for when comes to surge protectors.

Hey, come on, it would be foolish to try and protect a $1000 computer system with $10 piece of junk, wouldn’t it? Now no surge protector will protect a system from the millions of volts created by a direct hit from lightning but a good protector will safeguard your system from most ordinary day-to-day power problems.

What you should do now…

In this article you learned what power surges were and how they can damage your system. What needs to be done now is for you to junk all those wimpy power strips you have all over the house and replace them with “UL1449″ rated surge protectors to get the maximum life out of your computer and other electronic devices.

Or if you are ready to cure your computer headaches, right now, check out our featured product.

Computer Troubleshooting 101

Troubleshooting is really a kind of detective work. Like Sherlock Holmes, you have to use a bit of deduction, a smidgen of specialized knowledge with just plain old “mother wit” or common sense. Troubleshooting is an easy skill to pick up and learn. As a matter of fact, you probably use some troubleshooting skills already.

It was a dark and stormy night…a bedtime story of troubleshooting… Ahh, you sit down at your computer after dinner to check out your email and pay some bills online. You pop open the CD player beside your desk. You slip in your favorite disc and push play. It seems to be spinning but no sound comes out.

You first check the volume control. Hmmm…it’s turned all the way up. You pop out the CD, examine it and pop it back in. Still spins but no sound. Huh?

You hunt down another CD, one you have only played a few times. Drop it in and push….still no sound. What the…? You foolishly check to make sure the player is really plugged in. AH-HA! The power plug is loose. You smile and reseat it back into the outlet. You push the button…

DANG IT! still no sound! You grab up the player and give it a good hard shake! Agggh! The sound comes blasting out of the speaker. @^&%**! You hastily turn down the volume and that’s when you hear it.

The ominous rattle of “something broken”! You unplug the box, paw in your desk for a screwdriver and pry open the back. That’s when you see the villain; one of the speakers is dangling by its’ wires. The little plastic holder thingy is broken and the metal screw doobie has come loose.

Now the question is; do you try and fix the speaker (Duct Tape? is cheap) or buy a new CD player? It boils down to just two things: You must either repair something or replace something. See…I told you, troubleshooting is not hard. You do it all the time. With the CD player, you followed a series of steps to “discover” what was wrong.

That’s all…and that’s all you ever really have to do with your computer problems. Figure out what is wrong with your PC (troubleshooting) and either reinstall it (for bad software) or replace it (for broken PC parts).

And you now come back to the same question that stumps most people: “Do I try and fix it by myself (i.e. spend my time; save my money) “OR” do I let someone else fit it (i.e. spend my money; but save my time)?

Read on because the FixComputerProblemsGuide.com website will give all the information you need to make this decision.

The Power-On-Self-Test (POST)

Now that you know about the 10…or 11 main parts of a modern computer system, you need to know how they work together.

When any computer first boots up, it performs a POST (Power On Self Test) or system check. Basically, a POST check allows a computer to count all its “fingers and toes” and make sure all the ten parts listed earlier are online and active.

If anything goes wrong during the POST check, the computer will signal an error (a possible part failure) via a series of “beeping” sounds or with a text message on the monitor if the video/graphic card is working.

The Power on Self Test (POST)

1. The Power Supply is turned on via the power-on button on the case.
2. The BIOS is triggered. The BIOS (basic input/output system) is pronounced “bye-ose”. It is a very basic software program (most are mutations from the first IBM BIOS from 1981) and it is installed at the factory on chip on the motherboard.
3. Imagine if you will, the BIOS as a traffic cop manually directing how each device comes up and making sure that all the other chips, drives, ports and CPU all flow together without crashing.
4. The BIOS tests itself. (If this fails the game is pretty much over).
5. The BIOS tests the Power Supply Unit and makes sure it’s online and able to send a steady energy signal to the rest of the motherboard.
6. The CPU is powered on and made active.
7. Next, the CMOS is started and “read”. Pronounced “see-moss”, these CMOS chips store the date, time, any system passwords and other system settings. They are powered by a battery when the computer is turned off.
8. The BIOS tests all memory chips and RAM sticks. If the first 64K of RAM is bad or unreadable, the BIOS will create an error message and the POST will stop with an error beep.
9. Find, initialize and organize all devices that are available for boot up. The BIOS signals that all is well internally with a final “All Systems Go” beep.
10. The BIOS then turns on the video card. This displays the motherboard & memory test information on screen. You may also see a manufacturer’s logo flash on the screen.
11. It then does a keyboard and mouse test. This is one test where you can watch as your keyboard’s lights blink on or off. A keyboard failure will be shown on screen.
12. Next the hard drive, floppy and CD/DVDs are tested and booted up. You will hear and see the drive lights wink on and off. A hardware (hard drive or CD/DVD) failure will be shown on screen.
13. The POST check is complete and the BIOS hands everything off the main Operating System software.

Okay so how does this POST cycle help you?

During any part of the testing cycle (which takes only a couple of seconds by the way) if something doesn’t work, the computer will give you an audible error signal. In other words, if something bad happens your computer will “beep” at you.

The original BIOS or POST beep codes were first developed by IBM. Today most beep codes are installed by each motherboard manufacturer. While each manufacturer may modify codes for their own testing purposes, most vendors maintain a fairly standard set of codes.

Here are some of the most common PC beep codes:

• 1 short beep - Normal POST - No problems detected
• No beep - no power, power supply, motherboard problem, disconnected CPU, loose card or disconnected speaker
• Continuous beep - Power supply, motherboard, or keyboard problem
• Repeating short beeps - Power supply or motherboard or keyboard
• Repeating long beeps - RAM (memory stick) is unseated
• 1 long, 1 short beep - Motherboard problem
• 1 long, 2 short beeps - Video Card, Video Card Slot
• 1 long, 3 short beeps - Video Card, Video Card Slot
• 3 long Beeps - keyboard or keyboard port (motherboard problem)
• 1 beep, Blank or Incorrect Display - Monitor, Video Card, Video Card Slot

See by watching and “listening” to what your computer is telling you, you will have a jump on any major hardware problems just by powering on your PC.

Now that you have determined that this website is right for you we can move on.

How this Website Works

One of the hardest parts of repairing computers is learning where to begin. Non-technical people get all tangled up in the “hardware vs. software” thing and waste hours searching online trying to piece together odd-n-end bits of information and figure out went wrong with their machine.

And then more importantly, waste their hard-earned bucks on junk, when they do finally know which part has gone bad.

To eliminate this merry-go-round of misinformation, wasted money and lost hours, the meat of this website has been broken down into sections.  I will go over each section in detail and explain how it can help you with your computer issues.

Computer Components
Under the Hood - The Ten “Moving” Parts: An illustrated summary of the main components inside a standard computer, their names and what they do.

Computer Processes
What Happens When You Start’er Up? - The Power-On-Self-Test (POST): explains in plain English the processes that a computer must complete before it becomes ready for use. This section also explains some the error codes and messages your computer sends to you when something goes wrong.

Computer Troubleshooting Made Easy
You don’t have to be smart or take lots of time to learn how to quickly determine which part of a computer is causing a problem.

A Growing Library of Free Computer Problem Tips and How-To Articles

Now the next area you should visit is my general computer problem solving or “Free Tips” section. These are basically my free gifts to you. 

Here I share with you all the knowledge and experience I have collected in my 18+ years of messing with and working on personal computers. You will get solid, practical instruction on personal technology via my articles, video tutorials (coming soon) and tech tip cheatsheets.

Take time to read the ones that interest you now and bookmark the rest, so you can come back and browse later when you need to.

Specific Repair Mini-Guides
Theses are my growing library of “how-to-do-it-right” mini guides. Each mini guide is designed to solve one special set of problems and nothing else. Every guide is crammed full of “by-the-numbers” detailed instructions and full color illustrations for those tricky bits words just can’t describe properly.

Okay, you’re not sure if you should be monkeying around inside your computer. You still have a warranty, a long term service contract and everything, right? Yes, I understand. But what you don’t know if that the PC support industry is slowly dying out.

Hands-on technical service is expensive to provide long term. Hint: Dell, HP and eMachine are investing millions in low-cost “over the phone” help desk support. They are not hiring as many “boots on the ground” technicians as before.

This means that when you do get a problem that requires a little hands-on work, you go on a long waiting list.

Even worst yet, is that the “Big Boys” are quietly slipping into the fine print of all their newest support and service warranties the concept of “Consumer Replaceable Parts”.

What are “Consumer Replaceable Parts”?

I’m glad you asked that. There are basically only ten to twelve essential hardware parts inside a modern computer. And most of the larger PC manufacturers have now made sure at least half of them are no longer covered under their warranties or service contracts.

For example, one of the largest PC makers, Dell admits they no longer warrenty CD-ROMs, DVDs, floppy drives, power supply units (your PC’s power plant), or the motherboard (that’s the circuit board that contains your video, sound, modem or network modules).

They publish this in their “CompleteCare?” agreement for consumers (the home office market). The “CompleteCare?” is not “free” by the way.

And if they do cover a bad part, they state further down in the agreement that,” At our discretion, the (helpdesk) technician will either send you a replacement part to for you to install on the computer device or give you directions to ship the computer device to our repair facility.”

Got that?

That’s right. Even with a service agreement, they will send the part to you so YOU can put it in or YOU can ship it back to them for repair. See what I mean by “Consumer Replaceable”?

Oh, yeah by the way the parts they send out for you (to install all by yourself) will probably be “refurbished”. Nope, you don’t even get a new one.

Now I don’t want to pick on Dell. I like them alot; they are indeed one of the good guys when it comes to tech support. But all of the PC makers are doing this, “Consumer Replaceable Part” thing.

You can either install your own “consumer replaceable part” with a little help from our very affordable mini guides or lug your machine down to that expensive computer repair store and let their geek-to-go replace it for you.
It’s your choice, your time, and your wallet.

To learn more on how to care for your computer yourself and save, view “Getting Started”

Have you ever had any of these problems?

You have a strange problem with your hard drive…

You are not sure what is wrong but when you boot up your hard drive simply takes forever to bring Windows up. You keep hearing funny sounds but you don’t know what to do.

Your computer is so slow…

The darn thing is running slower than molasses in Alaska. Every time you boot up it seems to take forever and it keeps getting worst. Now you are getting Window “Blue Screen of Deaths” error messages.

Your computer will not turn on…

It was acting funny yesterday but you just didn’t have time to fool with it but now the darn time won’t even turn on.

Your computer is full of viruses and spyware…

You have “porn-pops” every time you go online now and you notice that files keep disappearing. You have done everything the “gamer guy” at work told you to do but things keep getting worst.

Your computer keeps restarting…

You just simply cut if off because it would work for a little while then just cut off and restart all by itself…over and over again.

If you have had any problem similar to these then I can help you. You are here because your computer is about to drive your crazy. You are sick and tired of dealing with computer headaches. You just want to find a way to fix the issues and get things back to normal. Everyone says you should take your machine into the computer shop but times are hard right now and you just don’t have that kind of cash anymore.

But “Damnit Jim”, you’re an ordinary person, not a computer guy! So what should you do?

What the computer repair guy doesn’t want you to know is…

You don’t have to be a certified support tech to repair your home computer. In fact, it’s fairly simple to learn how to fix common PC problems yourself and save money.

Hey, basic computer maintenance and repair isn’t rocket science. I know, I have been messing around with computers for over 18 years now and my friends can tell you, I’m not all that smart!

Anyone with a decent set of hand tools, some technical know-how (which you will pick up if you keep reading this website) and an hour or two; can learn to troubleshoot and repair their Windows-based PC.

Fix Computer Problems Guide was developed to help non-technical people to learn how-to:

• Find out what is really wrong with their computers
• Decide if they want to fix or repair the problem themselves
• Gain the technical information they need to made the proper repairs quickly
• And locate affordable computer hardware and software they may need

In order to get the most out of Fix Computer Problems Guide, you should:

Be comfortable with Windows-based computers While I have taken every effort to make sure this website is as simple and straight forward as I can, this is NOT a beginner’s resource. If all you can really do is check your email then this is not the place for you. Sorry. But if you consider yourself to be an “intermediate” computer user and enjoy learning new things we can work together.

Be capable of installing software programs A good many of the how-to articles on this site involve downloading, installing and running hardware utilities or other diagnostic programs. If you have installed as least one or two programs on your own then you can easily learn how to use the utility programs I recommend.

Be willing to open your computer case! Yes, often the hardware mini-guides do require that you pop the case on your computer. If just the idea of working inside your computer makes you queasy then you are better off taking your computer to a repair shop. But if you can use a screwdriver, and are not afraid of taking an up a challenge, then I can show you how to fix your own computer and save you some money.

While this is not an advanced, for “geeks-only” website by no means, Fix Computer Problems Guide is designed to be a how-to resource for intermediate or “power” computer users.

Now if you haven’t been frightened off, I invite you to explore this website and learn how to fix common computer problems the simple and easy way. Click on “Getting Started” if you want to get going now. But if you are still not sure about doing your own computer repairs, please read “Why Do It Yourself”…

Despite what anyone tells you, troubleshooting a desktop computer is usually a very straightforward thing.

There are just 10 “moving” parts to a standard desktop or tower PC. A laptop has exactly the same parts (if you exclude the “built-in” screen, keyboard and glidepad)only miniaturized and squeezed into a much smaller case.

The Ten Parts

1. Motherboard, system or mainboard. This is a big circuit board with various “slots” and “sockets” that holds the rest of the parts.

2. CPU or “central processor unit” is the main “chip” inside. It’s the brain of the computer.

3. RAM or “Random Access Memory” comes in “sticks”. RAM acts data holding tanks for the CPU. The more RAM the a computer has; the faster it can operate. Is a view of the RAM installed in a computer.

Expansion Cards is any type of computer circuit card that inserted into the motherboard. This may include Video or Graphic, Sound, Network or Modem.

4. Audio or Sound card. Most modern units have an “onboard” system (see motherboard picture above) that is built into the motherboard. However, replacement and upgrade cards are available.

5. Video or Graphic card. Like sound cards, most computers have “onboard” systems that are built-in. But replacement and upgrade cards are available for special functions like high power video games or digitally record your favorite TV shows like a Tivo.

6. Modem cards (not to be confused with cable modems) are still used for dial-up Internet connections but are slowly being replaced with faster DSL and broadband connections.

7. Network cards are for all Ethernet(wired networks) or broadband and DSL Internet connections (either high-speed cable or phone lines). These cards are part of any wired network.

8. The Hard Drive is the central storage unit for computer. It holds operating systems, motherboard/card software (drivers), applications and other programs. Here is an image of a hard drive in a computer case.

9. CD/DVD Drives have become the primary “removable” storage devices replacing the venerable floppy drive.

10. Floppy Drives, while being phased out, have been the standard since the beginning of personal computers. Many models still use them as the secondary boot device.

Here is an image of floppy drives down thru history

From left to right:
• Qume D/T 8, 8 inch drive, 1.2 MB. Made in 1980.
• Tandon TM 100-2A , 5 1/4 inch drive, 360 KB. Made in 1983.
• Sony MPF920, 3 1/2 inch drive, 1.4 MB. Made in 2004.

11. Case and Power Supply Unit. So, I said ten, but from my point of view, a good power supply unit or PSU and case are some of the most important components in a computer.

A failing power supply unit the computer simply will not boot or run improperly damaging other devices. Your motherboard or CPU may burn out sooner than expected or suffer power fluctuations.

• a. You can see the Power Supply Unit at the back of the case: it’s the “fan” where the main power cord outlet is set. The PSU has two main jobs: provide juice to all the components inside the case and use its’ fan to keep things cool.
• b. The “Case” is usually the “white box” or “black box” or “grey box” everything sets in. Some cases are simple to open. Still others are like trying to untie a Gordian knot. And laptops should only be opened with instructions from repair professionals.
• c. Cables are the most often “forgotten” part in a PC. The multi-color power cables connect the power supply unit to the motherboard and other devices. And while the flat grey data cables run from the motherboard to the floppy, CD/DVD, hard drives

See, I told you, just ten simple, little parts. Well maybe a bit more than ten but most of which you already knew about or have used.

By understanding the basic functions of those parts and applying a little common sense with a wee bit of how-to knowledge, you can effectively uncover and fix most of the problems that are plaguing your PC.

PC Clean Up and Maintenance Techniques

Delete all old programs

Go to “Start > Programs” and use the “uninstall” tools on any old applications that you or your family no longer needs.

If a program doesn’t have an uninstall program, then go to “Start > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs”. Remove any programs here in the dropdown menu. But be careful…”when in doubt…leave it the heck alone.” If you are not sure what a program does, look it up online.

Run Microsoft’s Disk Cleanup

Your computer routinely creates little files that are either unnecessary or temporary. Often applications leave these orphan files just lying around taking up valuable disk space and hogging resources. . It’s your job, as a computer power user to clean out those cyber “cobwebs” in the corners of your system.

You can regain your lost disk space my using a Windows utility called Disk Cleanup. The program Disk Cleanup comes with the Win98/Me/2000/XP/Vista operating systems. It was designed to remove unnecessary files from your system.

Use Scandisk to detect potential hard drive errors.

Scandisk is one of the built in Windows utilities that can help you maintain a tidy hard drive. Scandisk detects and repairs minor hard disk errors. To use Scandisk click on “START/Accessories/System Tools/Scan Disk.

Use Disk Defragmenter to Get Organized Internally

Disk defragmenter (Defrag) is another Windows utility. The Defrag’s job is to rearrange and reorganize your hard disk by putting all files together in contiguous sectors. When a program is installed, your operating system plops the resulting files into the first empty sectors (pre-sized spaces) it finds on your disk. Some files are stored close together while others are not.

Defragging a hard drive forces the operating system collect all the relevant files together and lay them down in adjacent sectors. This makes for faster file storage and retrieval.

Update Your Antivirus and or Firewall software.

Make sure that your have installed the latest updates. Trying to get updated AFTER you’ve been attacked is often too little too late.

Update Your Operating system and Applications

Install the latest service packs, patches and updates. Security patches for Windows can be found online at Windows update support page. Or better yet turn on the Auto Update tool in the Control Panel..

Update your device drivers <