Houston, We have a PC Problem – Step 5: Identify and Isolate the Problem

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

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.

Houston, We have a PC Problem – Step 4: Figure Out What Happened

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!

Houston, We have a PC Problem – Step 3: Never Underestimate a Positve Attitude

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.

Houston, We have a PC Problem – Step 2: Calm Down…Don’t Panic

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.

Houston, We have a PC Problem – Step1: Don’t Ignore Problems…

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.

Houston, We have a PC Problem – 8 Things to do right now

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.

Is that Your PC I Smell Burning? -

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.

What’s Wrong with Your PC – A Detective Story

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.

“Why Do It Yourself?”

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”

Under The Hood – The 10 “Moving” Parts of a Computer

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.