Basic PC Troubleshooting

BASIC TROUBLESHOOTING CHECKLIST

The list below is an attempt to create a very generic troubleshooting list. By following all of the steps
below, you can probably safely diagnose a majority of PC problems. At the least it is a good guide to
follow! Before we start – verify that you have your valuable data backed up multiple times on multiple
media. If not, DO NOT go any further until you do.

1) If you are getting a specific error message such as “Failure in C55SRVX.DLL” or “Error 27372” (as
examples), use Goggle to do a search to see if others have had the same problem. We have found that
frequently we can pinpoint a problem in this manner.

2) Verify that your Virus software is completely up to date.

a. Install any engine and/or DAT updates
b. Run a full scan of ALL hard drives

3) Verify that you have plenty of disk space (at least 500+ megs) available on your primary partition
(usually C:). If not, run disk cleanup and then look at uninstalling unused programs, etc.

4) Check your hardware for any mal-functioning or slow-spinning fans. The inside of your PC should not
be hotter than a nice summer day. If it feels like “Death Valley”, you probably have a heat problem. Also
make sure that all the dust is removed from your PC intake areas.

5) Disable ALL power saving features both within Windows and also in the system BIOS. Reboot once
you have turned everything off.

6) Disable any screen saver software. Remember that in order for a screen saver to work, it needs to
monitor every keystroke and mouse movement to know when to “wake up”. This is generally not a good
thing….

7) Check the Windows Update site and be sure that every patch and update is applied. This includes
Media Player, IE, etc. The only patches/updates that we don’t apply are Language support modules.
Other than that, we apply everything!

8) Check the following items in your browser:

a. Delete any temporary internet files – use the option in your browser. Never delete files
manually on your hard drive.
b. Set all of your security settings back to “Default” or “low” within the browser. (This should only
be done temporarily to check to see if the security settings are the problem. Change them
back to their original state after the check)

9) Download and run Adaware. Make sure that you check for updates as soon as you have installed the
software (it’s located on the first screen above the “Next” button. Just like Viruses, new spyware comes
out frequently and requires updates.

10) Run a ScanDisk and Defragment your hard drive. The easiest way to run both of these utilities is to
boot your computer in “Safe Mode” and run it. Then, re-boot when you are done to get back to Normal
Mode.

11) If you are running a software firewall such as Zone Alarm or Black Ice, you may want to disable it for
the moment to see if that is causing some problems. At this point in the debug session we are starting to
look for anything that could interfere with the proper operation of a PC.
12) Ask yourself ‘Have I installed any new hardware or software recently?” Did the problems start
occurring after I installed it? If so, you can uninstall it or use a Restore Point to restore your system prior
to that point (Windows XP). You may need professional help to perform this operation.

OK, If you’ve made it this far, we’re running out of generic trouble shooting techniques.

1) Check “Device Manager” for any Yellow exclamation points that appear in the tree. If present, you
could start by removing the devices in error and re-booting your system. However, you might need driver
CD’s, etc.

2) Run MSCONFIG. Click on the “Startup” tab and “Un-Check” every item that is listed. Proceed to reboot
your machine. See if your problems still persist. If not, you’ve now isolated it to a problem at startup. If so,
follow the instructions to “re-check” all of the items again and reboot. You may notice a number of items
that are missing such as devices, etc. This is normal. Proceed back into MSCONFIG and re-check (click
to make a check box appear) the items one at a time, re-booting in between to see which process is
causing the problem.

3) Device Drivers – time to start updating Video and Printer drivers to make sure that you are running the
latest and greatest.

4) In an attempt to get the system functions, I would review the available system restore points and
probably pick one to “fall back to”. Bear in mind that you would probably need to install some missing
software, etc. that may have been installed after the restore point that you select.

5) You could run a system repair at this point. We are attempting to avoid a complete “wipe and reload” of
your O/S!

6) Registry Cleaning – in general, not a bad idea, but one that I reserve for this level of diagnostic and/or
fixes. “Registry Mechanic” seems to be a good tool, but in order to get full functionality you will need to
purchase it.

7) We’ve tried just about everything. It’s time to consider a complete “wipe and reload” of the O/S..
Remember, this is a LAST RESORT and should only be done once you have backed up all of the data
that you possibly can! The following section is for specific problems within the overall Windows
environment.

INTERNET ISSUES ONLY:

If you are having Internet connectivity issues, follow these steps to see if any might help.

1) Verify that you have “link” lights displaying and blinking on your Network Interface card. You’ll need to
view the connection where your Network cable attaches to the machine. Check to be sure that the cable
is secured on both ends.

2) Verify that your Cable or DSL modem is blinking and showing signs of activity. If not, your connection
may be down.

3) Go to a DOS prompt and attempt to “Ping” a known IP address. I always use 64.201.0.3 which is the
tabinc.com home page. If you get a response, you know that you can see the internet and this is not a
hardware problem. (PING 64.201.0.3)

4) Again at a DOS prompt, try to “Ping” an address using a name. I use www.yahoo.com. (PING
www.yahoo.com). If you do not get a response, this points to a DNS error and you should notify the help
desk.
If you are having browser issues, try these steps to see if any might help.

1) For persistent browser problems, you can download and run SpyBot Search and Destroy. Please be
aware, however, that sometimes Spybot can remove more than you might want! Be very careful using it.

2) HiJack This – is the next weapon in the fight against Browser Helper Objects. This utility should only be
used if you are comfortable with all aspects of computers. If you are not, follow the instructions to post
your HiJack results to their forum and let others more experienced tell you what to do from there.

3) Microsoft also has a method for disallowing any BHO (Browser Helper Objects) to run. Remember,
though that good BHO’s (like the Google Tool Bar) will not be allowed to run either.

COMMON QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

FLOPPY DISK ERRORS:

1) My floppy disk drive light does not come on when I am trying to open the drive. What's the
problem?

If you have a floppy disk in your drive and attempt to open the drive, the green light on the front of the
disk drive should come on, and you'll hear the sound of the disk drive reading the disk. If this light does
not come on or you do not hear the drive working when you try to access the files on the disk (which is
the same thing as opening the drive), then your drive is not functioning and could be damaged. (It is also
possible that the drive's internal connections came loose.) It is best to contact the electronics shop about
this.

2) My floppy disk drive has a disk (or some other object) stuck in it. What should I do?

The risk of little ones (and sometimes even big ones) jamming a disk improperly into the drive, causing
the disk to get stuck, happens with alarmingly high frequency. I have personally seen all sorts of objects
be placed in the floppy drive (gum is my favorite floppy drive discovery.) If something other than a disk is
placed in your floppy disk drive, the drive is most likely damaged and in need of replacement. Luckily,
these drives are fairly inexpensive, running about $15 a piece. If a disk is stuck or inserted upside down
by mistake, GENTLY try to remove the disk with tweezers or another thin pronged gripping device,
making sure that there is no power coming into the computer. If this does not work, DO NOT stick objects,
such as knives, into the drive. While this might dislodge the disk, it will do more harm to your drive than
good. Contact the electronics shop or IT person for further assistance.

3) My floppy disk drive (Zip drive or other removable disk drive) is not recognized by Windows.
What should I do?

If you have attempted to install a Zip or other external removable media drive, and the drive is not
recognized, be sure to check that the connection cable between the computer and the new drive is tightly
inserted. If this cable is loose, Windows will not recognize the drive, even if the software for the drive is
installed. Otherwise, consult the vendor's installation instructions for troubleshooting advice. Often the
same types of problems arise for these drives, and the vendor will give specific details on how to fix the
problem. After all, it is in the vendor's best interest that you get their product working.
4) The computer keeps giving me the error "Drive A:\ not accessible" with the options to Retry or
Cancel. What is happening?

This error simply means that you do not have a disk in the floppy drive that you are trying to access.
Double check that you have pushed the disk all the way into the drive and click the Retry button. If this
does not work, eject the disk and reinsert it. Then try to access the disk again. If it continues to fail, the
disk has been damaged and probably needs to be thrown away.

OPERATING SYSTEM ERRORS:

1) Every time that I try to do this one thing (open a program, print a document, etc.),
my computer hangs and I have to reboot it. Is there anything I can do to fix this?

There are several things that could be causing your computer to do this. The first thing that you should do
is run Scandisk on your computer's hard drive (a utility found under System Tools in the Accessories
folder in your Start Menu Programs area) and perform disk defragmentation. Performing this sort of disk
maintenance will fix the problem if the computer hanging is the result of the files on your hard disk being
corrupted. If after you have completed these maintenance tasks you are still having this trouble, it is best
to contact the electronics shop or IT person.

2) I have added a new piece of hardware or software and now, I am having problems getting the
computer to work properly. What should I do?

Adding new hardware to your computer changes the files that Windows uses to run the computer. If the
new hardware does not install properly, the changes that the hardware installation process made to the
system files might cause Windows to fail. The best way to resolve this problem is to contact the technical
support of the vendor of the product you were trying to install. Also, the documentation (manuals and help
files) that came along with the hardware or software will often have helpful hints and common problems
that are encountered during the installation process.

3) Windows is giving me a strange error message that I can't figure out. What should I do?

Well, I don't know of one computer user who has not gotten some strange Windows error message that
only seems to make matters worse. In Microsoft's defense, it is probably to be expected that an operating
system that runs so many programs on so many different types of machines would be prone to errors.
This does not help you as the user, however. To solve an unexpected, strange error message, the best
thing to do is to write the message on the screen down and exactly WHAT you were doing when you got
the error (were you opening a program? trying to print a document?). This will help the technician
determine what is going wrong with your machine. Then contact Microsoft's technical support line or visit
their web site at www.microsoft.com/support to find more information on the error. It is also possible that
other software or hardware other than Windows is the root of the problem. If you suspect that this is the
case, you should contact the appropriate vendor for a solution.

MOUSE PROBLEMS:

1) All of a sudden my mouse stops working while I am using the computer. I see the cursor, but
the mouse doesn't move the cursor. What do I do? Why did it stop working?

This is actually a common problem. The connection at the back of your computer to your mouse might
have come loose, or something caused the software driver for the mouse to hang, or stop responding.
The best thing to do is to close all of the programs that you are working on using the keyboard and restart
the computer. The key combination is the Alt key and the F4 key; simply hold down the Alt key and press
F4 to close what you are working on. Then hold down the Ctrl key and press the Esc key to have the Start
Menu pop up. Press the U key to get the shutdown command to activate and hit the Enter key to
shutdown or restart the machine. Assuming your connection in the back of the computer is tight, then
your mouse should work again once you have restarted the computer.

2) My mouse just isn't working correctly. It has worked in the past, but now it is not working.

The first question to ask is, are there any additional devices that you have added to your computer. Often
conflicts with other devices (like joysticks and other input devices) will cause your mouse to stop working.
The best way to fix this problem is to go into the Windows Device manager, delete the mouse, then let
Windows reinstall it using Plug and Play. To do this, Click on the Start button on your taskbar. (The Start
button is usually located in the bottom left corner of your screen.) Choose Settings from the Start Menu,
then Control Panel. Double-click the System applet. A System Properties dialog box appears. Click on
the Device Manager tab. The Device Manager property sheet appears. Double-click on Mouse to show all
of the installed mice (there is normally only one mouse installed.) Select that mouse by clicking once on it
(as shown above), then click the Remove button. Choose OK to confirm you are removing the mouse,
then OK again to close the window. Now, reboot your computer, and when the system starts again,
Windows will automatically redetect your mouse. Now it should work correctly.

3) I just can't get my mouse to work at all. Help!

Be sure to check that you have connected the mouse to the correct port in the back of your computer.
The keyboard port and the mouse port are the same, and it is easy to get them confused. Assuming that
you have checked that the mouse is connected to the correct port in the back, your mouse not working is
probably the sign of a damaged mouse connection or a broken mouse port. Try using another mouse on
this computer, and if another mouse works, you know that your original mouse is damaged in some way
(probably with its connector.) If another mouse does not work, there is probably something wrong with the
mouse port. Have the port checked out by the electronics shop.

HARD DISK DRIVE ERRORS / PROBLEMS:

1) My hard disk is very noisy. Is this a problem?

Hard disk drives make a certain amount of noise when programs are trying to get information or read data
from the drive. So you might expect to hear a faint, grinding noise when the computer is reading data
from the hard drive. However, the noise should not be too loud. An unusually loud noise signals that there
might be something wrong with your hard drive, and you should contact the electronics shop for help with
this.

2) My computer will not boot. I see nothing on the screen. What should I do?

The first thing that you should try is to use your Windows 95 or 98 startup disk. This floppy disk either
came with your computer when you bought it, or you should have made it when you first installed
Windows. If you have not made a copy of this disk, then you need to contact your computer vendor for
assistance in getting your computer to boot. If you do have a copy of this startup disk, place the floppy
disk into your A:\ drive and reboot your computer. The disk will give you options on how to boot your
Windows system for recovery and possibly offer to run diagnostics or boot your computer into Safe Mode.
If you are able to boot your computer into Safe Mode, uninstall whatever program or undo any change
you made to your computer's configuration that caused it not to boot. Then reboot your system again and
Windows should initialize without any problems. If you are still unable to boot your system, contact the
Help Desk or IT person for further assistance.

3) My computer will not boot. It stops booting at the Windows splash screen or I can see the
desktop, but I get these messages on the screen telling me there is an error. What should I do?

You need to reboot your computer and while it is rebooting, hold down the F8 key on your keyboard.
Holding down this key while your computer is booting up will give you the option to boot your computer
into Safe Mode. After you are able to boot your computer into Safe Mode, uninstall whatever program or
undo any change you made to your computer's configuration that caused it not to boot. Then reboot your
system again and Windows should initialize without any problems. If you are still unable to boot your
system, contact your computer vendor for further assistance or contact the Help Desk / IT support.

4) I think I have lost all the data saved on my hard drive. What should I do?

Most importantly, DO NOT PANIC! Although every cell in your body might be urging you to panic because
all of your important data files are gone, you would be amazed at the data recovery tools that exist out
there and that in the hands of skilled professionals, can recover the data that you think you lost on your
hard drive. The best course of action is for you to do nothing else with your computer. Contact the IT
person for help with the PC at this time.

SOUND PROBLEMS:

1) I can't hear any sound at all. Help! The sound on my computer has never worked.

The first thing to check is that your speaker wires are plugged into the proper port on the back of
your computer. You should see a left speaker wire and a right speaker wire, and they might be
connected together into one plug. Make certain that you have placed this plug into the port
marked with the speaker symbol. Often the microphone port is located right next to the speaker
port, and it is easy to get them confused. If you have checked that the speaker cable is plugged
into the back of the computer tightly, then verify that you have power going to your speakers and
that the speakers are turned on. Some speaker sets have separate power supplies, while others
draw their power from the computer. If the speakers are turned on, turn the volume all the way
up so you will know when the sound starts working. If there is a little speaker symbol on the
Taskbar near your clock, double-click on that symbol and make sure that the volume control is
set high enough and that the "Mute All" or "Mute" is not checked. If these are checked, it will
turn the sound off on your system, even if the speakers and other equipment are working just
fine. If you are still having a problem with your sound, you should have your computer looked
at.
2) I can't hear any sound at all now, although I have had my computer's sound working before.

If this is the case, then check the program that is using the sound system. Occasionally there are
configuration changes that you need to make for the sound to work properly in a program. If this does not
help, follow the steps in the answer to the question above, "I can't hear any sound at all..." Those steps
will check for some of the most common reasons for not being able to hear sound on your computer. If
you are still having a problem with your sound, you should have your computer looked at.

3) The sound I hear out of my computer is distorted.

Check the sound control settings on your computer or the audio program that is playing the sound. Often
audio settings will be altered on the sound controls, causing certain program sound to be distorted.

4) The sound plays on my computer, but when I play a CD in my CD-ROM drive, I don't hear
anything.

The cause of this problem is that the audio cable inside your computer from your CD-ROM drive to the
main computer board has either come loose or was not connected properly. You should have your
computer looked at.

CD / DVD PROBLEMS:

1) Will regular CDs play in a DVD-ROM drive?

Absolutely! You should have no problem playing regular CDs in a DVD-ROM drive.

2) My CD-ROM drive runs very slowly. Is there anything I can do to speed it up?

Unfortunately, no. The speed of your CD-ROM is fixed. Often the speed is indicated on the front of the
drive itself, and it is definitely listed in your computer specifications. The only way to speed up your CD-
ROM drive is to replace the CD drive itself with a faster drive.

3) The light on my CD-ROM drive blinks every few seconds. Is there something wrong with the
drive, or is this normal?

This blinking green light is actually normal and good news. It means that there is a CD in your drive, and
that the disk is being read by your drive. The light indicates that the CD drive is currently reading
information from the disk. If the light is not blinking, then your drive is in an idle state (not reading any
information.) This light is similar to the light on your floppy disk drive.

4) The door on my CD-ROM drive is stuck and the CD will not eject. How do I get the CD out
without damaging it or the drive? Is there anything I can do?

You should be able to get the CD door to open and eject the disk without damage quite easily. Each CD-
ROM drive has a tiny round hole in the front of it, a hole easy to overlook. This is the emergency release
for the CD drive. Simply take the end of a paper clip or safety pin and place it into the little hole and at the
same time press the normal eject button for the drive. The drive will open and out comes the CD. If the
CD has been jammed or caught in the drive, you might have to play with the disk's positioning a little bit to
get the disk out. This emergency release should only be used in an emergency and not as a routine way
to open a damaged CD drive.
5) My CD-ROM drive "froze" reading this CD. What can I do?

When a CD-ROM drive locks up, or "freezes", this is often the sign of a damaged CD. If there are
scratches or any damage at all to the underside of a CD, then the drive will not be able to read the disk
and freeze up. You will need to get a replacement of the CD itself. It is important that you always keep
your CDs in their cases and out of direct sunlight. Handling the disks with care will ensure that the data
written to them will remain readable by the CD drive.

6) There is no sound coming from the CD in my CD-ROM drive. What should I do?

If the CD-ROM works properly other than having no sound - for instance, you are able to read files off of
your CDs, just not hear any sound - then the problem is with your CD sound cable. The cable is either
defective or the connection has come loose. Contact the electronics shop or IT person.

7) I have a DVD-ROM drive. When I put the DVD disk in to view it, it does not play. What should I
do to fix this?

This problem most likely relates to your DVD-ROM reading software. It is possible that your computer
came with a DVD reader installed on it. If a problem develops with this software, it might become
impossible to use it to play DVDs. Luckily, most DVD disks come with their own DVD player software.
When you first place the DVD into the drive, a screen will pop up, and one of the options will be to install
software to play the DVD. Simply install this software, and you should be off! If you continue to have
problems with your DVD, you can further troubleshoot the DVD drive on the computer vendor's web site
or contact the electronics shop who can help you with this.