Computer Maintenance And Troubleshooting

Problem #1: My printer won’t print.

Cause #1 Solution
Printer is not turned on and Turn the printer on and make sure it is online.
online.
Cause #2 Solution
The correct printer driver for the 1. Install the correct printer driver for the application
application is not installed. 2. Try printing using the MS-DOS command
3. After the printer works, reload the printer driver
Cause #3 Solution
If you are on a network you may Make the paper network connections to the printer.
not have made the connection
to the printer.
Cause #4 Solution
Printer has failed. Run printer self-test.

Problem #2: Windows won’t boot, says that operating system is not found.

 It may be caused by an error in BIOS configuration, a faulty hard drive, or a damaged
Master Boot Record.

Cause 1: Bad BIOS configuration

Since this error occurs when BIOS is unable to find the operating system, checking the BIOS
settings first is often a good solution. The BIOS configuration can become incorrect because
of power outages, hardware errors or errors made when configuring the BIOS manually.

Cause 2: BCD is damaged

Similar to the errors outlined in the BCD is missing and BCD is corrupt articles, this error can
also appear when BCD becomes damaged.

Cause 3: Faulty data cables

If the BIOS is unable to detect the hard drive, the faulty data cables are often to blame. Try
to unplug, and then plug them back, or even replace them altogether and see whether the
problem persists.

Change or reset the BIOS configuration

Since this error often occurs when BIOS is unable to find the hard drive, checking BIOS
settings might be a good solution.

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To check the BIOS settings, follow these steps:

1. Restart the computer

2. Press the necessary key to open BIOS menu. This key depends on the computer
manufacturer and computer model. This is usually listed on the first screen that
appears on the monitor. It can be any of the following:  Esc ,  Del ,  F2 ,  F8 ,  F10  or  F12 .
3. If the screen shows multiple keys, find the key to open “BIOS”, “setup” or “BIOS
menu”

4. Check the BIOS’ main screen to see whether it detects the hard drive, and the boot
order to see if it is set correctly.

Here are the screenshot examples of BIOS’ main screen, with a hard drive and a CD-ROM
that were properly detected, and a boot order screen that has a hard drive in the first
position.

Here are the steps to reset BIOS settings:

1. Enter the BIOS screen by following the steps outlined above

2. Find the “Reset to default” or “Setup default” option – it could be either a hotkey, or
an option in the menu

3. Choose the reset option, and answer “Yes” when prompted for a confirmation

4. Then, select the “Exit -> Exit saving changes” option.

Run Automatic Repair

The Windows Automatic Repair may recover certain boot process related errors in some
cases. Here are the steps to access the Automatic Repair from an install disc:

1. Boot from Windows install disc

2. Click Next in the setup page after selecting proper language, time and keyboard
input

3. Click Repair your computer and select Troubleshoot

4. Click on Advanced options

5. Select Automatic Repair and select your operating system.

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In addition it could be solved using:

This problem occurs because the device containing your operating system is not being
detected at boot. This could occur happen if you have a USB drive plugged in, because
some systems try to boot off external media before the main internal drive. Unplug any
external drives and take out any media, such as CDs or DVDs. If the message still appears,
open your system BIOS and confirm that your main hard drive (usually C:) is detected. If it is
not, the hard drive may need replacement.

Problem #3: My networked computers won’t share files or printers.

Cause: maybe it isn’t configured correctly.

Solution: Open the Networking and Sharing center in the Control Panel and verify that you
are in a network. Select “Choose homegroup and sharing options” and make sure that the
types of files you want to share are checked under the “Share libraries and printers” section.
Now go to “Advanced sharing settings” and make sure that Network Discovery, File Printer
and Sharing, Public Folder Sharing and Media Streaming are all turned on. Be sure to save
your changes when you exit the window.

Problem #4: No display or black screen on a computer monitor.

Cause #1 Solution

Monitor cable is plugged into the wrong
connector.
If the computer system has both an
integrated graphics connector and an odd-in
graphics card connector, plug the monitor
cable into the graphics card connector on
the back of the computer.

Cause #2 Solution

Monitor setting in the computer are not
compatible with the monitor.
1. Restart the computer and press F8
during start up when you see “press
F8” in the bottom right corner of the
screen.
2. Using the keyboard arrow keys, select
enable VGA mode and press enter.
3. In windows control panel double-click
the display icon and select the setting
tab.
4. Use the sliding control to reset the
resolution

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Problem #5: My printer queue is stuck and I can’t print any more documents.

Cause: It may be blocked, particularly if one document is bugged and not printing.

Solution: Open the Control Panel and go to Printer and Faxes (XP) or Device and Printers
(Vista and 7) menu. Double-click on the printer to open the printer queue. Open the Printer
menu in the upper left hand corner and click Cancel All Documents. Alternatively, you can
rightclick on specific documents and cancel them individually.