LESSON5 FAULT DIAGNOSIS

Chapter Objectives
At the end of the chapter the learner shall be able to;
 Troubleshoot a computer that is having a problem and identify the cause of
 the problem and how it can be solved
 Explain how to trouble shoot a Hard Drive Failure, Motherboard and CPU,
 Video Failure and Power Supply Troubleshooting
 Explain how the divide and conquer method of troubleshooting can be
applied during troubleshooting

4.1 Power Supply Troubleshooting

The first place to start is always confirming that the power supply is operating
properly. When you start troubleshooting a dead computer, never ignore the
possibility that the AC power to the PC's power supply is at fault. Power supplies
often fail gradually, giving rise to symptoms that appear to be caused by individual
component failure. Many cheaper PC's ship with power supplies I would basically
describe as "disposable." If I had to choose one part to blame the majority of
intermittent failures in cheap PC's on, it would be the power supply

4.2 Video Failure Troubleshooting

When we talk about troubleshooting video failures, we're usually talking

about no image at all on the screen. The easy cases to diagnose are those where
the monitor or LCD isn't powering up properly, or the PC not powering up.
Video card failure isn't uncommon, and video cards can lose their contact with
the motherboard, especially early AGP adapters which frequently popped out
of their slot. Video failure can also be due to motherboard failure or to external
interference, when it comes to poor image quality.

4.3 Motherboard and CPU Troubleshooting

There are very few instances when you'd turn on a PC, have it either power up
or not, and be able to say, "Oh, that's a motherboard problem." Motherboard
failures usually show up as second level problems, like "I've replaced the video
card and the screen is still dead." If you want to learn how to repair PC's without
swapping every part, it's critical to know what to look for on a powered up
system, like a CPU fan that isn't running, or RAM that stays cold. Sometimes you
can spot a blown capacitor on a motherboard, but it's not a common problem.

4.4 Hard Drive Failure Troubleshooting

Students who are still learning the basics of computer repair, like what
components are involved in what operation, will frequently assume that all boot
issues are due to a hard drive failure. The truth is, of all the four subsystems
represented in this table, hard drives are probably the most reliable. I don't
mean that hard drives last longer than memory modules or video cards in the
pure MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure) sense, I mean they are rarely at fault
when you're called in to repair a PC. Hard drive failures are generally pretty
easy to troubleshoot, in part because the operating system will include tools to
report on the hard drive's reliability when it's accessible..
Video Failure Troubleshooting
4.5 Chapter review questions
1. The computer is not starting and when switched on it is not turning on.
What could be the problem
2. The commuter is showing an error during startup “no operating system”
What could be the problem

4.6 Suggested Readings

Howstuffworks.com