DIAGNOSING COMPUTER SYSTEMS

Basic troubleshooting.
Trial and error: When you find a faulty
component in your computer, check it with the other
computers so that you can make sure whether the
fault is in the component or not.
Check cables: In case of any device failure, check
all the cables of your computer such as data cables,
power cable, internal circuitry cables and make sure
that all these are plugged in and working fine.
Hardware settings: Check the hardware settings
in the CMOS and in the device manager of the
system and make all the device drivers up to date
and all the cards are plugged in properly.
Notice changes: When you notice a software or
hardware error in your computer, determine what
was changed before the problem occurred.
Event viewer: In the event viewer, you will find the
error or warning messages associated with any faulty
hardware or software.
Make notes: Troubleshooting is a big learning
option and we can learn a lot when we face any kind
of troubleshooting in our computer. Make notes
including the error messages and their solutions, so
that you have a record on how a certain problem
occurred and how did you solve it.
 Common PC Problems and solutions

1. Check the POST. POST stands for Power On

Self-Test. This is generally the first or second thing
that appears on a computer after turning on the
power. This appears before the operating system
begins to load. The POST will display any problems
found with hardware that makes the computer
unable to boot, POST may also display problems
with hardware that allow the computer to boot, but
not operate at its full capacity during operation.
2. Notice the load time of the OS (operating
system). A longer than usual load time may indicate
errors in the hard drive.
3. Notice any graphics problems once the OS
has loaded. Reduced graphics may indicate driver
failures or hardware failures with graphic cards.
4. Perform an auditory test. An auditory test is
an unorthodox, but still effective way of judging how
a computer is working. With the computer on and
running, play any decent length audio file (usually
above 30 sec). If the audio is choppy or slow, it
usually means that the processor is working at an
elevated level, or there is not enough RAM to run
all programs loading. Changing the startup sound is
a great way to apply this test
Another issue associated with choppy sounds is PIO
(Programmed Input/Output) Mode. This affects how
the hard drive reads and writes data from a drive.
Switching to Direct Memory Access (DMA)
allows for faster reads and writes, and can
sometimes repair choppy audio.

5. Check any newly installed hardware. Many
operating systems, especially Windows, can conflict
with new drivers. The driver may be badly written, or it
may conflict with another process. Windows will
usually notify you about devices that are causing a
problem, or have a problem. To check this use the
Device Manager, this can be accessed by entering the
Control Panel, clicking the System icon, clicking the
Hardware tab, and clicking on Device Manager. Use
this to check and arrange the properties of hardware.
6. Check any newly installed software.
Software may require more resources than the
system can provide. Chances are that if a problem
begins after software starts, the software is causing
it. If the problem appears directly upon startup, it
may be caused by software that starts automatically
on boot.
7. Check RAM and CPU consumption. A
common problem is a choppy or sluggish system. If a
system is choppy it is good practice to see if a
program is consuming more resources than the
computer can provide. An easy way to check this is
to use the Task Manager, right click on the taskbar
select Task Manager, and click the Processes tab. The
CPU column contains a number that indicates the
percentage of CPU the process is consuming. The
Memory Usage column indicates how much memory
a process is consuming.
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8. Listen to the computer, if the hard drive is
scratching or making loud noises, shut off the
computer and have a professional diagnose
the hard drive. Listen to the CPU fan, this comes
on a high speed when the CPU is working hard, and
can tell you when the computer is working beyond
its capacity.
9. Run a virus and malware scan. Performance
problems can be caused by malware on the
computer. Running a virus scan can unearth any
problems. Use a commonly updated virus scanner
(such as Norton Antivirus or Avast! Antivirus)
10. Check for the problem in safe mode. To
enter safe mode, tap F8 repeatedly during POST
(this works on most systems). If the problem persists
in safe mode, it is a fair bet that the operating system
itself is to blame.
Evaluation