If you have a PC, then you have most likely suffered from computer problems. Most people have accepted that there PC will eventually crash due to a virus or some massive error. However this is a myth. Your PC is built to last more than a decade. However you must keep well tuned for it to make its third birthday. Nevertheless, most people would rather buy a shiny new PC rather than spend an hour trying to fix computer problems on there 2 year lap top or desktop. After another two year after their purchase lack of maintenance will cause their new PC to lose its performance speed. Whats next you guess, $3000 Windows Vista Ready PC. This is known as the consumer vicious cycle.
Why have does your computer have problems?
Well, the biggest problem that your computer has is its owner. More than 80% of computer problems stem from neglecting to perform simple maintenance task such as cleaning your registry, emptying your cache files and updating software regularly. If these task a perform diligently. You would be reading this article from a five year old machine running on Windows 98 operating system. So, lets take a look at the top five computer problems and how to avoid them.
1. Computer has performance has slowed.
This is the number one complaint from most users. There are several reason why this has occurred. However, most can attributed to lack of maintenance. Fragmented data, corrupted registry, spyware, and load of unnecessary programs and services running can all eat away at your PC speed and performance. Manage your programs and cleaning your registry would easily award you a 30% gain in performance speed. Check out The 4 ways to speed up my computer
2. Lockup, freezes, and blue screens of death.
This is a another common computer problem. However, this particular issue is a bit more serious; therefore, it needs a few diagnostic steps. In most cases this problems are caused by spyware. To avoid this problem update your anti-spyware program daily. Having the most up to date signatures will help you avoid having a serious spyware problem. However, if you have concluded that your PC is spyware free. You should update your hardware drivers. The computer cannot communicate with various hardware components without an up to date driver. When it cannot find a driver, the CPU locks up. Also, increasing your virtual memory can also help to avoid freezes. Virtual Memory will allow to you get more use out your computer's RAM. Check the resource box for more info on the subject.
3. The computer spontaneously reboots or turn itself off.
This computer problem can be usually attributed to a hardware issue. Usually its the power supply is dying or in most cases a dirty or defective cooling fan. The computer trying to cool itself by automatically switching off. So, if you feel a bit of extra heat coming out the computer. Clean the fan and make sure it running properly. If your fan is functional, check your power supply. Also, you will be surprised how many people fail to make sure the cables are attached tightly. This be the cause of this particular computer problem.
4. Strange noises and vibrations.
This is almost totally a hardware issue. You computer is made up of thousands of parts. Its not unheard of that one of them can become unhinged. Overheating can cause expansion of wires and melt some sensitive. High pitch noises such as squealing or whining sounds can be cause electronic components. Whatever the reason, you conduct a small investigation. Remove the case and run the computer to discover the origin of the computer problem. If its not a simple matter such as a loose wire or fan issue, it may be time to call a computer tech.
5. Your home page, default search engine, or web browser has changed itself.
This is also known as "high-jacking". Spyware has been installed on your computer via social networking or from email link. This action has allowed spyware to install a java script into your web browser. The spyware then sends a message to your browser to change your user settings. For example change your home page to another web page.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Common PC Problems Encountered
No sound from speakers: Please check the back of the computer. Some computers may have speaker connections on both the soundcard and modem. You will need to plug the single stereo speaker plug into the socket on the soundcard usually marked Audio Out (or in some cases Speaker)
Computer seems to start up as normal but nothing appears on screen: As obvious as this may sound it is probably a cable not attached correctly, or the monitor power button being turned off. Please unplug all the cables and replace them carefully.
Sometimes my system just crashes for no explicable reason: Welcome to Windows. More help with crashing.
Fuzzy image on monitor: Monitors are sensitive to electro magnetic interference. Ensure that your speakers are not too close to the monitor and that there is no other source of interference, especially from TVs, radios, microwaves, dishwashers and washing machines. Mobile phones are frequently the cause of this problem.
Modem error message says, "No Dial Tone": Do not attempt to change any COM port or other modem settings. This problem is ALWAYS external to the computer. Not all modem cables are the same. Always use the one supplied with your modem. The telephone cable from your wall socket should go into the modem socket marked Line In. Consider that the telephone socket is faulty. It could also be a faulty telephone extension line (just because it works on a phone doesn't necessarily mean it will work on a modem - and don't ask me why), or some other external factor. We repeat: Please do not change any of the modem settings. "No-Dial Tone" is always an external problem.
Modem cuts off frequently: Modems cannot handle the beep on BT's call waiting facility. If you have call waiting on your line you will need to disable it before using the modem.
Colour on screen is limited to 16 colours: The default setting for Windows is 16 colours. You can only get 256 or more colours if you have installed the video drivers correctly. Please see section on installation of video drivers in the hardware help page
CD keeps playing just the first few seconds of every song and then skips: If using the Windows 95 CD player go to Options on the tool bar and uncheck the setting Intro Play. If using some other CD player verify that your settings are for continuous play.
I can't get the pound sign to work; other keys come up with the wrong symbols: When installing Windows 95 the default country is installed as America and the default language is American English. To change the Language and Regional Setting you will need to go into Control Panel. Double click on Keyboard, then Language, choose the Add button, scroll down to English British, click on it and then click on Set as Default. Click on OK to confirm. (You may need your Windows 95 CD/Floppy at this stage). You can similarly change the Regional Settings from the Control Panel. You will have to re-start the computer for the changes to take effect.
Some programs (like games) don't work on my computer: Setting up games and some other multimedia programs to work on a Windows based computer is sometimes a stressful experience. Games programmers try to design games to work on a variety of different computers with different makes of sound and video cards and different settings for these cards. Unfortunately, they don't always get it right. Games that work perfectly well on a lower spec computer may not work at all on this new 'state of the art' machine you've just bought. Occasionally fiddling around with settings in the Control Panel will rectify the problem. (Often fiddling around with settings will cause your computer to crash). If you are running Windows 98/ME on your computer consider buying only games that have the 'designed for Windows 98/ME' logo. Note: 'Compatible with Windows ME' is not the same thing.
Try visiting the web site for the program you are using. There may be some FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) or other general information that may be of help.
Computer completely dead - neither monitor nor base unit will come on: If you bought your computer from Best Price Computers Ltd it is more likely that you've had a power cut than a dead computer. Please check your electric socket, the plug and the fuse before calling us. Try using another cable. Very often cables used for kettles will fit your computer. Note that some computers have a power switch at the back of the unit as well as the front. If you do then that needs to be on before you try the switch at the front.
The screen comes on OK when booting but gets unreadable when in Windows: This could be possibly because you've installed the wrong video drivers and/or have set the resolution/colours/refresh rate too high for your monitor to handle. Fortunately you'll find that you can still start the computer up in safe mode to correct this problem. Hold your "Control" key down and power your PC up. Keep holding the key down till you see the menu offering you the option of starting up in Safe Mode. Once you've started up in safe mode you'll be able to make changes to your video settings and restart the machine for the changes to be recognised. See hardware help page for guide to setting up video drivers.
Error Messages on Start Up: Error messages like nwlink.vxd missing or damaged - press any key to continue may lead you through several messages before starting Windows. It is certainly an inconvenience to keep pressing 8 to 10 keys each time you want to start Windows. This is caused by the incorrect deletion of programs. When removing a program from a computer you need to use the Add/Remove Software in the Control Panel to actually un-install it rather than delete it. Just deleting a program is likely to give you these error messages. Solution: Just don't do it again. (The problem can be solved by editing the ini files and the registry but that as that is a risky proposition you may just want to put up with the inconvenience till you next format your hard disk and re-install Windows). Suggestion: Invest in a good uninstallation program like Cleansweep.
Computer keeps running scandisk on start-up: Windows runs scandisk on start-up when the computer hasn't been shut down properly. Please read your Windows manual for correct method of shutting Windows down before turning the power off. If the problem continues it is possible that your installation of Windows is damaged.
My computer says "press any key" to continue,but I don't have a key with that name: (OK, we didn't actually get that particular complaint :-) ).
RTFM problems: Probably the most common abbreviation used in technical support. It has come to be accepted in some places as Read The "Friendly" Manual. So, the manual is not always easy to understand, but it's there for your help. In fact, it's there to be your first port of call. :-)
I've reinstalled Windows and my sound/video/modem/printer is not working correctly: It is possible that you haven't correctly setup your device. Please click here for link to our hardware help page ........ or here for software help.
Windows 98 SE does not shutdown correctly or it restarts when it should shutdown. Go to Run and type in "MSCONFIG" without the quotes. Click on "advanced" and tick/untick the Enable Fast Shutdown. Restart the computer and see if it shuts down? Still doesn't? Try the BIOS and disable ACPI. Also disable power saving. No joy? Try Microsoft's shutdown utility.
Computer seems to start up as normal but nothing appears on screen: As obvious as this may sound it is probably a cable not attached correctly, or the monitor power button being turned off. Please unplug all the cables and replace them carefully.
Sometimes my system just crashes for no explicable reason: Welcome to Windows. More help with crashing.
Fuzzy image on monitor: Monitors are sensitive to electro magnetic interference. Ensure that your speakers are not too close to the monitor and that there is no other source of interference, especially from TVs, radios, microwaves, dishwashers and washing machines. Mobile phones are frequently the cause of this problem.
Modem error message says, "No Dial Tone": Do not attempt to change any COM port or other modem settings. This problem is ALWAYS external to the computer. Not all modem cables are the same. Always use the one supplied with your modem. The telephone cable from your wall socket should go into the modem socket marked Line In. Consider that the telephone socket is faulty. It could also be a faulty telephone extension line (just because it works on a phone doesn't necessarily mean it will work on a modem - and don't ask me why), or some other external factor. We repeat: Please do not change any of the modem settings. "No-Dial Tone" is always an external problem.
Modem cuts off frequently: Modems cannot handle the beep on BT's call waiting facility. If you have call waiting on your line you will need to disable it before using the modem.
Colour on screen is limited to 16 colours: The default setting for Windows is 16 colours. You can only get 256 or more colours if you have installed the video drivers correctly. Please see section on installation of video drivers in the hardware help page
CD keeps playing just the first few seconds of every song and then skips: If using the Windows 95 CD player go to Options on the tool bar and uncheck the setting Intro Play. If using some other CD player verify that your settings are for continuous play.
I can't get the pound sign to work; other keys come up with the wrong symbols: When installing Windows 95 the default country is installed as America and the default language is American English. To change the Language and Regional Setting you will need to go into Control Panel. Double click on Keyboard, then Language, choose the Add button, scroll down to English British, click on it and then click on Set as Default. Click on OK to confirm. (You may need your Windows 95 CD/Floppy at this stage). You can similarly change the Regional Settings from the Control Panel. You will have to re-start the computer for the changes to take effect.
Some programs (like games) don't work on my computer: Setting up games and some other multimedia programs to work on a Windows based computer is sometimes a stressful experience. Games programmers try to design games to work on a variety of different computers with different makes of sound and video cards and different settings for these cards. Unfortunately, they don't always get it right. Games that work perfectly well on a lower spec computer may not work at all on this new 'state of the art' machine you've just bought. Occasionally fiddling around with settings in the Control Panel will rectify the problem. (Often fiddling around with settings will cause your computer to crash). If you are running Windows 98/ME on your computer consider buying only games that have the 'designed for Windows 98/ME' logo. Note: 'Compatible with Windows ME' is not the same thing.
Try visiting the web site for the program you are using. There may be some FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) or other general information that may be of help.
Computer completely dead - neither monitor nor base unit will come on: If you bought your computer from Best Price Computers Ltd it is more likely that you've had a power cut than a dead computer. Please check your electric socket, the plug and the fuse before calling us. Try using another cable. Very often cables used for kettles will fit your computer. Note that some computers have a power switch at the back of the unit as well as the front. If you do then that needs to be on before you try the switch at the front.
The screen comes on OK when booting but gets unreadable when in Windows: This could be possibly because you've installed the wrong video drivers and/or have set the resolution/colours/refresh rate too high for your monitor to handle. Fortunately you'll find that you can still start the computer up in safe mode to correct this problem. Hold your "Control" key down and power your PC up. Keep holding the key down till you see the menu offering you the option of starting up in Safe Mode. Once you've started up in safe mode you'll be able to make changes to your video settings and restart the machine for the changes to be recognised. See hardware help page for guide to setting up video drivers.
Error Messages on Start Up: Error messages like nwlink.vxd missing or damaged - press any key to continue may lead you through several messages before starting Windows. It is certainly an inconvenience to keep pressing 8 to 10 keys each time you want to start Windows. This is caused by the incorrect deletion of programs. When removing a program from a computer you need to use the Add/Remove Software in the Control Panel to actually un-install it rather than delete it. Just deleting a program is likely to give you these error messages. Solution: Just don't do it again. (The problem can be solved by editing the ini files and the registry but that as that is a risky proposition you may just want to put up with the inconvenience till you next format your hard disk and re-install Windows). Suggestion: Invest in a good uninstallation program like Cleansweep.
Computer keeps running scandisk on start-up: Windows runs scandisk on start-up when the computer hasn't been shut down properly. Please read your Windows manual for correct method of shutting Windows down before turning the power off. If the problem continues it is possible that your installation of Windows is damaged.
My computer says "press any key" to continue,but I don't have a key with that name: (OK, we didn't actually get that particular complaint :-) ).
RTFM problems: Probably the most common abbreviation used in technical support. It has come to be accepted in some places as Read The "Friendly" Manual. So, the manual is not always easy to understand, but it's there for your help. In fact, it's there to be your first port of call. :-)
I've reinstalled Windows and my sound/video/modem/printer is not working correctly: It is possible that you haven't correctly setup your device. Please click here for link to our hardware help page ........ or here for software help.
Windows 98 SE does not shutdown correctly or it restarts when it should shutdown. Go to Run and type in "MSCONFIG" without the quotes. Click on "advanced" and tick/untick the Enable Fast Shutdown. Restart the computer and see if it shuts down? Still doesn't? Try the BIOS and disable ACPI. Also disable power saving. No joy? Try Microsoft's shutdown utility.
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