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What
to do before you By:
Richard Steele Over
the years we have seen many people needlessly stressing out over problems
with their computers. That is, problems that were not really problems in
the first place. So many times “problems” can be “solved” by
performing a few simple tasks that will reduce headaches, and save time
and money. If
something is not working, or is not working as it should, the first thing
to do is take a deep breath and think about what you last did to the
machine to change the status quo. Did you install a program, add some new
device, or change a setting? It’s easy not to put two and two together,
but many times just undoing what you last did to the computer will correct
the problem. Other
times, something manages to work its way loose. If the monitor or computer
does not start when you press the button, check the wires going into the
device to make sure they fit snugly. One study showed that nearly 80
percent of computer startup problems are just a loose connection. Too many
times we are willing to turn a simple loose connection into a major
troubleshooting affair. Another
common startup problem involves leaving a floppy disk in the drive. At
startup, a somewhat cryptic message appears informing you to remove a disk
and strike any key when ready. Take the floppy disk out and hit the space
bar. So
you tried all these things and that blasted machine still won’t start,
or it keeps crashing? Now, the problems can be a little more difficult to
determine. It’s possible that the trouble is with a failed (or failing)
hardware component like the hard drive, a RAM module or CPU fan. But
it’s also possible that the problem could be with errant software. It
could be
a buggy program, corrupt code, or most likely these days a virus. Buggy
programs are somewhat
less prevalent than they used to be, but they are still out there. We
never know how a program is going to react with other programs. Viruses
are now so prevalent and more likely to be received in your email, that
it’s almost guaranteed that your machine will be infected if you don’t
have an up-to-date antivirus. There’s a wide variance in how machines
react to the different viruses, and when no other explanation can be
found, we usually suspect an infection. The
most perplexing can be the problems that are caused by a combination of
things. A corrupt operating system file, combined with an intermittent
failure of a hard drive or power supply, combined with a virus infection
can keep you busy for days diagnosing the cause. For those types of
trouble, take it to the technician. Let him have the stress. Richard
Steele is owner of Easy Computer, a training, repair, upgrade, and new
computer store located at 1649 Kalakaua |
