There'snothing worst than when a machine that you depend on so much, just decides itdoesn't want to work anymore. If you run a business and your computer stopsworking, most of the time you do too. If this happens, your problems could rangefrom small , something you can handle yourself, or they can be very big. In thiscase a professional can help. To help reduce the cost, identify the problembefore you have it serviced if you can.
According to some hardware and softwaremanufactures, many people call customer service for some rather common andannoying problems. Technicians have pointed out that , people tend to overlookthe obvious when diagnosing computer problems. Some of the most common questionsasked are as follows: Why won't my system boot? The first thing you should checkis the power cord and all other connections to make sure they are attachedsecurely. A lot of things happen when you turn on your computer.
It begins byrunning a diagnostic routine to make sure all system components are workingproperly. If your computer beeps a few times and stops working before itdisplays a message on your monitor, there's a chance that a critical piece ofhardware has failed. It may be a good idea to seek professional help at thistime. Also, you could have a dead battery if nothing happens after you hear thefloppy drive whir. Your computer depends on a battery to preserve importantsystem settings when it is cut off.
Batteries can die as often as every twoyears. Why is my system so slow? Even if you have the fastest CPU money can buy,it won't do much good if you 're running short on memory. Today's computershould have at least 8MB of RAM to work effectively. If you can afford 16MBs, itwill pay for itself with added productivity. An inefficient hard drive can alsoslow down your system. This can be solved by upgrading your hard drive.
Fragmented files may be another reason for a slow drive. When you save filestheir contents get spread out over the physical surface of the disk. DOS canfind the file, but your disk drive spends a lot of time jumping around tocollect the various parts of the fragmented file. Why is my computer out ofmemory? An insufficient memory message can mean different things. To check andsee if your system is about to crash, switch to Window's Program Manager, pulldown the Help menu, and select About Program Manager.
The last line of thedialog box includes information about the amount of memory that is available.When the level of available memory drops to less than 50 percent, you riskcrashing. How do I get my data from a crashed hard drive? When your hard diskcrashes, it may not be the disk that's the problem. A controller card may havegone bad, this can be replaced and this will completely restores all the data onyour hard drive. If the actual disk is damaged, there are companies that canrecover information from the damaged disk and rebuild whatever files they can.The best way to get data back from a crashed hard drive is to always back up allyour files.
Why is my display blank / distorted? Inspect your power cord andvideo cable. Then make sure your brightness control is not turned down. If thepicture is distorted, try adjusting your monitor's vertical or horizontalcontrols. If these things do not work you may have a bad video card. Yoursolution to this problem, buy a new monitor.
Why can't I print a document? Checkall printer cables. Check to see if it's out of paper, or if your printer may bejammed. If you have installed a new printer, you may have a port mismatched. Youwill have to tell the computer which port has the printer.
If all these checksfail, you could have a bad electronics board. Call in the professionals for thisproblem. Why did my peripherals stop working when I installed a new card?Computers have to be told how it should communicate with a specific peripheralwithout interfering with equipment that's already installed. Your computercommunicates with each peripheral using individual ports, interrupts (IRQs), andDMA channels. Before you add a new card, use the Norton Utilities to find outwhich of these are free and print out the report for reference.
If the card hasalready been added to your system and it causes other equipment to malfunction,pull it out and start over. Why doesn't my modem respond? Check all cablesrunning to and from your modem, also check the phone line running to the wallconnection. If this is not the problem, you may need to change the COM portassignment. The modem's manual should explain which settings indicate which COMport should be used. Why do I lose my modem connection when I'm online? The tonegenerated by an incoming call knocks a modem off-line. Some phone lines will letyou temporarily disable call waiting while online by prefacing a phone call withthe *70 code on most touch-tone systems and 1170 on rotary connections.
To checkto see if this code works on your phone, pick up receiver and press *70. Youwill hear a second dial tone, and you will then know your system supports thisfeature. Computers can have small to very large problems. If you can not solvethe problem yourself, its time to call in some professionals to check it out.
There is a 24-hour helpline, run by KnowledgeBroker Inc. They offer technicalsupport for about any PC hardware or software problem. Calls can be billed to acredit card on a toll free number or to your phone bill through a 900 number.These calls can be expensive, but its worth it if they can help.
