Hardware, Software Service and Troubleshoot

Computer Info Centre is an alternative blog that can guide you to swap any problems with your PC ...

There are many reasons why you’d want to troubleshoot your computer, well, one actually and that’s because something is not working right. The process of troubleshooting is something you learn after working for a long time with computers. Often enough when there’s a problem, nothing is going to explicitly tell you what is causing the problem and how you can fix it.

By taking logical steps and walking through the process of troubleshooting you should be able to solve almost any computer problem, software or hardware related. It involves identifying the problem(s), finding the cause of that problem, determining the solution, executing that solution, and testing and checking that solution to see if it solves your problem.

Most people are enthralled by the software installed in electronic devices because these programs allow them to be more productive and provide them with a source of entertainment that is suitable for every member of the family. Some electronic devices will not work at all without the software installed, and others work better because the software programs have been added since the device was bought.

They prefer to use open source software because it is available for download through internet websites.

The open source software is considered free_ware and is the product of computer users who have a talent for creating programs that enhance productive tasks found in other software or the software could be scripts that make mundane tasks tolerable and easier to complete. Some programming artists create free_ware to establish a web presence and build a business from software popularity.
Generally there are only so many steps you can take before you solve the problem and everything is back in order. Make sure that before you start testing and swapping out parts that the problem wasn’t caused by you changing a software setting in Windows or some ambiguous option in the motherboard’s BIOS that causes your problem.


To get more troubleshoot information and simple check hardware and software problems just follow the step bellow :

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Cheap Computer Repair Does not Mean Bad Computer Repair

by: Guest

When people are looking for cheap computer repair they need to consider a few important things. The first is you get what you pay for. This does not mean you can?t find a great cheap computer repair company. I say this because many times the cheaper person is not insured and does not offer a guarantee. A perfect example of this is just last week. I had a customer who gave me call and said they needed their computer repaired. They took it to a guy they found on craigslist and yes he was cheap but the guy also had their computer for a full week and the issue was not resolved. He did say he had 20 years of computer repair experience but they still got burned.

When choosing a cheap computer repair company always ask how long the company has been in business. If they have only been open a few months consider going some were else. 85% of all companies do not make it to the one year mark.

Another great question to ask is if they have any computer certifications. At the very least they should have an A certification. This is the most basic cert in the industry.

When you find someone who offers a great price ask about any guarantees and if the price includes the full cost of the repair. Some places charge by the hour. I never go this route for computer repair. The tech might quote you $25 dollars an hour and say it will only take 2 hours to repair. Then 5 hours later you paid double what you wanted. The guarantee matters as well. Being in the business I can tell you that yes 90% of the time I am able to remove the virus the first time. However you really do not fully know if the virus is gone until a few days later. If you missed one trace the thing can reactivate and that is were the guarantee comes into place.

Having you computer repaired online for software issues and viruses is the cheapest way to go hands down. Be sure to find one that has a ?No Fix No Fee? policy and that charges by the service and not the hour. This way you know ahead of time if the issue is not fixed you do not pay and you know exactly how much the repair will cost ahead of time. Be sure and ask what kinds of guarantees the company offers as well. If your issue comes back you want to know it will be taken care of with out any further costs to you.

About the Author
plrpro. If your in need of online computer repair then check us out at online computer repair. For great tips on XP and vista stop by our Vista Repair site.


Repairing tools to your computer, try to get it not just cheap one but for free..

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Top 10 Tips & Tricks for Windows Vista

Security & Protection


1. Overall Security

All of your computer’s security needs are now bundled in one easy-to-find, easy-to-monitor location. The Windows Security Center helps make your PC more secure by alerting you when your security software is out of date or when your security settings should be strengthened. The Security Center also tells you whether your PC is set up to receive automatic software updates from Microsoft. Windows Vista, along with Internet Explorer 7, contains many security features to safeguard you and your organization from threats, while keeping your intellectual property protected.

2. Windows Defender

One of the key tools in the Security Center is Windows Defender. It works with Internet Explorer 7 to help protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software, often defined as malware. By leveraging superior platform enhancements in Windows Vista, which include improved caching technology for faster scans and removal technologies, using up-to-date spyware definitions created by Microsoft, Windows Defender provides an always-on protection that monitors key system locations, watching for changes that signal the presence of spyware. The "Scan on execute" functionality provides an added layer of Protection by scanning downloaded files before they are saved and executed, reducing the chance that spyware might be installed by accident.

3. BitLocker

BitLocker Drive Encryption protects the information stored on your computer from hackers or thieves who might obtain access to your machine. It is a full disk encryption feature included with Microsoft's Windows Vista designed to protect data by providing encryption for entire volumes. By encrypting the entire Windows system volume, data is better protected. Ideally a v1.2 Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chip is the preferred method of encryption key storage. BitLocker Drive Encryption is tightly integrated into Windows Vista and provides a seamless, secure, and manageable data protection solution for you.

4. Automated Backup

The new backup and restore functionality in Windows Vista makes it easier to keep your data and computer safe from user error, hardware failure, and any other issue that could result in data loss. The Windows Backup and Restore Center gives you one place to manage all backup and restore features. Two particularly useful Automatic Backup features are the ability to do a scheduled backup and the ability to back up your files to an external hard drive, secondary hard
drive, writable CD or DVD, or to a network location.


Search & Organize

5. Instant Search

Looking for specific applications, Web sites, and e-mails is faster than ever with the streamlined Windows Vista Start Menu. To find a specific application or file, click the Windows key on the keyboard (or open the Start menu) and enter the file name in the Instant Search field. As you type, Windows Vista dynamically searches filenames, metadata, and the full text of all files and displays the choices by file type. For example, to find the Calculator application, simply type “cal” in the Instant Search field, and Windows Vista would display a shortcut to all applications that start with “cal”. Calculator will be the top option.

6. Integrated Search

Every explorer window in Windows Vista contains an integrated Instant Search field in which you can enter a word, part of a word, or a phrase. Try filtering by type using the Search Pane and selecting “Documents.” Next choose to see your files in another way, via the new Stack view. Select the author column header control drop down menu, and choose the option to “Stack by author”. Explore all the documents by a particular author by double clicking on an author’s stack.

Now, save that search as a new Search Folder. Choose the option “Save Search” found on the top Command Bar and name and save your Search Folder. In the future, to re-run it, simply select the “Searches” folder link on the left side Navigation Pane, and double click on your Search Folder.

7. Aero

Windows Aero offers you a premium user experience. The glass windows create an open, energizing environment, and enable you to better focus on your content, rather than on the surrounding interface. If your PC supports the Windows Aero user experience, open multiple files and see how easy it is to locate the right open window using the breakthrough Windows Flip (simply ALT+TAB) or Flip 3D (Windows key+TAB).


Mobility & Collaboration

8. Mobility

Windows Vista has multiple tools and features to help you be productive when you’re on-the-go. It provides a centralized location to access all of the relevant information you will need within the Mobility Center. You no longer need to go to various menus and folders. This tool provides options for handling your wireless connection and synching your devices, along with various choices needed for presenting.

9. Meeting Space

Windows Meeting Space enables face-to-face collaboration among small groups of Windows Vista users—virtually anytime, anywhere. Useful for both business and personal purposes, this tool enables you to share work on computer- based projects with other people more easily and comfortably. With Windows Meeting Space, you can collaborate with one person or as many as nine others over a wired network, a wireless local area network (WLAN), or an ad hoc (PC-to-PC) wireless network.

10. XPS

XPS Documents are a new archiving format perfect for preserving content and for securely sharing information in an application independent way. To create an XPS Document, open any document in virtually any application, and select the print option. In the printer selection menu, choose “Microsoft XPS Document Writer” and save the file. Double click on the file, which should open it in the XPS Viewer, which is hosted by Internet Explorer 7. The XPS Document is a pixel perfect rendition of the original source material.



Powered by : www.microsoft.com
and supported by : www.support4vista.com
posted by : www.computer-infocentre.blogspot.com

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Why Is My Computer Slow?

Submitted By: Logan Albright

Technology and slow are complete opposites with each other. With the rapid advancement of technology, we have become more and more reliant on computers to have information on the go. However, despite how hard we want it to be our way, sometimes our computers fail us and they do not perform at their peak performance when we them to. The question then pops to mind, “why is my computer slow?”
There are several reasons to explain why your computer is not performing at its maximum potential.

Virus or Spyware

One of the main causes for ‘slow-down’ performance of computers is due to the introduction of viruses or spyware into the system. Viruses and spywares not only slow down your computer’s performance but it can erase precious data too. Also, viruses can leave behind false registry keys that will slow down your computer as your computer has to go over these false registry keys to get to the right one.

Corrupted Registry

The registry part of our computers is not something that we often look into however it does play an important role that may be the reason for your computer slowing down. It contains many files that are called registry keys that determine how your computer will function and run. Unfortunately, these registry keys can be ruin overtime as the computer is constantly used for different functions. Through this process, new entries are made and old entries are deleted, resulting in false entries. As such, the computer slows down as it has to go over these false entries before processing the right one. Moreover, after a long period of use, computers can loss files pertaining to the registry or the files may have turned corrupted.

Multiple programs

Just like how we wish to complete our tasks in the shortest possible time, we do that through trying to complete our tasks all at the same time! When we are at work, we open numerous windows, Microsoft Word, Excel documents, websites for research, all these while chatting with our friends on the web messenger! How can we then expect our computer to be at its fullest potential? Just imagine, someone were to ask you to wash the clothes while changing the diapers and at the same time cook dinner for the family. It is impossible! You may argue that we are human and are restricted to our boundaries and while computers don’t cry for mummy, they just overload.
Machine and men may be different, but both have their limits and capacities. We have to learn how to take care of our computers just as how we take care of ourselves. While, you need not pamper your computer with praises or compliments, what I meant was to keep it at its best. Clear the bad “stuff” inside it and do regular virus checks and keep it well maintained. Only then, will you be able to enjoy the advantages and benefits of having a computer that can function at its best all the time.

About the Author:
Logan Albright is an authority on troubleshooting computer problems at http://www.pcaholic.com . Where he helps thousands how to optimize their computers through a proper computer check up. Click Here to speed up your pc for free.Article Tags: computer, computers, registry

Beside that informations, we also should check the hardware or each component of pc, does it normal? if it doesn't, how can we fix it?
get more info how to check and fix the computer hardware and all component of it.

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How To Speed Up Your Computer Instantly

Submitted By: Logan Albright

In this modern day and age, we seek for instant gratification in almost every area of our lives. We want things to be done in the fastest way possible and would never back down from striving to find instant cures for everything. Just like how we wish that information can be attained at the snap of our fingers, we also wish that we can solve our problems in an instant.

In this article, we will look into ways whereby you can speed up your computer instantly. In reality, it is impossible to do such a thing as the next best thing one can do in trying to speed up their computer is to do it in a few minutes time. There are several methods that you can use to speed up your computer:

1. Clean your hard drive

A possibility to why your computer is functioning so slowly is because there are many unnecessary files that are useless in your hard drive causing it to slow down the performance of your computer. Start cleaning up your hard drive today by doing a search for disk cleanup on your computer and following the prompts.

2. Clean your registry

All of our computers have something called the registry where information related to the login information for users and applications are kept. However, as time passes, the registry can get corrupted and become rife with errors. Files may also go missing and false entries made into the registry. As such, you should always equip your computer with a registry cleaner to clear out all the false and error files that are hindering and slowing down your computer’s performance. It made cost you a little, but it is worth the buy.

3. Upgrade your RAM

You yourself would know how good your own computer is and you may consider upgrading its RAM if you need to. RAM is needed by the computer as it is what that determines its speed. Available memory in your computer boosts its speed and since upgrading your memory is much more affordable these days, you may want to give it a shot. However, do check first before you purchase a new RAM if not you would only spend money getting a new RAM only to find that it was not the cause of the poor performance of your computer.

There is no way we can instantly fix our computers or increase its speed in the snap of a finger. Even the best mechanic would not be able to do that. Even in this time and age we should learn how to take things slow and take a step back to understand the situation before making the diagnosis. This way, we not only save more money but more time from trying to fix what is not broken. Probably the only way to fix a computer instantly is to buy a new one, if you are willing to part with the money that is or else, you better learn how to keep your computer in tip top condition so you would not have to spend so much money.

About the Author:Logan Albright is an authority on troubleshooting computer problems at http://www.pcaholic.com . Where he helps thousands how to optimize their computers through a proper computer check up. Click Here to speed up your computer for free.

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Types Of Notebook Computers

By: Roberto Sedycias

Notebook, notebook computer, laptop, and laptop computer are different terms for a small computer, which is mobile, and weighing about 1 to 6 kg or 2.2 to 18 pounds, depending upon the model. In 1979-1980, Bill Moggridge of GRiD Systems Corp. designed one of the first laptops and named it as the GRiD Compass 1101. It featured the clamshell design where the flat display folded shut on the keyboard. In May 1983, Gavilan Computer Corp. introduced and first marketed as a laptop, known as Gavilan SC. About this same time, Sharp Corp.Ltd., announced their laptop Sharp PC-5000.

In 1989, Compaq introduced Compaq LTE, which was a laptop of a smaller size, about the size of an A4 paper notebook, and it popularly came to be known as a notebook computer or notebook. Thereafter the terms laptop and notebook began to be used interchangeably. Nevertheless, the terms, notebook and laptop are incorrect terms, as due to the heat, many laptops cannot be placed on top of the lap, and most notebooks are not the size of an A4 paper notebook. However, what manufacturers usually call as a notebook, end-users prefer to call it as a laptop; hence both the terms are used.

According to the functions and the models of notebooks, they are generally classified as: Ultraportables (screen is diagonally less than 12 inches, weight is 1.7 kg or less); thin-and lights (screen is diagonally from 12 to 14 inches, weight is from 1.8 to 2.8 kg); medium-sized laptops (screen is diagonally from 14 to 15.4 inches, weight is from 3 to 3.5 kg); and desktop replacement computers (screen is diagonally from 17 to 20 inches, weight is 4 to 6 kg).

The concept of laptop was to make a device that could use the same software of a desktop computer, but much smaller in size to enable mobility and support mobile computing (ability to use the computer while in transit). Thus, further innovations have introduced transportables (which can be moved from one place to another without supporting mobile computing); tablets (which feature touchscreens and support mobile computing); ultra mobile PCs (which are very small and compact tablet PCs); internet tablets (which support internet and mobile computing); personal digital assistants (PDAs), which are pocket-sized and support mobile computing; handheld computers, which represent expensive tablets or PDAs; and smartphone, which is a PDA or a handheld computer with cellphone integration. Over the development phases, these classifications got blurry at times, and many machines fused functionalities of other categories.

Notebooks can be used for various purposes. Commercial purposes like attending phone calls, receiving and sending emails and faxes, typing out letters and printing them, making presentations with pie and bar charts, and taking data from one place to another can be achieved by any standard notebook. However, high fliers prefer thin-and-light notebooks and for regular office work, ultraportable notebooks are preferred. Both are wireless notebooks so they can be remotely accessed. Scientific purposes are best suited with a notebook that features fast computing speed, good 2D and 3D graphics display, and a large memory, like desktop replacement notebook, and a thin-and-light notebook. Artistic purposes require animation, 2D and 3D drawings, interior & exterior designing, arranging music compositions, post-production audio-video work, etc., which can be fulfilled by desktop replacements, gaming notebooks, and mainstream notebooks.

Educational institutions normally do not prefer notebooks due to its high chance of being stolen. Additionally, they prefer that their assets do not move around within the premises in the hands of students who may be careless. However, to keep up with the times, and to be considered as techno-savvy, they do invest in notebooks. The types of notebooks best suited for educational purposes are mainstream notebooks, and desktop replacements. Students need a notebook to do projects, prepare study notes, and to play some games in their spare time. They need to take the notebook wherever they go, hence, size and weight are major considerations. The type of notebook that fulfills student needs is a thin-and-light notebook with locking facility so that they can lock it with their backpack. Most students report late submission of projects due to their notebooks being stolen.

So no matter what the purpose one might have for using a notebook, it seems that mobility will always seem to be the main reason for such a product purchase. Nowadays with so many models being offered with affordable prices, it seems that notebooks will always be a product in demand. After all it is one of the best selling computer hardware for quite some time. And that says it all.

This article is under GNU FDL license and can be distributed without any previous authorization from the author. However the author's name and all the URLs (links) mentioned in the article and biography must be kept.

Article Source: http://www.articlemap.com
This article can also be accessed in portuguese language from the News Article section of page www.polomercantil.com.br/notebook.php
Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for www.PoloMercantil.com.br

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Registry clean up programs - How do they work and do you need one?

by ihenman

The windows registry system is the central nervous system of your PC. It stores information about software programs, file locations, short cuts, and file paths. As we install software the registry gets updated, and when software is removed it gets updated, if the uninstall process goes correctly.

Some software can leave behind broken file paths, empty registry keys, and non existent short cuts after their deleted. Why does this happen? Because the uninstall process for the program didn't do it's job correctly. So what can you do about it? Registry clean up programs are designed specifically to scan your windows registry files looking for such empty items and errors.

How do Registry Repair Tools work?

The process is simple, a registry clean up program scans your entire registry and provides you with a list of items it believes are errors or out of date information. You then have the alternative to automatically repair all of the items found, or you can manually review each one prior to correcting it. For most beginners it's easier to automatically remove and repair all items. How ever what do you do if a wrong items gets deleted?

What happens if you make a mistake?

Beside scanning your windows registry files most registry cleaners also provide a backup feature. This backup makes copies of your current registry files and settings prior to repairing them. Why is this important? Because if you choose the auto repair method you could accidentally delete or repair something that wasn't actually an error. How ever because you have a backup copy of the old settings and files you can undo and revert back to the way things were before the repair.

How often should I scan my registry?

Most registry clean up tools have a schedule setting. You can set the software to regularly scan your system registry and auto fix any items it finds. Along with this you can also tell the program to make a new backup each time. This way you're always keeping items from building up, and ensuring you have a fresh backup point to start over from if need be.

It depends on your computer usage how often you should scan your registry. Average computer users should consider scanning once every 4-6 months, how ever computers that are used more often, and especially those that are installing and removing a lot of programs should scan more often.

About the Author: To learn more about registry repair software visit http://www.registryrepaircenter.com a popular website that reviews registry cleaner software.

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Computer Repair Services for Virus Removal

Submitted by jameslarry

Computer viruses can create real havoc for your PC. They can hamper the efficiency of the computer by destroying necessary documents, multiplying themselves, and preventing any operating function. The only way to safeguard your machine against viruses is to install an antivirus program and update it regularly.

Nowadays, most antivirus programs work according to the inbuilt set of virus definitions designed by antivirus manufacturer to detect viruses. The software program looks for unidentified viruses and malware by watching files using these definition files. For an effective virus removal, antivirus spies on your computer activities.

Aiming at virus removal, antivirus examines files during user-initiated, and an on-access scan that runs in the background. This lets the software to constantly check files and informs about the files having the same definition as a known virus.

You should be careful enough to follow all the necessary steps for a proper antivirus installation. If you are unsure about the required procedure, you may consult any technician offering computer repair services. These individuals have profound knowledge about PC related issues and solutions.

They can get you the required antivirus installed quickly. Virus application can delete harmful viruses, Trojans and even worms from both desktops and networks. Always choose to install the antivirus which offers constant protection with on-access scanning working in real-time.

Look out for powerful features like proactive analysis that can even intercept unknown threats. Most people think that they are protected from viruses, since their PCs have a virus protection program. However, your virus protection is not just limited to antivirus installation.

Updates of virus definitions are also extremely important and must be done on regular basis. You may also ask your computer repair vendor to update your antivirus software depending on the type of versions available.

Most new versions of antivirus programs today have an automatic update feature. You simply need to connect to the Internet, start the antivirus program followed by clicking on the update button. Although the Update process is completely automated, it does not always work.

Incase the update doesn't work, or your antivirus software doesn’t have an automatic update feature, try consulting with any online computer repair technician for the latest updates.

About the Author
James Larry is an Online Technical Support Executive in iYogi Inc. iYogi provides Computer Support, PC Repair Services, Online Technical Support, Computer Repair, 24/7 Support, Tech Support, Antivirus Support, Antispyware Support, Email Support etc.
Source: ArticleTrader.com

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How To Troubleshoot Your Computer Hardware

by: Steven Stoddard

There could be many reasons why you’d want to troubleshoot your computer, well, one actually and that’s because something is not working right. The process of troubleshooting is something you learn after working for a long time with computers. Often enough when there’s a problem, nothing is going to explicitly tell you what is causing the problem and how you can fix it. By taking logical steps and walking through the process of troubleshooting you should be able to solve almost any computer problem, software or hardware related. It involves identifying the problem(s), finding the cause of that problem, determining the solution, executing that solution, and testing and checking that solution to see if it solves your problem.

As an example let’s say one day while using your computer the screen suddenly turns all black and you can’t see anything. We found a problem now what would be the first step to take to fix it? First check to see if the monitor is on and is receiving power, most monitors when they have power, but no connection or connection problems with the computer will display a message that says this monitor is working, but make sure you check your cables. So the next logical step to take would be to check the cable to make sure it is properly connected and secured to the VGA slot behind your computer case and to make sure the monitor cable is plugged into the monitor. Now, here’s where you have to decide what would be the next best course of action to take. you could either swap out your monitor with another monitor that you know is working to see if the problem is the monitor itself and nothing else or you can try to see if the problem is your graphics card. If your replacement monitor works, good, then you know your culprit is a bad monitor and you’ll most likely have to get a new one, because monitors are dangerous and too costly service. If the replacement monitor you used shows up a black screen as well, the next thing you’d do is check to make sure the graphics card is properly seated in the motherboard, if it is and the display is still not showing up, then swap out the graphics card to see if your problem is fixed.

Generally there are only so many steps you can take before you solve the problem and everything is back in order. Make sure that before you start testing and swapping out parts that the problem wasn’t caused by you changing a software setting in Windows or some ambiguous option in the motherboard’s BIOS that causes your problem.

read more about...(troubleshoot):
1. motherboard
2. power supply
3. memory
4. hard drive
5. monitor
6. graphics card
7. soundcard
8. processor

About The Author:

Steven Stoddard

Steve's Tech Guide - A blog that helps you scratch your tech itch with computer guides, informative how-tos, and important news events.
http://stevestechguide.com

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How To Troubleshoot Your Computer Hardware (Motherboard)

by: Steven Stoddard

Motherboard

The motherboard is the heart of the computer, every part of the computer relies on the motherboard to function correctly. It maintains connection between every PC component and ensures that things are operating smoothly between them. Many signs of motherboard failure is that the computer won't boot up, not reaching the POST test, erratic system behavior, different combinations of components not working. Because everything is connected to the motherboard certain parts may or may not work correctly if the motherboard is faulty so be sure to test those parts before thinking they're dead and getting new ones.

Be sure to do a visual inspection of the motherboard to make sure all cables are seated properly, the fans are spinning, and that the CMOS battery is in it's proper place.

Also check for any broken or leaking capacitors, those can immediately render a motherboard dead.

Make sure that all of the jumpers are set correctly as well, you should be able to find jumper information in your motherboard's manual, and if you don't have the manual you should be able to find the manual on the Internet at the motherboard manufacturer's website.

Many of the problems caused by a bad motherboard is also similar to problems caused by a faulty or dying power supply, so be sure to check if the power supply is faulty or swap it out for another to see if your problem is fixed. If you have a spare motherboard you can try swapping out the motherboard to see if that solves your problem, if that's the case then the motherboard is most likely faulty. If you think the motherboard is faulty and it is still in warranty you should be able to send it back to the manufacturer for a new one with no hassle, sometimes they might even pay for the shipping & handling if it is a big problem that is happening with a certain line of motherboards. Make sure that when you open a motherboard you keep all of the packaging and the box, and if there are any stickers that will void the warranty if removed make sure you do NOT remove them, so that way it is easier to send back. (home)

About The Author:

Steven Stoddard

Steve's Tech Guide - A blog that helps you scratch your tech itch with computer guides, informative how-tos, and important news events.
http://stevestechguide.com

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How To Troubleshoot Your Computer Hardware (Power Supply)

by: Steven Stoddard

Power Supply

If you suspect your power supply is giving you trouble, make sure you check it out fast, because power supplies can make trouble with the rest of your system as well. Irregular voltages sent from the power supply can short circuit and overheat your components thus frying them and making them unusable. Some faulty power supplies have even caught on fire, but if you’re lucky it might just smoke a little and start to smell. A few signals that your power supply is bad or is going bad would be erratic and seemingly random system behavior like system hangs and crashes, and burning smells along with smoke.

If you recently upgraded your system or added new hard drives, disk drives, a graphics card or anything for that matter, be sure to check if your power supply is being overloaded with hardware. A good way to check is to use a power supply calculator. One time when I upgraded my system with a new fancy PCI Express 16x Graphics card, well it was fancy back then, I had problems with the graphics card performing while in 3d games, it was all due to my power supply being unable give it enough juice on the 12v rails so it performed poorly and didn’t act as it should have, I even swapped out the graphics card for another one believing it was bad, after checking the manufacturer’s forums it seemed like a lot of people were having problems with faulty cards, so I figured mine must have been faulty too. After getting the new card it seemed like it performed better for a little bit longer, which could’ve just been some optimizations they did to circuit board. Seeing how they sent me an upgraded version of the same card, but it wasn’t until I checked my power supply wattages that I found the real culprit.

The first thing to do to diagnose your power supply is check the power supply connectors, make sure everything is plugged into the motherboard and the power cable is plugged into the power supply, you wouldn’t believe how many people forget to plug in their computer. Many power supplies also have a power switch on them so check to make sure that no one accidentally or purposefully switched it off maybe for a prank. Check the fan to see if it is spinning at the correct speed and if it’s dusty vacuum it out. Determine if the power supply cables are giving out the right amount of voltage, if you computer will let you boot you should be able to check them in the BIOS menu to see if the correct voltages are being given. Normal power supplies give +3.3 volts DC, +5 volts DC, -5 volts DC, +12 volts DC, and -12 volts DC. (home)

About The Author:

Steven Stoddard

Steve's Tech Guide - A blog that helps you scratch your tech itch with computer guides, informative how-tos, and important news events.

http://stevestechguide.com

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How To Troubleshoot Your Computer Hardware (Memory)

by: Steven Stoddard

Memory

Faulty RAM can have many adverse effects on your system. Constant lockups, computer rebooting, memory error message (duh), system crashes, and sometimes refusing to boot up are all signs of memory errors. Though, these are also signs for motherboard, hard drive, and power supply problems too. Luckily for you if you think your memory is subject to causing a disruption in your system there are programs that can check the memory for it's performance and to see if it is generating any errors.

Memtest86+ is an amazing memory diagnostic program. It is based off of the original Memtest86 that has been around since 1994 and is used by system-builders, average joes, and professionals in the IT world. It's a standalone memory check test which means it can be easily run without a bootable operating system, that's good if you can't just seem to get your PC started and want to rule out your memory as quickly as possible.

How To Use Memtest86 With Your Floppy Drive To Test Your Memory

First go their website at www.memtest.org and select the most appropriate version to download. You can download the bootable iso or the Pre-compiled floppy drive depending on whether you want burn a CD or use your floppy drive. We're going to go into details on floppy method.

Open up the .zip and extract the files to a folder, then click on install.bat, you will be asked to “Enter target diskette drive:”. Type A and hit enter then it will ask you to insert a formatted diskette into drive A: and press -Enter-: after you hit enter it will write some files to your floppy so you can boot your computer with the floppy to test for errors.

After the floppy has been formatted with Memtest86+, leave the floppy in your floppy drive and reboot your computer. Remember to set your floppy drive as the first boot device in your BIOS menu.

The program will automatically load and perform the memory diagnostic tests on your computer. During the testing if there any errors they will show up and at the end of the test it will tell you how many errors you've had.

After testing your memory if you receive any errors you should make sure that your memory is okay either by swapping it out and seeing the problems still occur or try your memory in another system. If the memory passes the tests then you proceed to troubleshoot something else with good faith that your memory is fine. (home)

About The Author:

Steven Stoddard

Steve's Tech Guide - A blog that helps you scratch your tech itch with computer guides, informative how-tos, and important news events.
http://stevestechguide.com

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How To Troubleshoot Your Computer Hardware (Hard Drive)

by: Steven Stoddard

Hard Drive

The hard drive is that ultimate safe to everything important on your computer. It keeps all of your information, files and folders, music, videos, favorite websites, and programs. With a bad hard drive there's no reason to have a computer. In terms of fixing a computer if the hard drive isn't salvageable then most people don't even want to bother with the rest, because their computer is probably a piece of junk that has been handed down from time to time.

Generally when a hard drive is about to fail it's usually years down the road from first acquiring the computer. So the next best option rather than replacing the drive is to just buy a new computer, or build a new one, because your old one sure is probably not running as fast as it used to.

Luckily before your hard drive kicks the bucket there is usually a few warning signs:

Abnormally slow file transfers

Problems with booting, especially when Windows is being loaded

Corrupted files

Disappearing files or folders

Loud hard drive noise is a good sign that there is a mechanical problem going on inside

If your hard drive exhibits any of these signs be sure to transfer all of your files to another source immediately, and do not continue to do day-to-day activities with that hard drive. If it doesn't show any of these tell-tale signs, however you have a gut feeling that your hard drive is on the brink of destruction you can try using many different drive testing utilities available on the internet. The hard drive manufacturer usually has at least one qualified tool that you can download from their website and run.

Other ways to check the health of your hard drive involves running the Windows Error Checking tool by right clicking on your hard drive in 'My Computer' then selecting 'Properties' and going to the 'Tool' and clicking on “Check Now”, or checking the SMART status located in your motherboard's BIOS. SMART stands for Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology. Most motherboards nowadays has this technology. It should be automatically enabled in your BIOS, if it's not then your hard drive won't get checked.

What it does is on boot up it will perform quick tests on your hard drive to ensure it is running correctly and it will continue to monitor it for any errors or abnormal problems that may occur as long as the computer is turned on. (home)

About The Author:

Steven Stoddard

Steve's Tech Guide - A blog that helps you scratch your tech itch with computer guides, informative how-tos, and important news events.
http://stevestechguide.com

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How To Troubleshoot Your Computer Hardware (Monitor)

by: Steven Stoddard

Monitor

Watching movies, videos, playing games, and looking at NSFW material are all amazing things we can do on our computers. Yet there may come a day where you just want to get on your computer and relax in your computer room looking at all that NSFW material you have bookmarked under the “Special Sites” category, but you can’t because your monitor won’t turn on. No, you don’t frump and punch holes in the walls to look for an outlet for your rage. You troubleshoot it, and hope to god that your monitor isn’t broken!

When diagnosing a screen problem, half the time it’s usually something very easy, like a cable coming loose, or the monitor getting unplugged accidentally; unfortunately the other half the time it’s probably a problem that’s related to your monitor being old, or a problem that’s related to your graphics card instead. So you may have to diagnose both items at the same time to see which solves your problem.

First, check all your cables, I know this is probably getting a little old with the checking connections and everything, but so many computer problems can be avoided if people just remember that their computer isn’t always going to stay the same way they left it. A foot could kick out a cable, a dog or a cat that got to curious, or almost anything can render half your hardware useless.

After checking all your cables, make sure your screen has power, if it has power and shows a message such as “This monitor is working correctly please check your cable” and shows bars of color on the screen, that means that your monitor is not getting a signal from your computer. Try swapping out the monitor for another one to see if it still says that message. If it does then that means the problem is most likely something to do with your graphics card not seated in the motherboard, or just isn’t working properly, you may want to try swapping out another graphics card to see if that solves your problem.

Generally monitors don’t have that many diagnosable problems. Either they work and they work well, or they don’t work and you have to replace them. When working on a monitor you should never open them, they aren’t meant to be serviced and contain high charged capacitors that hold lethal doses of electricity. We wouldn’t want to read about a computer guy in the obituaries now would we? (home)

About The Author:

Steven Stoddard

Steve's Tech Guide - A blog that helps you scratch your tech itch with computer guides, informative how-tos, and important news events.
http://stevestechguide.com

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How To Troubleshoot Your Computer Hardware(Graphics Card)

by: Steven Stoddard

Graphics Card

The glorious graphics card, it’s an amazing thing really. It makes all those pretty HDR (High Dynamic Range) pictures look just that good, it keeps your games running smoothly, and your videos in HD. Yet these things can be pains when they’re just not working right, because if something is wrong there’s not a strict hardware or software solution, you have to analyze the current situation to see what’s up.

First and foremost if you’re having any problems with your graphics card, probably the best thing to try to do first is see if there an updated driver for it at the manufacturer’s website that may solve the problem, or if there isn’t an update try uninstalling your graphics drivers and reinstalling them this little action can solve so many problems.

If there’s little jaggies or weird colorful mishaps known as artifacts appearing on your screen you may want to check the temperature of your graphics and make sure is getting enough cooling, and that the fan is working properly. If the cooling checks out okay you may also want to check your power supply ratings to see if it is giving enough juice to your graphics card.

Nowadays most graphics cards need a lot of power on the 12v rails, make sure your power supply can give you that power that the graphics card needs. (home)

About The Author:

Steven Stoddard

Steve's Tech Guide - A blog that helps you scratch your tech itch with computer guides, informative how-tos, and important news events.

http://stevestechguide.com

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How To Troubleshoot Your Computer Hardware (Sound Card)

by: Steven Stoddard

Sound Card

Some of the typical problems people have with sound cards is either A) no sound or B) no sound. Sounds card typically aren't very expensive so having to replace one if the current one isn't working is no big deal. However, if you're one of those audiophile types who expect 100% original recording quality with your $300 sound card replacing one of those is as expected a lot more harder to do.

Sound Card Troubleshooting

Check speaker cables make sure they're all connected and plugged into the right spot on your sound card. Also check the speaker's power cables.

Make sure windows volume is turned up and the volume is not muted, also make sure that you have all the wave and playback volume turned up and not muted. If you have 'Digital Output Only' checked in your Advanced Controls for Playback Controls, try unchecking it to see if that solves your non-sound problem. I found that if I have that checked my sound card won't give me any sound.

Try reinstalling your sound card drivers, also try checking on the internet at the manufacturer's website for any updated drivers that may be available. They increase your sound card's compatibility with your system.

If the previous tips didn't help, then you may just have to replace your sound card, or atleast swap it out for another one to see if it might be a problem related to your sound card's connection to the motherboard instead. (home)

About The Author

Steven Stoddard

Steve's Tech Guide - A blog that helps you scratch your tech itch with computer guides, informative how-tos, and important news events.

http://stevestechguide.com

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How To Troubleshoot Your Computer Hardware (Processor)

by: Steven Stoddard

Processor

The processor is the actual thinking part of the brain of the computer. It does all the calculations needed to make a computer run, and does them all in split second timing. It determines how fast your computer generally runs, and most of the time is a bottle neck for systems that have had everything upgraded except the CPU.

If your processor’s not working, it’s not the end of the world, generally most processors that work correctly for a few weeks, should work correctly for the rest of it’s lifespan, which varies from 5-10 years or so.

As long as you’re not overclocking the processor or letting it overheat too badly your processor should be fine, and it could just be a BIOS setting that’s messed up, or a jumper setting, but for kicks just check to make the processor is seated properly and the heat sink is attached to the processor and the motherboard.

The heat sink should be attached tightly to the motherboard and not have room to move about, you should be able to pick up your motherboard by grabbing onto the heat sink without any problems. Check in your motherboard manual to make sure all the jumpers are set correctly for your type of processor.

Any jumpers set incorrectly can cause the processor to not work, or function correctly or at it’s optimal speed. Also check the heat sink to see if it is cooling off the processor, if it’s not doing a very good job you may want to look into investing in a better one that gets the job done. (home)

About The Author

Steven Stoddard

Steve's Tech Guide - A blog that helps you scratch your tech itch with computer guides, informative how-tos, and important news events.

http://stevestechguide.com

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Computer Definitions

by : Johnmansda

Before we've gone to far, fist thing we should to know is.. the definition of Computer it self, maybe we often see and hear the hardware or software of computer but we didn't know the main description of it.


Let's me introduce the definitions, I hope it's can help..!


1. Computer is..
A device that computes, especially a programmable electronic machine that performs high-speed mathematical or logical operations or that assembles, stores, correlates, or otherwise processes information.

2. Computer is..
A programmable machine that performs high-speed processing of numbers, as well as of text, graphics, symbols, and sound. All computers contain a central processing unit that interprets and executes instructions; input devices, such as a keyboard and a mouse, through which data and commands enter the computer; memory that enables the computer to store programs and data; and output devices, such as printers and display screens, that show the results after the computer has processed data.

3. Computer is..
A Device that related with input (keyboard, mouse, touch-pad, sensor, etc), proceed (processor, memory, hard drive, removable drive, etc.), output (monitor, lcd, projector, printer, etc.)

4. Computer is..
A machine for performing calculations automatically

5. Computer is..
An expert at calculation (or at operating calculating machines)



so.. is it important? than we should learn more about the fuction, software and hardware of it.

First thing you should know before choosing a new computer, read here.. or get the tips here..

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