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At some point, you will need to troubleshoot a computer problem. It does not necessarily mean it will always be serious and hardware-related, such as a hard drive biting the dust, but it could be any one of countless variables. You don't have to be a techno-wizard to take a troubleshooting trek in your computer.
Many times, problems are far less severe than they first appear. Usually, they are caused by a file or a program that is required to access or launch a device being accidentally erased.
You'd be surprised at the troubleshooting you can accomplish when following a specific plan and using tools available to you from DOS and third-party software manufacturers.
What You Can & Can't Do. There are some tasks best left to the professionals. And even though you might be able to pinpoint a problem, if you are uncomfortable just removing the cover from your system, don't.
Hard dive problems vary in difficulty. To help diagnose a problem, you can run the DOS ScanDisk utility (type scandisk at the DOS prompt) to find and, in some cases, fix the problem. You can run this program and any optimization programs without harming your hard drive. If you are getting boot errors (when the computer won't start properly), programs such as ScanDisk won't help, and it is best to let an expert work on the problem.
Adding memory requires you to open the case; again, if you're uncomfortable doing this, don't. You could damage your costly RAM chips if you don't take the proper precautionary measures.
You can however, install keyboards, mice, modems, monitors, and joysticks without any specialized knowledge.
Getting Help. If the problem is beyond your understanding, you'll need outside technical help. You can usually find a third-party repair service in your town. If your hardware is still under warranty, some manufacturers will ask you to ship it back to them for repair. If the warranty has expired, try your computer manufacturer's telephone help line.
There also are many forums on on-line services, such as CompuServe and America On-line, where users can get help and share experiences.
Basic Precautions. Before you do anything with your computer, there are some basic rules to follow before embarking on a glitch safari. No matter which operating system you're working with, always make a bootable diskette with a copy of all the files your system requires to get started. If you are using a compression program, copy all the files required to mount the compressed drive. (Compression programs such as Stacker create additional space on your hard drive by compressing files, using algorithms to represent redundant coding within a file.)
Other precautions include:
* Back up all your data files before delving into your system.
* Never install or remove any interface cards with your computer turned on.
* Eliminate static by touching a metal surface before working on your computer.
* Never change jumper settings without knowing the possible effects.
* Always write down the current jumper settings of all interface cards.
* After you have turned the power off, always let your hard drive stop rotating completely before turning the power back on.
* Don't attach a printer that is turned on.
* Avoid using an A/B switch box with a laser printer when you have two printers attached to a single computer.
Following these simple steps will help you avoid trouble and the possibility of damaging functioning components.
Where to Start. Don't confuse symptom with cause. Often a symptom may appear to lead you directly to its cause when the problem lies somewhere else. For example, a faulty cable may cause symptoms that falsely indicate either the device or its interface card is causing the problem. There is also the law of averages; Certain components of computers seem to be more robust than others, meaning that they seldom are faulty. Once such component is memory; it seldom fails for no reason.
Looking Back. Ask yourself when the machine last operated properly. Has anything changed since then? A problem might be related to adding or removing software or hardware. When retracing your steps, you often will find that a small change have a significant impact on your system. For example, a device that worked the last time you ran your computer doesn't work now. Try retracing your steps back to the point where the problem began. In this example, the first thing to ask is, "Does the device require a special driver?" (Device drivers are programs that let the PC and hardware components work together.) If it does, did something happen to that driver? Is it corrupt? Has the file that normally loads it been changed? These are questions to consider.
Many software installations alter your sytem's startup files such as config.sys, Autoexec.bat, or Windows files (i.e., Windows 3.1's .INI files and Win95's Registery files. Usually they ask if it's OK to edit the files and notify you of the changes, but some packages will edit startup files without telling you. If your problems started right after that new package was loaded, check your startup files for changes. Looking at the time and date attached to the files is an easy way to determine if the new program edited them. If the date and time of any of the startup files match when you installed the program, odds are that the new program changed the file.
Process of Elimination. Approach troubleshooting with a Boolean mentality, using "yes" or "no" as the foundation. For example, if you add a device such as a modem and your mouse stops working, rest assured you have an address conflict. Here the mouse worked before you installed the modem, but not after. Since both of these devices use serial port addresses, it's a good bet that they are both trying to access the same address.
Dead Battery. If you machine won't boot and you are getting a message indicating it has lost it's setup or CMOS settings, chances are the batteries that powers the CMOS is dead. Depending upon the type of battery installed on your system, these batteries last from two to five years. Most new systems have their batteries attached as an integral part of the motherboard and usually never need replacing.
Opening Your Computer. If you remove your computer's cover, remember our warning about static. Also be careful with any cables inside your computer's case; they are tough but not indestructible. Hard drives use different cables than diskette drives. Cables with twisted wires at one end are for diskette drives; hard drive cables are straight.
Also, pin-to-plug orientation when you're connecting cables to your interface card is crucial to your computers proper operation. Hard drive and diskette controller cards are clearly marked to indicate which set of pins belongs to which type of drive. Also, pin number one is always marked to make sure you attach cables properly. Ribbon cables always have a single wire that is colored differently than the others to designate pin one.
CMOS Settings. CMOS, which stands for complementary metal-oxide semiconductor, is where your system. keeps the information about the hardware connected to it. Hard drives have specifications that CMOS must match for the disk to boot. This drive matching is called drive type and is a numerical value. Each number lists a specific characteristic, and if the information in CMOS does not match the drive type, your system will not boot. Most of today's computers let you access the CMOS settings at startup. The typical message will be something like "Press the DEL key to enter setup."
Diskette Drives. If a diskette drive starts giving you read errors (assuming that the diskette is not the problem), the first thing to do is remove the diskette, re-insert it, and try reading it again. If it still gives a read error, repeat the process two or three times. If you can finally make the drive read the diskette, two or three things may be occurring:
* The diskette drive may be dirty.
* The drive is not being read properly by the application.
* The drive head is out of alignment.
If you suspect the drive is dirty, you should run a cleaning diskette. If the computer is near people who are smoking, the drive head may be coated with tar that actually looks like shellac, which prevents the head from correctly reading the diskette. If the read errors are sporadic and do not seem to favor any one application, this is probably the problem.
If you find that an error always seems to occur in a particular application, however, some part of the program may be corrupt. Try re-installing the offending program to see if that cures it.
A quick way to tell if a drive's head is slightly out of alignment is when a drive on another computer has problems reading a diskette formatted on the drive, giving you read errors. Diagnostic programs can determine if this is a problem. If it is, it's best to replace the drive.
Basic troubleshooting, as you can see from these tips, is a process of elimination. Most problems leave footprints that lead you back to their origin-and give hints about their solutions.
-By: Richard F. Huber, PC Novice, Issue P35 961107