Troubleshooting a Broken Computer

When PC systems fail we are helpless. Sometimes the malfunction is due to a virus attack. However, other hardware failures could be the source of the issue. With new PC systems there are some easy hardware component alternatives that fix ailing PC systems. These are easy alternatives that literally anyone can do with a screwdriver and patience. Most often the unsuccessful component to replace is the power supply, the disk drive, or a unsuccessful CD or DVD drive. This article helps you determine the source of your PC malfunction so that if it is a easy issue, you could repair your PC. Alternatively, you would know when to have a professional help you repair your PC after the issue is identified.

Let us start from the beginning. In this case we have our deterioration notebook computer or computer operated off. The first step is to energy it on and see. When the energy option is hit, do signals lumination up in the computer? On both structure personal computer systems and personal computer systems there are signals that lumination when energy is utilized. A great idea is to take a picture of your notebook computer or computer when it is running properly so it helps you remember how it looks, what signals are lit, and what the color of the signals are. Excellent energy to your notebook computer or computer is often indicated by a green or pink lumination. Red signals indicate a failure and indicate that your notebook computer or computer has energy somewhere.

When there are no lights, the energy is likely to be the source of the failure. Notebook computer exterior transformers can be tested and replaced. They run under $100. There are aftermarket alternatives. The next analyze for a notebook computer and a PC is to use a new exterior notebook computer transformer or a new energy as a analyze for the failed energy.


Power supplies for personal computers are available on-line and from local stores. They also cost around $100. A new provide does not need to be installed in a notebook computer or computer to analyze the energy. Just lay your notebook computer or computer on its side with the case open, place the new energy on top the old energy, remove the old energy one connection at a time, and connect the equivalent connection into your notebook computer or computer one energy connection at a time. Once the new energy is connected try at the rear of on your notebook computer or computer. This tests the energy.

A new energy that provides more watts is fine. This means a 300 W energy can be replaced by a 500 W energy. It is best not to reduce energy wattage (replace a 500 W energy with a 300 W energy supply), but OK to increase it. Power associations to weak drive drives can easily short out the energy when the connection is not plugged in precisely correct. If your notebook computer or computer does not turn on, then disconnect the weak generate energy and try with the weak generate energy disconnected. Finally, all energy associations are keyed and have a connection video. When connecting the energy connectors make sure the connection video is lined up correctly.

If the new transformer does not fix your notebook computer or computer energy, then you can come back the notebook computer to the manufacturer for repairs or buy a new notebook computer. If you buy a new notebook computer, the data can be removed from the old notebook's drive generate and moved to the new notebook's drive generate. With a desktop PC, just unbolt the old energy and secure in the new one. Changing the energy in a notebook computer or computer is cleaner and easier than replacing the spark plugs in a car.

Now let us come back to our troubleshooting. The next possible error indication is that your notebook computer or computer does not boot and there is no display. Monitors have a lumination on the bottom right. When this lumination is green, your notebook computer or computer is delivering a video transmission to the keep track of. If the lumination is a large, then your notebook computer or computer is not delivering a video transmission to the keep track of.

When there is no video signal sent to the keep track of, it indicates that the problem resides in the hardware. This suggests that we look inside your PC itself and check the Main Sense Board (MLB) capacitors (these are round tower like components that stick up from the MLB). Main Sense Boards fail when they are five years or older due to the capacitors on the MLB failing. The capacitors burst causing a complete failure of the MLB. When this occurs, the solution is purchasing a new PC.

When a PC is first powered on, it generally displays the BIOS setup details prior to attempting to start Windows. This details should flash briefly on the keep track of as your PC starts. When it does, this shows that your PC itself and the display are operating properly. After this display, Windows can start to a black or pink screen of death. The is sometimes referred to as the "blue screen of death". In either case there is no starting Windows. This error points to a unsuccessful generate drive. It generally means that your PC is working fine, but the generate drive has unsuccessful provide details to your PC needed to start Windows. Because you cannot start into Windows, there is no way to test the generate drive. In this event the generate drive must be removed from your PC and attach to a another Windows PC for testing. The generate drive test control in Windows is CHKDSK /R. When this control is run in Windows, it tests the generate drive, corrects any data corruption on the generate drive, and determines if there are physical errors on the generate.

Actual generate mistakes are indicated by any number greater than zero in the bad groups test results report. When physical mistakes or bad groups are revealed, it means that your drive generate has cancer. While the generate is not dead, it should be changed instantly and the information ripped from it to the new generate. Ongoing use of a generate with bad groups, dangers losing all the information on the generate. The difficult part of changing a drive generate is duplication all the information from the old generate to the new generate. There are programs that permit image the entire drive generate and then onto a new drive generate. If an image is efficiently created and then copy to a new drive generate, the Windows computer often dividends to normal function as though nothing has occurred.

In some cases when the Windows data is placed on a new disk drive, Windows still fails to start. In this event installing Windows over Windows for Windows XP or installing a fresh copy of Windows for Windows 7 typically fixes the problem. To install a completely fresh copy of Windows in either case (Windows XP or Windows 7) while preserving the data on the disk drive it is only necessary to delete the Windows folder from the drive on which the fresh copy of Windows is to be installed. It is also a good idea to rename the Documents and Settings or the Users folders so that the data contained in them is preserved.