Diagnose your PC problems

by Fred Litt, Family Technology Associates

What causes most personal computer problems?

• PC software - pop-ups, viruses, damaged Windows files, and bad advice.

• PC hardware - hard drive failure, fan/power failure, and abuse (food, dust, dropping laptop.

• Internet connection - a disruption in the high-speed signal (cable or DSL) , an attack on your browser from adware/spyware or viruses, incorrect router settings, improperly installed firewall software.

• Network - incorrect router settings, improper cable installation, power surge can destroy network card router.

• Lack of Maintenance - hard drive is highly fragmented, high drive is over 90% filled, interior covered in dust or animal hair.

How do I diagnose a problem?

• Listen - (1) a loud clicking sound means your hard drive is failing; (2) a continuous grumbling sound means your hard drive needs to be defragmented; (3) your PC will ‘beep’ more than once if the motherboard senses a hardware problem.

• Look - (1) if you PC does not turn on, your fan/power supply has failed; (2) review your desktop when you turn on your PC - if there are strange gaming icons displayed, someone has been downloading something that may harm your PC

• Review the PC startup - you probably have an adware/spyware problem if the PC takes ‘forever’ to finish starting up.  If you have pop-up windows appearing with strange error messages, you PC is being attacking by uninvited software.

• Inspect - (1) Open Internet Explorer - if your home page has changed to some strange search page, you have been hijacked

• Evaluate performance - Run the Windows Task Manager (Press <Alt><Ctrl><Del>). Click on the Performance tab and view CPU Usage.  This number should be less than 3%.  If the number remains above 5%, you have something attacking your PC.

• Count - Check the number of little icons that appear in the bottom right of your screen.  You should know what each one represents.  If you have more than 5 icons, your PC is probably getting slow - if you have more than 10 icons, your PC has been overrun with uninvited software

Where do I find help?

• Contact your manufacturer - the good news is that your hardware and software providers offer free support or some period of time - however, this process will probably take several hours. 

• Bring your PC to a local electronics store - good solution for simple hard installations and replacements

• Hire a PC specialist - if you want to quickly and effectively solve your PC problems, locate a local technology professional, preferably recommended by a satisfied client.   

This article may be reproduced with permission of Fred Litt, Family Technology Associates. Contact Fred at 201-315-4943 fred@FamilyTechnology.com for details.