COMMON PROBLEMS WITH COMPUTERS AND POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

THE MOST COMMON PROBLEMS WITH PERSONAL COMPUTER (PC) WITH POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

1.       Malicious Software (a.k.a. Malware) – This includes viruses, spyware, adware, Trojan horses, worms, rootkits and any other piece of software designed to harm you or your computer without your consent. These could be gotten through browsing the internet, email attachments, computer networks (the collection of two or more computers to exchange files), infected disk etc.

SOLUTION: Install an updated antivirus, enable your windows firewall or install a third party firewall with good antispyware protection and run the program time to time to detect and eliminate any found virus. Make sure you update your antivirus program and definition as required to patch up known holes.

2.       Slow Computer – Your computer has a limited amount of storage space, processing speed and RAM memory. The more programs, documents, and toolbars you have, the slower your computer becomes. A computer can also be slow if infected with viruses.

*        Application programs have great effect on your PC resources and performance, especially the applications that starts up with the Operating System (antivirus, Bluetooth, messenger etc.). This seems necessary as one cannot do with them but most users have 8 or more relevant and irrelevant applications running at the same time. These applications are usually found at the lower right corner of your computer screen to the left of your system clock. You have to wait longer for windows to start as all these applications are loaded next to your clock.

*        Documents like files, music, pictures etc. don’t cause much problems as they don’t run automatically but eat up storage space and mess up the hard drive.

How do they mess up the hard drive?

The hard drive is always spinning when the computer is on. Files are written (saved) on the surface of the hard drive in no particular order. The files are saved in sectors, which mean there are gaps between the information. That is why it takes longer for your computer to find your files and folders, especially after a few months of saving new files on the hard disk. This is called FRAGMENTATION.

SOLUTION: Make sure your PC is of good CPU family and speed specs such as 1.60GHz – 4.00GHz and RAM specs such as 1gb – 8gb pending your pocket and reason. Defragment your hard disk using “Disk Defragmenter.” (This is one of your system utility tools.) Make sure you don’t use up your hard disk space for your computer to run correctly. Stop all irrelevant programs from starting up automatically and remove unwanted files from your hard disk. To do this, I recommend CCLEANER. Get rid of unneeded icons on your desktop, install a firewall, install antivirus and Anti spyware tools, schedule regular registry scans.

3.       Internet or Network Connectivity Issues – One day you are connected but the next day you can't connect. Nothing has changed and you can't figure out what to do. A computer network is backed-up with many internet protocols and devices; if any of the protocols or devices stops responding then you will have a network problem. The problems can be with a device, cables, network components, software problems or invalid IP Addresses.

SOLUTION: Make sure that the modem or router is connected to the powered on and connected to your computer. You can also reset the network by turning off the computer and the network device, later turn them on and try to connect. Make sure the necessary drivers are installed for your network adapter. Check if an application is blocking the connectivity of the computer. Disable the firewall just to be sure you are not prevented from connecting to the internet or your network. If the problem persists, check your modem or router and network settings. If not, call for an expert.

4.       Dust and Cigarette Smoke – Computers generate static electrical charges that attract dust and cigarette smoke when present in the environment. This enters your computer through the several fans installed to cool down the system. The fans pull air which may have been polluted with dust and smoke from outside to cool down the system, this makes the computer becomes hotter and eventually cause problems to the hardware.

SOLUTION: Since air is present everywhere, always use dust cover to protect the computer from dust and smoke. Close all uncovered expansion slot openings. Always clean the computer surface and inside with a soft brush.

5.       Hard Drive Failure – If you start hearing loud sounds that you were not hearing before, be scared because those sounds could be coming from your hard drive. A hard drive could stop working for many different reasons but generally they crash due to mechanical failure, electrical surge, a violent shake, or even a virus.

SOLUTION: This can happen to anyone at any time, so it is necessary you have a backup of all your important information on other storage devices. Run CHKDSK utility within the windows to fix minor problems like bad sectors.

6.       Dead Power Supply – When you press the power button and your computer gives no sign of life, and all the lights are absent, then the most likely cause is a power supply failure. This could be that the power supply is being overloaded, bad power cord, basic voltages needed by the power supply are missing, the system board has a defective capacitor, or overheating caused by dust or smoke.

SOLUTION: First, check the power cord. Confirm that it is good working condition and connected to a working outlet. Check the position of the on/off switch and the 110/220 switch. Make sure it points at 220v. If the voltages are missing from the power supply, replace it.

7.       Missing CD / DVD Drive – If your CD/DVD drive disappeared is not recognized by other applications, or just won't play or access your CDs or DVDs. According to Microsoft, this can happen when you upgrade the operating system, install a new application such a recording program or when you uninstall the Microsoft Digital Image.

Solution: Visit the Microsoft Support Website and run the Fix It utility based on your version of Windows. If it a hardware problem, check the data cable connecting your drive to the motherboard and make sure the power supply is OK. You can also call for an expert to ensure you have the correct device driver for the drive installed.

8.       No Sound from Speakers – It may be that the sound driver was not installed or bad sound card. Some system board doesn’t come with the audio port which has no option than to use sound card.

Solution: Check the back of the computer. Some computers may have sound card. You will need to plug the single stereo speaker plug into the socket on the sound card usually marked Audio Out. If found on the system board, make sure the correct sound driver is installed. If no sound card or on-board sound output, go for USB sound card – this converts USB connection to Audio port.

9.       Computer Seems to Start Up as Normal but Nothing Appears on Screen – It may be that the monitor power cord is bad or the monitor power button being turned off. It can also happen when the VGA (Video Graphics Adapter) card on the system board is bad or loose. The VGA cord can also cause this problem. If all is well with the monitor and cords, then it may be incompatible display adapter driver installed.

SOLUTION: Unplug all the cables and replace them carefully. Check your VGA card on the system board if any. If problem persists call for an expert as it may be that the CPU refuse to send signal resulting from bad contact of the main memory or bad driver installed.

10.     Fuzzy Image on Monitor – Monitors are sensitive to electro magnetic interference. They interfere with other electromagnetic devices if near. This can cause the display unstable or blur, even add different colours to your screen.

SOLUTION: Ensure that your speakers are not too close to the monitor and that there is no other source of interference, especially from TVs, radios, microwaves, dishwashers and washing machines. Mobile phones are frequently the cause of this problem.

11.     Modem Error Message Says, "No Dial Tone" – Sometimes when you try to get access to the internet all you get is NDT. This problem is always external to the computer; it can be a modem or dial up settings or cable problem.

SOLUTION: Do not attempt to change any COM port or other modem settings. Not all modem cables are the same. Always use the one supplied with your modem. The telephone cable from your wall socket should go into the modem socket marked Line In. Consider that the telephone socket is faulty. It could also be a faulty telephone extension line (just because it works on a phone doesn't necessarily mean it will work on a modem - and don't ask me why), or some other external factor. We repeat: Please do not change any of the modem settings. "No- Dial Tone" is always an external problem.

12.     Modem Cuts Off Frequently – Modems cannot handle the beep on BT's call waiting facility.

SOLUTION: If you have call waiting on your line you will need to disable it before using the modem.

13.     Colour on Screen is Limited to 16 Colours – The default setting for Windows is 16 colours.

NOTE: You can only get 256 or more colours if you have installed the video drivers correctly. See device drivers on our previous post.

14.     The Computer is Unable to Turn On – The computer does not turn on when you press the power button.

SOLUTION: Check if the computer is plugged in to an AC outlet properly. Plug another electrical device into the outlet to be sure that the outlet is providing adequate power. Check your power cord; ensure that it is in good condition. If problem persists, then you have just fired your power pack.

15.     Trouble with Video Card – The power light of the computer and monitor is on and nothing comes up on the screen when you start your computer then there must be something wrong with video card.

SOLUTION: Call for an expert or change its VGA card with a new one. But make sure your computer shows the sign of start up before condemning your VGA card.

16.     Operating System or Some Software is Functioning Abnormally – The Operating System (OS) or some other software is unresponsive or responds abnormally.

SOLUTION: Restart your computer and run a virus scan. For this purpose you should have a reliable antivirus software or a software that can help you check your PC performance installed on the computer to fix this issue. If problem persists, then you should back up your files and reload your operating system and programs. In the process, make sure you remove any previous operating system on the hard disk.

17.     Windows Do Not Boot Properly – You turn on your computer and it restarts immediately or it shows a blue screen telling you a recent hardware change have caused your computer to shut down.

SOLUTION: Reinstall windows with the windows recovery disk. Most of the times, this should help you get rid of the problem of OS or software malfunctioning. Better still, format your hard disk to correct bad head sectors and reload the OS.

18.     The Computer is On but Not Responding – You turned on your computer and it stops responding to software or keyboard commands, then it must be frozen or halted.

SOLUTION: Press and hold the power button for at least 5 seconds, it will be turn off. Now restart your computer. This should fix things up. Or on the keyboard, press CTRL + ALT + Del keys to activate the Task Manager then restart your computer or end the non-responsive program and restart it.

19.     An External Device is Not Working – You plugged in an external device and it refuse to work or it works sometimes and fail most times.

SOLUTION: Turn it on according to the Manufacturers instruction; be sure that all device connections are secure and receiving electrical power and compatible with the operating system. Make sure that the correct drivers are installed and updated.

20.     Slow Working Internet – While browsing you have temp file, cookies, and cache being filled up which makes the internet works very slow. This can also slow down your computer performance.

SOLUTION: To increase your browser performance, you must frequently clear cookies and internet temporary files. In the Windows Run Command – type “%temp%” and hit enter to open the temporary files folder. You can use Ctrl + A to select all of them and then press Delete. Please note that some of the files may not get deleted if they are being used by the OS; but that is fine.

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