Saturday, October 8, 2011

PC Troubleshooting Tips That Help Improve Performance of Your Computer




PC Troubleshooting tips comes handy when your computer encounters an error. Note that it is very common for your computer to encounter errors and 90 % of them are easily resolvable by you. But the remaining 10 % of the problems are more difficult which requires a Hardware Specialist to resolve. So, here I would like to state the solutions to the problems that can be easily resolvable by you without the need of a hardware engineer.

Now-a-days, the most common problems are Computer reboot problem, slow PC performance, software related errors and incorrect computer cable connection. We require a lot of patience in these situations. Below are some of the PC Troubleshooting Tips that may be helpful in resolving your computer related problems.

For rebooting problems:

1] If problem occurs, first restart your computer. Many problems [minor] correct themselves after rebooting.
2] Check with the cables if correctly connected or not? Some times, loose connections may result in restarting the system automatically.
3] Remove the disks in the drive and restart.
4] Open the cabinet and connect the cables properly.
5] If the above solutions cannot rectify your problem, then your system software may be malfunctioned. If so, use the Software CD that came with your PC or the Operating system CD to repair the system.

These PC Troubleshooting Tips will only work in the 90% of the cases. For the remaining 10%, a Technical expert is needed.

For Slow PC Performance

Microsoft’s windows operating systems can be made to perform faster than their default installed configurations by making slight changes at the user level. These tweaks will improve the performance of the PC.

1] De-fragment your Hard Disk:

Go to -> Start -> All programs -> accessories -> system tools -> Disk Defragmenter -> Click “De fragment”.

2] Remove unused Fonts:

Go to -> Control Panel -> Fonts -> Remove or Backup unwanted fonts.

3] Speedup Folder Browsing:

Go to -> My Computer -> Tools -> Folder Options ->View -> Uncheck “Automatically search for network folders and printers” -> OK.

4] Disable Indexing Services:

Go to -> Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs -> Add/Remove Window components -> Uncheck “Indexing services” -> OK.

5] System Performance Properties:

Go to -> My Computer -> Properties -> Advanced -> Performance -> Settings -> remove all the unnecessary visual effects -> OK

The above said PC Troubleshooting Tips will help to improve the performance of your slow PC.

Troubleshooting Tips to Repair "Illegal Operation"






“Illegal operation” is one of the most common error messages that appear on a computer stating that an illegal operation has been performed and the program should be closed due to it. When confronted with this error, most of the users think that they accidentally clicked on something, which they are not supposed to do. But, the reason being that the program contains a command, which the program is unable to perform, and it can’t continue running.

Illegal operations can be caused by several other factors including, third party applications are causing memory conflicts, data is not being properly read from the required source, corrupt files, computer virus, error in program coding, corruption or problem with Windows, etc. In case you have encountered “Illegal operation” error message, following the given below the computer troubleshooting tips can help to fix error on your computer.

Step 1. Third-party applications running in the background is one of the most common reasons for illegal operation. In case, you are encountering this problem when trying to run a game or program, it is recommended to remove the third party applications running in the background ensuring that these applications are not the cause of problem.

Step 2. If you are running a program from a CD or a floppy disk, verify that the disk does not have any physical error.

Step 3. In case your computer memory is loaded with computer virus and have changed the data of program files when infecting a computer, it may results in this error. Therefore, it is always recommended to install your system with latest virus definition.

Step 4. If you are receiving an error message while running a particular program, check program’s compatibility with the version of Windows operating system you are running.

In case, you are unable to locate the cause of illegal operation, you can try fixing it using tools included in Windows. The scan disk tool and disk defragmenter can help you to resolve this issue.

Limitations

Sometimes locating the cause for illegal operation error messages is quite difficult.

Recommendations

It you continue to experience illegal operation error while working with an application, it is always recommended to contact software vendor.

You can also contact any technical firm that offer technical support services to deal with all issues you are encountering with your PC

PC Troubleshooting 101



Troubleshooting your PC requires hard work. If you are an expert at it, a technician would no longer be needed to solve the problem. But if you think that the problem is beyond your abilities, it is better to hire someone who knows how to handle your PCs very well.

But before calling for help, you can do some basic strategies to spot the problem in your PC software. Here is a list of things you can do:

. Restart the computer. Minor problems usually correct themselves after the system has been restarted.
. Check the cables and be sure that everything is plugged in.
. Test the electric power. Plug a device into the same outlet where your computer is plugged in. This rule out the possibility that your outlet might not be working.
. Make sure that the monitor and CPU are connected to the power source.
. Detach peripheral devices such as your external Zip disk or printer. Restart the computer afterward.
. Take note of unusual sounds. The hard rive can be making too much noise or the cooling fan may no longer be running.
. Check the insides of the computer for wires that are disengaged. Faulty connections are common PC software problems.
. Use an external start-up disk to run the computer. A good example would be a software CD that came with your PC.

These basic steps can help greatly in PC troubleshooting. Be sure to employ these ways before calling a technician. Remember, minor glitches are easily solved and handled on your own. It would also be less expensive if you try safe and simple steps to troubleshoot your PC.

Tips to Guide You by

. Before deciding to call the technical support team for PC troubleshooting, note down the exact problem and relay what you were doing when the problem occurred. Write down the error messages that appeared on your screen as this can help in fixing your device.
. Be very specific in explaining the problem. Report all the texts and signs you have seen on the screen so technicians can handle the PC software more appropriately.
. Free up some of your hard drive space from unnecessary files. Many clients who have asked for PC troubleshooting have hard disks that are nearly full. Remember to empty the Recycle Bin afterward to clear your hard drive from these files.
. When troubleshooting your PC, remember not to zap the RAM. Leave the wires connected into the surge suppressor while working inside the PC.
. Remember to call for help if the problem is beyond your skills and capabilities. PC troubleshooting is best handled by professionals who can better take care of your PC software and its other components.

Air circulation inside the PC







A computer generates a lot of heat. The heat is usually concentrated in four areas inside the computer — the power supply (which generates some heat), the RAM modules, the video card, and lastly the processor. Each of these hardware parts generate various amounts of heat, with the processor generating the most amount of heat.
If you want your PC to perform at its optimum and limit the chances of having a hardware failure, you have to make sure that your PC has enough air circulating inside to cool down the PC. Put fans inside the PC to help warm air circulate. Exhaust fans also help tremendously by expelling warm air and allowing cool air to enter the case.

Troubleshooting Internet Connectivity Problems With Modem Drivers Updates




Modem drivers are really important when you consider that without them, you would not be able to connect to the internet at all, and this is the main problem that most people actually do experience when it comes to their own internet problems. When you consider the amount of ways and barriers that you have to go through to actually gain a connection to the internet, the modem drivers problem should be one of the more basic and one of the easiest problems that you should be able to rectify.

For one thing, what you need to do is to actually check whether or not the problem lies with the software or even the hardware, and how you can do this is to port the modem over to another system to ensure that it is not a hardware problem in the first place, because the last thing you would want to do is to actually waste your time with some apparent problem when the real one was actually with the hardware and all you had to do was to actually change the modem and be on your way.

Now, if it is a driver problem, there are many ways you can approach this, because the drivers are the one way that you are going to connect to the internet besides the wall to wall connection from the modem to your PC. One thing you can do is to look into the box of your modem and look for the original drivers. There might have been a corruption when you actually installed this and this can be down to a whole host of problems, so what you want to do now is simply just pull in the drivers and do a clean install – this way you would be able to gain some sort of leverage on the rough install and your problems might disappear.

Now of course, if this does not work, what you can do is to actually try and do a reinstall with new drivers of the web. Many times, there is a system or a collision issue when outdated drivers are introduced to a new system, and what you can do is to actually get the latest drivers from the web or from the manufacture itself, and with them, you can repair the problem.

You would be surprised to know that 99% of the time and problems being faced by people who are getting modem drivers issue is down to the fact that they are stuck with outdated drivers, and because of this, they often make the mistake of overhauling their entire systems and wasting their time by trying to send their modem back.

These are some of the easy methods you are going to trouble shoot the internet connectivity problems with modem drivers updates, and depending on your manufacturer and the type of support you are getting, the operation of this can be really easy and non interrupting to your computing life at all. So update your drivers!

. The Many Benefits of Buying a New Computer




If you have ever purchased a new computer then you well know the many benefits of buying a new computer. When you contact the computer company, they will build the computer the exact way you want the new computer. Here are just a few of the many benefits of buying a new computer listed below in this article.

The main benefit of buying a new computer is customization. Your new computer will be built for you and your needs. An example of this would be if you were a student. A student’s computer would need research capabilities like a web encyclopedia, a world atlas, a dictionary, and maybe a medical dictionary for medical field students.

If you wish, all of this software can be, put into your computer or the software can come with your computer.

Your computer can have Microsoft word, Open office, or any other Microsoft or word program for the important papers you must write as a student.

Benefits of a new computer also include what the computer is made, with. You can have as much memory installed as you wish. You can tell the computer company how large of a hard drive you wish the computer to have. Moreover you can also request the fastest processor if you wish to.

One of the best benefits of buying a new computer is that you can get the computer in a laptop or a desktop computer. A small laptop is perfect for a student’s small dorm room. On the other hand, if you are a student and you happen to have your own apartment with a larger living space you can choose a new desktop model computer.

Another wonderful benefit to buying a new computer is that the computer will sometimes come with the matching accessories. Alternatively, you can purchase these along with the computer at a huge discount. Some of these are printers with multi media ports, digital cameras, or web cams as well as many other devices and accessories.

One of the last benefits to buying the new computer is that you can choose to either buy one all at one time. On the other hand, you can also choose to make small monthly payments to buy the computer. The same process goes with any of the accessories that you choose or you may need. You can purchase the accessories all at one time or pay them out monthly also.

Blue Screen of Death Troubleshooting






Blue screen of death can be caused by many reasons including hardware, software and other factors difficult to detect, and it also has quite a few solutions. In the following I will introduce some troubleshooting tips on the blue screen when the computer starts up and shuts down. There are eight tips in this article.

One, hard disk spare space is too small or there are too many disk fragments, so you have to reserve a certain amount of disk space and do the disk fragmentations from time to time.

Two, hardware conflict

Hardware conflict is the common cause of a blue screen; we often encounter conflicts induced by incorrect sound card or video card settings. If a yellow question mark or exclamatory mark beside the device under the Sound, video and game controllers in the Device Manager, try to delete this device and restart. If this way does not work, you can manually adjust or upgrade the relevant drivers, or you can download some professional software like Driver Checker to help you automatically fix these driver problems.

Three, too many programs running on startup is also prone to blue screen. You should not let so many programs running on startup in case they exhaust your system resources.

Four, bugs in some application

Sometimes the error can occur if errors or unstable factors exist in some application.

Five, the system attacked by some unknown programs or virus. You should check it carefully, kill the virus with effective antivirus software and take precautionary measures.

Six, version conflict

Some applications need to invoke a DLL (Dynamic Link Library) of specific version, if the old version covers the new one when installing the software, or delete the DLL files in use by mistake when deleting the application and then error occurs. You need to reinstall this software properly.

Seven, errors or damages in the Registry

Most of the time, it is the main reason for a blue screen. If blue screen often appears in your computer, the first thing you should consider is that maybe your Registry has some problems, check the Registry and repair it immediately to avoid bigger losses.

Eight, incompatibility between software and hardware

New technology is now advancing more and more quickly, if your computer has a blue screen every now and then, probably the motherboard BIOS or its driver is too old, so it could not support its hardware appropriately. If your motherboard BIOS is able to be flashed, flash it to the latest version or use Driver Checker to help install the up-to-date device driver as soon as possible