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Sometimes it feels like your PC has a mind of its own. One morning, the machine decides not to boot. The next day, you can't print. Or your Internet connection won't work. Modern computing is filled with such apparently random errors, and when they occur, you sit there scratching your head while you try to figure out where to begin. Is the problem hardware-related or software-related? Can you fix it or is this going to result in you shelling out some cash? To start my troubleshooting guide, I'll attempt to tackle the main complaints I hear from my friends and other users. In each case, I'll consider the likely causes, and then try to provide solutions that are as hassle-free as possible. Please note that some of my answers apply only to Windows 98 users - as that version gives a trouble-shooter more tools than previous versions do. So if your PC happens to wake up on the wrong side of the bed Don't worry there is something you can do about it. Lockups and crashes If your computer "hangs" on start-up, or after Windows loads. What can you do? 1: First, undo recent changes. If you've added or removed new hardware, altered CMOS settings, or installed new software, there's a good chance those changes are the cause of your problems. 2: If your PC has been running well and has not been altered it won't just die suddenly, (in general ). 3: So if your problems can't be solved by obvious solutions - like plugging in an unplugged power cord - try returning your PC to its original, untroubled configuration. But Remember, problems do sometimes arise without provocation. Hard disks crash, chips burn out, and monitors eventually expire. Software, too, can be corrupted. A power failure or an accidental press of the reset button can shut Windows down improperly, damaging key files, and that can lead to all kinds of trouble. Your Screen is blank CHECK THE OBVIOUS. Start by checking all your cables -monitor, keyboard, and others - and Of course don't forget the power cords for both the computer and the monitor. It's best to completely unseat them and reattach them to ensure you have a solid connection; a connector that looks and even feels like it's firmly attached may not be. And don't forget to check your anti surge protector if you have one. Some surge protectors come with fuses or circuit breakers that can be triggered by an intermittent power surge. Most surge protectors have a small button that you can press to reset it and get the power flowing again. You might even try another power cord to make sure that hasn't gone bad. IS IT YOUR MONITOR OR YOUR PC? If your Monitor gets it's power from the wall socket and NOT from your PC then you should see a green or orange power light, you now know that the Monitor is getting power, if there is no green or orange light you will have to check the power cord and fuse connecting your monitor to the wall socket. If your Monitor gets it's power from your PC then the easiest way to find out for sure what works and what doesn't is to connect a working monitor to your PC. If the test monitor works, your monitor is bad. Alternatively, you could connect your monitor to another PC; if it works, something in your PC is at fault. If your monitor is defunct, you may find someone who can repair it, but usually a New Monitor is needed. You could make this a reasonable excuse to upgrade to a larger or better model. If your Monitor is OK then the problem is in your PC, Listen carefully to your system as it powers up, and look for a green power-on light on the front of your PC's case. If you don't hear the whir of your hard disk spinning up and the hum of your power supply fan - which should be visible on the rear of your PC - then you're not getting power to the PC. The likely cause is a bad power supply that will need repaired or replaced. If you suspect the power supply is bad and you're comfortable tinkering with your PC's innards, you can replace it yourself. Otherwise, take it to the shop or your local guru. But before you do, try reseating your PC's expansion cards: Sometimes the cards can partially work their way out of their slots on the motherboard. Your PC locks up before Windows loads WATCH FOR CLUES. Before Windows starts, your PC performs an initialization process for many of its components. As it does so, on-screen messages either confirm the devices' proper initialization or report errors. So watch for clues as your PC boots up; you may be able to identify a troublesome component. If a message flashes on and off the screen too quickly to read, you can freeze the screen with the Pause key. RESEAT EXPANSION CARDS. System lockups that occur before Windows' launch can be caused by poorly seated expansion cards. Reseat all cards following the instructions given above. Your PC locks up when Windows is running CHECK WINDOWS 98'S SYSTEM CONFIGURATION UTILITY. Select Start, Run, enter msconfig in the field, and click OK. Click the Startup tab in the resulting dialog box. Look down the list and make sure that Windows isn't starting up a given process more than once. If you see the same item twice, uncheck the box beside the second occurrence. Another thing to try: Uncheck suspect items you may have added recently that have no uninstall routines. When you're done making changes, click Apply, and then close the System Configuration Utility. You'll have to reboot before your changes take effect. RESTART IN SAFE MODE. Press F8 shortly after your PC powers up - when it displays the "Starting Windows 9x" text message - to arrive at the Windows 9x Startup Menu. Select Safe Mode, and Windows will load a stripped-down version of itself with a plain-vanilla VGA display driver and a minimum number of other drivers. Unless Windows is damaged beyond repair, it should successfully launch in Safe Mode. If it does, your problem is likely a corrupted registry file, damaged or missing system files, or another Windows-related problem. Look for the root cause of your trouble by doing the following: RUN SCANDISK TO LOOK FOR HARD DISK DAMAGE. A possible cause of missing or corrupted files is a dying hard disk. Run ScanDisk ( Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, ScanDisk) or type scandisk at the DOS prompt. Under "Type of test," select Thorough. If ScanDisk finds damaged sectors, that's a sign of significant system corruption or real hard drive problems (modern hard drives map out disk errors at the firmware level, so ScanDisk shouldn't report any). Back up everything immediately. On the other hand, a few cross-linked files or lost clusters is nothing to worry about, especially after a loss of power or a system crash. Just make sure you clean them up, as they can cause problems for Windows. LOOK FOR HARDWARE CONFLICTS. Right-click My Computer, select Properties, and select the Device Manager tab. Scan the listing of your PC's components. If a component is marked with a yellow circle and exclamation point, double-click the component's name. At the center of the General tab is the Device Status box, which will tell you if the component is working properly. If it isn't, click the Resources tab and look in the Conflicting Device list. If you find a conflict in that list, you must remove it. Do that physically - by removing one of the conflicting devices (of course, by powering down first and following good safety procedures)- or through software, by checking the "Disable in this hardware profile" box at the bottom of that device's General tab in Device Manager. Then try restarting your PC. START WINDOWS WITH STEP-BY-STEP CONFIRMATIONS. Restart Windows and hold down the F8 key to bring up the Windows 9x Startup Menu. Select Step-by-Step Confirmation. Windows then initializes devices one at a time and prompts you for a "Yes" or "No" before moving to the next device. A "No" skips that device's initialization. A "Yes" should lead to either a message confirming the device's initialization or an error message indicating initialization failure. So if Windows locks up, at the very least you'll know which device was being configured and, at most, you may even find out why. CHECK YOUR REGISTRY FILES. Most of Windows' hardware settings (and most software settings) are stored in the Windows Registry. A damaged Registry file can lead to all kinds of PC problems. Fortunately, Windows 98 provides ScanReg, a utility that automatically creates and stores five days' worth of Registry backups. To run ScanReg, restart your PC, press F8 to reach the Windows 98 Startup Menu, and select Command Prompt Only. From the DOS prompt you can then type scanreg and restore a backup of your Registry. CREATE A BOOT LOG. If you're still stumped, restart once again, return to the Windows 98 Startup Menu (use F8 to get there) and select the "Logged (\BOOTLOG.TXT)" start-up option. As Windows launches, it will meticulously record each step of the start-up process in the file c:\bootlog.txt. Reading the file can reveal exactly what Windows was working on at the moment of its launch failure. The file's long list of techno-gibberish may appear useless, but putting it on a floppy and taking it to a specialist may save you many troubleshooting hours and dollars. Odd behavior while Windows is running CHECK YOUR SYSTEM FILES. Windows 98's System File Checker looks for and replaces damaged or missing system files. To run the utility, click Start, Run, type sfc, and press Enter. Windows takes much longer to launch than it used to. How can I speed it up? Check your start-up programs. When you add new software (and even hardware) to your PC, setup routines often add small applets to Windows' automatic start-up list. It's amazing how quickly those programs can pile up. And since each must be loaded as Windows launches, they can significantly slow down your start-up. Many of the files are found in the Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup folder, and can be dragged to the Recycle Bin from there. Others are buried in the bowels of the Windows Registry. And none should be summarily deleted until you're sure you don't need them. (You can always drag a file out onto your desktop until you're certain.) Fortunately, the Startup tab of the Windows 98 System Configuration Utility lists most of the programs that run at start-up, and lets you temporarily disable any of them so you can see what's necessary and what's not. Access the Windows System Configuration Utility by choosing Start, Run, typing msconfig, and pressing Enter. Each start-up program is listed with a check box next to it. Uncheck the box, and that program won't load the next time you start Windows. Uncheck them all, and you're guaranteed to speed up Windows' launch. Of course, you will want some of the programs to launch automatically, but you'll be surprised by how many of them have little use. Windows doesn't shut down properly. How can I fix it? There are a number of possible causes for that common Windows 98 complaint. One quick fix that may get Windows 98 to shut down properly is to disable a feature called "fast shutdown." To disable fast shutdown: Select Start, Run, type msconfig in the field, and press Enter. Click the Advanced button on the General tab of the System Configuration Utility, and place a check beside Disable Fast Shutdown. Reboot, and then try shutting down the system. My taskbar has disappeared from my desktop. How do I get it back? It may be hiding at the bottom of the screen after being accidentally resized. Point to the bottom border of your screen. If the pointer turns into a double-arrow, click and drag upwards. If your taskbar isn't hiding at the bottom of the screen, try moving the mouse to the right, left, and top edges, looking for the telltale double-arrow. When I display graphics files, they appear banded and blocky. Is something wrong with my PC? Probably not. All you need to do is increase the number of colors that are displayed by your graphics card (the setting is also known as "color depth"). Right-click an empty part of your desktop and select Properties to bring up your Display Properties. At the lower left side of the Settings tab you'll see the Colors selector. Clicking on it will display the different colour depth choices that are currently available. If you have a relatively new graphics board, you should be able to choose from one of four settings: 16 colors, 256 colors, High Color (16-bit, or approximately 65,000 colors), or True Color (32-bit, or about 16 million colors). If your graphic images -especially photos - look blocky and banded, your color depth is probably set to 16 or 256 colors. Increasing that setting will dramatically improve the quality of your displayed images. If you don't have the High Color or True Color options, your graphics board may not support those settings. You may have an older board that doesn't have sufficient memory to handle a high color depth at the resolution you're using (2MB should be enough to handle 16-bit color at a resolution of 1024 by 768). But you might be able to squeeze a higher color depth out of an older board by lowering the screen resolution, the number of dots on your screen. Adjust the resolution by moving the sliding bar that's immediately to the right of the color settings. After you've lowered the resolution, check the Colors menu. If a new choice has appeared, you can run at that color depth. Keep in mind that most people don't need to use anything higher than 16-bit color, and higher color depths can extract performance penalties. My monitor's display looks slightly distorted or appears tinted in a single color. How do I fix it? Hit the Degauss button. If your screen develops scattered spots of discoloration, it's probably due to the buildup of stray magnetic fields in your monitor. A monitor usually comes with a Degauss button, which will cleanse your screen of those evil aberrations. Often the button is labeled with the image of a magnet. If your monitor intermittently (or consistently) displays an image that's heavily tinted, check both ends of its cable connection. Before reseating the connections, carefully examine the male ends, and look for bent or sunken pins. If you find one, carefully straighten it or pull it with needle-nose pliers. Then use similar care in gently seating it in its connector, and make sure to tighten both securing screws. I installed a Zip drive, and my CD-ROM's drive letter changed. Is there any way that I can switch it back? Yes. Right-click My Computer, choose Properties, and select the Device Manager tab. Expand the "CDROM" listing, select your CD-ROM drive, and click the Properties button near the bottom of the dialog box. Go to the Settings tab. In the Reserved Drive Letters section, you can force Windows to assign a specific letter to your CD-ROM drive. For instance, if the Zip drive currently comes up as the D: drive and the CD-ROM is the E: drive, change both the "Start drive" and the "End drive" letters for the CD-ROM to D:. You can also approach the problem from the other end by bumping the "Start drive" letter for the Zip drive to E:. Your computer has slowed down dramatically, and sometimes you can hear a lot of clicking while your waiting for programs to load, screens to change, and other such activities. Is something about to break or - gulp - explode? Well, you never know. But before you run for cover, take a look at your hard drive's available free space. As you open more programs, your computer's RAM (or main memory) fills up with data. To handle the overflow, your system shuttles the data back and forth between the RAM and the virtual memory, a temporary storage area on your hard drive. Virtual memory is already much slower than RAM, but Windows will usually grow it and shrink it dynamically to make the best of a less-than-optimum situation. However, if your virtual memory space is too cramped by a crowded hard drive, your system will tend to choke on that bottleneck and will slow dramatically, sending your hard disk into a gronking frenzy. Check your hard disk's available space by right-clicking the drive's icon in Windows Explorer (or My Computer) and selecting Properties. Here are a few strategies for freeing up space on your drive and helping your system run faster. DUMP YOUR DEAD DATA. Start by running the Windows 98 Disk Cleanup utility from Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Cleanup. It provides shortcuts for removing unused Windows files and application programs. There's also a wizard that launches the FAT32 conversion utility. If the option is highlighted, your hard drive uses the older FAT16 file system required by the original versions of Windows 95, and converting your drive to FAT32 can free up a lot of space. If you choose to invoke the conversion wizard, read its warnings carefully. You can't undo the conversion without a third-party utility, such as PowerQuest's PartitionMagic 5.0. Remember that good housekeeping counts. Don't forget to use the Add/Remove Programs applet in the Control Panel to uninstall unwanted applications; just deleting the program's folders can leave pesky files in the Windows folder that may come back to haunt you. RUN DISK DEFRAGMENTER. As files are deleted and new ones are written to disk, your data becomes spread all over your drive. The clusters that make up a single file can become scattered around the hard disk, no longer stored sequentially. That means the hard disk has to spend extra time searching for and accessing the files' parts. Running Disk Defragmenter makes all the parts of each file contiguous, and doing so can significantly speed up hard disk performance. Run Windows Disk Defragmenter from Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter. Having trouble with your Internet connection. What should you check? Troubleshooting an Internet connection is rarely easy, because a big portion of the connection process takes place outside your PC - often outside your home. So, the best way to solve connection problems is to contact your Internet service provider - it's the best source of information about problems arising outside your PC. But before you pick up the phone, try the following: CHECK YOUR CONNECTIONS. Make sure any phone, cable, or network lines are firmly connected. If you have other devices connected to a modem's phone line, such as a fax machine or telephones, remove them and see if it helps. Also, an excessively long wire can degrade the modem's signal; you might need to move your PC closer to a phone jack. Check your modem line's connectivity by attaching a phone to it. Pick up the receiver and listen while you dial a single number. Any static that occurs between button pushes or after you're done dialing is an indication of excessive line noise. If you hear any, call your telephone provider and report it; the company may investigate and repair the trouble. IS YOUR MODEM WORKING? Select Start, Settings, Control Panel, then double-click Modems. On the Diagnostics tab, select the port your modem is attached to and click the More Info button. (Don't know which port to try? Try COM1 first, then COM2.) If you see a series of displayed command responses with no errors, the modem is communicating properly with your PC. If you don't, you have a hardware problem. Try reinstalling your modem drivers or contacting the modem manufacturer (or your PC vendor if the modem came preinstalled). When you click a URL or e-mail link, the wrong program opens. How can you restore the link to your preferred browser or e-mail client? If you click a URL and the wrong Web browser opens (Internet Explorer instead of Netscape Navigator, for instance), close it and launch the other one; in all likelihood, you'll be prompted to change your default browser. If the default browser prompt does not appear, you'll need to enable the prompt. If the wrong e-mail client opens when you want to send an e-mail message, open the Control Panel's Internet applet to the Programs tab and choose the mail client you want to use as the Windows default. Alternatively, if your preferred mail client (such as Outlook Express or Eudora) prompts you on start-up to make it the default, answer Yes. You can't get your printer to print anything. Help! CHECK YOUR POWER AND PAPER. Make sure your printer is "on line" - usually confirmed by an indicator light. Also make sure that paper is in the tray, and that the ink or toner cartridge is properly installed. Clear the printer's memory by turning the printer off, waiting a few seconds, and turning it back on. Try printing from DOS. If you can find no obvious solution, send a small text file to your printer via the DOS prompt. Select Start, Shut Down, choose "Restart in MS-DOS mode," and click OK. Now type cd\windows and press Enter. Follow it up with dir /s >LPT1 and Enter. Doing so sends a list of file names to your printer. Send the command several times if nothing happens. If the DOS file listing prints, but you still can't print from within Windows: RELOAD YOUR PRINTER DRIVER. Click Start, Settings, Printers. Delete the icon for your printer, and then reinstall it with the Add Printer icon. You'll need a copy of the driver, which can probably be found on your Windows CD. TURN OFF SPOOLING. You can also bypass Windows' spooling function - an occasional cause of conflict with printers - by turning it off. Again choose Start, Settings, Printers. Right-click your printer's icon and select Properties. On the Details tab, click the Spool Settings button and select "Print directly to printer." If the DOS file listing does not print, check your hardware: CHECK YOUR CABLE. Make sure your printer cable is firmly connected to both the printer and the PC. Try swapping the cable with another. CHECK YOUR PARALLEL PORT SETTINGS. Most PCs made in the last few years have parallel ports that can work in four different modes: Standard, Bi-directional, Extended Capability Port, and Enhanced Parallel Port. Check your printer's documentation to find the proper mode for your printer. It's not uncommon for new PCs to come with the parallel port set to ECP or EPP -and many older printers don't support those modes. When in doubt, always try Standard mode; it's the slowest, but it's also the most compatible. To change your parallel port's mode, enter your PC's CMOS setup program (usually accessed by pressing Delete or F1 before the system begins booting) and find the parallel port settings. If you choose ECP mode, you'll also have to choose an associated Direct Memory Addressing channel. Since your PC has only a handful of DMA channels available, there's a small chance the one you choose will be assigned by Windows to another device. |