Basic PC Troubleshooting

A Starter’s Guide to PC Users

 The problem solving-process

Solving a problem requires first recognizing

that there is one - which may be somewhat
obvious - then logically and rationally
determining where the problem could be,
and narrowing thing down from there.
1. Understand the task at hand.
2. Understand how to accomplish those
tasks.
3. Determine whether there is really a
problem.
4. Identify the problem.
5. Consider the activities, uses, and
condition around the system.
6. Correct the items found defective.
7. Correct items that could cause a problem
in the future
 The keys to solving these problems
1. Knowing and understanding your system.
2. Understanding enough about DOS or Windows
to get the system booted up and run a
program.
3. Understanding how the software you use is
supposed to work.
4. Knowing what and where your components
are.
5. Knowing how to remove and insert the
components and operate any switches or
change their jumpers.
6. Being able to recognize text, visual, and
audible clues that indicate potential problem
spots.
7. Being familiar with your system’s
documentation, and keeping tech. support
number(s) for your system and software
handy.
8. Taking each aspect of the system and your
work step-by-step and eliminating what does
not fit the problem.
9. Having patience and a will to do it.
10. Having the proper hand tools to open and
change parts in your system.
 Troubles and Errors
Troubles and errors are classified into two categories:
• Fatal errors
• Non-fatal errors
“Fatal errors” are those errors that keep your computer from
booting up. These can be caused by hardware failures or
malfunction due to improper configuration of the hardware. On
the hand, Non-fatal errors are those errors that does not
prevent your PC from booting up, but causes undesirable
conditions, such as no sound coming from your speakers, or
your printer is printing garbage or does not print at all.
Common Errors Encountered By PC
Users
 No display on screen
 No power, or Dead System
 Computer does not boot-up
 Keyboard does not work
 Jerky mouse pointer or mouse does not work
 No Sound coming from the speakers
 Computer hangs or crash
 Printer prints garbage or does not print at all
 POST – Power On Self Test
 The first thing that the BIOS does when it boots
the PC is to perform what is called the Power-On
Self-Test, or POST for short. The POST is a built-
in diagnostic program that checks your hardware
to ensure that everything is present and
functioning properly, before the BIOS begins the
actual boot. It later continues with additional
tests (such as the memory test that you see
printed on the screen) as the boot process is
proceeding.
 What are tested by POST
 CPU

 Memory

 Video Card
 Hard Disk Drive(s)

 Floppy Disk Drive(s)

 Keyboard
 POST Error Messages

Post error messages are classified into two:

 Audio error codes – composed of beeps
generated by the BIOS, which indicates
fault domains.
 Visual/Text error codes – are displayed
on the screen to indicated fault domains.
These are much easier to understand than
audible error codes.
 Fatal Errors : sometimes referred to as Boot-Up or Start-
Up Errors

 Dead System
 No Display
 Hard Disk Failure
 CD-ROM failures
 Floppy Disk failures
 Memory failures
 Dead System
Symptoms:
 No display on the screen
 No lights on the front panel of the system
 No audible beep codes
 Power supply fan does not spin
Fault Domains
 No Power on the wall outlet or Power cord not plugged-in on the
wall outlet
 AVR/UPS not turned ON
 Defective power cord
 System’s power button not turned ON
 Defective system power supply
 Defective AVR/UPS
 Defective Motherboard
 Dead System
Solutions:
 Check power source.
 Check / Replace power cord
 Check / Replace AVR/UPS
 Turn ON the system’s power switch
 Check / Replace system’s power supply unit
 No Display / Video Adapter Failure
Symptoms: (one or more of the ff.)
 No display on the screen

 No Beep(s)

 1 Beep

 1 long 3 short beeps*

 Repeating long beeps*

 Orange or blinking LED on the monitor

Fault Domains
 Monitor is OFF

 Defective motherboard or CPU

 Defective power supply unit

 No RAM installed

 Monitor’s contrast/brightness setting is set too low

 Defective video card

 Monitor is not connected to video card

*Depends on the BIOS manufacturer

 No Display
Solutions:
 Turn ON your monitor.
 Check the Contrast/Brightness setting on your monitor
 Check connections from monitor to video card
 Check / Replace Video card
 Check / replace RAM modules
 Check / replace motherboard or CPU
 Hard Disk Failures
Symptoms: (one or more of the ff.)
 “Primary / Secondary /Master /Slave hard disk fail” is displayed on
the screen during boot-up
 “Disk Boot failure. Insert System Disk” is displayed on the screen
during boot-up
 “Non-system disk” is displayed on the screen during boot-up
Fault Domains
 No hard disk drive installed on the system
 No O.S. on the installed Hard disk
 Defective hard disk drive
 Wrong jumper settings on the HDD
 BIOS did not recognize the installed HDD
 Wrong configuration on the BIOS/CMOS setup
 Defective IDE cable on the Hard Disk Drive
 Power supply not connected to the HDD
 Hard Disk Failures
Solutions:
 Install a Hard Disk Drive on the system
 Install an OS on the System or format the drive with “/s” option
 Check the settings or reconfigure the system on the BIOS/CMOS
setup
 Check / correct the jumper settings on the Drives
 Check / replace HDD
 Check / replace IDE cable on the Hard Disk Drive
 Check the power supply connector to the HDD
 CD-ROM failures
Symptoms: (one or more of the ff.)
 See items at “Hard Disk Failure”
 Cannot boot from CD-ROM
 Cannot read data from CD-ROM
 Cannot access the CD-ROM drive in DOS mode.
 CD-ROM tray wont eject
 CD-ROM was detected during boot-up but missing in My Computer

Fault Domains
 BIOS does not support boot from CD-ROM
 CD-ROM Disk is non-bootable
 Unrecognized CD-ROM Format.
 BIOS did not detect or recognize the drive
 Power or IDE cables not connected or improperly seated.
 Device drivers were not installed
 Boot Sector virus disabled the IDE controllers
 CD-ROM failures
Solutions:
 Update motherboard BIOS to support boot from CD-ROM
 Use a bootable CD-ROM disk. (original OS installer disk
preferred)
 Check settings on the BIOS/CMOS for the “Boot Sequence”
 Check / Correct the jumper settings on the Drives
 Check / replace CD-ROM drive
 Check / replace IDE cable on the Hard Disk and CD-ROM drive.
 Check power supply to the CD-ROM
 Run Anti-Virus Program to check the system
 Floppy Disk Drive Failure
Symptoms: (one or more of the ff.)
 “Floppy disk fail (XX)” is displayed on the screen during boot-up
 Steady LED lamp on the Floppy Disk drive
 Cannot read or write data onto a floppy diskette
 Floppy disk drive runs without user intervention and even without a
diskette on the drive.
Fault Domains
 Defective Floppy Disk drive
 Defective FDD controller cable
 Reverse connection of FDD controller cable
 Wrong configuration on the BIOS/CMOS setup
 Power supply is not connected to the FDD
 Defective diskette
 Dirty Floppy Disk Drive’s read/write head
 Virus/Trojan/Worm has infected the system
 Floppy Disk Drive Failure

Solutions:
 Check / replace FD drive
 Check / replace FD controller cable
 Check power supply
 Replace defective diskettes
 Clean FDD’s read/write head
 Install antivirus software and scan the system
 Memory Errors
Symptoms: (one or more of the ff.)
 Repeating Long Beeps*
 “Memory Test Fail” is displayed on the screen during boot-up
 Restarts the PC every time Windows® starts-up
 Frequent BSODs (blue screen of death)
 System hangs-up or crash
 Corrupted Windows® registry
Fault Domains:
 No RAM Module is installed on the system
 RAM Module(s) is/are not seated properly on its slots
 Defective RAM modules
 Incompatible RAM modules installed on the system
 Memory Errors

Solutions:
 Install the same type of memory modules. (same brand and
speeds preferred)
 Check / Replace RAM modules
 Non-fatal Errors

 No Sound coming from speakers

 Poor Display Quality
 Jerky Mouse movement or does not work
at all.
 System Hangs or crashes
No Sound coming from the speakers
Fault domain:
 Speakers are not connected to sound card
 Speakers are not turned ON
 Speakers are connected on the wrong jack
 Volume control’s setting is too low
 Defective speakers
 No sound card installed on the system
 Sound card drivers are not installed
 Defective sound card
Solutions:
 Connect the speaker to the sound card and on the proper jack.
 Check speaker’s volume setting and Windows® system mixer.
 Install the software/device driver of the sound card.
 Check / Replace the speakers.
Keyboard errors
Symptom(s):
 “Keyboard error or keyboard not connected” is displayed on the
screen during boot-up
 No character appears on the screen when key is pressed
 The LED indicator on the keyboard are steady or does not lit
Fault domain:
 Keyboard is defective or not connected
 Keyboard is connected on the mouse port when both have PS/2
connector
Solution(s ):
 Check / replace keyboard
 Install the keyboard on the correct port
Mouse Errors
Symptom(s):
 Jerky movement of the mouse pointer
 Mouse pointer moves vertical or horizontal direction only or does not
move at all
Fault domain:
 Dirty mouse rollers and ball.
 Defective mouse cable.
 Mouse is not connected to the system.
 Mouse is not installed on the correct port (interchanged w/ the
keyboard)
 Mouse device drivers are not installed.

Solutions :
 Clean your mouse’s rollers and ball
 Check / replace mouse
 Install the mouse on the correct port
 Install the mouse’s device driver
Display errors
Symptom(s):
 Has display on the screen at start-up but disappears before the
Windows® desktop loads.
 Poor image detail

Fault domain:
 Incorrect Desktop resolution setting.
 Incompatible Video card and monitor.
 Device drivers for the video card are not installed.
 Outdated video card drivers.

Solutions :
 Start in Safe mode(Win9x/Me) or VGA mode(Win2k/XP) then set
the display to the appropriate display setting.
 Install/Update the device drivers of the video card.
System hangs or crash
Symptom(s):
 System hangs or crashes frequently
 BSOD (blue screen of death)

Fault domain:
 See Memory Errors
 Insufficient amount of RAM installed in the system
 Too many running programs
Solutions :
 See Memory Errors
 Install / Add More RAM in the system
 Avoid running to many programs simultaneously