Troubleshooting
Trouble shooting is perhaps the most difficult task of a computer professional. Frequently, the problem reported symptoms, not the cause.
Hard Drive Troubleshooting
HDD Controller Failure - Single Drive System
Check jumper settings
Check CMOS settings
Check connections from HDD to interface card. Try flipping the data cable upside-down on the HDD connector. Try using another connector on the IDE cable.
Verify that interface card is setup and seated properly
If Error persists after the above steps, probable that the HDD has a faulty controller and needs to be replaced.
It takes investigation to pinpoint the real cause. After you diagnose a problem, you have to develop a plan of action to correct the problem.
Meaning: DOS does not find a bootable C: drive
Single Drive System:
Check CMOS settings. If settings are incorrect PC won't be able to access the FAT (File Allocation Table) correctly.
Boot from DOS Setup Disk. At the A:\> prompt, run FDISK option 4, Display Partition Information. If the C: drive partition is not active (indicated by an [A] under [Status]), then choose FDISK option 2 to Set Partition Active. (Especially in the case where the drive was originally a slave)
The System Files may not have been transferred onto the hard drive. User must use FORMAT C: /S to transfer System during format, or use SYS C: after format, to transfer the System files.
What does it mean to trouble shoot a computer problem any way? In my own definition it simply means to poke around a computers data system looking for things out of order. As you may know installing software and hardware is always a touchy topic of most systems engineers. With the installation of new software or hardware problems normally follow; because that software or utility driver installs additional files that may conflict with other software installed on the computer there by creating problems. When you install new software and you have a problem after the installation a simple uninstall will normally solve the problem.
There are many third party solutions that claim to be all powerful and all knowing; but are they really? Since I have been in the industry I’ve seen so many different product vendors that write poor installation software that over rights or conflicts with other things, so watch out not everything is as it seems. Most problems can be resolved simply by reading what the error message says.
A few good steps for trouble shooting
Stay calm it is only a computer and your smarter than it.
Consult your product vendors for support or your help desk representative.
Read the literature that came with the software or periferal.
If you change something and it does not solve the problem change it back. You do not want to make your problems worse.
Take one step at a time and document everything so you can undo everything if nessasary.
Visit the vendors website to see if there is any information on that product and how to trouble shoot problems with it, apply any patch available to resolve your problem. With Microsoft products most times you can install a service pack or patch and your problems will be resolved.
Common things I have seen
Problem: Printer not working
Solution: Check your printer properties to make sure your printer is online and not paused.
Problem: General protection fault error. (BLUE SCREEN OF DEATH)
Solution: Read the error message, do a screen shot if possible for documentation purposes.
Reboot your machine and see if the message comes up again, if it does consult your product vendor.
Problem: Illegal operation, program closes (Microsoft)
Solution: Hit details and read and WRITE down the error message, the numbers show are binary numbers mostly found in the registry of the operating system. Reopen the program and try again, if the problem continues you can solve it by opening the document that has the problem and hit CTRL+A to highlight everything then hit CTRL+C for copy, open a new document and press CTRL+V to paste the new document.
Problem: Hardware not compatible with your operating system.
Solution: Visit your product vendors website and download a more up-to-date utility driver.
Problem: Word, excel, power point causes illegal operation and closes and you lost all your work for the past hour. (Microsoft)
Solution: Open the program that had the problem, select FILE, OPEN and go to the Windows/Temp directory and look for recovery files. ~NAME OF FILE.doc
Good resources on finding help
Technet Microsoft Knowledge base: http://www.talk21.org/cgi-bin/redire...ft.com/technet
Novell: http://www.talk21.org/cgi-bin/redire...ww.novell.com/
Linux: http://www.talk21.org/cgi-bin/redire...www.linux.com/
Developers network: http://www.talk21.org/cgi-bin/redire...microsoft.com/
Macentosh: http://www.talk21.org/cgi-bin/redire...le.com/support
General help: http://www.talk21.org/cgi-bin/redire...21.org/support
Norton: http://www.talk21.org/cgi-bin/redire...ww.norton.com/
Vector Works: http://www.talk21.org/cgi-bin/redire...emetschek.net/
Cisco: http://www.talk21.org/cgi-bin/redire...www.cisco.com/
Netopia: http://www.talk21.org/cgi-bin/redire...w.netopia.com/
BayNetworks: http://www.talk21.org/cgi-bin/redire...ynetworks.com/
Checkpoint firewall: http://www.talk21.org/cgi-bin/redire...heckpoint.com/
Cisco Pix Firewall: http://www.talk21.org/cgi-bin/redire...00/index.shtml
Acrobat Reader, Page Maker: http://www.talk21.org/cgi-bin/redire...www.adobe.com/
Lotus notes: http://www.talk21.org/cgi-bin/redire...www.lotus.com/
To make matters worse, computers never fail at convenient time. They fail in the middle of a job on when there is a deadline and the user must have the problem fixed immediately.
We have a love-hate relationship with computers! OK when they work, maddening when they do not. Here are some best PC tips and trouble-shooting sites mainly for beginers and intermediate computer users. (Hey, the techies can look after themselves!) Please tell us of others - and old links which no longer work. Don't forget - on the top menu bar of almost every software program, there is an option marked 'help', usually with a searchable index. Windows users also have a 'help' option on the start menu.
From than an exact science. However, to be an efficient and effective trouble shooter, you must approach the problem on an organized and methodical manner. Remember, you are looking for confidently eliminate as many alternatives as possible so that you can focus on the things that right be the cause of the problem. To do this, you must be organized.
:ciao:
