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| Frequently Asked Computer Questions This page is designed to assist you both before and after you bring your computer in for repairs. Armed with this information, you will be better able to determine if your computer requires repairs, and if the repairs you requested have been performed satisfactorily We have divided this into sections, with Frequently Encountered Problems and Frequently Asked Questions which apply to each major subsystem of your personal computer. We are continually updating this page in order to provide our customers with the most accurate information possible. If there is an area which you would like to see addressed, please contact us. Frequently Encountered Problems Frequently Asked Questions User Maintenance The personal computer is an extremely complex piece of equipment, despite its apparent simplicity. Our most complex repairs have been performed on computers which have already been worked on by a friend or neighbor who "knows a lot about computers." In these cases, a simple problem is usually made worse. The days of DOS-based computers with simple configuration settings are gone – today’s PCs which operate on Windows 98 require a massive database, called the Registry, to be tuned properly to ensure optimal operation. Additionally, the Windows 98 computer still utilizes DOS and Windows 3.x components such as the AUTOEXEC.BAT, CONFIG.SYS, and .INI files to ensure backward compatibility with older software. Add Plug-and-Play, Universal Serial Bus (USB), SCSI interface, peripherals such as digital cameras and scanners, etc., and the potential for problems – and difficulty of isolating that problem – grows. Hopefully, this pamphlet will give you the basic information necessary to determine if your PC problem is minor, guide qualified users through the steps necessary to fix minor problems, or make you feel comfortable that a professional is needed to fix your problem. WARNING: As stated, the PC is an extremely complex piece of equipment. The scenarios presented on this site are common problems encountered by users. The solutions presented are typical, but by no means guaranteed. The determination of qualifications to perform the actions outlined in this section are at the sole discretion and the responsibility of the reader. The Laser Link, Inc. assumes no responsibility for the consequences of performing the actions outlined on this site. Further, The Laser Link, Inc. encourages all users to have system problems evaluated by a qualified professional.
Oddly enough, this error message does not usually indicate a lack of memory, or RAM. RAM, which stands for Random Access Memory, is volatile memory. Volatile memory does not retain any of its information when the computer is turned off. RAM is where the computer stores information, either data or program instructions, to do its immediate task. On a PC running Windows 95 or 98, the system will use the hard drive as temporary storage when there is not enough RAM to hold all of the information needed to keep the computer running as the user instructs it. The hard drive is non-volatile storage, which means it retains the information it holds even when the computer is powered down. This is where the computer stores loaded programs, as well as any data which the user has created, such as documents, spreadsheets, or the like. When the hard drive approaches its maximum capacity, the computer can no longer use it as temporary storage. If all the RAM is needed for current operations, and the user instructs the computer to do additional tasks, the computer will signal that it is "Out of Memory." This error message usually indicates that you need to upgrade your hard drive to a larger size.
This is the most immediate symptom of the need for more memory, or RAM. As described above, the system will use the hard drive as temporary storage when available RAM runs out. Access to the hard drive takes much longer than access to RAM. Therefore, if the system is constantly writing to and reading from the hard drive due to lack of available RAM, it will much slower than if the RAM were available. Increasing RAM size is probably the cheapest and most immediate solution to a faster system. There are many reasons why this problem can occur, from a bad power supply to a bad hard drive or corrupt system files. If you encounter this problem, it is probably best left to a professional to solve. Fatal System Error or "Blue Screen of Death" This problem is normally caused by a program not behaving as it should. In other words, Windows doesn’t know what to do when the program issues certain instructions. The result can be either a message box indicating a fatal program error, or a blue screen indicating a fatal system error. The message box usually allows the user to terminate the offending program without affecting the operation of the rest of the system. The blue screen will normally require the user to reset the system. A program will not behave properly for several reasons. The program may be corrupt. This can be caused by improper installation (by the program’s Setup program, not the user), bad memory (RAM), or bad data on the hard drive. Run SCANDISK to verify the integrity of the hard drive. SCANDISK will check the hard drive for errors, and fix them if possible. Also, if there are spots on the hard drive which can no longer hold data, SCANDISK will mark these to prevent the system from trying to use the bad portions of the drive. See the section on User Maintenance for instructions on how and when to run SCANDISK. If SCANDISK finds and fixes problems, a re-installation may fix the fatal error problem. First un-install the program in question to delete any files which may be corrupt. Then re-install the program according to the vendor’s instructions. If SCANDISK doesn’t find hard drive problems, or the problem occurs with many programs, and randomly, the problem may be bad RAM chips. Have your memory tested by a professional. Incidentally, most memory chips sold today are guaranteed for life, so be sure to keep all purchase information if you upgrade your RAM. As with a failure to boot up, if the system lock-up cannot be associated with a particular action, diagnosis and resolution of this problem is best left to a professional. If the problem consistently occurs with only one program or device, re-install the program or device drivers. If this fails to fix the problem, consult a professional. Two possibilities: your modem or your Internet Service Provider (ISP) have a problem. Determine where the Internet link-up is failing. Does the modem dial? Does the host system answer? Do the modems attempt to communicate (that annoying, static-like squeal heard before the connection is made)? What error message do you receive when the link-up fails? The first three questions can be answered if your modem speaker is on. If the modem dials, and the host system answers, the modem is probably configured properly for your system. But, since the link-up fails, either your modem is bad or the lines are too noisy to allow communication. If you’ve connected before on the same modem with no problems, and the no configuration items have been changed, the modem is dialing, the host is answering, but no link-up occurs, have your modem checked by a professional – it is the most likely culprit. You can verify the operation of your modem by double-clicking the MODEMS icon in the CONTROL PANEL. The Modem Properties window will be displayed. Verify that your modem is displayed in the window under "The following modems are set up on this computer:"
If your modem is present, click the DIAGNOSTICS tab at the top of the window. The window will display all installed modems and the associated COM port. Note the COM port associated with your modem. Click on and highlight the COM port associated with your modem. Then click the "More Info…" button.
A window will pop up telling you that the system is attempting to communicate with the modem. Be patient until additional response is shown. If the response is a window which indicates port, address, and interrupt of the modem, and a series of "AT" commands in the lower window, this indicates that the computer can communicate with the modem and the modem is configured properly, at least within the system. Cancel out of the windows.
If the response to "More Info…" is a window which states "Couldn’t Open Port," there is probably a configuration problem. Solving a configuration problem is fairly straightforward for experienced computer users, but is beyond the scope of this document. If you have a configuration problem and are even slightly unsure of how to fix it, consult a professional. The most common cause of this problem is the wrong printer driver. If the printer was recently replaced, ensure that the old printer is no longer the default printer. In the CONTROL PANEL, double-click the PRINTERS icon. If the printer you are trying to print to does not have a check mark by it, do the following:
If the desired printer is the default, verify the printer works by performing an off-line self-test as described in your printer’s manual. This is not the self-test run from Windows in the Printer Properties sheet, but rather a test run directly from the printer which verifies the operation of the printer mechanisms. Consult your printer manual. If the off-line self-test works, try the Windows self-test. From the CONTROL PANEL, double-click the PRINTERS icon. Place the mouse cursor over the desired printer and press the right mouse button. Select PROPERTIES from the pop-up menu and press the left mouse button. The properties windows will have a PRINT TEST PAGE button. Click this button. If the test page prints properly, the problem most likely is in the software from which you are printing. Contact the software vendor.
If the test page does not print successfully, try deleting the printer, then re-installing it using the software provided by the printer manufacturer. To delete the printer, place the cursor over the printer icon in the PRINTERS folder and press the right mouse button. Select DELETE from the pop-up menu and press the left mouse button. Confirm deletion of the printer. Re-install the printer driver following the instructions provided by the printer manufacturer. If none of the above solutions work, the problem may reside in either the printer cable or the printer itself. A printer with a bad interface board will print a good off-line self-test, but will not print from the computer due to the inability of the printer to communicate with the computer. The same holds true for a bad printer cable. A garbled display usually indicates a bad video driver or settings which are incompatible with the monitor. The best way of determining if the problem is with the video driver is to start the system in Windows "Safe Mode." Safe Mode loads Windows without any hardware-specific drivers. Safe Mode is entered differently for Windows 95 and Windows 98. For Windows 95, as soon as the display shows: "Starting Windows 95…" press the F8 key. You will be presented with a menu. Select "Safe Mode" either by entering the number or using the arrow keys to highlight your choice. Press ENTER. The system will now start in Safe Mode. For Windows 98 systems, as the system is booting up, press and hold the control (Ctrl) key until the menu is displayed. Select Safe Mode and press enter. As Windows starts, it will present a message box indicating that the system is operating in Safe Mode. Click "OK" to continue. Once in Safe Mode, your display will probably not have the resolution or color you are used to. This is normal. If, however, you still cannot read the display, the video card is probably bad. See a professional to have it replaced. If you are able to read the display, then the driver for your video card is the most likely problem. You should have received a disk or CD with the appropriate driver for your card. If not, contact your PC manufacturer. Driver problems cannot be corrected without the proper video card driver. See the section entitled Fatal System Error or "Blue Screen of Death" The problems and solutions are generally the same. When computers communicate over the phone lines, they are only able to communicate at the speed of the slowest modem of the pair. If one modem is capable of 56K, it must communicate with another modem capable of the same data rate in order to communicate at that speed. Additionally, the phone lines must be capable of handling the data rate without a loss of data. If both of these conditions aren’t met, the modems will slow data rate transmission to an acceptable level. But My ISP (or AOL) Advertises The Number I’m Calling as a 56K Connection! Yes, but that doesn’t mean all the modems at that location are 56K, only that the number is capable of 56K connections. The 56K lines might all be used up by other users. Or, the telephone lines may be noisy, forcing a slower connection. Why Can’t I Upgrade My Computer? You probably can. But, you may not be able to upgrade to what you want given your current system. Or, the "upgraded system" you end up with may have only the floppy drive and case left over from your old system. For example, the first Pentium processors run on a single voltage, supplied by the motherboard. Newer Pentium MMX processors require two different voltages. If your current motherboard cannot supply two correct voltages to the processor, you cannot upgrade your processor without a new motherboard. The same holds true, for a different reason, in upgrading from a Pentium MMX to a Pentium II or Pentium III processor. The Pentium II and III processors require a motherboard which is fundamentally different from an MMX motherboard. Again, a new motherboard is required with the new processor. A new hard drive is always nice to have – plenty of room for those multi-CD games. But again, you must be sure both your motherboard and operating system can handle the larger drives. The first versions of Windows 95 cannot "see" hard drives bigger than 2.1 gigabytes (GB). So, if you want a 6GB drive installed on such a system, it will have to be partitioned into several smaller drives. Windows 95 then sees the single hard drive as several smaller hard drives, and a letter is assigned to each one of these drives. Check with your computer professional to determine if your system can be upgraded to what you want or if it is more economical to buy a new system. Why Does It Take So Long To Fix My Computer? Computer repairs are handled on a first-come, first-serve basis. The length of time the system spends in the shop is directly related to both the number of systems waiting for service and the complexity of the problem on your system. Hardware upgrades or repairs are the easiest and fastest service problems. Software configuration problems, however, can take a long time to isolate. Additionally, every time configurations are changed, a fresh boot up sequence is required. Rather than charge a customer for the technician’s time to stand there and watch the boot up sequence, our repair procedures dictate that a technician observe such functions as boot up, scandisk, memory checks, or other time consuming functions only if observation (as opposed to viewing results) is necessary to diagnose or fix a problem. This helps keep our cost to the customer lower. If I Know What’s Wrong With My System, Why Am I Charged A Diagnostic Fee? Diagnosis takes time, sometimes a considerable amount. If you bring your computer in and tell us, for example, to change the sound card, that is what we will do, and charge you for that service. We will verify the sound card operation, and call you to pick up the system. You then bring the computer home and discover your speakers, not the sound card, were the problem. If, however, we were told that you weren’t getting sound, we would isolate the speakers as the problem and advise you accordingly. We will perform the tasks requested of us. If that does not include diagnosis, we will not charge for that service. The difference is whether or not a repair is requested. If a repair is requested, the system is diagnosed, the customer is informed of the problem, and the repair is made upon customer approval. The current diagnostic fee is $45.00. This fee only covers the determination of what is wrong with the system. The fee is applied to the minimum $65.00 repair fee if the repair is made. If, on the other hand, a request to put in a customer’s sound card is made, the requested service is performed, and the customer is charged only for that service. No additional tests beyond verification of the new part’s operation are made. See the previous question. I Just Had My Hard Drive Upgraded From 2.1GB To 8.0GB. What Happened To My Old Hard Drive? The simple answer is: Nothing. The old 2.1GB hard drive which you had replaced (upgraded is not entirely correct; the existing capacity of a hard drive cannot be increased) is and always will be your property unless you agree otherwise. Before you have your hard drive replaced, be clear with the company that the price includes replacement of your drive, transfer of all data and programs, and THE RETURN OF YOUR OLD HARD DRIVE. It is your property. If you are told that the quoted price requires you to leave your old hard drive, find out how much you are getting for it, and shop around for the best price. Many companies will not pay for a trade-in – this is normal. But, be sure to get your old hardware back, even if you just plan to throw it away. There is always a market for old hard drives. If you can’t find it, you can be sure the company that took your hard drive will. This is a good rule of thumb for ALL hardware which you have replaced, even memory. For example, if you currently have 16MB of memory and want to upgrade to 64MB, it may not be possible due to motherboard limitations and current memory configuration. However, when you leave the shop, you should have 16MB + 64MB = 80MB total memory in your computer and/or in your hand. If your current system has 4 4MB SIMMS and only 4 slots, 2 SIMMS would have to be removed to allow the addition of 2 32MB SIMMS. This would leave you with 8MB in hand (removed to make room for the new memory) plus 72MB in the machine (your original 8MB on 2 4MB SIMMS plus the additional 64MB) for a total of 80MB. You’ve been treated fairly. If, on the other hand, you end up with less than you paid for PLUS your old memory, ask questions and find out where those extra megabytes went. User maintenance for a Windows-based system should be painless. Let the system do its work, and notify you only if there is a problem. There are only about 5 tasks the user should perform to ensure system operation and data integrity. The first 3 tasks are: BACK UP YOUR DATA! The last 2 are:
If you haven’t backed up your data in a while, do it now. If you backed up your data last week, do it now. If you backed up your data yesterday, do it now. Any programs on your system can be re-installed painlessly. Data can only be replaced if you have a back-up, or you have a paper trail to re-create the data. If you have a paper trail, plan to spend several hundred hours re-creating the data you lost. Think of your time, and its value to you. Compare that to the cost of a tape back-up system ($250.00) or a ZIP drive backup system ($100.00). Even floppy back-ups are preferable to keying in lost data from paperwork. Recovery of data from a damaged hard drive can run into the thousands of dollars. If you’re one of those users who has "never had a problem," keep it that way and do regular back-ups. A sound back-up strategy ensures that your data can be recovered in the event of reasonable, foreseen disasters. Such events include fire, theft, accident, death, flood, or some unnamed natural disaster. Ideally, back-ups should be made daily, with the prior day’s back-up removed from the premises, and the current back-up left in the machine until removed by the person in whom it is entrusted for off-premises safe-keeping. The data should be kept on a minimum of five separate media (tapes, disks, etc.). The prior week’s work should be secured by a person different for the one who secures the daily data. This way, an on-site disaster will only result in the loss of, at most, one day’s data. A disaster upon the person who takes the daily back-up will not result in data loss, unless the site is also destroyed. In this case, the second person has back-ups from the previous 4 days. The resultant loss is 2 days worth of data. In the highly unlikely event of on-site disaster, and primary and secondary personnel accidents, the potential of data loss is significant. But the risk is extremely low. If unacceptable, each site should determine needs based upon risk vs. probability of loss and set back-up strategy accordingly. SCANDISK is included with the Windows 95 and 98 operating systems. It is also included in later versions of MD-DOS. SCANDISK verifies the integrity of the file structure on the hard drive, and also evaluates the capability of the hard drive to accept and retain data. SCANDISK should be run at least weekly. When run frequently, SCANDISK will find and repair corrupt data before the corruption is too extensive to repair. To run SCANDISK, double-click on the "My Computer" icon on the desktop. Place the mouse cursor over the icon for your hard drive, press the right button and select "Properties." A window will pop up with information about your hard drive.
Click the "Tools" tab at the top of the window. You will be shown when you last performed SCANDISK, Backup, and DEFRAG. To run SCANDISK, click on the "Check Now…" button. You will be presented with a window of SCANDISK options
Check the "Thorough" button so that SCANDISK will perform tests on the entire surface of the hard drive. If SCANDISK finds bad areas on the hard drive, it will move as much recoverable data from that area as possible to a good part of the hard drive. SCANDISK will then mark the bad area so no data will ever be written there. If you check the "Automatically Fix Errors" box, SCANDISK will fix problems without prompting you. Otherwise, you will be prompted for each fix. Finally, click the "Options…" button. In the Surface Scan Options window, ensure that "System and data areas." Is checked. Click OK to close the Surface Scan Options window, then Start to begin SCANDISK.
Depending upon the size of your hard drive, SCANDISK may take a while to finish. |
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