There is hardly anyone using a computer today who has not found it working to his liking

at one point or another. But did you know that most computer problems can be prevented

or fixed by employing some simple steps that even a novice can try. Now it is quite

understandable that most people would prefer to take their systems in for servicing to a

local technician or to the dealership for any issues they might come across, but there are a

lot of things we can try before actually going for that step.

In the realm of computer troubleshooting, there is only one motto: PAIR. This stands for

Probing, Analyzing, Isolating and Resolving. Sounds too complicated? It isn’t, actually.

The only thing we need to keep in mind is that the problem is caused by a specific

component. All we need to do is use logic and arrive at the root cause. This is done by

eliminating all possibilities one by one until we find the culprit. Let’s take a look at some

common examples.

(I am giving solutions for Windows XP and Windows Vista, as these are the most

commonly used Operating Systems used. You are using XP, if you see a START button

on the bottom left of the screen. Vista would have a circular button with the image of

Windows.)

Scenario: When playing a movie, only the picture is seen, but no sound.

Make sure all the audio connections are connected properly and the components are

turned on and are receiving power.

Check the Volume settings – System Volume, Player Volume, Headset Volume (if

applicable). Check if the Volume has been muted.

Use another speaker/headset. This can isolate the problem.

Is the problem resolved if the movie is played on another program? If so, the issue lies

with the player. Check the player settings and update the player. If not, it is a system

issue.

In case of system issues, update the Audio drivers. This can be done by clicking on

Start>Control Panel>Audio/Sound>Driver>Update Driver.

Scenario: Unable to go online or browse a website

Are you using a wireless connection? If so, try connecting directly. If working, then

reconfigure your wireless connection.

Try using a different browser. Popular browsers are Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox,

Opera and Chrome. Make sure they are fully updated.

Check if you are getting an internet signal. This can be checked by viewing the

connection icon on the bottom right of your screen (looks like two computers attached to

each other). If there is a red X mark on it, this means you are not receiving a signal.

Check your internet connections. Make sure that all the cables are properly connected.

Try disconnecting and reconnecting the internet cables.

Go to Start>Run>type “cmd”. Then type ping yahoo.com. If you are getting a reply, that

means the connection is fine. If not, contact your ISP (Internet Service Provider).

In the same cmd window, type “cd\”. Then type “ipconfig /flushdns”. Check if this solves

the issue. If not, contact your ISP.

Scenario: Computer very slow, programs taking a long time to open, or creating errors

This can be caused due to low disk space, corrupt programs or any viruses present in the

computer. If the issue is just with one or more programs, try uninstalling and reinstalling

the affected programs. This can be done by the following steps.

Go to Start>Control Panel>Add/Remove programs.

Select the problematic program and click on Uninstall.

Reinstall the program.

If issue continues, follow the steps listed in the maintenance section.

Scenario: Keyboard or mouse not working

Is the device a USB one? If so, try connecting it to another port and check.

If not a USB device, first disconnect, reconnect and restart the computer.

Ensure that the device drivers have been fully updated. To update, follow these steps.

Right-click on My Computer and select Properties.

Select Hardware and then click on Device Manager.

Right click the affected component and select Update Driver.

Easy ways to maintain your computer

A computer is like any other device which needs to be fine-tuned and checked at regular

intervals. Did you know that 95% of computer problems can be avoided by simply

keeping it well maintained and fully updated? Simple steps like dusting it regularly

or keeping it placed in a cool, ventilated room does go a long way in preventing those

annoying little breakdowns and crashes.

1. Make sure all updates are in order.

Windows XP

Click Start, and then click Control Panel. Depending on which Control Panel view you

use, Classic or Category, do one of the following:

Click System, and then click the Automatic Updates tab.

Click Performance and Maintenance, click System, and then click the Automatic

Updates tab.

Click the option that you want. Make sure Automatic Updates is not turned off.

Windows Vista

Open Windows Update (click the Start

button, click All Programs, and then click Windows

Update).

Click the Get updates for more products button. (Note: If this button does not appear, it's

likely you've already enabled Microsoft Update. This may happen when you installed other software

programs like Microsoft Office 2007. In this case, the phrase "You receive updates: For Windows and

other products from Microsoft Update" should appear near the bottom of the window.)

Follow the instructions to use Microsoft Update. Windows Update will begin to scan your

PC for available updates for Windows and other Microsoft products if you have automatic

updating turned on.

Updating the computer regularly ensures that you have the latest software versions

working on your computer. This in turn helps close any loopholes and implements the

latest changes in the software.

2. Clearing out unnecessary files, unused programs and freeing disk space

Having more free space on your computer helps in optimizing the usage of existing

programs and ensures that the computer does not waste resources in performing

unnecessary tasks.

You can either use free programs like CCleaner to perform these functions, or you can

perform them manually as follows.

Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk

Cleanup. If several drives are available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to clean.

In the Disk Cleanup for dialog box, scroll through the content of the Files to delete list.

Choose the files that you want to delete.

Clear the check boxes for files that you don't want to delete, and then click OK.

When prompted to confirm that you want to delete the specified files, click Yes.

After a few minutes, the process completes and the Disk Cleanup dialog box closes, leaving your computer

cleaner and performing better.

3. Defragment your hard disk once a month or so

Your computer is constantly storing, deleting and editing data while it is being used.

Handling so many functions mean that data is being stored on the hard disk at multiple

locations. For example, a single Word document will have its parts located at different

locations. This means that more time and resources are used to retrieve the data.

Defragmenting your hard disk collates and reallocates all your data in a systematic

manner, enabling quicker retrieval, and thereby, ensuring faster performance.

To use Disk Defragmenter:

1.

Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then

click Disk Defragmenter.

Click Analyze to start the Disk Defragmenter.

2.

In the Disk Defragmenter dialog box, click the drives that you want to defragment, and then click

the Analyze button. After the disk is analyzed, a dialog box appears, letting you know whether you

should defragment the analyzed drives.

Tip: You should analyze a volume before defragmenting it to get an estimate of how long the

defragmentation process will take.

3.

To defragment the selected drive or drives, click the Defragment button. Note: In Windows Vista,

there is no graphical user interface to demonstrate the progress—but your hard drive is still being

defragmented.

After the defragmentation is complete, Disk Defragmenter displays the results.

4.

To display detailed information about the defragmented disk or partition, click View Report.

5.

To close the View Report dialog box, click Close.

6.

To close the Disk Defragmenter utility, click the Close button on the title bar of the window.

Detect and repair any disk errors

4.

With repeated usage, your hard disk can become overloaded with information which can cause freezing

or slowing of the system. Also, this can lead to bad sectors, lost clusters, cross-linked files, and

directory errors. The simplest way to resolve this is detect and repair any such errors.

1.

Double-click My Computer, and then right-click the hard disk that you want to check.

2.

Click Properties, and then click Tools.

3.

Under Error-checking, click Check Now. A dialog box that shows the Check disk

options is displayed,

4.

Use one of the following procedures:

o

o

o

To run Chkdsk in read-only mode, click Start.

To repair errors without scanning the volume for bad sectors, select the

Automatically fix file system errors check box, and then click Start.

To repair errors, locate bad sectors, and recover readable information, select

the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors check box, and then

click Start.

Note If one or more of the files on the hard disk are open, you will receive the following

message:

The disk check could not be performed because the disk check utility needs exclusive

access to some Windows files on the disk. These files can be accessed by restarting

Windows. Do you want to schedule the disk check to occur the next time you restart the

computer?

Click Yes to schedule the disk check, and then restart your computer to start the disk

check.

5.

Using a good AntiViral program and Spyware protection

Computer viruses are software programs primarily designed to infiltrate a computer and

interfere with its internal functions and have an innate ability to spread by means of disks,

drives or the internet. They can wreak havoc on a system, depending on the programming

used. Spyware is used by individuals or firms with the primary intent of advertising,

but they can also perform functions like collecting sensitive data, change the computer

configuration and display unwanted advertisements.

Using good AntiViral and Spyware protection programs and having them updated regularly

helps both as a preventive and elimination method. Programs like Windows Defender, AVG

Anti-Virus and Norton would help in detecting and getting rid of these programs.

Be careful of what you download or install on your computer. A lot of programs have

spyware and viruses embedded in their programming, so make sure that your program

source is a trusted one.

6.

Keep your computer physically safe and clean.

As far as possible, use a UPS to protect it from power surges, power disconnects and low

voltage exposure. Any one these can cause damage to the internal components and effect a

trip to your service center. Do not use your computer during a storm or when the voltage is

fluctuating.

Just like any piece of hardware, your computer has a tendency to gather dust and dirt in

the long run. Have a soft, lint-free cloth handy to wipe the surfaces of dust on a regular

basis. Keep the system covered while not in use. Nothing is more annoying than having

dust gather under a keyboard and finding keys not working. A can of compressed air

becomes very handy to blow away dust from those hard to reach places.