Here, in this article, we will deal with the basic computer hardware
troubleshooting steps. Troubleshooting computer hardware involves proper
diagnosis of the problem along with the troubleshooting procedure. We
won't deal with the problems in the different hardware devices, but
rather take up a problem, its probable cause, diagnosis, followed by the
computer hardware troubleshooting part. There are different types of
computer hardware, and of course, it would have been undoubtedly simple
to deal with one computer hardware at a time and find out the problems
associated with it. However, we know that when anything in our computer
goes wrong, we are not completely aware of what exactly has happened, or
rather, which computer hardware is causing the problem. So, I have
decided that I will present to you the article in such a way that, we
take up the problem first and then go for the computer hardware
troubleshooting, rather than taking a look at the computer hardware and
the problem that it can cause. Let us start off with the basic steps for
troubleshooting computer hardware the right away.
Troubleshooting Procedure:
This is one of the procedures to troubleshoot computer hardware problems
that can either be very simple or can go way beyond your capability to
solve. The solution may be as simple as replacing the power cable with a
new one or as complicated as dealing with the SMPS of the computer
system. The SMPS is the Switched Mode Power Supply, the box at the upper
left hand corner of your CPU, which powers up each and every component
in your computer. If the problem lies with the SMPS, then solving it is
not one of the DIY tasks that you would like to take up at home. It will
need good technical expertise to solve the problem. Many times, the
problem may have just one solution, that is, replacing your computer's
SMPS.
Problem #1: Computer Freezes or Shuts Down Suddenly
If you are facing the problem that your operating system stops
responding suddenly or the computer shuts down itself, then there may be
some hardware related issue out here. Before I start off with the
computer hardware troubleshooting tips for this problem, I should tell
you that most of the time, these are problems related to some software
running in your system or because of some wrong driver installation.
However, assuming that you have already checked out these problems and
are sure that the problem is not related to the software of the
computer, let's start off with the computer hardware troubleshooting
part.
Troubleshooting Procedure:
Most of the time, this is a problem related to heat issues. If your
computer processor gets heated up then there is a chance that your
computer may shut down. The probable cause for this problem is that the
fan in your CPU is not working properly. Here, I am assuming that you
are using a desktop computer as troubleshooting a laptop computer,
would, of course require a lot of expertise.
You can make out whether the fan is rotating properly, by simply
observing it at the back of your CPU. There are also certain on screen
system programs which can show whether your computer processor is over
heated or not. If your fan is not rotating smoothly, then you have to
get the connections to your fan checked.
Another step that you can take is that you need to observe if the BIOS
can properly load the fan when starting off the computer. However, if
you find out that your computer fan is working properly, then you should
take into consideration any new hardware that you had added to the
system. Try removing that and check out if the computer restores back to
working properly. There are chances that this hardware may be faulty.
Replace a new hardware with this. Again, if you have not added a new
computer hardware to your system in recent times, then the reason may be
some computer hardware part that is already there in your computer.
Problem #2: Computer Boots Up Only from Floppy Drive
If on starting up your system, you system demands to insert a floppy
disk to install the system, then probably there is some problem with the
hard drive of the system.
Troubleshooting Procedure:
Before going into the troubleshooting part and considering the hard disk
to be corrupt, figure out in the BIOS settings if your hard disk has
been given the first priority for booting up. If it has not been given
the first priority, then change the priority level and put your hard
disk at the first priority level. If this does not help, then probably
your computer hard disk is corrupt. In that case, if you have a recovery
or backup system in your computer, then use it for recovering the data
and the operating system. The other possible solution is that you need
to reformat your hard disk. If you want to learn reformatting a hard
drive, then you can refer to the article, how to reformat a hard drive.
The computer hardware troubleshooting tips that I have provided in this
article are for the most common computer hardware problems that you may
face. To have a deeper understanding on how to go ahead with the
computer hardware repair of even the most complicated problems, you need
to get into the details of the working of that particular hardware
device.
Such a beautiful post about computer troubleshooting techniques.Computer troubleshooting can be a lengthy and troublesome task.Beautifully describe on troubleshooting techniques.Thanks for sharing the post.
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