General Computer Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting Do's are extremely important to remember since they will save you
money as you follow these steps to prevent damage and save you grief should you ignore
any of these which may result in a problem showing up.

Take the time to go over these troubleshooting Do's first and pay close attention to
removing any and all static buildup from yourself.

Troubleshooting Do's consist of the following procedures.
DO make sure your hardware device drivers are up to date with any patches
downloaded and installed. Take the time to visit your video card, sound card,
motherboard, and other hardware manufacturer web sites to see if you have the most up to
date device drivers.

DO check that all connections are seated firmly and properly in their sockets. This is
a must check as these connections do tend to work themselves loose over time and cause
problems you may blame on software.

If you have been working in your system unit recently and you noticed a fault manifesting
itself, you want to go back and take a look at all connections you were near. Look to be
sure your fingers did not press against other connections and causing then to work loose.
DO perform preventive maintenance on your computer and keep it clean regularly.

Its a good idea to open up the system unit and remove all dust that have accumulated on
the motherboard as well as all other boards.

Dirt and dust conducts heat and will cause the computer to run at higher temperatures than
it normally would. Take a look at the vents in the back of the case and remove dust that
have accumulated.

The best way to remove dust from all circuit boards in the system unit is by a can of
compressed air, available at any computer store and now, most retail stores.
DO make absolutely sure you have removed any and all electrical static buildup from
yourself before working inside your computer and before touching any new circuit
cards and chips.

Please don't overlook this troubleshoot tip. It would be a tragedy to purchase new memory
only to short circuit them either before you installed them or you do so the process.
RAM, short for Random Access Memory chips are very vulnerable for this. So to rid
yourself of Electrical Static Charge you may consider purchasing a Wrist Strap. This tool is
especially designed for this. If you don't want to go this route, you can simply touch the
case's mental chassis

Troubleshooting Don'ts are just as important to remember and follow as those
troubleshooting Do's and they will include the following.
DON'T allow your computer to run hot. Each device you install in the system will
generate heat. Be sure your system is well ventilated. If you install more than two extra
devices, you should consider installing an extra cooling fan.

Cooling fans are easy to install and will be well worth the effort. They come will
instructions that are easy to follow. It may be best to simply keep the extra devices in your
system down to two or three at the most.

DON'T use a brush when you decide to clean the circuit cards and motherboard in
your computer. They create static electricity that will render them useless. If you don't
have a can of compressed air, wait until you can get one.

DON'T download and install files from the Internet without scanning them for
viruses first. This as particularly true for any applications or files you download from filesharing
networks.

DON'T plug in your mouse, keyboard, or any peripheral while the computer is on.
Switch the computer off before disconnecting or connecting anything from it.
About the only device you can connect to, disconnect from your computer while it is
running are USB devices. USB stands for Universal Serial Bus and now come in the new
version 2.0.

You may have escape that one time when you turn on your computer and something went
wrong. But it will happen at one time or another.

Learn to troubleshoot your computer with great care and you'll be richly rewarded by the
fact that you were able to diagnose the problem and were safe in the process.







                                                                 GOOD LUCK.........