In this article i’m gonna discuss with you guys how to recognize common problems we face in our computer system and their symptoms . Also how to identify steps to isolate and troubleshoot those problem .
POWER SUPPLY
First we will start with the power supply . Troubleshooting power supply means dividing the supply due to problems with the computer system and if there is necessity we will replace it .
SYMPTOMS
- Disk drive shows no activity , indicator light is not on or the monitor has no display.
- You may find there is continuous beep sound . Might be defect in fan .
DUE TO THIS SYMPTOMS YOU WILL FIND FOLLOWING POSSIBILITIES :
- Basic voltage supplied is missing.
- A segment of power supply has failed .
- Power supply may be overloaded .
HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT
- Check power supply cord , ON/OFF switch.
- Check external connections of power supply .
- Check 110/220 -switch setting , power at commercial receptable with the help of voltmeter .
MOTHERBOARD
Symptoms
- System hangs during regular operation .
- A DMA error message ( which indicates DMA failure battery ) , It is the problem with direct memory access controller on the motherboard .
- System starts producing series of beeps sound , each indicating a different problem.
- Indicator light stays on but the system appears dead with no boot up . Also there is display on monitor but disk drives shows no activity .
- System does not hold current date and time .
- Invalid switch memory failure appears on the screen which means that there is problem at the time of booting with the system memory .
- 8042 Gate A20 error message appears on screen which indicates that your keyboard has failed to communicate .
Symptoms related with CMOS setup failure :
- CMOS memory size mismatch message and time and date set message is displayed : indicating that there is system configuration and setup failure .
- CMOS in operational message – indicating CMOS shutdown register failure .
Symptoms related with System I/O failure :
- Keyboard will not function properly even after being replaced by a unit from reputed store .
- When whole system is working fine then also speaker doesn’t respond well .
BEEP CODES MEANING CREATED BY BIOS
1 long – system memory failure
1 long then 2 short – video controller failure
1 long then 3 short – video controller failure
Continuous – memory or video failure
MICROPROCESSOR (CPU)
If you heard only single beep from the speaker , along with no display or other I/O operation , then this means that the microprocessor has failed . The processor keeps on working but multiple operations when attempted it fails . Replacing CPU (microprocessor ) is the best solution to the situation .
MEMORY
RAM : There are two types of ram errors .
- Hard memory errors – This error give rise to to Non- maskable Interrupt error messages which are associated to the memory and need the memory to be checked . Also conduct physical failures .
- Soft memory errors – These are aperiodic strange behaviors encountered in the operation of applications which can usually be cleaned by rebooting your system .
CHECK FOR MEMORY UNITS – Check whether RAM count displayed and one present on the motherboard are equal in size . If they do not match swap the RAM devices in a particular rotation to check for the change in the count and identify the damaged part . RAM module can be swapped one at a time basically to isolate the damaged module .
ROM
If there is any problem in ROM then BIOS stops the working of the system completely .The automatic movement of boot up sequence to the CMOS configuration and not returning back to its original position defects the BIOS . Overlook the BIOS chip .
COOLING SYSTEM
ALL systems are basically designed to maintain the temperature of the device in the range of 30 – 40 degree Celsius . Operating temperature setting may differ according to manufacturer and the microprocessor type .
CHECK the fan processor temperature settings when you face problems associated to system heating . Check the settings and change it as per requirements in the CMOS HARDWARE configuration screen .
CMOS BATTERIES
CMOS backup battery could also problems . Incase the system refuses to manage the time and date , then we can relate this problem to a damaged CMOS battery . After you replace the battery you have to reconfigure the system as CMOS configuration will be formatted through CMOS setup utility . Also overlook for corrosion of the contacts of the battery holder .
KEYBOARD
SYMPTOMS
- Keyboard test failure error appears .
- No character displayed when pressed .
- IBM 301-error code appears
- Six short beeps sound is produced during boot up
- Unplugged keyboard error appears if the keyboard plug is detached .
- All key may not work at similar time .
CHECK
- Struck key can generate error messages when system detects it : however system has no way to detect it .
- If you find a struck key or keys , you can remove them from the keyboard and replace the individual key switches .
- Check the Device Manager from the control panel ( to check the windows keyboard configuration ) if keyboard generate odd characters on the screen .
VIDEO / DISPLAY
SYMPTOMS
- Nothing is displayed .
- No vertical control .
- Wrong characters are displayed .
- Screen has diagonal lines .
- Failure to verify display type error messages .
- Display is in single color or fuzzy characters appears on screen .
CHECK
- If the monitor doesn’t start earlier in systems startup process and display anything , you should assume there is some hardware problem but video problem that occurs after single beep is likely to be associated with os settings .
- Check whether the monitor is switched on and power cord of monitor is plugged correctly .
- If a raster appears on the screen after removing the video cable from the adapter card , then its system problem . But guys this test will not work if monitor is EPA certified energy star compliant .
MONITORS
The CRT monitor can be affected due to uneven electrical current , improper cabling and by long cable . Always discharge the nodes , before handling the cathode ray tube because monitors have circuitry of storing high voltage potentials long after power is removed . If the tube envelope is cracked , inrush of air will cause a high velocity implosion and the glass will fly all directions .
HARD DISK DRIVES (HDD)
SYMPTOMS
- The computer doesn’t boot up to a hard disk but boots the A:drive .
- No motor sounds .
- Invalid media type message appears if controller cannot find the recognizable track/sector .
- C drive Fixed Drive error messages appears , indicating a hard disk CMOS setup failure .
- System won’t be able to find boot files in boot directory of drive , then NO BOOT RECORD FOUND , NON SYSTEM DISK MESSAGES appears .
- IBM 17xx error code appears on screen .
- Harddisk activity light remains on and display is active but no boot up occurs , indicates HDD’s CMOS configuration is incorrect .
- If master boot record is not found in PCs XTs and some clones then NO ROM BASIC system halted message will appear .
TROUBLESHOOT
- Overlook the BIOS . check HDD is been installed in the system , if not DRIVE MISMATCH ERROR or INVALID MEDIA TYPE messages appear on screen .
- Make sure drive is properly terminated . Check the master /slave jumper settings to make sure about the logical partition of drive .
- INcase you have more than one device connected to single interface cable then make sure they are of same type .
- Confirm SCSI support is enabled .
- Check the ID configuration setting and remove installation of SCSI drives .
- Reformat the HDD if required .
- HDD signal cable needs to checked .
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