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An electronic device which is capable of receiving information (data) in a particular form and of performing a sequence of operations in accordance with a predetermined but variable set of procedural instructions (program) to produce a result in the form of information or signals.
Modern computers are electronic and digital. The actual machinery (wires, transistors, and circuits) is called hardware; the instructions and data are called software.
In addition to these components, many others make it possible for the basic components to work together efficiently. For example, every computer requires a bus that transmits data from one part of the computer to another.
How to Diagnose A Computer Problems
Many people are faced with everyday computer problems that are easy to fix, but are unable to diagnose the actual problem. While there are many problems a computer will be faced with, this article will tell you where to look for common problems.
1. Check the POST. POST stands for Power On Self Test. This is generally the first or second thing that appears on a computer after turning on the power. This appears before the operating system begins to load. The POST will display any problems found with hardware that makes the computer unable to boot, POST may also display problems with hardware that allow the computer to boot, but not operate at its full capacity during operation.
2. Notice the load time of the OS (operating system). A longer than usual load time may indicate seek errors (or other errors) in the hard drive.
3. Notice any graphics problems once the OS has loaded. Reduced graphics may indicate driver failures or hardware failures with graphic cards.
4. Perform an auditory test. An auditory test is an unorthodox, but still effective way of judging how hard a computer is working. With the computer on and running, play any decent length audio file (usually above 30 secs). If the audio is choppy or slow, it usually means that the processor is working at an elevated level, or there is not enough RAM to run all programs loading. Changing the startup sound is a great way to apply this test. Another issue associated with choppy sounds is PIO (Programmed Input/Output) Mode. This affects how the hard drive reads and writes data from a drive. Switching to DMA allows for faster reads and writes, and can sometimes repair choppy audio.
5. Check any newly installed hardware. Many operating systems, especially Windows, can conflict with new drivers. The driver may be badly written, or it may conflict with another process. Windows will usually notify you about devices that are causing a problem, or have a problem. To check this use the Device Manager, this can be accessed by entering the Control Panel, clicking the System icon, clicking the Hardware tab, and clicking on Device Manager. Use this to check and arrange the properties of hardware.
6. Check any newly installed software. Software may require more resources than the system can provide. Chances are that if a problem begins after software starts, the software is causing it. If the problem appears directly upon startup, it may be caused by software that starts automatically on boot.
7. Check RAM and CPU consumption. A common problem is a choppy or sluggish system. If a system is choppy it is good practice to see if a program is consuming more resources than the computer can provide. An easy way to check this is to use the Task Manager, right click on the taskbar select Task Manager, and click the Processes tab. The CPU column contains a number that indicates the percentage of CPU the process is consuming. The Mem Usage column indicates how much memory a process is consuming.
8. Listen to the computer, if the hard drive is scratching or making loud noises, shut off the computer and have a professional diagnose the hard drive. Listen to the CPU fan, this comes on a high speed when the CPU is working hard, and can tell you when the computer is working beyond its capacity.
9. Run a virus and malware scan. Performance problems can be caused by malware on the computer. Running a virus scan can unearth any problems. Use a commonly updated virus scanner (such as Norton Antivirus or Avast! Antivirus) and a commonly updated malware scanner (such as Spybot Search & Destroy).
10. Check for the problem in safe mode. As a last ditch effort, check the problem in safe mode. To enter safe mode, tap F8 repeatedly during POST (this works on most systems). If the problem persists in safe mode, it is a fair bet that the operating system itself is to blame.
Just Look At This Repair Chart
The Blue lines - Yes The Red Lines - No
Tips
- These procedures will begin to narrow down common problems, but to find a specific problem, tools or specialized techniques may need to be used.
- If you do not feel comfortable diagnosing or repairing a computer problem, it is best to take the computer to a certified technician and have it repaired for a moderate fee.
Warnings
- Do not attempt to repair problems unless you are sure of what you are doing, what the result will be, as well as any adverse reactions.
- Always consult a competent computer technician whether you are going to do the troubleshooting on your own or under supervision.
Hardware And Sotware ?
Often times, people that aren't tech savvy replace their computer because the performance of the computer slowed to a snail's pace. Their reasoning is, 'if it's slow, it's time for a new one.' That is incorrect. There's some simple things you can do to keep your system running in tip top physical condition.
1. Uninstall any programs you don't use. They take up valuable disk space, and often times, the programs will run in the background and consume system resources. You may use a program called CCleaner to do that, or you can just use the built in uninstall feature in the Control Panel.
2. After you've done that, use MSconfig(system configuration tool found in Windows) or CCleaner, another program that has the same features, to stop non-essential programs from starting up. Many are surprised to see how many programs are set to run in the background.
3. Next, use CCleaner or Disk Cleanup(default tool found in Windows), to free up disk space used by other applications, including Java, and browsers such as Firefox. Many are surprised at how much they find.
4. After all this deleting, now it's time for a little defragging. You may use the default program in Windows, or download another program such as Puran Defrag or Auslogics Defragmenter. Puran Defrag and Auslogics both feature the ability to optimize your hard drive, but only Puran Defrag has the ability to fill up gaps to prevent fragmentation.
5. If you have antivirus running, that could be a cause of your PC slowdowns. If you're using Mcafee or Norton, they are notorious for bogging down PCs. You might want to consider a different antivirus like Avast or Microsoft Security Essentials.
6. If you have no antivirus running....GET ONE! Like the one's listed above and also use a firewall. Even if you're connected to a router, you definitely want to use a software firewall. If someone with a computer virus connects to your router, the firewall inside the router will not prevent it from transferring to another computer. There's many firewalls out there, such as Comodo Firewall, and Zonealarm. You may also use the Windows Firewall, though, it's recommended that you do not.
7. Depending on how dusty your house is, you may want to proactively check your system for dust at least three times a year. Use a can of compressed air that is specially designed for this purpose, or use a vacuum cleaner. Hold your fans while cleaning them off. They could spin out while you're blowing compressed air into them.
Tips
Warnings
Clean out your system frequently, as needed. If too much dust gets built up in there, the system will 'suffocate' and get too hot. Heat is electronic's biggest enemy. Many components do shut off if they get too hot. If that's the case(no pun intended) for you, then clean it all out.
How To Maintain a Computer?
Often times, people that aren't tech savvy replace their computer because the performance of the computer slowed to a snail's pace. Their reasoning is, 'if it's slow, it's time for a new one.' That is incorrect. There's some simple things you can do to keep your system running in tip top physical condition.
1. Uninstall any programs you don't use. They take up valuable disk space, and often times, the programs will run in the background and consume system resources. You may use a program called CCleaner to do that, or you can just use the built in uninstall feature in the Control Panel.
2. After you've done that, use MSconfig(system configuration tool found in Windows) or CCleaner, another program that has the same features, to stop non-essential programs from starting up. Many are surprised to see how many programs are set to run in the background.
3. Next, use CCleaner or Disk Cleanup(default tool found in Windows), to free up disk space used by other applications, including Java, and browsers such as Firefox. Many are surprised at how much they find.
4. After all this deleting, now it's time for a little defragging. You may use the default program in Windows, or download another program such as Puran Defrag or Auslogics Defragmenter. Puran Defrag and Auslogics both feature the ability to optimize your hard drive, but only Puran Defrag has the ability to fill up gaps to prevent fragmentation.
5. If you have antivirus running, that could be a cause of your PC slowdowns. If you're using Mcafee or Norton, they are notorious for bogging down PCs. You might want to consider a different antivirus like Avast or Microsoft Security Essentials.
6. If you have no antivirus running....GET ONE! Like the one's listed above and also use a firewall. Even if you're connected to a router, you definitely want to use a software firewall. If someone with a computer virus connects to your router, the firewall inside the router will not prevent it from transferring to another computer. There's many firewalls out there, such as Comodo Firewall, and Zonealarm. You may also use the Windows Firewall, though, it's recommended that you do not.
7. Depending on how dusty your house is, you may want to proactively check your system for dust at least three times a year. Use a can of compressed air that is specially designed for this purpose, or use a vacuum cleaner. Hold your fans while cleaning them off. They could spin out while you're blowing compressed air into them.
Tips
- You may find that some programs offer registry cleaners. DO NOT TOUCH! you could destroy your system if you delete one wrong thing from the registry.
- Although they weren't covered in this article, there are other cleaning programs you may find around that are just as good or even better than the ones listed here. Also, all programs listed in here that are not the included programs are free(save for Norton and Mcafee)
- Even though it wasn't covered in this article, you also want to reinstall your operating system every so often. That'll certainly help in keeping your system fast.
- It was mentioned here that you could use compressed air or a vacuum cleaner to clean out dust from your system. Some might be tempted to blow into everything with their breath. Do not do that. There is moisture in your breath, which could destroy your components.
- Microsoft Security Essentials is a bare antivirus program. And Avast consumes less RAM and has much more security features.
Warnings
Clean out your system frequently, as needed. If too much dust gets built up in there, the system will 'suffocate' and get too hot. Heat is electronic's biggest enemy. Many components do shut off if they get too hot. If that's the case(no pun intended) for you, then clean it all out.
