DCP Basic

Troubleshooting
“A Computer
Technician is 99%
Common Sense”
 The problem solving-process
Solving a problem requires first
recognizing that there is one - which
may be somewhat obvious - then
logically and rationally determining
where the problem could be, and
narrowing thing down from there.
1. Understand the task at hand.
2. Understand how to accomplish those
tasks.
3. Determine whether there is really a
problem.
4. Identify the problem.
5. Consider the activities, uses, and
condition around the system.
6. Correct the items found defective.
7. Correct items that could cause a
problem in the future
The keys to solving these problems
1. Knowing and understanding your system.
2. Understanding enough about DOS or
Windows to get the system booted up and
run a program.
3. Understanding how the software you use is
supposed to work.
4. Knowing what and where are your
components are.
5. Knowing how to remove and insert the
components and operate any switches or
change their jumpers.
6. Being able to recognize text, visual, and
audible clues that indicate potential
problem spots.
7. Being familiar with your system’s
documentation, and keeping tech. support
number(s) for your system and software
handy.
8. Taking each aspect of the system and your
work step-by-step and eliminating what
does not fit the problem.
9. Having patience and a will to do it.
10. Having the proper hand tools to open and
change parts in your system.
Troubles and Errors
Troubles and errors are classified into two
categories:
• Fatal errors
• Non-fatal errors
“Fatal errors” are those errors that keep your
computer from booting up. These can be caused by
hardware failures or malfunction due to improper
configuration of the hardware. On the hand, Non-fatal
errors are those errors that does not prevent your PC
from booting up but causes undesirable conditions,
such as no sound coming from your speakers, or your
printer is printing garbage or does not print at all.
Common Errors Encountered By PC
Users
 No display on screen
 No power
 Computer does not boot-up
 Keyboard does not work
 Jerky mouse pointer or mouse does
not work
 No Sound from speakers
 Computer hangs or crash
 Printer prints garbage or does not print
at all
POST – Power On Self Test
 The first thing that the BIOS does when
it boots the PC is to perform what is
called the Power-On Self-Test, or POST
for short. The POST is a built-in
diagnostic program that checks your
hardware to ensure that everything is
present and functioning properly,
before the BIOS begins the actual
boot. It later continues with additional
tests (such as the memory test that you
see printed on the screen) as the boot
process is proceeding.
What are tested by POST
CPU
Memory
Video Card
Hard Disk Drive(s)
Floppy Disk Drive(s)
Keyboard
POST Error Messages
Post error messages are classified into
two:
 Audio error codes – composed of
beeps generated by the BIOS which
indicates fault domains.
 Visual/Text error codes – are displayed
on the screen to indicated fault
domains. These are much easier to
understand than audible error codes.
Fatal Errors : sometimes referred to as
Boot-Up or Start-Up Errors
Dead System
No Display
System does not Load the OS
Hard Disk failures
Floppy Disk failures
Memory failures
Dead System
Symptoms:
 No display on the screen
 No lights on the front panel of the system
 No audible beep codes
 Power supply fan does not spin
Fault Domains
 No Power on the wall outlet
 Power cord not plugged-in on the wall outlet
 AVR/UPS not turned ON
 Defective power cord
 System’s power button not turned ON
 Defective system power supply
 Defective AVR/UPS
 Dead System
Solutions:
 Check power source.

 Check / Replace power cord

 Check / Replace AVR/UPS

 Turn ON the system’s power switch

 Check / Replace system’s power

supply unit
Check power supply
Testing power supply
 No Display
Symptoms: (one or more of the ff.)
 No display on the screen
 No Beep(s)
 1 Beep
 1 long 3 short beeps*
 Repeating long beeps*
 Orange or blinking LED on the monitor
Fault Domains
 Monitor is OFF
 Defective motherboard or CPU
 Defective power supply unit
 No RAM installed
 Monitor’s contrast/brightness setting is set too low
 Defective video card
 Monitor is not connected to video card
*Depends on the BIOS manufacturer
 No Display
Solutions:
 Turn ON your monitor.

 Check the Contrast/Brightness setting

on your monitor
 Check connections from monitor to
video card
 Check / Replace Video card

 Check / replace RAM modules

 Check / replace motherboard or CPU

 System does not load the OS
Symptoms: (one or more of the ff.)
 “Disk Boot failure” is displayed on the screen during boot-up
 “Primary / Secondary hard disk fail” is displayed on the screen
during boot-up
 “Non-system disk” is displayed on the screen during boot-up
Fault Domains
 No hard disk drive installed on the system
 No O.S. on the Hard disk installed
 Defective hard disk drive
 Wrong jumper settings on the HDD
 BIOS did not recognize the installed HDD
 Wrong configuration on the BIOS/CMOS setup
 Defective IDE cable on the Hard Disk Drive
 Power supply not connected to the HDD
 System does not Load the O.S.
Solutions:
 Install a Hard Disk Drive on the system

 Install an OS on the System

 Check settings on the BIOS/CMOS

 Check / Correct the jumper settings on the

Drives
 Check / replace HDD

 Check / replace IDE cable on the Hard Disk

Drive
 Check power supple to the HDD
Memory Errors
Symptoms: (one or more of the ff.)
 Repeating Long Beeps*

 “Memory Test Fail” is displayed on the screen during

boot-up
 Restarts the PC every time Windows® starts-up

 Frequent BSODs (blue screen of death)

 System hangs-up or crash

Fault Domains:
 No RAM Module is installed on the system

 RAM Module(s) is/are not seated properly on its slots

 Defective RAM modules

 Incompatible RAM modules installed on the system

 Memory Errors
Solution(s):
 Check / Replace RAM modules
 Non-fatal Errors
No Sound coming from speakers
Poor Display Quality
Jerky Mouse movement or does
not work at all.
System Hangs or crashes
No Sound coming from the speakers
Fault domain:
 Speakers are not connected to sound card
 Speakers are not turned ON
 Speakers are connected on the wrong jack
 Volume control’s setting is too low
 Defective speakers
 No sound card installed on the system
 Sound card drivers are not installed
 Defective sound card
Solution(s):
 Connect the speaker to the sound card and on the proper
jack.
 Check speaker’s volume setting and Windows® system
mixer.
 Install the software/device driver of the sound card.
 Check / Replace the speakers.
Keyboard errors
Symptom(s):
 “Keyboard error or keyboard not connected” is displayed
on the screen during boot-up
 No character appears on the screen when key is pressed
 The LED indicator on the keyboard are steady or does not lit
Fault domain:
 Keyboard is defective or not connected
 Keyboard is connected on the mouse port when both have
PS/2 connector
Solution(s ):
 Check / replace keyboard
 Install the keyboard on the correct port
Mouse Errors
Symptom(s):
 Jerky movement of the mouse pointer
 Mouse pointer moves vertical or horizontal direction only or does
not move at all
Fault domain:
 Dirty mouse rollers and ball
 Defective mouse cable
 Mouse not connected on the system
 Mouse not connected on the correct port (interchanged w/ the
keyboard)
 Mouse driver not installed

Solutions :
 Clean your mouse’s rollers and ball
 Check / replace mouse
 Install the mouse on the correct port
 Install the mouse’s device driver
System hangs or crash
Symptom(s):
 System hangs or crashes frequently
 BSOD (blue screen of death)
Fault domain:
 See Memory Errors
 Insufficient amount of RAM installed in the system
 Too many running programs
Solutions :
 See Memory Errors
 Install / Add More RAM in the system
 Avoid running to many programs simultaneously
Display errors
 Symptom(s):
 Has display at start-up but disappears before the Windows®
desktop loads.
 Poor image detail
 See No Display section
 Fault domain:
 See Memory Errors
 Insufficient amount of RAM installed in the system
 Too many running programs
 Solutions :
 See Memory Errors
 Install / Add More RAM in the system
 Avoid running to many programs simultaneously
System hangs or crash
Symptom(s):
 System hangs or crashes frequently
 BSOD (blue screen of death)
Fault domain:
 See Memory Errors
 Insufficient amount of RAM installed in the system
 Too many running programs
Solutions :
 See Memory Errors
 Install / Add More RAM in the system
 Avoid running to many programs simultaneously
“ Don’t be afraid to open your system unit,
the computer will not explode”

Prepared by:
Sir Boy Quinones
Camaligan NHS –I.T Coordinator