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Troubleshooting a computer requires detective work.  It is a matter of narrowing down the problem and testing what the most likely issues are and is as much an art as it is a science. You must arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible, and then apply common sense.  Experience also plays a role.  This guide has attempted to provide some of that experience in an easy-to-follow format.  Rather than spend time and money only to find that the solution was very simple, your time is better spent in eliminating the easy and obvious possible causes of your problem.

Before calling Plexus Computers technical services take a quick look at your computer yourself.  A technician will recommend doing the following six steps:

Instructions:

• STEP 1: Restart the computer. Many hardware issues, especially printer and USB device issues will correct themselves when you do. 
• STEP 2: Check your cables. Keyboard not working? Make sure it's plugged in. Mouse not responding? Make sure it's plugged in.
• STEP 3: Check the electric power. Plug a lamp into the same power outlet that's connected to your computer to make sure the outlet is working. 
• STEP 4: Make sure the computer and monitor are plugged in. 
• STEP 5: Disconnect peripheral devices (such as a printer or external Zip disk) and restart the computer. 
• STEP 6: Listen for unusual sounds. Is the cooling fan running? Is the hard drive making noises? 

Troubleshooting Hardware:

To solve any computer issue as quickly as possible Plexus technicians will require as much information as possible.  Here are some of the questions you will be asked:

• 1) Can the problem be replicated or does it happen randomly?  
• 2) Are there any error messages?  What are they, be specific.
• 3) Did you recently install any peripherals (ex: Printer) or software?
• 4) Is our anti-virus program up to date?
• 5) Are you the only person who uses the computer?

Troubleshooting Devices:

Microsoft Windows Device Manager - Windows works with countless different printers, scanners, digital cameras, and other devices. It does so with the help of drivers, unique software programs that help your operating system communicate with individual pieces of hardware. If your computer starts to freeze, crash, or if a hardware device stops working, you can troubleshoot the problem with the Device Manager.

Modems - Issues with connecting to the Internet through a dial up modem can be one of the most frustrating experiences a user will see.  Modemsite has extensive information on dial-up modems, and can help you troubleshoot and correct problems from installation to disconnections. Additional procedures for fixing the most common causes of slow connections can be found here.

Hard Drives -  A hard drive is the single most important device in a computer.  Not only does it store your data, it hosts all of your programs and the operating system.  When a hard drive is failing, full or contains corruption it can cause all types of issues.  Below are tools Plexus uses to diagnosis and repair hard drive issues:

- SeaTools for DOS by Seagate has replaced SeaTools Desktop. SeaTools for DOS can test a Parallel ATA (PATA and IDE) or a Serial ATA (SATA) interface disc drive. Because the software boots to its own operating system you can test your drive regardless of the OS installed on it.  You can even test a new or completely blank drive.  SeaTools for DOS will instruct the drive to run its built in Drive Self Test (DST) and give either a pass or fail status.  If you are troubleshooting your disc drive and the DST passes, then you have a good drive!

- Windows Scan Disk is included with Windows 98/ME and Windows Check Disk (Chkdsk) is included with Windows 2000/XP and Vista are free disk-checking and repair tools, you can use to check the integrity of your media.

- Windows Disk Defragmenter is included with Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista.  Your computer's hard disk is like a file cabinet—and while you are working, it can get pretty disorganized. When you install a program on your computer, the program's files are typically broken up over multiple locations on your hard disk. This is called fragmentation. Fragmentation slows the performance of programs on your computer. Disk Defragmenter reorganizes the files on your hard disk into contiguous blocks. This improves the performance of your programs because the files are arranged closer together. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter.

RAM (Random Access Memory) - The Windows Memory Diagnostic tests the Random Access Memory (RAM) on your computer for errors. The diagnostic includes a comprehensive set of memory tests. If you are experiencing problems while running Windows, you can use the diagnostic to determine whether the problems are caused by failing hardware, such as RAM or the memory system of your motherboard. Memtest86 is thorough, stand alone memory test for x86 architecture computers. BIOS based memory tests are a quick, cursory check and often miss many of the failures that are detected by Memtest86.

CPU, Motherboard and Chassis - One problem that often goes unnoticed and is not monitored by the operating system is computer heat.  CPU's, RAM, the power supply and hard drive's generate much more heat in modern computers than ever before.  Heat is resistance, which means a computer will run slower, the hotter it gets.  Heat also can also cause irreversible damage to internal components.  A computer that operates slower with error messages, freezes or suddenly shuts down is a warning that it may be overheating.  A computer will overheat if it is in a cabinet with poor ventilation, has an accumulation of dust around internal PC components or a one of the fans has failed. SpeedFan is a freeware program that monitors voltages, fan speeds, and temperatures in computers with hardware monitor chips. SpeedFan can even access S.M.A.R.T. info for those hard disks that support this feature and show hard disk temperatures too, if supported.  It can also change critical settings, so we recommend that users exercise caution and use this program for monitoring only.  

Normal temperatures:
37C (99F) to 55C (131F)		CPU depending on the type.
32C (90F) to 35C (95F)		Chassis
35C (95F) to 40C (104F)		Hard Drive

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