TROUBLESHOOTING

FUNDAMENTALS

COMMON TROUBLE CHECKLIST

Is your computer plugged in?

Have you checked all the cords?
How about other connections?
Unseated cards
Do you have ink or toner on the printer?
Have you changed a configuration or
installed some software or device lately?
USB insertion does not work
Boot sequence problem
Reboot

COMMON ERROR MESSAGES

My monitor is blacked out.

Solution:

make sure the monitor is turned on. Try pressing the

power button on the monitor again.
Check to see if it is in sleep mode. Wiggle the mouse
around or press the enter key.
If the green light is not in front, check the power cord
connecting the monitor into the outlet.
If the green li9ght is on, check the brightness level by
using the buttons on the monitor.
Check the cable connection from the monitor into the
computer or the equipment that links your computer
to the TV monitor.
If you still have some problems, call your help desk.

I dont have any sound

Solution:

Check the cord in the back of the

computer to see if the speakers are plugged into
the computer. Plug in your speaker cable and then
try adjusting the volume control (the speaker icon)
on the task bar. Make sure it is not set to mute.
Click on the sliding tab should make a sound.

Some speakers have a power plug. Check to see if the

power cord to the speakers is plugged in and the power
light on the speakers is on.
Double click on the volume icon on the task bar and the
volume control box appears. Make sure the mute button
at he bottom is not checked.

My machine is stuck and wont do anything! When your

computer locks up and will not respond to either
keyboard strokes or mouse clicks, then your machine is
frozen. If you are in the middle of running a particular
application and this occurs, try the following:
Hold

down the Ctrl Key and the Alt Key at the same time and
then tap on the Delete Key. You will be given a dialog box.
Look and see if you see in parenthesis by the application you
are working on the following words. i.e.: Microsoft Word
(not responding) If you see this, then highlight the name of
the application by clicking on it and then select END TASK
from the choices in the box below. It may take a few minutes
to comply. You may see another box saying the application
isnt responding. Click on END TASK and it will shut down that
particular application.

 If

the Control/Alt/Delete combination doesnt

work, then press the power button on your
machine for a few seconds until the power is off.
Wait till the green light on your monitor turns
amber before turning it on again. This will take
about 10-15 seconds. When you reboot, windows
should be working well again.

CHECKING OF PERIPHERALS

Keyboards
Things

to check when your keyboard doesnt

respond.

If your machine, when booting, gives off a constant

beeping noise, it is telling you that your keyboard is
nor connected or not working. Check the plug to make
sure its connected securely. Try unplugging it and re
plugging it again.
If there is no response, check the indicator light on
the keyboard. Is it on? Do the lights respond when you
press the caps lock or the num lock key? If not, maybe
your keyboard is broken.
Is there a key stuck? Gently pry off the cover and
clean it with alcohol.

Mouse
If

your mouse starts acting erratic, it could be

insufficient memory problem. Reboot and see if that
corrects the problem.
If your mouse will only move one way, either vertically
or horizontally, your mouse may need cleaning. Shut
down your machine and unplug your mouse from the
computer. Open the underside of the mouse and remove
the ball. If the ball is rubber ball, do not clean it with
alcohol. Clean it with a soft cloth. There should be no
lubricant placed on a mouse ball. Clean the roller in
the body of the mouse with a cotton swab that is
slightly damp with alcohol. Replace the ball when the
rollers are dry and replace the bottom portion.

 Optical

mouse need cleaning of its bottom every

now and then too.

Printer
Printer

problems come in a wide variety. Here are things you

may wish to check before calling the helpdesk. Any
information you collect will give them clues on what is wrong.

Check the cables first. Unplug and re plug the printer into the
computer. Be sure the power cable is plugged in and the outlet works.
Check to make sure the correct printer is selected in the Print Dialog
box. If you are on a network, you could be sending the output to a
printer in someone elses room.
Can you print from a different application? Does it only occur with a
certain application or is it not working with anything?
Can you print a test page directly from the printer with it
unconnected to the computer? Each manufacturer has a special series
of buttons to hold down for this self-test. Usually the series will be in
the users manual.
Reinstall the software. Delete the old drivers first.

A Dead PC
First

check the cable. Unplug it from the

computer and the outlet. Re plug in both sides
and try booting it again.
Check the wall outlet. Plug something else into
the outlet and see if it works.
Turn the system off and wait 30 seconds and then
try again.
Reach behind the machine and see if you feel air
blowing out of the power supply. If you do, then
you know the machine is getting some power.

 Look

at the keyboard for the indicator lights being

lit up as the machine boots. Report observance to
the technical help.
Sometimes the monitor has something to do with
the system acting up. Unplug the power cord from
the monitor and the wall and re plug it. Unplug
the cable from the computer to the monitor and
re plug it into the monitor. Try rebooting.
Listen to identify a beeping series if there is one,
take note of the kind of beep and report it to the
technician.
Turn in all observations to the technician who will
service the unit.

Networking
These

are things to look for if a PC will not connect

to the internet

First check to see if the cable connecting the network

card into the network drop is connected to the drop and
to the computer.
Check the back of the computer to see if the network
card light is on.
Check to see if the site you are trying to pull up is at
fault by typing in a common URL to see if it will make it
out to that site.
Check to see in anyone elses machine is having
problems. If everyone is, then it could be your entire
office or household block having difficulties. Call your ISP.

if the internet connection is off in a particular hallway

only, a hub connection could be down or bad.
If there is only one machine having problems and the
light on the network card is not on, try plugging
another machine that works into that drop. It could be
that particular drop is bad, or plug the machine that
doesnt seem to work into a different drop to see if it
would work there.
Record all the data and call technical assistance.

MOST COMMON ERROR CODES

AND MESSAGES ON THE INTERNET
ERROR MESSAGE

MEANING

SOLUTION

400 Bad Request

The uniform resource

locator (URL) is not
accepted or incorrect.
The server contacted
may be non existent or
you are not allowed to
access this page.

Make sure the URL you

typed is correct

401 Unauthorized

These are sites that

require authority to
enter. In the US some
.gov sites will only
allow users coming from
.gov or .edu to access
ot. Otherwise, no
access will be granted.

If you have the

authority to access a
site, i.e. if you have a
password, then use it.
Carefully and correctly
type it to gain access.
Otherwise do not access
it if you do not have any
authority.

ERROR MESSAGE

MEANING

SOLUTION

403 Forbidden

This page or
document is
password protected
or your domain is not
allowed access

Solution is the same

as error number 401

404 not found

The server you are

contacting cannot
find the document or
page you are looking
for. It may no longer
exist or you typed a
wrong URL

Verify the URL that

you typed. Try again.
If it does not work,
try other links on the
site which are
working just to check
if the links do work
at all

ERROR MESSAGE

MEANING

SOLUTION

550 xxxxxxxxxx is
not a known user

This means that you

reached the sites
email server but
unfortunately either
the user is not
connected there or
there is no user
under that name

Check all characters

to see if you typed it
correctly. Try also
email address finding
tools to verify if the
email address is
correct.

Bad File Request

The form requested

is either not
supported by your
browser or there is
an error.

Try another browser

to see if the problem
is still there.
Otherwise, send an
email to the
webmaster to notify
him of this error.

ERROR MESSAGE

MEANING

SOLUTION

Cannot add form

submission result to
bookmark list

This error occurs

when a save request
is issued and try to
bookmark the
resulting form. This
means that even
though it is valid
URL, it cannot be
reused to put in your
bookmark list.

The Save As
command to save a
page may do the
trick instead of book
marking immediately.
The saved form can
be opened again
after it is saved then
you can add it to
your bookmark list.

Connection refused
by host

The host server does

nor permit your
domain to enter. It
may be password
protected too.

If you have a
password, try
retyping it slowly
again checking each
character to try to
enter the site.

ERROR MESSAGE

MEANING

SOLUTION

Failed DNS lookup

The URL you typed is

not valid and cannot
be resolved by the
domain name
system.

Retype the URL. Try

also reloading the
page. If both does
not work, then
maybe DNS really
does not exist.

File contains no data

The site does not

have web pages on
it. This may also
show when you
access the site as it
is being uploaded.

Wait for a while as

the page is being
uploaded. Try again.
If it does not work
now, try some other
time.

ERROR MESSAGE

MEANING

SOLUTION

Helper application
not found

Sound files, movie,

clips, graphics, ZIP
archive files, or any
other type of file you
may be trying to
download is not
supported by your
browser.

Sometimes, there
will be a dialog box
indicating that a
helper application is
needed for this file
to show up.
Download this file to
allow your browser
to support this file.

Host unavailable

This may mean that

the server is offline
or down for
maintenance

Try clicking the

Reload button on the
toolbar. If it does not
work, try again some
other time.

ERROR MESSAGE

MEANING

SOLUTION

Host unknown

The server you are

contacting is not
connected or has lost
connection. The URL
typed may also be
incorrect.

Try clicking on the

Reload button.
Sometimes, there is
a lapse in the
internet connection.
Try also retyping the
URL.

Network connection
was refused by the
server

This is a generic
message to say that
the limit of the
number of people
allowed to connect
to a server is too
busy

Try clicking the

Reload button and
hope you can
connect. If it is not
possible, then try
again some other
time.

ERROR MESSAGE

NNTP server error

MEANING

SOLUTION

NNTP (Network News

Transfer Protocol) is
the predominant
protocol used by
computers for
managing the notes
posted on
newsgroups. An NTTP
server is a part of
your Internet Service
Providers software,
so if this error occurs
the software may be
malfunctioning or the
newsgroup does not
exist.

Try clicking the

Reload button on the
toolbar. If it does not
work, try again some
other time.

ERROR MESSAGE

MEANING

SOLUTION

Permission denied

The site may be busy or

FTP is not allowed when
you are connected to an
FTP Site for uploading
or downloading files.

Observe correct
procedure for uploading
and downloading files.
Keep trying to upload or
download. Otherwise
contact the sites
webmaster to report
this problem.

Too many connections

try again later

You may need to wait

for your turn since the
limit of the number of
connections to this
server has been
exceeded.

Try clicking the Reload

button on the toolbar. If
it does not work, try
again some other time.

ERROR MESSAGE

Too many users

MEANING

SOLUTION

Webmasters may
have set the number
of users to a website.
It may have reached
the limit.

Keep trying. Try

clicking Reload
button on the
toolbar. If it does not
work, try again some
other time.

Unable to locate host The site is either

or server
down or under
maintenance.
Connection to this
server may have
been lost.

The internet may

have an intermittent
problem. Check you r
internet connection
too and try again.
Check also if you
have typed a correct
URL.

ERROR MESSAGE

MEANING

SOLUTION

Viewer not found

This file type cannot

be viewed with your
browser.

Try getting the

viewer or try loading
the file using another
browser.

You cant log on as

an anonymous user

This is for connection

to and FTP server.
Anonymous access is
not allowed as
indicated.

Try again to connect.

Make sure you have
the correct username
and password.

MAINTENANCE
FUNDAMENTALS

TIPS FOR GOOD PC

MAINTENANCE

Keep a backup
Secure passwords
Maintain your hard disk
Clear the cache
Update your anti-virus and anti-spyware
definitions
Clean up
New equipment
Changing start-up programs using mscongfig

Changing PC registry configuration using

regedit
Set power saving options
Put PC in well-ventilated area
Schedule use of computer for its longer life
Move PC only when it is turned off and
unplugged
Delete programs using uninstall utility
Treat your computer properly

INSTANT PC MAINTENANCE
GUIDE

Daily
Update

virus and spyware definitions

Do incremental backup
Reboot upon crash

Weekly
Do

a full virus and spyware scan

Complete backup
Patch up
Utility suite

Monthly
Clean

your PC
Defrag

Yearly
Check

your programs
Make a full diagnostic check

TOOLS TO KEEP HANDY

Online Tools
Free

Example: symantec, mcafee

Free

online anti-virus scanner

vulnerability scanner

This online scanner help you scan your system to see if

there are any open ports that will allow hackers to
enter and get your personal data.
Example: Steve Gibson at www.grc.com/intro.htm

Internet

Speed test

PC

Connection tests

Health Checkers

Check if there are parts of your computer dying.

http://pcpstop.com

 Backup

Tools Online

There may be computers without CD/DVD writers to

backup your data.
Xdrive at www.xdrive.com

Downloads

of Utilities from PC World

Utilities for testing and fixing your PC

Hardware Tools
A

small paint brush

Used to brush off the dust

Antistatic

straps

To protect your computer from static electricity

Screwdriver

Philips, standard and torx screwdrivers

Pliers

and tweezers

Help you pick up small items in the computer

Compressed

Blows away dust

Handheld

air

vacuum

Gathers dust in your PC

Installed Software Tools

Boot

disk

Microsoft and Linux provides a utility to make a boot

disks which can be your first way to get into your
computer when it has problems.

Antivirus

Scanning and clean-up of virus and spyware round the

clock of your computer

Suite

and antispyware

of utilities

Help you monitor the health of your PC

Firewall

Keep bad people away from your computer

Other toots
A

pencil eraser
The eraser can be used to rub off the dust on the
contact points of the cards

pencil/pen

To record anytime errors and also configuration of the

computer

Egg

and paper

carton/tray

This will help keep the screws and small parts of the
computer in one place.

MAINTAINING EACH PART OF

THE COMPUTER

For overall health. Doing maintenance on

your peripherals calls you to turn off the
power of your PC.
Check also the surroundings of your
computer for sources of moisture and dust
Direct exposure to heat ducts and sunlight
must also be avoided for your computer

External Casing
For

Clear the case and its ventilation ducts by wiping it

with a cloth or using a dust remover.

For

the mouse

Clean the bottom of the mechanical mouse by

unscrewing the bottom ring to remove the ball and
scrape the gunk on the rollers of the mouse.

For

the casing

the keyboard

Turn the keyboard upside down and shake it to cleat

dust and dirt in between the keys. Blast some
compressed air to dislodge those hard to remove dust
and dirt. Vacuum the in betweens of the keyboard.

 For

Clean the screen of your monitor with glass cleaner

and lint-free cloth.

For

power sockets

Check out what you plugged to your AVR. Reseat them

to refresh their connections. Use cable ties to clean
up your cables.

For

the monitor

the CD/DVD media from readers/writers

Each disc can be cleaned with the moistened cloth.

Start to wipe from the middle going outwards. Do not
wipe in circular motion.

Internal parts
For

Unplug the power cord before you open the computer.

Spray the components with compressed air to dislodge
the dust gathered.

For

all the insides

daughter cards

Daughters can also be cleaned by unseating them,

cleaning the contact points with some isopropyl
alcohol and let dry if they are very old. If the cards
are quite new, an eraser will remove the dust that
gather at the contact points. A small point brush will
brush off the dust at the slot on the motherboard on
the daughter card.

 For

A computers clock that loses time is an indicator a

CMOS battery falling.

For

the motherboard

Aside from dusting the motherboard, carefully seat

daughter cards, battery and power plugs on the
motherboard to be sure not to bend it too much.
Check the spacers if they are all in place and not
corroded too.

For

the CMOS

the wires

A tie wire or a simple extra wire can tie the power

supply wires to tidy up. By tidying it up, you will be
able to clearly see the insides of the computer and do
proper maintenance.

 For

the floppy /CD/DVD drives

Check the power and cable connections to see that

they are fully plugged and the wires of the cable is not
broken or connected to corroded parts.

ACTIVITY

Differentiate troubleshooting from

maintenance.
Discuss how you keep your computer up and
running.

REFERENCE

Understanding PC Hardware by Antoinette

Marcelo

HOW TO SETUP DUAL BOOT

SYSTEM

Decide which disk partitions you want each

operating system installed on.
Step 2
After deciding which partitions will hold which OS
(Operating System), insert your first OS setup disc and
restart your PC.
Step 3
Follow any on-screen instructions provided to "Press any
key now..." This will begin your OS's setup procedure.
Step 4
Follow your first OS's installation instructions and be sure
to designate which partition that OS is to be installed to
during setup.

Step 5
Finalize your OS and make sure it is
operating as you intended.
Step 6
Insert the installation disc for your second OS
and restart your computer.
Step 7
Follow any prompts to "Press any key now..."
This will begin the second OS's setup
procedures.

Step 8
Follow the second OS's installation
instructions making sure to pick a different
partition than your first OS for installation.
Step 9
Finalize your second OS installation and log
in to ensure setup went as planned.
Step 10
Remove all OS setup discs and restart your
computer.

Step 11
After you restart you will be prompted to
choose which OS you wish to log into each
time you restart your computer from that
point on.
Step 12
Choose an OS you wish to log in to and
proceed to your daily computing tasks.

Tips & Warnings

Setting

up two separate operating systems can

be a very time consuming task. Be sure to set
aside 2 to 4 hours depending on the speed of
your computer.
Never attempt to install two operating systems
onto the same partition as they will simply
overwrite or corrupt each other. For dual
booting, always setup you OS from a fresh
restart; never from inside the OS itself. Not
restarting and installing will simply force an
upgrade and waste your time.

Precautions
Before creating a multiple-boot configuration
with Windows XP and another operating
system, review the following precautions:
Before attempting to create a multiple-boot
system, be sure to back up your current
system and all data files.
Each operating system must be installed on a
separate volume. Microsoft does not support
installing multiple operating systems on the
same volume.

If you have only one volume on your

computer, you have to reformat and
repartition your hard disk to contain multiple
volumes before you begin creating a
multiple-boot configuration, unless you are
simply installing another copy of Windows XP.
Do not install Windows XP on a compressed
drive that was not compressed using the
NTFS compression utility.

You have to use a different computer name

for each operating system if the computer is
on a Windows 2000 or Windows XP secure
domain.
Install the operating systems in the following
order:
MS-DOS
Windows

95, Windows 98 or Windows Me

Windows NT
Windows 2000
Windows XP

Note You can only install a single instance of Windows 95,

Windows 98, or Windows Me in a multiple-boot
configuration. You cannot configure a computer to
multiple-boot Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me
because each of these platforms use the same boot file.
For example, you can use Windows 95, Windows 2000,
and Windows XP, but you cannot use Windows 95,
Windows 98, and Windows XP.
You have to install Windows XP only after installing MSDOS, Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me to prevent
these operating systems from overwriting the Windows XP
boot sector and the Windows XP startup files.