The PC powers on but there is no display

Thursday, November 6, 2008 18:30
Posted in category motherboard problems
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1. After ensuring that the problem is not related to the PSU or the display card, it may be that the RAM modules are mismatched or are not seated properly. If the problem is with the RAM, you will most likely hear beeps emitted by the BIOS. See the BIOS section to understand beep codes and how to troubleshoot the BIOS. Check the RAM modules to see if they are seated properly. Also, try to use modules from the same manufacturer. In some cases, RAM modules from different manufacturers don’t work together. Also check the memory section in this guide to troubleshoot RAM and memory.

2. The CPU may not be seated correctly.

This problem should only be relevant if you have installed a new motherboard or upgraded the CPU.

Visually inspect to check if the socket CPU is sitting flat in the socket, which means that the heat sink should be perfectly parallel to the motherboard. With a new socket CPU the heat sink may completely cover the CPU and you will have to remove the heat sink to check. Check for any crushed or bent legs. If the CPU’s socket locking arm was not raised up all the way up before seating the CPU or if it was not lowered all the way down after seating it, the CPU won’t sit properly. If the CPU doesn’t sit properly after this, then either the socket is faulty, or you have the wrong CPU for the motherboard!

It’s pretty difficult to tell by visual inspection if slot CPUs are seated properly. When in doubt, reseat the CPU, which is fairly easy since the heat sink and the CPU are an integrated unit. Also, make sure that you correctly identify release levers located on the top of the slot CPU package.

3. There’s no power to the heat sink fan

If the heat sink has a fan, it should be hooked to the correct power source on the motherboard for the BIOS to monitor and control its state. Be careful! If you have installed a new CPU and switched it on without the fan it may have failed already! Hopefully, you will be lucky and get away with it by hooking up the fan. It may also be that the power point on the motherboard is failing.

4. The jumper settings may have been incorrectly set

If you are experimenting with overclocking or have installed a new motherboard Return the motherboard to its default settings. Use the motherboard manual to get the default values.

5. The cabinet or uneven fixing of the motherboard may be causing a short. Put the motherboard on a cardboard box covered with foam or a static free bag and hook it up. If the PC boots normally then the problem is most likely related to the cabinet or the fixing of the motherboard. Mechanical stresses on a bent motherboard might be leaving a circuit open and preventing it from working. Fix the motherboard properly in the cabinet and if the problem re-occurs change the cabinet.

Note: If there is a crack on the motherboard, you are in serious trouble! The motherboard is a printed circuit board and hence a crack will break the circuitry. You will in all probability have to buy a new motherboard.

PC powers Problem

Thursday, November 6, 2008 18:17
Posted in category Basic Problems
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The PC freezes or reboots suddenly

1. This could indicate a failing PSU that is not supplying power correctly to the motherboard. You may be able to get the PSU serviced but in most cases you will be better off getting a new power supply.

2. This could be due to overheating of the PSU or CPU: If the PSU is overheating, the metal cabinet may be hot to touch or you might get a shock. Shut off immediately. Check if the PSU fan is working, clean or replace the fan if not working or spinning very slowly. If it’s a faulty PSU you may be able to service it. If the PSU seems normal it might be due to an overheating CPU.

The PC powers on after the second or third try

The mostly likely problem is that the power_ok (or power_good) signal is sent before the power supply has stabilised. Get a better quality PSU. In modern PCs, the power switch is a logic device that tells the PSU to supply full power to the motherboard. The power_ok signal tells the motherboard that the power supply is available and stable. If the signal is sent too soon the motherboard does not recognize it and stays off to protect itself. This can happen in lowerquality PSUs. Booting more than once is not recommended, and you will be better off getting a better PSU.
The PC powers on but nothing happens after that (no beep)

1. This may be due to the addition of new hardware that is overtaxing the power supply. Remove the last hardware component installed and check again.

2. A defective hard disk or one that is not plugged in correctly: Check the power cable to the hard disk. Sometimes it may not be fully plugged in. Check the hard disk on another system.

The PC powers on, beeps and stops. No Power On SelfTest (POST) messages.

This may be a motherboard problem and not related to the PSU. Check the motherboard section of this site.
The PC powers on and runs POST but there is no display

This may be a display card problem and not related to the PSU. Check the display section of this site.


There is a squealing/whistling/whining noise when the PC starts

This could indicate either a problem with the fan, which has accumulated dirt over time, or one of the internal components of the PSU. Switch on the PC and listen carefully to confirm that it’s the PSU fan and not the CPU fan or the hard disk. Usually, the noise will stop once the fan picks up speed, and you can ignore it temporarily. It’s a good idea, however, to clean out the dirt around the PSU fan using a PC vacuum. This will increase the working life of the PSU fan as well as the PSU itself. If the fan stops working, the PSU will generate heat and cause more trouble. So a little prevention will save you a lot of headaches later.

If the sound is not from the fan but from within the PSU itself, then you may be able to service it. A PSU has no ‘user-serviceable’ parts, and it’s best left to a competent technician, although in most cases of component failure, you will have to replace the PSU.

The power doesn’t turn on

Thursday, November 6, 2008 18:14
Posted in category Basic Problems
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1. No power from the wall socket: Use a live power outlet. In rare cases, the power cable may be defective and may require replacement.Check the power cable on another working PC. Plug in a lamp or any other electric device to see if you have a live outlet.

2. Incorrect voltage setting on the PSU: Select the proper voltage setting (220-240V) on the back of the PSU. WARNING: If you have switched on the PC with the voltage set to 110-120V and with a mains supply of 240V you may have blown your PSU beyond repair at worst or blown a fuse at best. Be careful!

3. The front panel power switch’s connector to the motherboard is not fixed correctly or has come off or is defective: Check the motherboard manual and fix the lead (wires) from the front panel switch to the motherboard correctly. If there is still no power, try a different lead.

4. The front panel power switch is defective: Replace the switch.In case you do not want to get a replacement, one option is to use the reset button. The only problem with this is that to cut the power to the system in case of system hangs etc., you will have to switch off the power from the mains wall outlet rather than from the front panel.

5. The power supply connections to the motherboard are not correct: Check the power connections from the PSU to the motherboard. Refer to the motherboard manual and identify the correct connection points.

6. Not identified; non-PSU related problem: After attempting all the above, if the system still doesn’t power up, it is time to look elsewhere.

Disconnect all the drives and see if it is powering up. (Note: Pull out the power cord when removing or disconnecting something.)

If the system is powering up, then start reconnecting the drives one by one to identify which is defective drive.

If the system is not powering with all drives disconnected, remove the other adaptors one at a time and checking to see if it is powering up. Leave the video adaptor for the last.

If you are able to isolate the problem to one of the adaptor cards, verify that the slot and the adaptor cards are compatible. Then try plugging it into a different slot and see if the system powers up before discarding it and going for a new one.

If the system is still not powering up, then you either have a defective PSU or a defective motherboard. If there is a burnt smell, then most probably either one of them has been fried. Look for burn marks on the motherboard. Sometimes the PSU and motherboard may be incompatible. If the motherboard looks fine, replace the PSU, since it’s cheaper!

Check the relevant sections of this site for troubleshooting hints for the other components.

Brief info on Power Supply Units

Thursday, November 6, 2008 18:00
Posted in category The Basics
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Among all the PC components, the power supply is the most dangerous.
It converts the 240V wall voltage into smaller 12V, 5V and 3.3V DC allocations required by the PC. Usually, the power supply comes with the cabinet and is backed
by a warranty so you shouldn’t have problems. However, it pays to be careful and take the extra effort to verify the quality of the power supply. If you are purchasing it separately, opt for a brand name. Check around with your friends, the Internet and other system builders. Horror stories of faulty PSUs that blow up and ruin entire PCs are common, so be careful. A good quality PSU will not only give your system a long life span, it will also help reduce the noise and heat generated inside the cabinet.

Troubleshooting Techniques

Thursday, November 6, 2008 16:14
Posted in category The Basics
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The primary requirement for troubleshooting is to be methodical.
Don’t panic, don’t rush. Being patient and methodical is better
than being quick and sorry. Whatever the problem, the first step is
to develop an understanding of what are the possible causes.
Using a notepad and pencil (or pen) is helpful. First, note down the
symptom. The symptom is what you see happening, not what you
think may be happening. Once you know the symptom, the next
step is to identify the possible problems that might be the cause
for this symptom. Some symptoms may be caused by a single problem.
Usually, you will not be so lucky. Most symptoms can be
caused by one or more problems. Isolate the sub-systems (this
site covers all the major sub-systems) that may be causing the
problem. Then investigate each sub-system and eliminate them
from the possible problem checklist. Look at the example troubleshooting
table below to give you an idea on how you can
approach the exercise:

If you are used to troubleshooting, you are most likely following
something similar in your head already. Once you begin to think in
terms of the various sub-systems, the chances of you not finding
your problem are very low. Over time, and with experience, you
would be doing this naturally and automatically. Of course on
paper it looks terribly boring and to tell you the truth, it is! But, it
is a good strategy to use a methodical approach in troubleshooting
rather than dive straight in, start poking around, pressing keys and
buttons blindly and then regretting it later.

After trying everything and you are at your wits end with no
solution in sight, it is time to take a step back and forget about
it for a while—attack the problem after some time with a fresh
mind.

The Basics

Thursday, November 6, 2008 15:53
Posted in category The Basics
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GETTING STARTED


When working with PCs day-in and day-out, a problem is
bound to crop up. This site will give you an insight into many of the common problems users face, and
provide suggestions in solving the problem or at the very least
point you in the right direction.

In this site we cover basic to intermediate-level hardware and
software troubleshooting. We assume you’re running Windows..

Don’t Be Careless

When working with hardware, the first thing is to ground yourself
properly. Whenever you are tinkering under the hood, have an antistatic
wrist strap hooked up. If you don’t have one, stop what you
are doing and go buy one now! Never, ever, work without protecting
your delicate electronic components from static. A tiny shot of
static can fry your CPU, RAM and even the motherboard.

Computer components have highly complex and delicate electronics.
When working with an exposed and live motherboard
don’t try to take shortcuts, keep the area clear of other electricity
conductors, an accidental short can just as well fry your PC components.
The same goes for leaving components lying around on
the floor, or on the edge of the shelf—you could accidentally step
on or drop them. Also take care to not drop things onto the motherboard,
bend any components or touch anything you shouldn’t.

Disclosure policy

Saturday, January 26, 2008 7:06
Posted in category Uncategorized
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This policy is valid from 26 November 2009

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. For questions about this blog, please contact admin@askmesolution.com.

This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.

This blog abides by word of mouth marketing standards. We believe in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post will be clearly identified as paid or sponsored content.

The owner(s) of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers’ own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest

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Using Device Manager

Sunday, November 18, 2007 11:53
Posted in category Uncategorized
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The Device Manager utility provides a graphical view of all the hardware installed on the computer along with their associated device drivers and resources. It also acts as a central point to change any hardware settings and update associated device drivers. To access Device Manager on Windows 9x/ME, right-click My Computer and select Properties. Select the Device Manager tab. On Windows 2000/XP, right-click My Computer, select Manage, and click Device Manager in the left pane.

Device Manager will list all the hardware in the PC in a tree structure. You can view devices by device-type or by connectiontype. In either view, Device Manager will list the devices causing problems. The problem devices will be listed with any of the following symbols:

  • A black exclamation mark (!) in a yellow circle means that the device has a problem. Note: A problem-state device could still be working.
  • A red “X” means the device is disabled. That is, it is physically present in the computer and is consuming resources, but does not have a driver loaded.
  • A blue “i” on a white circle means that the device’s “Use Automatic Settings” feature is not selected for the device, and that the resources were manually allocated, usually for non-Plug and Play devices. Note: This does not mean that the device is in a problem or disabled state.
  • A green question mark (?) in Device Manager means that a compatible (and not the actual) driver for this device is installed,which makes it possible that all the functionality may not b available. Note: This applies only to Windows ME.
  • A yellow question mark (?) with “Unknown Device” means that Windows has not recognised the device.

Once you’ve identified the device(s) with problems, double-click on the device to bring up the property page for the device. The property page or sheet has a General tab that shows the details of the device, and its current status (enabled or disabled). Depending on the type of device, there may be additional tabs such as Resources, Driver and Settings.

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Installation of non-Plug and Play devices

Thursday, November 15, 2007 15:18
Posted in category Uncategorized
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If the device is not getting detected by Plug and Play during system startup, this usually means that you have a non-Plug and Play device. If you have the manufacturer’s CD and/or manual, look for installation instructions. Non-Plug and Play devices are usually older, and require manual allocation of resources, usually through setting jumpers or switchers on the device itself. Once you have ensured that the device has been configured as per the manufacturer’s guidelines, boot up and install any software provided by the manufacturer as per the installation guidelines.

If there are no installation guidelines or the device is a second hand component with no documentation or you don’t have the required software drivers, then you can try to force Windows to recognise the device. First try to verify if the physical installation and the jumper/switch settings on the device are correct. Search the Internet for information on how to do this. If you are able to do this, good; if not, don’t worry too much about it and go on to forcing Windows to recognise the device:

1. Click on the Add New Hardware (Windows 9x/ME) / Add Hardware (Windows 2000/XP) in the Control Panel. The Add Hardware Wizard will start up. Click Next.

2. If you have Windows 9x/ME go to Step 3, else go to Step 5.

3. In Windows 9x/ME, the Wizard will inform you that it is going to search for new hardware. Allow it to do so by clicking Next twice. After Windows finishes searching for Plug and Play Devices it will report that no Plug and Play devices are found.

4. Click Next. The first option tells Windows to search for non-Plug and Play devices. If it successfully detects the device, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation. Otherwise, select “No, I want to select the hardware from a list” and click Next. Go to Step 6.

5. In Windows 2000/XP, select “Add a new hardware device” and click Next. In the next dialog box, you can either ask Windows to search for a driver, or you can install the device manually. For manual device installation, select “Install the hardware that I manually select from a list (Advanced)”.

6. Select the hardware type from the list and click Next.

7. If you know the name of the device manufacturer, select the name of the manufacturer and browse through the list on the right side to see if your device model number is listed or a generic name for your model series e.g. HP DeskJet for DeskJet printers. If you do not know the name of the manufacturer or the device model number, check if there are standard device types that you can install. If there are no standard types that can be installed, you will need to find a suitable driver by searching the Internet or getting it from other sources.

8. If the device has a standard type, choose the specification closest matching to your device. If the device does not have a standard type, click the “Have Disk…” button and provide the location for the appropriate driver installation file. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

The above steps (for both Plug and Play and non-Plug and Play devices) should normally solve the device conflict and get your hardware operational. However, if you still face problems with the device see the section Using Device Manager for further troubleshooting.

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Installation of Plug and Play Devices

Thursday, November 15, 2007 14:49
Posted in category Uncategorized
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If the device is a new installation, Windows should detect the device at startup. One of three things can happen:

1. Windows will already have the required software device drivers and configure the system with or without user prompts

2. Windows will prompt the user for the OS installation CDs to retrieve the required drivers

3. Windows will prompt the user to provide the location for the required drivers supplied by the device manufacturer.

This would be your cue to insert the manufacturer’s CD that came with the device and point Windows to the correct driver installation file for the OS. Alternately, the manufacturer’s installation guide may provide a different method for installation.

Example: most USB devices require that you install the software first before connecting the device.

If Windows recognizes the device but you don’t have the manufacturer’s
CD, there is a good chance that you can enable basic
functionality by using the default Windows drivers. See the section
Installation of non-Plug and Play Devices on how to tell Windows to use
the default Windows drivers.

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