Monday 24 March 2014
Hardware Troubleshooting:
1. Why won’t my computer or printer come on?
The first thing you need to check is what most would consider “the stupid stuff”, the peripherals. You’d be amazed how many “problems” are solved by connecting the cables, or turning on the power switch that you swear you already did. Beyond that, double-check the connections to assure that they are tightly inserted—jiggling a card, pushing (never rock connections from side to side) in a connection, or screwing in a cable connection can make a difference.
When looking at the back of a computer, you should be able to identify the following peripherals (See your “Computer Basics” handout):
a) Power cable connection
b) Mouse and keyboard connection
c) Monitor connection
d) Ethernet connection
e) Microphone (usually has a picture of a microphone on it)
f) Speaker connections/power supply
g) Printer connection/power supply
h) Surge protector (make sure that it is turned on)
Some computers have the same connectors for the keyboard and mouse, and possibly the COM (serial communications) ports.
• If a computer has no power, and you are sure that you turned the power switch on, you should check to see that all power cords are plugged into the electrical outlet and/or surge protector.
• If a computer has no power, and all power cords are plugged into a surge protector, double-check to see that the surge protector power switch is on.
• If the surge protector power switch is on, disconnect one plug (say the monitor or printer) and plug it directly into the electrical outlet. If the equipment comes on, the surge protector could be faulty and it should be replaced.
• If you’ve checked all connections and power supplies but power is still not restored, you may want to check with your school’s head custodian to see that there is not a problem with the power supply (flipped breaker switch) to your classroom.
• Follow your districts technology department procedures for requesting technical/repair assistance if all else fails.
2. I turned the computer on and a blue screen came up saying that the computer was not properly shut down. It started doing a scan for errors, what does this mean?
If the computer was IMPROPERLY SHUTDOWN by just turning the power switch off on the desktop or tower case then you will get this message. The system will scan for errors that could have occurred when the system was improperly shut down.
• To properly shutdown your computer you should ALWAYS go to Start on the task bar and Shutdown from the pop-up menu.
3. The computer monitor is black.
Many computers have a built-in energy saving feature that puts the system to sleep after a specific amount of idle time. The monitor will appear to be off, showing a black screen and the power light will be amber.
• To awaken the system, move the mouse around or hit any key on the keyboard. Allow a few seconds for the system to power up.
• If the system is not in sleep mode, make sure that the monitor’s power switch is on (the power light will show green or yellow).
• Check to see that the power cord is plugged in tightly in back of the monitor and that the power strip (surge protector) is on. Also make sure that the monitor cable is tightly connected to the tower/desktop.
• If your monitor’s power is on and the cables are all OK but there is still nothing on the screen, the cause could be that the monitor's brightness and/or contrast control have been turned down and just need re-adjusting. These controls are on the monitor (location depends on manufacturer).
• Before assuming the monitor to be faulty, it is worthwhile to substitute another monitor that is known to work in order to establish that the video card of the PC is working. Normally such faults as intermittent assortment of odd characters, perhaps some flashing in vivid colors on the screen are indicative of a video card fault.
1. If the other monitor works properly then the monitor in question may be faulty.
2. If the other monitor does not work properly then the video card may be the fault. Follow your district technology department’s procedure for reporting repair needs.
4. I turned my monitor on and there was a box with red, green and blue stripes that said “No Signal Input,” what does this mean?
Don’t panic, this simply means that the monitor is on but it is not receiving a signal from the system. Turn your desktop/tower on at the power switch.
5. You can't access your printer - does the fault lie in the computer or the printer or the cable in between?
• Is the printer shared?
> YES – be certain that the computer sharing the printer is turned on before the others in the room. Example: The computer that the printer is connected to is being shared by the other computers for printing purposes and must be on for printing to
be successful.
> NO – then
• Are you trying to print to the default printer? ¾ YES-see next bullet.
> NO-select the print option from the File menu, change the printer by clicking on the drop- down arrow by the printer “name” box and select the desired printer from the list.
• Does a different cable (preferably one known to work elsewhere) fix the problem? >YES - your original cable was faulty or not connected properly. ¾ NO - then...
• Does the printer work with a different computer?
> YES - the problem is probably within the computer—see (a) below. ¾ NO - the problem is probably within the printer—see (b) below.
a) If the problem seems to be within the computer:
• Is the problem confined to just one application?
>YES - the problem is with the installation/configuration of that particular program. > >NO - then.
• Uninstall the printer and reinstall.
b) If the problem seems to be with the printer:
• Most manufacturers include a troubleshooting diagnostic program with their printers. Run this program to determine if the printer is functioning properly.
• Does it print its internal test page?
> YES - there may be a fault with the printer's communication port.
> NO - the printer may have its paper/ink/toner incorrectly inserted or may have more serious internal problems.
ƒ Remove and reinsert/replace the ink cartridge(s). Be careful not to touch the
metal foil contacts on the cartridge(s) while handling. ƒ Remove the paper from the feed tray and reinsert it. ƒ Turn the printer off, wait about 30 seconds, and turn it back on. ƒ Restart the computer (make sure you have saved the document you are trying to print before restarting) and try printing again.
6. My number keypad does not work.
• The Num Lock must be on (indicated by green light) for keypad to work.
> To turn the Num Lock on, push the Num Lock key in the upper left corner of the keypad. The green light should then be on.
7. My keyboard is frozen.
• Shut the computer down by going to Start on the task bar, then Shut Down from the pop-up menu. Unplug the keyboard connection from the port and reinsert tightly.
• Wait about 60 seconds and then turn the power back on.
> If you did not save prior to the keyboard freezing you will probably lose all of the data entered since the last save.
1. Why won’t my computer or printer come on?
The first thing you need to check is what most would consider “the stupid stuff”, the peripherals. You’d be amazed how many “problems” are solved by connecting the cables, or turning on the power switch that you swear you already did. Beyond that, double-check the connections to assure that they are tightly inserted—jiggling a card, pushing (never rock connections from side to side) in a connection, or screwing in a cable connection can make a difference.
When looking at the back of a computer, you should be able to identify the following peripherals (See your “Computer Basics” handout):
a) Power cable connection
b) Mouse and keyboard connection
c) Monitor connection
d) Ethernet connection
e) Microphone (usually has a picture of a microphone on it)
f) Speaker connections/power supply
g) Printer connection/power supply
h) Surge protector (make sure that it is turned on)
Some computers have the same connectors for the keyboard and mouse, and possibly the COM (serial communications) ports.
• If a computer has no power, and you are sure that you turned the power switch on, you should check to see that all power cords are plugged into the electrical outlet and/or surge protector.
• If a computer has no power, and all power cords are plugged into a surge protector, double-check to see that the surge protector power switch is on.
• If the surge protector power switch is on, disconnect one plug (say the monitor or printer) and plug it directly into the electrical outlet. If the equipment comes on, the surge protector could be faulty and it should be replaced.
• If you’ve checked all connections and power supplies but power is still not restored, you may want to check with your school’s head custodian to see that there is not a problem with the power supply (flipped breaker switch) to your classroom.
• Follow your districts technology department procedures for requesting technical/repair assistance if all else fails.
2. I turned the computer on and a blue screen came up saying that the computer was not properly shut down. It started doing a scan for errors, what does this mean?
If the computer was IMPROPERLY SHUTDOWN by just turning the power switch off on the desktop or tower case then you will get this message. The system will scan for errors that could have occurred when the system was improperly shut down.
• To properly shutdown your computer you should ALWAYS go to Start on the task bar and Shutdown from the pop-up menu.
3. The computer monitor is black.
Many computers have a built-in energy saving feature that puts the system to sleep after a specific amount of idle time. The monitor will appear to be off, showing a black screen and the power light will be amber.
• To awaken the system, move the mouse around or hit any key on the keyboard. Allow a few seconds for the system to power up.
• If the system is not in sleep mode, make sure that the monitor’s power switch is on (the power light will show green or yellow).
• Check to see that the power cord is plugged in tightly in back of the monitor and that the power strip (surge protector) is on. Also make sure that the monitor cable is tightly connected to the tower/desktop.
• If your monitor’s power is on and the cables are all OK but there is still nothing on the screen, the cause could be that the monitor's brightness and/or contrast control have been turned down and just need re-adjusting. These controls are on the monitor (location depends on manufacturer).
• Before assuming the monitor to be faulty, it is worthwhile to substitute another monitor that is known to work in order to establish that the video card of the PC is working. Normally such faults as intermittent assortment of odd characters, perhaps some flashing in vivid colors on the screen are indicative of a video card fault.
1. If the other monitor works properly then the monitor in question may be faulty.
2. If the other monitor does not work properly then the video card may be the fault. Follow your district technology department’s procedure for reporting repair needs.
4. I turned my monitor on and there was a box with red, green and blue stripes that said “No Signal Input,” what does this mean?
Don’t panic, this simply means that the monitor is on but it is not receiving a signal from the system. Turn your desktop/tower on at the power switch.
5. You can't access your printer - does the fault lie in the computer or the printer or the cable in between?
• Is the printer shared?
> YES – be certain that the computer sharing the printer is turned on before the others in the room. Example: The computer that the printer is connected to is being shared by the other computers for printing purposes and must be on for printing to
be successful.
> NO – then
• Are you trying to print to the default printer? ¾ YES-see next bullet.
> NO-select the print option from the File menu, change the printer by clicking on the drop- down arrow by the printer “name” box and select the desired printer from the list.
• Does a different cable (preferably one known to work elsewhere) fix the problem? >YES - your original cable was faulty or not connected properly. ¾ NO - then...
• Does the printer work with a different computer?
> YES - the problem is probably within the computer—see (a) below. ¾ NO - the problem is probably within the printer—see (b) below.
a) If the problem seems to be within the computer:
• Is the problem confined to just one application?
>YES - the problem is with the installation/configuration of that particular program. > >NO - then.
• Uninstall the printer and reinstall.
b) If the problem seems to be with the printer:
• Most manufacturers include a troubleshooting diagnostic program with their printers. Run this program to determine if the printer is functioning properly.
• Does it print its internal test page?
> YES - there may be a fault with the printer's communication port.
> NO - the printer may have its paper/ink/toner incorrectly inserted or may have more serious internal problems.
ƒ Remove and reinsert/replace the ink cartridge(s). Be careful not to touch the
metal foil contacts on the cartridge(s) while handling. ƒ Remove the paper from the feed tray and reinsert it. ƒ Turn the printer off, wait about 30 seconds, and turn it back on. ƒ Restart the computer (make sure you have saved the document you are trying to print before restarting) and try printing again.
6. My number keypad does not work.
• The Num Lock must be on (indicated by green light) for keypad to work.
> To turn the Num Lock on, push the Num Lock key in the upper left corner of the keypad. The green light should then be on.
7. My keyboard is frozen.
• Shut the computer down by going to Start on the task bar, then Shut Down from the pop-up menu. Unplug the keyboard connection from the port and reinsert tightly.
• Wait about 60 seconds and then turn the power back on.
> If you did not save prior to the keyboard freezing you will probably lose all of the data entered since the last save.
Monday 24 March 2014 1
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