COMPUTER TIPS

It's a really awful way to start a day: you press the power button on your computer and nothing happens. Few computer problems are more frustrating than when your computer won't boot. There are many reasons why a computer won't turn on and often very few clues about what might be the problem. The only symptom is usually the simple fact that "nothing works," which isn't much to go on. Add to this the fact that whatever is causing your computer not to start could be an expensive part of your desktop or laptop to replace - like the motherboard or CPU. Do not fear because all might not be lost! Here's what you need to do: Read the first section below (it'll make you feel better). Pick the best troubleshooting guide from below based on how your computer is acting or choose the last one if your PC stops at any point because of an error message. Note: The "computer won't start" troubleshooting guides below apply to all PC devices. In ...

Trying to remove a computer virus or other malware infection can become a battle of wills between you and the attacker. Antivirus software can be a powerful ally, removing most of today's malware with ease. But occasionally, a really stubborn infector may put you at the forefront of the battle. Here's how to help you win. Get Safe Access to the Drive The best time to remove malware is when it's in a dormant state. Booting into "safe mode" is one option, but isn't always the best option. Some malware hooks into something called "winlogon," which means that if you can access Windows, the malware is already loaded. Other malware will register as the file handler for a particular file type, so any time that file type is loaded, the malware is launched first. Your best bet for thwarting these type of infectors is to create a BartPE Recovery CD and use it to access the infected system. If you plan to run antivirus or other utilities from a USB driv...

Few things cause more eye rolls than being told to restart something, be it your computer, smartphone, television, or whatever other technology we're talking about. Most of us are used to hearing it by now. The majority of people who we help out have already restarted their computer (or whatnot) before they even talk to us, and the others tend to slap their foreheads with their hands, shocked that they've forgotten this technology panacea. Other people almost seem to take offense when they hear it like they've been somehow insulted with this too-simple-to-be-helpful advice. But guess what? It actually works! We estimate that more than half of the technology problems we see from our clients and readers are fixable with a simple reboot. Why Restarting Something Works So Well Now that the this-actually-works part is out of the way, it begs the question: why does it work? Let's start by talking about what happens when your computer is running: You open pro...

The computer case serves mainly as a way to physically mount and contain all of the actual components inside of a computer, like the motherboard, hard drive, optical drive, floppy disk drive, etc. They typically come bundled with a power supply. The housing of a laptop, netbook, or tablet is also considered a case but since they aren't purchased separately or very replaceable, the computer case tends to refer to the one that's part of a traditional desktop PC. Some popular computer case manufacturers include Xoxide, NZXT, and Antec. Note: The computer case is also known as a tower, box, system unit, base unit, enclosure, housing, chassis, and cabinet. Important Computer Case Facts Motherboards, computer cases, and power supplies all come in different sizes called form factors. All three must be compatible to work properly together. Many computer cases, especially ones made of metal, contain very sharp edges. Be very careful when working with an open case to avoid ser...

Testing a power supply is an important step when troubleshooting many issues, most obviously when your computer is having trouble starting. However, a failing power supply can often be at the root of problems you might not expect, like random lockups, spontaneous reboots, and even some serious error messages. Ask any computer repair professional and he will probably tell you that the power supply is the most common piece of hardware to fail in a computer. In my experience, the power supply is very often the first thing to fail as a computer ages. How to Test the Power Supply in Your Computer You can test a power supply yourself manually using a multimeter (method #1) or you can purchase a power supply tester to perform an automatic PSU test (method #2). Both methods are equally effective ways of testing a power supply so which one you choose is completely up to you. Here's some more information on how to test your power supply with each of these methods and some...

No one knows off the top of their head what version their motherboard's BIOS is at. Well... I do, but I'm a bit of a hardware geek. Your BIOS version number isn't something you need to keep tabs on at all times. The main reason you'd want to check what version it's at is if you're curious if there's a BIOS update available. Like most things in the technology world, your motherboard software (BIOS) occasionally gets updated, sometimes to fix bugs and other times to add new features. As part of some hardware troubleshooting processes, especially those that involve new RAM or a new CPU that won't work correctly, updating BIOS to the latest version is a good thing to try. Below are 5 different methods for checking the BIOS version installed on your motherboard: Methods 1 & 2 are best if your computer isn't working properly. They are operating system independent. Methods 3, 4, and 5 are more convenient ways to check the BIOS versio...

If you've ever fried a CPU because you didn't clean your fan, lost a decade of your digital life to a hard drive crash, or spent four hours trying to remove a nasty virus, you've probably already learned a valuable lesson about the need to maintain your computer. Medical experts remind us that "prevention is the best medicine" so as your personal computer support expert, I'm going to strongly advise that you apply the same logic to your computer! While the three areas I talk about below are anything but exhaustive, they're the most important things to consider and, if you act on them, should keep you from suffering from some of the more serious, and expensive, issues you might otherwise run in to. Keep Important Files Backed Up The most important thing you can do as a computer owner is to consistently and reliably back up the data stored on your hard drive. Hardware used to be the most valuable part of a computer but those bits and bytes are no...

How To Stay Safe While Working On Your Computer In addition to being an afternoon of great fun (seriously!), computer repair can save you loads of time and money. No amount of fun, money or time is enough, though, to compromise your safety. Keep these important tips in mind as you work inside your computer: Remember to Flip the Switch Always, always, always remember to turn the power off before servicing anything. This should always be your first step. Do not even open the computer case unless the power is turned off. Many computers have a number of lights inside that serve certain functions so check to see that no lights are on. If any are still on then the power is probably not completely off. Many power supply units have a switch on the back, killing power to the device and ultimately the rest of your PC. If your PC has one, be sure to turn it to the off position. If you're working on a laptop, notebook, or tablet, be sure to remove the battery, as well as dis...

Change a Different User's Password in Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP The biggest reason you might want to change another user's password is if the other user has forgotten theirs. It happens to the best of us so try not to make your family member, roommate, or other partner on your computer feel too badly about it. There are plenty of ways to get around a lost Windows password but one of the easier ones, assuming of course that there's more than one user on the computer, is to just change the password from within another account. You'll be happy to know that changing the password on another user's account is really easy, no matter which version of Windows you have. See What Version of Windows Do I Have? if you're not sure which of those several versions of Windows is installed on your computer. Warning: When you change a Windows password from outside the account, which is what you're doing when you change another user's password, the user y...

Reinstall Windows XP Without Formatting Your Hard Drive Sometimes, it's just not an option to reformat a hard drive before reinstalling Windows XP. Most of the time this is because you have important files that you haven't backed up and erasing them is simply not something you're OK with doing. While newer versions of Windows have more extensive repair and recovery options, it seems that just about every major problem with Windows XP requires a brand new, destructive reinstallation process. If you have data that you can't back up, or programs that you can't later reinstall, reinstalling Windows XP without reformatting is a must. How Do I Reinstall Windows XP Without Reformatting? The most effective way to reinstall Windows XP without reformatting your hard drive is to perform a repair installation of Windows XP. A repair installation will install Windows XP again, over top of the existing installation that you're currently having problems with. ...

Why Fragmentation Occurs, How Defragging Helps, & If Defragging an SSD is Smart Fragmentation occurs on a hard drive, a memory module, or other media when data is not written closely enough physically on the drive. Those fragmented, individual pieces of data are referred to generally as fragments. Defragmentation, then, is the process of un-fragmenting or piecing together, those fragmented files so they sit closer - physically - on the drive or other media, potentially speeding up the drive's ability to access the file. What Are File Fragments? Fragments, like I mentioned above, are simply pieces of files that aren't placed next to each other on the drive. That might be kind of strange to think about, and nothing you would ever notice, but it's true. For example, when you create a new Microsoft Word file, you see the whole file in one place, like on the Desktop or in your Documents folder. You can open it, edit it, remove it, rename it - whatever you want...

Fix Problems with Start up Repair, a Repair Install or Reset This PC Depending on the version of Windows you're using, there are several different ways to automatically repair major Windows  operating system  problems without resorting to a destructive process, like a Reset Your PC or a  Windows Clean Install . The newest versions of Windows have really easy, automated ways of repairing problems that you might have tried to fix manually but were unsuccessful at, like random error messages, overall slowness, even problems that prevent Windows from starting at all. It's a mixed bag with older versions of Windows, with some automatic repairs for certain types of issues or all-or-nothing repair processes that, while sometimes might seem like overkill, are certainly welcome when you need them. How Do I Automatically Repair Windows Problems? Most of the time, especially when a major problem is occurring, the best way to automatically repair Window...