The Most Common Computer Faults

Computer problems can be broken down into 3 basic categories:

1. Software faults,
2. Hardware faults, and
3. Operator error.
   

By far and away the most common fault I see is a toss up between Viruses & Spyware and Hard Drive failure normally in the form of Bad Sectors, but can be mechanical or electrical.
Viruses & Spyware can really be placed into 2 categories, the Software Fault category and the Operator Error category. It is the easiest one of all to prevent, because invariably it is the operator that causes it (generally speaking). In my experience it is unlikely that you will get a virus if you do the right thing on the internet. What do I mean by right thing? Well, if you do the following, you will more than likely remain virus and spyware free:

1. Install Antivirus & Antispyware software;
2. Always install the Microsoft security updates (I know that sometimes they can cause some issues, but by and large you really need to do them);
3. Never assume that just because you have googled something and it displays a site or some software (particularly antivirus software), that is safe to visit that site or download and install the software. A classic thing that I see all the time is when someone has been infected with a virus and they "google" free antivirus software, and then stupidly download and install a program even if they have no idea of whether it is legitimate or not;
   
4. and finally, DO NOT visit porn sites, game cheat/hack sites, pirate software sites, free screensaver sites, also if you are using peer-to-peer software like Limewire, you never know if what you are downloading is legitimate or indeed a virus. Be very wary of anything that you download that is an executable file.
   

As far as Bad Sectors on hard drives are concerned, there is absolutely nothing you can do about that. Well almost nothing. All you can do is make sure you don't knock or bump the computer while it is operating (this can cause head crashes), and prevent data loss by making sure you regularly back-up important data, as well as taking note of anything weird that happens and doing something about it. If you catch it early, it is possible to make an image of your old hard drive and copy that image to a new one. If left too long however, it may not be possible to do that. What symptoms and indications should you look for?

1. The computer seems really slow doing basic tasks like opening folders. This may also be symptomatic of viruses and spyware or a lack of RAM (memory), or not enough free hard drive space;
2. There seems to be a lot of hard drive activity all the time. The hard drive light seems to be on all the time.
   
3. You get error messages about missing or corrupted files;
4. Sometimes the computer won't boot up or won't boot up at all, or restarts randomly; and
   
5. You hear clicking noises. If you hear this, be afraid, very afraid. This is NOT good. Often this is referred to as the "click of death".

The 2nd most common hardware fault is a poor connection on the RAM contacts. Typical symptoms include:

1. You press the "Power" button on the computer, all the lights come on, there is no beep, nothing appears on the monitor;
2. You press the "Power" button on the computer, all the lights come on, and there is a constant beep beep sound; or
   
3. You are happily working on you computer, the monitor goes blank, you shut down the computer and restart, and one of the two symptoms above occur.

This is a really easy one to fix. Turn off the power to the computer by unplugging the power cord. Then simply locate the RAM on the motherboard, remove it, clean the contacts with a pencil eraser, and replace the RAM. 99 times out of 100 this will solve the problem. Sometimes however it may be a mechanical issue caused by the contacts in the socket on the motherboard where the RAM plugs into spreading apart on not contacting correctly with the RAM contacts. If this is the case the only solution is to replace the motherboard.

There is one other thing I would like to touch on with regards to hardware faults, and that is remember this, "heat is the enemy". All too often you will see a computer stuffed into a small storage area in a computer desk with books or papers wedged against the side blocking case air ducts. This is a recipe for component failure. So is dust. If it is at all possible, get the computer off the floor away from the dust and size 10 boots. Your computer will thank you.

Software faults include software that is not compatible with your hardware or operating system. Most commonly this will occur when you buy a new computer and you move from one operating system to another. For example you had Windows XP on your old computer and the new one has Windows Vista and the latter is not compatible with your old hardware and software. Viruses and spyware fall into this category as well. After all they are just software. And last but not least, misbehaving hardware drivers, or a security update or patch that causes problems. These two go hand in hand because sometimes after a windows update, drivers can become incompatible so the solution is to download the latest version of the driver from the manufacturers website. A list of the major manufacturers is shown in the menu on the right hand side of this blog.

The last category is Operator Error. Sometimes there is no fault at all. It is a lack of knowledge on the part of the operator. Unfortunately I can't really help you here other than to advise you that you learn about your computer, it's operating system and the software installed on the computer. Also, try thinking outside the box and a little laterally. I will give you an example. Yesterday I was out on a job, and the customer was complaining that the new computer I built for them was not recognising their digital cameras. One camera was an older one, but the other was brand new. I plugged in the older camera 1st, and sure enough the computer did not see it. But the first thing I noticed was that the cable that connected it to the computer had insulation tape around the plug at one end. This immediately rang alarm bells in my head, so I plugged a USB Drive into the computer and it recognised it straight away. What does this tell me? It tells me that the USB port and the computer are fine and that the problem is more than likely the dodgy cable. So I grabbed the 2nd camera and plugged it in and again the computer did not recognise it. But if the customer had taken the time to look at the LCD screen at the rear of the camera, he would have noticed that he was being prompted to choose what sort of connection he would like to make. Either a PC connection or a PictBridge connection. Once the PC connection was chosen, all was good. My point here is that it is my experience that most people do not read or take notice of messages and do not try to understand them or investigate their meaning. If you get an error message, try googling it for an answer. You would be surprised how often you will find and answer and be able to solve the problem on your own :-)

Iain

Computer Repairs | Virus Removal | Website Hosting Design | Data Recovery