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Taking the Guess Work Out of Computers With Hardware IssuesBy Cory Mioc |
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Today many computer technicians are frustrated with the unpredictability of various computer problems due to the environment that computers operate in today. Because 90% of all computer users in the United States use it to surf the internet, many computers get infected with malicious programs such as viruses, spyware, and Trojan horses. Some might assume that this is not a major concern because users can just run antivirus software, adware remover to repair the machine, right? Well not necessarily.
There are spyware programs that can fool even the most of savvy technicians. A great example of this occurred with one of the customer’s computers that we have serviced. A young lady brought in her computer that was spontaneously shutting down right before Windows XP loaded. We checked the machine for adware, and viruses and we did remove most of them. However, the problem was reoccurring. We knew it was a hardware issue but could not get to the bottom of the problem. So then the guessing game started. Could it be the power supply? CPU overheating? Motherboard? Memory? Or maybe some other viruses? Before you know it we could spend 10 hours on a computer trying to decipher what the real issue is.
There are a number of steps that to be followed in order to discover whether the computer has a hardware problem or a software problem. To rule out the hardware hypothesis, we take a few verification steps. The first step is using our ATX power supply tester to determine if the power supply is bad. Most people assume that if the fan in the power supply is spinning or making noise it is working. Wrong! The power supply could be bad and not supplying adequate power to the motherboard or other components and therefore causing troubles. The power supply tester can inform you in 5 seconds if the power supply is in fact functioning properly. The second step we take is to test the computer’s motherboard. We use professional motherboard testing equipment that exposes faulty codes within the motherboard, and other parts connected to it. After following these steps we know if the computer has a bad memory, CPU problem or other hardware related issues. Once we rule out that the hardware is problematic, we test the software.
As many computer techs know, software issues can be very painful. However, if the problem is determined to be related to the software we can simply reformat the computer. Many techs do not prefer to move on to reformatting the computer because of the potential hardware problems that may occur by doing so.
So now back to our case. We found that the young lady’s computer had a faulty memory. But what if it was a case of the Trojan horse restarting her machine?
Don't get caught up in the guessing game, or you might find yourself spending endless hours trying to repair a computer or making the wrong repair decision for your customer. |
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About the Author |
| Cory Mioc, Sales Manager at Probe US, Inc takes his tech knowledge and experience and applies it to come up with simple solutions to make computer repair easier. His resume also includes entrepreneur, philanthropist, and consultant. Check out his Company’s website at http://www.probeusinc.com/ |
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