Troubleshooting & Checklist

The most common problem with any new PC build is partially made or improper connections. Most of the troubleshooting procedures in this blog require that the cover be removed form the PC and that some components be removed or reconnected. For this reason, it's best to plug in the PC through a switched power strip, so you can use the power strip switch to isolate the system from the electrical supply before every repair attempt.

Most people, even professional technicians, tend to get a little sloppy when troubleshooting, often accidentally introducing a new problem to replace the old. The main key to any type of troubleshooting is to go one step at a time. That way, when the original problem is corrected, you'll know exactly what did the trick, and if you create a new problem, you'll know what went wrong.

We will address five basic scenarios in this blog, ranging from a stone dead system to a lack of functionality, such as a modem that won't connect. Although these procedures will uncover most assembly errors, there is often no way to isolate a dead component without having other known good parts to swap out. In the world of professional PC troubleshooting and repair, the "swap' till you drop" strategy is still the most common troubleshooting technique employed. Swapping components requires no expensive diagnostics software or hardware and is usually the quickest way to isolate a problem. Another reason to steer clear of specialized diagnostics tools is that they are geared to identifying problems with subcomponents that can't be fixed anyway. Finding out exactly which address is bad in the system RAM or in the cache memory of a drive or motherboard is of little use when you'll have to replace the whole assembly anyway.

These troubleshooting procedures are for a newly built PC. If you have been using the PC for some time for any new problem that arises you have to consider the possibility of a computer virus. One way to check whether you have a hardware problem or a virus problem at boot time is to boot from your original operating system CD. If you do contract a virus, there are many virus doctor programs you can buy with a reasonable certainty they will fix the problem, but you may need Internet access to download the latest virus inoculations form the manufacturer's Web site.

In general, if you computer a serious recurring software problem with your PC, and you has good backups of any important data, the most reliable fix is to wipe clean the hard drive by deleting the primary partition with the FDISK program and reinstall the software form scratch. Just be really sure you have the original CDs and serial numbers for all the software you use, in addition to good data backups, because once you FDISK, it's all gone. Before running FDISK, confirm that your operating system CD will boot!

Caution: We cannot reiterate enough times that you should disconnect power from the system before making any change inside the case; then reconnect after each change to check the result. If you smell a burnt electronics odor at any time, you have a blown component and should not attempt powering up again until it is found and replaced and the cause of the failure is determined.

Stone DeadYou switch on your new system and there are no signs of life. The power supply fan doesn't turn; there are no sounds, no lights.

· Make sure the power cord is fully inserted into the power supply, the override switch on the back of the supply (if so equipped) is turned on, and the voltage switch is set correctly. Don't neglect to make sure the wall socket you are plugged into is live by unplugging the computer and plugging a radio or lamp to check.
· Recheck the motherboard documentation for the proper connection of the leads from the front panel power switch. Don't settle for just looking at the switch connection to the motherboard; remove the lead, check that the terminal block matches the documentation, and then reconnect it. Undo the main power supply connection to the motherboard (this requires pressing in the clasp as you pull gently on the connector), inspect the connector for damage, and reconnect. On Pentium 4 systems make sure you have connected the additional 12V header.
· Search for shorted components by disconnecting the power cables and ribbon cables from the drives; one drive at a time, retrying power up after each drive is disconnected. Without reconnecting the drives, remove each adapter card (leave video for last) one at a time, retrying power up after each removal.
· Remove and reinstall memory DIMMs or RIMMs, inspecting for physical damage. Remove and reinstall the heatsink and CPU, double checking the CPU fan is connected to the proper terminal on the motherboard. Never attempt to power up the system without the heatsink installed.
· In extremely rare cases, the power switch on the front panel may be faulty. You can use a continuity else that could cause a short circuit to the motherboard circuitry. Reinstall the motherboard in the case and reinstall the video adapter, then try powering up.

If you still have no power, the problem is most likely a defective power supply or motherboard.

Power Comes On; Screen Is DeadYou hear the power come on and the drives spinning up, but the screen remains blank.

· Make sure the monitor is plugged into a good power outlet by switching wall sockets with the power supply cord. If the power cord is not permanently attached to the monitor, make sure it is fully inserted in the socket on the back of the monitor. If your monitor is equipped with manual dials for brightness and contrast, make sure they are in the middle of their range.
· Remove the monitor connector form the video card and check that none of the pins in the shell are bent over. Note that some missing pins in the three-row high-density connector are normal.
· Remove and reseat the video adapter, making sure the hold down screw doesn't cause the back end of the adapter to lift partially out of the bus slot.
· Check for a defective or conflicting adapter on the bus. Remove any other adapters installed, one by one, rechecking power after each. Don’t forget to unplug the power supply, or turn off the power strip or override switch before each removal.
· Double-check the motherboard documentation for overlooked CPU selection switches or jumpers settings. Depending on the motherboard used, CPU selection might be automatic. Don’t take the manual at its word that default settings are set; check the actual switch and jumper positions on the motherboard.
· Double-check that CPU and memory modules are seated properly, particularly slot-type CPUs, which can take a good deal of pressure to mate correctly with the motherboard.

If you still have no live screen, the problem is likely defective hardware. Make sure the case speaker is properly connected to the motherboard as per the motherboard documentation. If you hear a series of beeps, note the number and sequence, s they will pinpoint the defective component. The motherboard documentation or manufacturer Web site should give the codes, although the most likely candidate for beeps on a dead screen is the video adapter. If no beeps sound, the most likely candidates are a dead monitor (easily checked by connecting it to another system), a defective motherboard, or a defective power supply. In some instances, you may have bad RAM or a bad video adapter but still not hear any beep codes.

Screen Comes On; No BootYou get text appearing onscreen, but the PC either won’t try to boot or locks up in the process.

No onscreen messages indicating boot failure.
Enter CMOS Setup by following onscreen instructions (usually by pressing the DEL or F1 key) after power up. Select the CMOS option to Restore Default Settings or similarly phrased option, save and reboot. Note: If you cannot access Setup, double-check that the keyboard and mouse connectors aren’t interchanged. If you still can’t access Setup, disconnect power and remover all adapters except the video and disconnect the drives. If you still can’t access Setup, you have some defective hardware, most likely the motherboard, although it could still be the RAM or CPU. These core components should always be bought from the same source to simplify return issues.
If there are still no messages indicating boot failure, enter CMOS Setup again and make sure the CPU speed setting, bus clock frequency, and IDE interface speed don’t exceed your component ratings.
If the system hangs at Verifying DMI Data Pool, it is usually a motherboard or IDE device problem. If you have an option to enable Reset Configuration Data, use it. Disconnect your IDE cables from the motherboard and see if you can get as far as a Drive Failure or No Boot Device message. If not, the motherboard will probably need replacing, although you can try discharging the onboard battery first by using the jumper setting in the motherboard manual for disabling a forgotten password.
Missing operating system or no boot device message.· Check that the IDE cables are connected to the drives and motherboard properly by removing and reinstalling them. Make sure the power connectors to all the drives are properly installed. Make sure the master / slave jumpers for the drives are installed properly.
· If the system tries to boot a CD and fails, it may just be bad timing. Strangely enough, some high-speed CD drives take so long to get up to speed that the BIOS (motherboard logic) gives up on them before they get there. If the screen displays a message such as “Insert CD and hit any key when ready,” eject the CD tray; then push it back in, but wait until you hear the drive spin up before pressing a key to continue. It might take a few efforts to get this right if it’s going to work.
· Check that the operating system CD is readable in another system, and don’t try using pirated operating system software on home recorded CDs.
· Enter CMOS Setup and rearrange the boot sequence so that the CD-ROM or the IDE channel to which it is connected is selected as the first boot device. This shouldn’t be necessary, but it will help if a previous attempt to install the operating system failed, leaving the hard drive appearing bootable to the motherboard.
· Simplify the system by removing any additional drives so all you have left are a “master” hard drive on the primary IDE channel. If it doesn’t work, as a final check try both drives on the primary controller with the CD as the “slave.”

Boots; Locks Up During Or After OS InstallEverything appears to be working fine, right up through formatting the hard drive. But, at some point during the operating system installation or immediately after, the PC locks up.

First check with your parts vendor or operating system manufacturer for known compatibility issues. Also be aware that some CDRs and combination drives have problems with operating system install, which usually manifests itself as a “read error”.
Unplug the power and remove all adapters except the video adapter. Install the operating system. Next install the motherboard drivers from the CD that shipped with the motherboard and the video adapter driver from its own CD. Install any other adapters one at a time, reconnect power and reboot, allowing the operating system to deal with them individually.
Make sure you are using the approved cabling for any high-performance parts such as 80-conductor ribbon cables with Ultra 66 or Ultra 100 hard drives, because communication breakdowns at high speeds are likely to show up under the load of operating system installation.
In some rare cases, operating system installation can fail repeatedly because a borderline component is suffering a heat-related failure as the system warms up. This is extremely difficult to troubleshoot without parts to swap out, and if you bring the parts back to the point of purchase, it might be hard to convince the vendor that the problem isn’t in your imagination. Make sure the CPU heatsink is properly installed, the heatsink fan is working, and you aren’t building the system in a hot attic in the summer. Go through the steps related to CMOS Setup in scenario 3 and document all the troubleshooting steps you go through for the vendor. Try reinstalling the operating system several times with no adapter other than video before concluding that you have a hardware failure.

Boots and Runs
If you operating system installation goes smoothly but you have trouble accessing a particular device, the problem is as likely to be software as hardware. Extensive software troubleshooting is outside the scope of this website, but we will mention some of the key points you can check in Windows operating systems.

Hard Drive
· Any message indicating a hard drive read or write failure is a hardware error. Try replacing the ribbon cable, making sure you use the newer 80-conductor type.
· Isolate the hard drive on its own IDE channel, moving any other drives to the secondary channel on their own cable or temporarily disconnecting them.
· If the hard drive is excessively noisy or makes a continual clunking sound, it has suffered internal damage and odds are even an expensive data recovery outfit won’t be able to help

CD or DVD Drive
If the drive has trouble reading a particular disc, try wiping off any fingerprints with a clean flannel shirt. Note rewriteable discs written in CDRs and DVDRs are often unreadable in other drives.
For continual read errors, try all the steps for hard drive troubleshooting new IDE cable, isolation, and swapping IDE hard drives, so isolating them on their own controller will often fix the problem.
If you can’t play music CDs even though your speakers work with other computer sounds, the thin audio cable from the sound card (or motherboard with integrated sound) to the four-pin connector on the back of the drive is improperly installed or missing.
If you record music CDs on our PC and they won’t in your stereo, make sure you are using CDR blanks, not CDRW.
If you have a CDR or DVDR and your write sessions often fail, try recording at a lower speed and make sure you are using media certified for at least the speed at which you are recording.

The Desktop Computer Isn't Dead Yet

According to news articles in the past year or two, the desktop computer is beginning to cry "I don't want to go on the cart." According to this article, the arrival of real tablet PCs is going to take a slice of the computer market, and it won't be coming from netbook or laptop sales.

I won't deny that laptops are everywhere these days, and getting more powerful all the time. Currently, I use a laptop as my main computer, and have a 10-year-old desktop kicking around used to play YouTube videos and such on my TV. I, for one, plan to buy a desktop computer as my next major computer purchase, for several reasons.

Firstly, my laptop hardware went obsolete REALLY fast. I bought it in July 2007, and by the fall there were far more powerful models out for the same price. I bought a model with a decent-enough video card in hopes of playing a few games, but even games of several years earlier than 2007 had to be run with minimal video settings. As far as 2010 games go, the situation is hopeless.

Secondly, I dislike very much that for my laptop's processor to run at full advertised speeds, the bottom of the computer gets hot enough to cook pizza pops on. If I hadn't bought the 12-cell battery that lifts the bottom of the computer off the desk, providing extra ventilation, the computer would be hot enough to cook two pizza pops on. It's possible that newer laptops are better now and don't run as hot, but I've always found myself running in power saver mode at 600 MHz just so I didn't scald my lap.

Thirdly, one of the main arguments against desktop computers is that they are chained to your desk. While it's nice that laptops have batteries and can go anywhere, they still need to spend some amount of time chained to a wall outlet every so often. Until wireless power is brought to the consumer market, laptops will still partially have the same chained problem as desktops. After a few years, your laptop battery goes and you have to stay chained to the wall all the time anyway.

Desktop computers have much more longevity than laptops for several reasons, meaning that they're more worth the money you spend on them in the long term. First and foremost, desktops are super upgradeable if you buy a system with future upgrades in mind. You can always pop in more RAM, another hard drive, another video card, etc. Laptops are almost always not so. Also, the hard drive in a desktop will last much, much longer than that of a laptop, because it remains stationary all the time. Laptops bounce around all over the place, and usually the hard drive will give out in a few years' time at most. My current 10-year-old desktop still has its original hard drive running fine. When your laptop eventually does need repair, one needs to either send it away to a manufacturer for weeks, or attempt to dismantle the entire computer, just to tinker with whatever is broken. When a desktop computer is opened up, everything is easily accessible and within reach.

It used to be that you could make a valid argument against desktops and their space requirements. You need room for that giant CRT monitor, and someplace to put your tower. These days, you can buy compact desktops that are about the size of a laptop standing on its side, or even smaller if you look at the Home Theater PC market. LCD monitors are the standard these days, so they don't require much space either.

I can't speak for the rest of the computer user world, but when I need to sit down and focus on work on the computer, I work more productively if I'm sitting at a desk. If I'm sitting at a desk, I enjoy having a big screen to spread out all my windows on, and a mouse and keyboard. I could use all these accessories with a laptop, but it seems more practical to me to have a dedicated desktop hooked up, rather than plugging and unplugging from my comparatively underpowered laptop all the time. I can especially see this situation if I ever found a job doing computer work from home, as I imagine is the case for a significant portion of the working population in the computer industry.

In the past year or two I've seen home servers come out on the market for the average computer user. Regular users are beginning to realize the importance of file backup and the convenience of central media servers. Combine this market with the home theater market, and you have one desktop-dominated market area. Laptops just don't make sense to be run as always-on servers.

Desktops can clearly offer more performance power than laptops if you are willing to pay for it, and it's not just hardcore gamers that need the power anymore. Users of CAD software, graphical design software, video editing and encoding software, and virtualization software all need a large amount of RAM, processing power, and storage space. Even software developers would enjoy faster compile times for development projects, even if it means less time to use as a valid slacking-off excuse.

In short, if desktops are losing share of the PC market, it will stop losing and eventually stabilize. The desktop computer is not going away any time soon.

The Benefits Of Cavity Wall Insulation

ncreasing fuel costs and the pressure of the economic downturn have put significant strain on households in recent years. People are also increasingly aware of the environmental impact of their actions so the desire to save energy has risen considerably in recent years. Cavity wall insulation helps the environment whilst cutting energy bills.

Cavity wall insulation involves the process of filling a wall cavity with a porous substance in order to prevent heat loss. This porous material holds air and it is that air that acts as the insulator. This stagnant air prevents convection and drastically reduces the amount of heat loss from a home.

A cavity wall consists of two brick walls built side by side. The two sections are adjacent to each other leaving only a gap of a few inches. A building surveyor will visit the home in advance of the installation to ascertain the suitability of the home. Once the work begins the home should be fully insulated within two hours.

Access to all areas of a house including garages and conservatories is needed. An installation will only be completely successful if all the walls in the property are treated. Valuable items such as vases and ornaments should be packed away prior to the work as significant wall vibration can occur.

The whole installation is quick but can cause a lot of dust and some debris. A lot of equipment will be used some of which will be noisy. The installation team should have clear access to the building so there should be no cars parked up near the walls of the house. Some pets might get distressed by the disruption so it might be a good idea to take them away whilst the work is done.

Once the installation is complete the home owner can expect to see heating bill reductions of up to a third. Although this process can be expensive these savings in energy save the individual thousands of pounds over the lifetime of the house. There are also government grants available for those on low incomes.

Article Source : http://articlesace.com/homeandfamily/the-benefits-of-cavity-wall-insulation

Stylish Jewellery Would Be the Best Choice to Complement Them the Wedding Party Outfit

A whitened marriage costume, a vase of white roses and a grand nuptial are generally each and every girl's fantasy. White wedding dress has been a form of genuine, straightforward and elegant experience. I've a sister who is going to be a bride next month is thinking about to select her marriage jewelry pieces.

She feels that being dressed in as well over the top nuptial jewelry will destroy the sensation of purity and beauty. So she would like me to help her to get the ideal marriage jewelry. And I also assure her that I should uncover the satisfying one particular prior to the wedding ceremony. Suddenly I keep in mind that my pal once announced me links of london charms. So I determine to understand more about this manufacturer.

From that sort of candor to customers, Links of London pattern all types of jewelry with the sincerity of implementation. The features are that every work has their own story or the designers' creativity is got by visiting distinct nations and ending up in distinct folks.

They generally bring consumers unexpected products. Unique pattern, good materials, prosperous public relations and public methods make links of London charms sale grow to be appreciated brand name with the rich and fashion celebrities. So the Overseas position of this manufacturer has also been securely set up.

A great range of jewelery could be put on in distinct events with diverse mood, just as it ignited a story into the diamond jewelry. Those consumers who like personalized component can crane letters for the jewelery. links of London charms sale also love to include some English - style aspects, such as the spontaneity. It focuses on the product packaging which are the diamond jewelry full of mystery and attractiveness.

Finally, I select a small-bead necklace around your neck. It will increase the color for the white wedding ceremony. And i think it's going to be my sister's perfect wedding party jewelry.

As one of the famous jewelry brand name on the earth, the web page of this manufacturer can constantly draw the attention of public effortlessly with its unique diamond jewelry. Links craft supplies various links of London charms jewelery with distinctive and exquisite design and style at price cut price since its precious and wonderful theme is to fill all of shoppers with need and appreciation.

Benefits for the Psychological Level

Self-awareness

Yoga practice increases the self-awareness. The yoga practitioner learns to act instead of reacting. They start to control their feelings and learn to be conscious, living the moment, the Now and not in the past or in the future.

   

Self-confidence

Self-confidence, or low self-confidence, is something, which Yoga seeks to eliminate through the practices. Someone with low self-respect cannot do their work properly or becomes easily tired, irritable and haggard. One who practices yoga starts to believe deeply in themselves and in the incredible potentials, which they have inside. 

Vitality and Change of Mood

Everyone who practices yoga over a period of time, reports a positive effect on both their outer appearance and energy level. Yogic postures with breathing exercises have been seen to result in having an invigorating effect on physical energy and improved mood.

Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/yoga-articles/the-benefits-of-yoga-548787.html

How to select a computer motherboard

What is a computer motherboard or a ‘mobo’ anyway? It is the primary circuit board of your computer. It effectively means that it is one of the most important part amongst all the other devices present in your computer. And combined with the CPU (Central processing unit), it is the costliest as well.

So, if you are planning to get a computer assembled and would like to choose each device, how does the motherboard part come into it? That’s because all other parts depend on the motherboard for operation and compatibility with the motherboard is a must for the sound operation of your computer.

Before we get to selecting a motherboard, let’s get to know it a bit. A computer motherboard broadly consists of the following parts:
1. Processor: This is the part where the computer does its calculations. It is generally hidden behind the heat sink and the cooling fan.

2. Main memory: This is added to the computer motherboard in the slots available (DDRAM slots in the picture).

3. Other Components:·
ATX (Advanced Technology Extended) connector or, rather, the power plug-in for the motherboard·
PCI Slots – These slots are available for adding various components to the motherboard, such as sound cards, Ethernet Card (for LAN), etc·
AGP(Advanced Graphics Port) – For video adapters·
BIOS (Basic Input and Output) – The part responsible for initializing the vital components of the computer when it is turned on – (CMOS battery responsible for the BIOS is shown in the figure.)

Now let’s get to the question of actually selecting a computer motherboard. What features do you want in it?

1. Which processor are you planning to use with it – Check with your vendor whether the motherboard is compatible with the type of processor you want to use with it.

2. FSB (Front Side Bus) or Bus Speed – Check the FSB of the computer. It is the speed at which your computer communicates with the processor as well as with the PCI and the hard drives, although at a slower pace. If the speed of your hard disk is higher than the bus speed, you run the risk of underutilizing your hard disk.

3. Type of chipset – Check the type of motherboard chipset as the motherboard is basically dependent on it for almost all operations.

4. Memory Support – Which type of memory you need – SDRAM, DDRAM or DDR2. Most of the modern motherboards come with a DDR compatibility as it is cheaper and faster.However, check for the number of slots provided, so that you can upgrade the memory later.

5. Does it have an AGP Slot? (Find the AGP in the picture show at the end.) - This is necessary if you plan to use a video card for enhanced graphics performance.

6. How many PCI slots does it have? More number of PCI slots means more flexibility to add components such as sound cards, Ethernet cards etc. Go for a motherboard which has at least three slots.

7. Does it have an inbuilt sound or graphics card? – That means lesser driver conflicts and hence, better performance at lower cost if you are not the game-crazy type.Remember that choosing the motherboard determines the possibilities of up-gradation later. So keep that in mind.

History Of Computers

The history of computing hardware is the record of the constant drive to make computer hardware faster, cheaper, and store more data.Before the development of the general-purpose computer, most calculations were done by humans. Tools to help humans calculate are generally called calculators. Calculators continue to develop, but computers add the critical element of conditional response, allowing automation of both numerical calculation and in general, automation of many symbol-manipulation tasks. Computer hasundergone profound changes every decade since the 1940s.Computing hardware has become a platform for uses other than computation, such as automation, communication, control, entertainment, and education. Each field in turn has imposed its own requirements on the hardware, which has evolved in response to those requirements.Aside from written numerals, the first aids to computation were purely mechanical devices that required the operator to set up the initial values of an elementary arithmetic operation, then propel the device through manual manipulations to obtain the result. An example would be a slide rule where numbers are represented by points on a logarithmic scale and computation is performed by setting a cursor and aligning sliding scales. Numbers could be represented in a continuous "analog" form, where a length or other physical property was proportional to the number. Or, numbers could be represented in the form of digits, automatically manipulated by a mechanism. Although this approach required more complex mechanisms, it made for greater precision of results.Both analog and digital mechanical techniques to be developed, producing many practical computing machines. Electrical methods rapidly improved the speed and precision of calculating machines, at first by motive power for mechanical calculating devices, and later directly as the medium for representation of numbers. Numbers could be represented by voltages or currents and manipulated by linear electronic amplifiers. Or, numbers could be represented as discrete binary or decimal digits, and electrically-controlled switches and combinatorial circuits could perform mathematical operations.The invention of electronic amplifiers made calculating machines much faster than mechanical or electromechanical predecessors. Vacuum tube amplifiers gave way to discrete transistors, and then rapidly to monolithic integrated circuits. By defeating the Tyranny of numbers, integrated circuits made high-speed and low-cost digital computers a widespread commodity.This article covers major developments in the history of computing hardware, and attempts to put them in context. For a detailed timeline of events, see the computing timeline article. The history of computing article treats methods intended for pen and paper, with or without the aid of tables. Since all computers rely on digital storage, and tend to be limited by the size and speed of memory, the history of computer data.