Troubleshooting Computer Problems

Computer Troubleshooting Tips

Troubleshooting computer problems is necessary when building, or working, with computers. There are a number of common computer troubleshooting tips (for computer monitor troubleshooting, and more).

Computer problems, unfortunately, do occur. This troubleshooting page covers the duh! mistakes that we all make. It also highlights computer troubleshooting tips, and problems and solutions to look for. (I've been building computers for over 12 years now, and I still do some of these things.)

If you press the power button on the front of your computer, and nothing happens, you've got a computer problem. Is it a common problem? Or is it something more complicated?

• Power Cable - Is the power cable plugged in to the power supply on the back of the computer, and is it plugged from there into an outlet? If not, plug it in and give it a try.
• Power Switch - On the back of your computer, connected to the power supply is a power switch. Ensure that this is in the 'on' position. If it is not, switch it over and try to turn on your computer again.
• Disc Still in Drive - On older systems, if you leave the disc in the drive, you may see a message on-screen that says something like "Non-System Disk" or "Disk Error", remove the disk from the drive and try rebooting.
• Surge Protector - Ensure that your surge protector or power strip is plugged in. If it is, ensure that it is getting power. Take a lamp and plug it in to verify that power is flowing through the strip.
• Monitor - If you hear the computer booting, fans spinning, hard drive spinning, but don't see anything on-screen, check the monitor. Verify that it is plugged into an outlet, and that it is plugged into the back of the computer. Computer monitor troubleshooting is usually more complicated than making sure the plugs are all plugged in - but just in case, check it out.

These all sound like really simple problems but you would be surprised to find that many issues are as simple as a power supply that is not connected to any power.

If you are new to building your own computers, you need to learn techniques for troubleshooting computer problems: participate in online computer tech support forums. You will be able to ask questions, and usually get lots of support and answers.

Did checking the basics fix your issue? I hope so, but if not, head back to Computer Troubleshooting and we'll continue on.

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