Computer and Software Support


Hardware Troubleshooter

Read the Safety Procedures. Very Important!!!

If you are having an issue with the system, such as no power or no video, you may be having a hardware issue. To narrow down the cause, you will need to do some troubleshooting. Some of these steps may apply to your situation and some may. You will have to use your judgment depending on the issues you are having. Follow these steps

  1. If the system is on, try turning it completely off (do not restart, but a complete turn off of power)
  2. If the issue you are experiencing is sluggish or slow performance from a particular software, you can limit the number of cores the software can use
  3. Remove power cord.
    1. Wait 2 minutes
    2. Plug power cord back in.
    3. See if the problem still exists
  4. Do you get to the desktop?
  5. If you get to the desktop, it can be a software issue. Use Software Troubleshooter
  6. If you are getting to the desktop, it can still be a hard drive issue or some other hardware issue. There is diagnostic tools available from the manufacturer to test the hardware. You can also run the memory diagnostics
  7. Some systems have LED lights to help troubleshoot. Check for the lights
    1. Front power button light - may be solid green, blinking green, Solid amber, blinking amber, or off
    2. Rear LED lights may vary in number. Each light indicates the issue
    3. For information on the meaning of the LED lights, consult the manufacturer.
  8. Disconnect any printers, cameras or any other unnecessary items.
  9. Did problem go away? If it did, something you disconnected was causing the issue. If it still exists, than the issue is inside the computer.
  10. Important note: be sure to follow the safety instructions Safety precautions before opening system
  11. Remove all cables attached to the system (VERY IMPORTANT SAFETY STEP)
    1. The system needs to be where you can pick the system up and run out the door with it without getting yanked back by cords.
  12. Push the power button to discharge the system (VERY IMPORTANT SAFETY STEP)
  13. Open the system (This link will show a few examples of computer cases. However there is too many to list here. Consult the manual, myself, or manufacturer for the instructions on opening your case.) Safety precautions before opening system
  14. Remove the following (you may not have some of these items so just remove what you can)
    1. Disconnect the following PCI cards Click here for instructions   Click here for the location of PCI slots
      1. Modem
      2. Sound card (might be built into motherboard and if that is the case, skip this item)
      3. Any other PCI cards attached except video (unless you also have an onboard video. If you have an onboard video card, then remove the PCI or AGP video card)
    2. Disconnect the IDE cable off the motherboard for the CD-ROM drives.
    3. Disconnect the IDE cable off the motherboard for the hard drive
    4. Disconnect power to all drives (such as hard drive, CD-ROM drives) Leave the ATX power connector connected.
  15. Reseat all cables still connected to the motherboard.
  16. Plug the power cord in
  17. Plug monitor in
    1. Do you get any power?
    2. Do you get any video?
    3. Did anything change since you disconnected the items? (such as you got no video before you disconnected the items but now you get video)
    4. If the problem went away, one of the items you disconnected caused the issue.
    5. Plug the items back in one at a time till the issue comes back.
    6. When it comes back, you have found the cause
  18. If the problem continues after you removed the above items do the following
  19. If you have a PCI or an AGP video card go to step 20
  20. If you have a built in video card go to step 27
  21. Remove all cables attached to the system (VERY IMPORTANT SAFETY STEP)
    1. The system needs to be where you can pick the system up and run out the door with it without getting yanked back by cords.
  22. Push the power button to discharge the system (VERY IMPORTANT SAFETY STEP)
  23. Disconnect the video card (if it is not built into the motherboard)  Click here for the location of the AGP video card
  24. Plug the power cord back in
  25. Do you get any power?
  26. Did anything change since you disconnected the items? (such as you got no power before you disconnected the items but now you get power)
  27. If the problem went away, the video card caused the issue.
  28. Remove all cables attached to the system (VERY IMPORTANT SAFETY STEP)
    1. The system needs to be where you can pick the system up and run out the door with it without getting yanked back by cords.
  29. Push the power button to discharge the system (VERY IMPORTANT SAFETY STEP)
  30. Disconnect the memory Click here for instructions on removing memory  Click here for the location of the memory
  31. Plug the power cord back in
  32. Try turning the system on (You won't get any video)
  33. Do you get any power?
  34. Do you get any beeps?
  35. If you are getting beeps, check with the manufacturer for the troubleshooting indicators for the meaning of the beeps.
  36. If you are getting the correct beeps do the following
    1. Try the memory in a different slot
    2. If you have more than one stick of memory, try one at a time in different slots
  37. If the problem continues, the issue can be the memory or it can be the motherboard.
  38. If the problem goes away when you try the memory in a different slot, then it is a bad motherboard.
  39. If the problem exists after trying the memory in a different slot can mean the motherboard is bad or the memory
  40. If your issue is no power or no video, plug the power cord in and push the power button. Check to see if you have a light on the motherboard. Some motherboards have an LED called a flea light. If it is on when you have the power cord in, it indicates the motherboard is getting power. (the flea light on doesn't always mean the power supply is good. It is just a possibility)

Without special testing equipment or spare parts to try, you can't strip the system down any further. If you have gotten this far and still no change, the problem is either with the power supply, motherboard, or processor. Here is some information to consider (this information is does not always apply but helps in trying to determine which one the problem is)

Possible indications that the power supply is bad (but doesn't always indicate it is, just considerations)

  1. If the power supply is bad, you may not get no lights at all.
  2. If you have a flea light, it may not be on when you push the power button.
  3. The fan on the power supply may not spin
  4. The power supply may be noisy.

Possible indications that the motherboard is bad (but doesn't always indicate it is, just considerations)

  1. If you have a flea light, it may not be on when you push the power button.
  2. You may not get beeps when you remove the memory and try to turn it on.
  3. Some systems may have LED lights in the back of the computer for troubleshooting. They may have some LEDs lit or none of them. (Consult the manufacturer for the indicators)

Possible indicators that the hard drive is bad (but doesn't always indicate it is, just considerations)

  1. Getting error messages on the screen while on the desktop
  2. Grinding noises
  3. Clicking noises
  4. Some programs will not open or items missing
  5. System slow
  6. Programs will not install
  7. Keep getting checkdisk message
  8. System hangs

Possible indicators the memory is bad (but doesn't always indicate it is, just considerations)

  1. Getting error messages on the screen while on the desktop
  2. Getting message on boot up of memory size change
  3. System slow
  4. System hangs

Possible indicators the video card is bad (but doesn't always indicate it is, just considerations)

  1. System is slow
  2. Not all colors showing on the screen
  3. Screen is fuzzy
  4. Text is wavy
  5. Can only get video in safe mode
  6. Resolution is low and can't increase it
  7. System hangs or will not come on

Possible indicators the modem is bad (but doesn't always indicate it is, just considerations)

  1. System is slow
  2. You get a busy signal when the phone line is plugged into the modem
  3. Your phone line dies when you plug the phone line in
  4. System will not boot
  5. System hangs
  6. You get error messages

There are two many other hardware items to mention here. The troubleshooting steps here are just general steps to try to narrow down the cause.

Computer will not come on - After system been off for awhile, it will not work