How To Diagnose Common PC Problems

Correctly diagnosing PC problems can be difficult and time consuming. It makes it easier when you have a guide to look at for some of the most common problems:
Sound issues: No sound coming from speakers. The first thing to do, would be to make sure that the speakers are plugged in to the computer. If they are, check the speakers to see if they have a switch on the side indicating on or off. Many speakers also have a volume control right on the side. If this is not the problem, go to the next step.

In a shell, type in a play 1, if it works the system will tell you all of the different sound cards installed, and it is probably just the volume being muted. Go to sound mixer and adjust volume control.

If it does not work, then type in lscpi v if it is successful, the sound card will be displayed. Leave the shell going, and search for the chipset maker of your sound card. This is the thing that makes the sound card work. It is called the driver. Now, go back to the running shell, and type in sudo modprobe snd. Be sure to press Tab before Enter so that you can see the module list. Hopefully, you will find one to match the driver you already found. If your driver is vr244, then you put in sudo modprobe snd vr244. Viola! With any luck , your driver will be installed.

Another common PC problem is issues with your graphic cards. Many times, people report problems with graphics cards when they are playing games on their PC. One of the most common causes of this is too much heat. If you hear a crackling sound, then try putting a fan close enough to blow into the computer to cool it off. Cleaning the heat sink of any dust helps also. Since clean equals cool.

Computer running slow is a real problem today. There are many potential causes for this. The first cause to check for is spy ware or ad ware running in the background of your computer. This can really slow a computer down. A good spy ware program will find and get rid off all those little potentially dangerous spy bots that are lurking in your computer. You should also have a good antivirus program installed at all times. A computer can become infected in seconds. This is another candidate for causing slow computers. Fragmentation of the hard drive occurs when files are moved, changed or deleted. The files then spread out, causing slower computer response. Your computer should have a defrag program to fix this problem. It will allow you to check the volume first, and then defragment if needed.

When too many programs are running at startup, this can contribute to a sluggish computer. There are programs designed to stop unnecessary programs from running when Windows starts. The disk cleanup utility in Windows is a program that you should run regularly. It will compress old files, empty the recycle bin, and delete other unnecessary files.

Most of the time when you hear noise coming from a hard drive, it is a bad sign. More than likely, the hard drive is close to failure. You should run a hard disk diagnostic software program, and then back up important data and be prepared to buy and install, or have installed, a new hard drive. Please note that some sounds are normal in a hard drive. If you hear a grinding, loud clicking, or squealing sound, it is probably the hard drive on the brink of failure. Take recommended steps to save precious data.

With the advancement of technology, come also advances in problems associated with them. Although diagnosing PC issues can be time consuming and nerve wracking at times, with some patience and know how, most PC problems can be overcome.