Troubleshooting
This is a guide on troubleshooting.
BIOS Issues
In this presentation, we'll take a look at troubleshooting issues with booting your computer. And we'll begin with what's known as beep codes. And this is a component of what's known as the POST routine, or Power-On Self-Test, which is a small diagnostic routine that runs every single time you power on the computer. And really, it's just checking for the existence of your major system components. Now, this all happens prior to booting into the operating system.
So, if, for example, you are running a Windows computer, all of this is taking place before Windows even attempts to load. So, again, it's really just checking for those very low level components, such as your memory and video, and other critical components such as your processor and your storage devices or hard drives. Now, the beep codes will typically indicate the type of error, or more so which device is failing. And it generally uses a combination of long and short beeps but they will differ by manufacturer. So, really, you do need to refer to the documentation to ensure that you are interpreting those beep codes correctly.
[Video description begins] Booting to a Blank Screen. [Video description ends]
Now, in many cases, you may find that it just boots to a blank screen. Now you do need to be mindful with respect to when the blank screen occurs. In other words, if you hit the power and you just never see anything at all, then this is most likely malfunctioning video. Maybe the video card itself has become loose, maybe it got knocked out from previous service. Maybe it just overheated because the fan died. But if you just get absolutely nothing, in many cases, this is a hardware problem with the video card. Of course, you should try to listen for the beep code but if it's just a configuration problem then you might see some video while it goes through its initial post routine.
Then as it tries to proceed through that then maybe it fails and the screen goes blank. This could be a BIOS configuration problem. Because if it's integrated video, then there are settings in the BIOS. So maybe somebody just got in and tried to set something that was incompatible or maybe a BIOS update occurred and that has caused a problem. So sometimes you can see some video. And if you can get into the BIOS configuration and change it back or at least correct whatever the problem is, then hopefully you can boot through that the next time.
[Video description begins] Booting to an Incorrect Device. [Video description ends]
Now, in some cases, it can be an incorrect device. In other words, your system does not always have to boot from its internal hard drive. So you can check the boot order or the boot sequence in your BIOS configuration. This will list the storage devices that are being detected. So you essentially just have to ensure that the system is booting from the correct device. Now, these days, most systems will default to boot from the hard drive of course that's where the operating system resides the C drive. But if you have ever wondered why that drive is called the C drive, this does go back to earlier days when floppy disc drives where common.
There used to be a 3.5 inch floppy disk and 5.25 inch floppy disk. Which were typically referred to as the A drive and the B drive respectively. And they were A and B, because they were checked first in the boot sequence. Because it was very common to boot from a boot disk back in those days if you were troubleshooting. Or if you were doing some sort of automated installation.
So the floppy drive, the 3.5 inch, was very commonly the A drive because that's where the BIOS would look first. If you had a B drive, and that goes quite a ways back, then it would check there second. If it didn't find anything on either of those, then it would look to your internal hard drive as the third drive hence that was your C drive. So to this day, that remains the C drive even though most systems no longer have floppy disks. But you can still tell modern systems to boot from USB drives, or maybe from your network device first, because you can boot from remote files that are on a server. But again, if those are listed first, that's fine, but you need to make sure that there is an operating system on those devices.
So, in other words, if my system is set to boot from USB, then it will check for an operating system on a USB device. So if I have a flash drive plugged into my computer, when I turn it on, and let's just say it's plain old data, just files. Then it's going to attempt to boot from that device, and it's not going to find an operating system. So it might move past it, but it might halt there, I mean, it might say, I can't find an operating system. But if you change the sequence so that it checks the C drive first, then that's what it will look for. It'll check on the hard drive to see if there's an operating system and chances are, that there will be one so it will then boot.
So it's up to you, clearly in terms of what the boot sequence is, but if you boot 99% of the time from your C drive, then usually that's what you want first. But if you want the ability to boot from a flash drive or from the network, then they should be first. In other words, you just need to check the start-up device media, so whatever you are booting from first should have some kind of operating system on it. And another common example these days would maybe be a DVD drive. Most installation DVDs, such as the Windows DVDs, are bootable. So that you can boot to a troubleshooting type of environment.
[Video description begins] BIOS Time Settings. [Video description ends]
Now time settings maybe also incorrect if the system is continually displaying the wrong time and date. Then essentially it's due to the battery. Your system clock is powered by the CMOS battery. Which, like any battery, will sooner or later run out. So you can replace the CMOS battery just make sure that you do get the same type. And it's a fairly simple process but you do need to turn the system off, locate the battery which in some cases might not be all that obvious, but it looks like it's about the size of a nickel.
And you can use it, just pop it out and put a new one in. Now the amount of time that there is no battery in the system is actually important. And typically what you want here is to actually leave it out long enough so that everything does clear with respect to the old settings. Because they're probably incorrect now at least with respect to the time and date. So there are some systems that actually do have a little bit of a backup charge if you will so that if you pop the battery out and put a new one in, more or less right away, then nothing will have to be reset.
But in many cases, you want everything to be reset. So leave it out maybe 10 or 15 minutes. Or you might also find that there is a jumper setting. So you can just move a jumper to a different pin setting and that will clear the CMOS settings. So that way you can just go back in and manually reconfigure everything. It just sets everything back to its default settings. That might take a little bit, but as mentioned in many cases that's exactly what you want, you want to start fresh.
[Video description begins] Indicator Lights. [Video description ends]
And finally, many systems do have indicator lights, these typically are on the motherboard and they indicate POST codes, as well. They light up during boot and they identify where in the boot process problems are occurring. And then there might be a little table indicating which error message translates to which problem. So check, again, the documentation of the system. Or it might even be written right on the motherboard. If it's just a few different combinations and you know this setting equals this problem and that setting equals this problem.
So just check for that. But of course you also want to see a power indicator light, which indicates if power is reaching the motherboard. And also check for components such as a network indicator light, which clearly is indicative of network activity, to ensure that you are connecting to the network correctly. So, ultimately, you know, there are a lot of problems that can arise during the boot process. But in most cases, there is some kind of mechanism to assist you at least, with running down where that problem is occurring so that you can reduce the amount of troubleshooting too as little as possible.
Power Issues
In this presentation, we'll take a look at some issues that may arise due to heat and/or bad power. So when it comes to troubleshooting overheating issues, you do need to be aware that your computer is going to generate a certain amount of heat. This is unavoidable. And in particular, your CPU, your video card, and even your memory will likely be among the hottest components. So what you will see to combat this, of course, is some kind of cooling system. They generate airflow and regulate the temperature. Now, most commonly this is accomplished by using fans and/or heat sinks. And I say and/or because often you will see both of them, but you might see just one or the other depending on the type of system. But ultimately, these keep your system cool.
So when it comes to maintenance of the fans and the heat sink, the biggest enemy really is dust. They do tend to gather a lot of dust, so periodically, pop the cover off or open the system up one way or another and try to clear that dust build-up. And one of the best methods of doing this is using compressed air. And you do want to check the fan and temperature status in the BIOS as well. Most systems these days have monitors, so that you can see that the fan is running at a certain RPM rate. And it will actually even tell you the temperature of those components as well. So familiarize yourself with those values to see what's normal. Ideally, when the system is fairly new, everything should be working pretty effectively. So find out what those values are and maybe compare them over time, so that you can keep an eye on things if it does start to get too hot.
[Video description begins] Troubleshooting No Power. [Video description ends]
Now in some cases, you may just not have any power. So clearly check at the source, so the wall plug itself certainly can be tested. You can use a multimeter or they do have simple outlet testers, which will generally just light up if there is power. And if you are getting power there, then, of course, check the computer's power supply. The motherboard may be receiving too little or maybe no power. Again, maybe the connection is not quite made entirely, and you might also need to use a multimeter to check the connections there. But ultimately, of course, you need to have a good stable power connection.
[Video description begins] Unexpected Computer Shutdown. [Video description ends]
So this, of course, may result in unexpected computer shutdown. And this essentially just means the computer literally turns itself off right in the middle of doing something with no prior warning, no error message whatsoever, it just turns off. So again, there can be a variety of possible reasons for this, but faulty hardware and/or overheating hardware can very often result in just an immediate shutdown. If the processor, for example, overheats it, will just shut the computer off without any warning whatsoever.
[Video description begins] Troubleshooting Unexpected Shutdowns. [Video description ends]
So if you do get that unexpected shutdown and it's happening regularly, of course, do try to turn the system back on. And if you can get in, examine the event viewer, run any kind of diagnostics capabilities that you may have, and try to determine if there are heat related issues. Clearly, check the fan and the temperature status in the BIOS, and try to determine if the shutdown was a result of any kind of change, or if it does seem to be flat-out due to the temperature getting too high.
You can check Device Manager as well. Maybe a device that was working just fine is now reporting problem. So you know you really just want to try to find out what that problem is. But if it is due to overheating and let's say you take the cover right off, then ideally let that cool down a little bit before you turn it back on. Because if it's still too hot, it will just shut down on you pretty much right away. So again, just do something to try to cool it off, then try again a little bit later.
[Video description begins] Troubleshooting Other Power Issues. [Video description ends]
Now, if there are other power issues, then again, you need to try to determine what is getting power. So for example, you might discover that power is reaching the fans but maybe only the fans, because they are directly connected to the power supply. So no other devices are actually getting power. Again, the motherboard connector itself might have come loose, in which case you will get a blank screen. Really no post screen, no indicator lights but yet the fans are running. Because again, they're drawing power straight from the power supply, so that's not uncommon. But this, of course, could also be due to a faulty motherboard. Maybe the power is fine, but the motherboard itself has actually experienced some kind of physical failure. But it could also be the power supply. So you know a little bit of trial and error, of course, will hopefully help to narrow this down.
[Video description begins] Smoke and Burning Smell. A graphic of a motherboard is shown. [Video description ends]
But if it's bad enough, you may even encounter some smoke, maybe even a burning smell. And the most common problem here is what's known as a blown capacitor. You may actually hear a loud pop, followed by a little bit of smoke and a burning smell. Now, the capacitors in this graphic here are the cylindrical objects that are sort of standing straight up and down. The ones that are surrounded by the black casing with the little silver top would be the most likely component to actually blow. What that really refers to is that there's corrosion.
If you look at the top of the capacitor, you'll actually see some kind of corrosion, because there are chemicals inside of them to help regulate the electricity, and it is acidic. So if they leak, then it starts to leak out the top, and you physically see corrosion on the top. That may lead to other burnt components, depending on how bad it is. So clearly, just disconnect the power source before you do anything in terms of examining these, and just look for any damaged components. But capacitors are not replaceable. They are soldered right onto the motherboard, so if it is a case of blown capacitors, then the component you're replacing is the entire motherboard itself. And in many cases, that would be cheaper and easier than trying to physically fix blown capacitors.
[Video description begins] Troubleshooting Loud Noises. [Video description ends]
And finally, loud noises. Ultimately, your computer really should not generate any kind of loud noises. They should ideally run quite quietly with the exception of the fans. Now, even the fans are supposed to be fairly quiet themselves, but you will certainly hear them. So uncharacteristic noises may be produced by any loose components. If you hear any kind of clicking or grinding noise, this could actually indicate issues with the hard drive. If you have a traditional magnetic hard drive with the read/write arm, that sometimes gets damaged.
And as it's trying to move, it's just kind of clicking in place. And usually at a fairly regular rate, so that will typically indicate a failed hard drive. And if it's a loud or grinding noise, then this is probably indicative of a fan problem. So in many cases you can just replace the fan. They're quite cheap and easy to replace. But before you do anything with the hard drive, certainly back up any data on that drive if you can before performing any maintenance. And if you're fairly confident that the hard drive is fine, then entirely disconnect it just to be safe. But one way or another, you do want to, of course, protect your data before making any kind of significant change to your system.
Hard Drives
Now in this presentation, we'll take a look at some common issues that may arise with hard drives beginning with read/write failures. Now, this typically does not mean the entire drive is failing. You simply cannot read from a specific file, nor can you write to a specific place on the drive. In other words, you can have what's known as bad sectors. Just small portions of the drive that don't seem to be functioning correctly. Now, this can result in various error messages, but it typically will be something along the lines of unable to access file, or unable to read file. Or some kind of write error when you are trying to save a file.
Now, if it's performance issues then essentially it's just slow. It might ultimately successfully read and/or write but it could take a long time. In this case, you might want to look for a flashing LED light. That is indicating that the drive is being accessed, but it just seems to be taking forever. This could be a very heavily fragmented hard drive or, again, a drive that does have a lot of bad sectors. It's taking a long time to find any place to write a file. And/or maybe it's having to read the file by loading small portions of it from many different sectors.
And if you do hear any kind of a clicking noise, now this may be fairly quiet, so you might have to get your ear fairly close in there. But again, there is a read/write arm in traditional magnetic hard drives that moves back and forth. And sometimes it quite literally can get stuck. And what's happening is it's trying to move and it's just clicking over and over again, sort of resetting itself back to the same place. So this typically means the drive has failed. But again, that's something that you want to try to listen for.
[Video description begins] Other Hard Drive Considerations. [Video description ends]
Now there are some other considerations, of course, including crash screens. Now, this will certainly depend on what the problem is. But if the hard drive does fail severely enough, then this can produce various types of different screen configurations. You might be familiar with the term Blue Screen of Death. This is a Window scenario whereby the system just turns completely blue on the screen, and has a lot of cryptic writing. And the system quite simply crashes. Now, you may be able to recover by simply rebooting. But this is often indicative of some kind of hard drive issue whereby the system is just having difficulty accessing the drive. So ultimately, if you can perform a hard drive backup right then and there.
Run any diagnostics that you might have for the hard drive. Again, something as simple as what's known as a check disk, which is utility in Windows that can try to access the drive. And possibly run any diagnostics for the motherboard if you have them, as well. But anytime you suspect anything is going wrong with the hard drive, if you can, back it up immediately. Now you'll also do well to schedule periodic disk checks. Again, for Windows-based systems, there is a check disk utility.
You can typically right-click on the drive and go to its properties and there's an error checking tab. You can run that, try to see if there are any problems in accessing the disk. And you may have any various other types of monitoring tools which can provide warning signs. Which might allow you to troubleshoot without any user downtime. Now that obviously depends on the severity of the problems but you can be a little more proactive with monitoring tools. Because you'll know ahead of time what might be going wrong. And, again, maybe you can schedule a replacement of the hard drive during downtime. As opposed to having to interrupt the user in the middle of the day.
[Video description begins] Troubleshoot Hard Drive Issues. [Video description ends]
Now, again, if you can immediately backup all the data on any hard drive that you suspect to be having problems. But of course, if you are unable to read from the drive then clearly you can't back it up. So try your best, but in some cases you may not be able to recover everything. You would certainly want to inspect the cables. Any kind of cable connection of course can become loose or may be physically damaged. It could be an overheating issue although hard drives typically don't tend to be a component that gets overly hot. As long as there's a reasonable airflow throughout the system. It usually should be fine in that regard but inspect the power supply itself, that could be causing the problems. And again, if you have any kind of hard drive diagnostics, just check to see if there are any error messages being reported by those tools.
[Video description begins] Failure to Boot. [Video description ends]
Now if it's a failure to boot from the drive, then in many cases it could be that the drive is not being recognized. So there could be indicator lights on the system that are maybe on or off that are telling you that it's not finding a hard drive. And there may be on-screen error messages. Again, recall that when you turn the system on, the BIOS has beep codes as part of the POST routine. And some of those may be telling you that it's not finding a hard drive. Now, it might find the drive but it could be a problem with the operating system on the drive.
So if, for example, some of the files became corrupted then it simply may not be able to find your operating system. Now that will produce a different type of error message. In some cases, it will actually say no operating system found. So that's usually not indicative of a physical failure. But physical failures in terms of reading and writing could corrupt the operating system, so it can be a little tricky there. But ultimately, if it's telling you no operating system is found, you still have some kind of a problem with that hard drive.
[Video description begins] Troubleshooting Failure to Boot. [Video description ends]
So when it comes to troubleshooting a failure to boot, check the BIOS boot sequence. Maybe the device is not being recognized. Maybe it does not have the operating system. But one way or another, you need to ensure that the BIOS is detecting it in the first place. Check to see if there are any bootable removable devices, such as a USB flash drive. If it's trying to boot from that and it just has data on it, it's going to report that there's no operating system. That's a pretty easy fix, just remove the USB device or reconfigure the boot order. So sometimes it might not be an issue with the hard drive. It's just trying to boot from something that does not have an operating system. Now, of course, it still could be the drive, so again, check the power cable, check the data cable. If either of those are missing, then the BIOS will not be able to detect it. So there's nothing wrong with the drive, just one of the cables got knocked loose. So as far as the BIOS is concerned, it's not there.
[Video description begins] Troubleshoot Other Failure to Boot Issues. [Video description ends]
And finally, when it comes to troubleshooting some other boot issues. If it's a new drive that has just been installed, again, verify the hardware configuration in the BIOS itself. Ensure that all of the cable connections are secure, the power and the data. And don't forget to check the serial ATA interface on the motherboard itself. Now, we say serial ATA simply because that's the most common currently. But regardless of what your interface is, don't forget about the motherboard and check every cable connection on both ends. If you suspect it's a malfunctioning drive, test to see if it is in fact malfunctioning.
Again, maybe it's just a matter of that cable got knocked out, so the drive itself is fine. Maybe you can remove the drive from the system and install it on another system, then verify functionality. And you don't necessarily have to boot from it. Maybe you can just install it as a secondary drive and just verify that you can read the files from it. That way you can eliminate that as a probable cause. So if you're fully able to read from that drive and write to it, then when you install it back into the original system, you can be fairly confident that it's not the actual hard drive itself.
RAID
In this presentation we'll take a look at troubleshooting some issues with RAID or Redundant Array of Independent Disks. And you certainly can encounter a scenario where the RAID controller itself is missing. Now, it's unlikely that it would be physically completely missing, but many controller cards can, of course, become loose in their socket. So if that's the case it will be reported as not being present. And, of course, it is a piece of hardware, so the controller card itself may be faulty. Now, bear in mind that this is referring to a separate controller card. You might have RAID configuration abilities built into the motherboard.
Many Serial ATA systems, for example, will come with maybe four, six, or more physical connections for the hard drives. In that case, you may be able to configure RAID through the BIOS of the system. So, in that case, it's unlikely it would be the controller card, but there could still be issues on the motherboard. So check for any on-screen messages if you are able to successfully boot into your operating system. Then you might see some kind of error message in maybe a log and check the Configuration Utility. If it is a case where you purchased a separate controller card, then it should have come with its own native software. And if you open the Configuration Utility for that controller, then there should be an area where you can see logs and see error messages with respect to the state of the drives.
[Video description begins] Troubleshoot RAID No Longer Functioning Issues. [Video description ends]
So then if you encounter issues with your RAID configuration, no longer functioning. Then, as mentioned, check the management software because problematic drives are usually flagged in some way. So you might see an icon that represents the drive with an exclamation mark, or maybe some kind of a red x. Or some kind of a warning icon, just something that indicates that this drive has failed, and those drives can be replaced. And in fact, in many cases, you can do so while the system still is able to read from and/or write to the healthy drives. Now that depends on the RAID level that you've implemented, and this is perhaps somewhat of a simplistic example here.
[Video description begins] A table is displayed with five columns and three rows. The first row entries are Data (D:), RAID-5, Dynamic, NTFS, and Resynching. The second and third row entries are same: Data (D:), RAID-5, Dynamic, NTFS, and Healthy. [Video description ends]
But if I had a RAID-5 array and I replaced one of the physical disks. You might see a status of something like Resynching, which quite literally means it's regenerating the data that was lost from that drive. And you can still operate while that's happening because Raid-5 uses parity information to dynamically reconstruct the data that was on that missing drive anyway. So it actually can still function even while it's rebuilding the array.
[Video description begins] RAID Failure Conditions. [Video description ends]
Now with respect to the failure conditions, again, it does depend on the level of RAID. So RAID 0, if you recall, does not have any redundancy, it works well for performance, but the 0 indicates that there actually is not any kind of redundancy. So a single drive fault will lead to data loss, you can't reconstruct the data dynamically in any manner with RAID 0. So, effectively, you have to rely on your backups, RAID 1 is a mirror and this can work with one drive only. You've got, essentially, your first or primary drive, then you've just got a secondary copy which is exactly the same.
So it doesn't matter which one fails, they're both identical. So you can work with the remaining healthy drive while you might be regenerating data on the other one. Now RAID 5, only one drive can fail, in other words, if two fail at the same time, then you're kind of in the same state as you are with RAID 0. You would have to revert to backups, but as long as it is only one drive then, again, in most cases, you can continue to operate. You will still actually be able to read from the drive and write to it even though the drive is missing.
You can, of course, replace it and then regenerate the mirror, but regular operations should be able to continue. Now, you might find that it would be slower, but it actually would still work. And if it's RAID 1 + 0, which is a mirror of stripe sets, then this requires only a single functional drive from each set of mirrors. Because, again, any individual mirror can function with just a single drive. So this is, again, an array of mirrors, so as long as you still have a single functional drive from each set of mirrors, then you can still actually continue operations, again, while regenerating the data on the replaced drives.
S.M.A.R.T Errors
Now very much like your computer's BIOS has what's known as the POST routine built-in, hard drives have a similar monitoring capability also built in. So in this presentation, we'll take a look at what's known as SMART, which stands for self-monitoring, analysis, and reporting technology. And this is quite literally embedded into the technology of hard disk drives and solid-state drives. And it's meant to capture status indicators and give you an idea as to whether or not this drive is performing reliably.
And if not, it can help you to predict hardware failures. Now, in some cases, a drive may literally just fail because of a power condition or maybe it was damaged because if it was, let's say, a laptop, it was dropped, so certain things can just fail immediately with no warning. But other issues with hard drives tend to happen over time. Maybe if you just have a traditional magnetic hard drive, the read/write arm is just starting to wear out through standard wear and tear. So this clearly does not just happen instantly. So you can keep an eye on things, quite literally, with SMART.
[Video description begins] Troubleshooting with S.M.A.R.T. [Video description ends]
So when troubleshooting with SMART, it can inform you, generally, of possible drive failure being detected through some kind of user notifications. Now this typically all happens during the pre-boot if you will. SMART is not a component of any particular operating system. So this would be, for lack of a better word, a BIOS level indication. So during the pre-boot, you might see some sort of user notification, and if you do and you start to see them regularly then of course preventative actions can be taken. A malfunctioning drive can be replaced.
And ultimately, this can help to avoid data loss in the first place. So, typically, once you see any kind of problem being reported by SMART, you really should immediately back up that drive as best as you can. Again, there may be some read errors that might prevent you from getting some data. But back up what you can and replace that drive. In my experience, SMART is generally not wrong, in other words as soon as you start to see SMART errors, then sooner or later something is going to go wrong. So back up that drive and replace it.
[Video description begins] Key S.M.A.R.T. Indicators. [Video description ends]
Now some of the key indicators essentially are just what you'll get from the reporting component. So you'll see during the boot process, in many cases, that may be SMART is beginning its tests. And you'll just see a quick report at the end that says drive OK or a drive failure to some degree. So this predicted failure might represent a fairly wide spectrum of possibilities really anywhere from a catastrophic failure to just slower performance. Maybe there has been an issue with some of the on board cache memory and the drive itself is still working just fine.
But maybe it's not caching correctly so you get slower performance. But SMART can monitor several attributes including the temperature, the read error rate, the spin up time and the overall throughput performance. And some configurations will allow you to see an error log, so that you can go through and see what these problems are over time. And again, get a bit of an idea as to when any kind of issue becomes a little more serious than just something like slow performance. Usually slow performance is happening because something is physically wrong with the drive, so it might not fail immediately, but sooner or later it probably will.
[Video description begins] S.M.A.R.T. Self-Tests. [Video description ends]
Now, depending on the make and model there are other types of test that can be performed, sort of against the read/write capabilities of the drive itself. And again, this may vary with respect to which tests are available, but a short test essentially just verifies the mechanical, the electrical, making sure that everything can physically move correctly and it may do some very quick read tests. A long/extended test is a much more thorough implementation. It will still do everything the short test does but it will do very thorough read and write tests. That can sometimes take hours depending on how much data is on the drive or what the capacity of the drive is.
The conveyance test is usually something that's designed for immediate test after it has been installed. In other words, maybe from the point where it was shipped to the point where it was installed, some damage did occur. Maybe during shipping, it was dropped. So in that case something may have failed. So conveyance is literally that does everything still seem to be working type of test. And selective is a simplified test similar to long/extended where it does do more reading and writing, but it's literally from selective areas of the drive. So it's not the entire drive. It's a bit of a sampling, if you will.
So again, you can invoke these usually through the configuration utility of your BIOS or maybe your UEFI. It's going to depend on the make and model and the manufacturer of that system. But ultimately SMART, again, is a pretty good technology in terms of reporting that there is something wrong. As soon as you do start to see problems being reported from SMART, usually the best idea is to back it up and replace it as quickly as possible.
Video Display Issues
Now, in this presentation, we'll talk about some video display issues. But before we get to anything, always bear in mind that when it comes to video, there are two main components. There is the output of your computer, such as your video card and of course there is the monitor. So you always have to take into account both. Now, if it's a situation whereby you have absolutely nothing on the screen. But the system seems to have completed its boot correctly, then of course just try changing to a different monitor. And if all of a sudden everything is fine, then clearly you know it was the monitor.
But with respect to the internal components such as your video card, a common problem is actually heat. Bear in mind that today's high performance graphics subsystems such as gaming or video editing systems place very high demands on the video. And as such, they get very hot. Now they, of course, will also include cooling systems, so that there are fans directly on the video cards for example. But they can gather dust, and the dustier they get, the worse they will perform. The dust not only interferes with the movement, the spinning of the fan. But if dust settles on the card itself, it acts as insulation, and it just gets hotter and hotter.
And if it does overheat, your system will shut down and possibly even damage itself due to that overheating. So your best bet here really is preventative maintenance. Just regularly clean those internal components. And when it comes to dust, one of your best options is compressed air. Now you can use a vacuum cleaner as well. But just be careful not to knock any component. And maybe just have the nozzle close to where the dust is being blown out. In other words, don't use one of those bristle ends directly on the card itself because they can tend to generate static electricity. So, you know, just hold the nozzle of the vacuum close by as the dust is being blown out.
[Video description begins] Dead Pixels and Artifacts. [Video description ends]
Now, dead pixels and artifacts can happen due to a few different problems. So when troubleshooting with SMART, it can inform you, generally, of possible But a dead pixel is always an issue with the screen itself. It's not a problem with the video card. And a dead pixel really is not something that can be repaired. It's a problem with the screen so usually it's a matter of replacing the screen. Now, if it's a laptop, you can just get a new screen. But if it's an external monitor, you're probably better off just replacing the entire monitor. It would cost less than trying to replace just the screen component. But when it's a laptop, certainly bear in mind the price there. And an artifact is when you essentially just get an almost unrecognizable image. You can maybe make out some basic shapes.
But you essentially get only the three primary colors of red, green and blue, so you really can't see anything. And I've found that most commonly, this happens with just a loose connection. And of course check both ends, the monitor end, the video card end. But in many cases if it is loose, you might see an artifact. So just tighten everything back on and that can correct it. But it could also be a setting for the video card. If it's set to something incompatible with the monitor then you may see an artifact, as well. And if it simply proves to be neither of those then it certainly could be a hardware issue and you could be looking at replacement. But in many cases, artifacts can be corrected.
[Video description begins] Image Flickering and Distortion. [Video description ends]
And if you encounter flickering and distortion, this can be a matter of the settings and/or the resolution. So the flickering is typically due to its operating frequency. And this refers to the fact that each pixel does actually blink on and off, if you will. And this happens at a rate of generally around 60 hertz, which means 60 times per second. And that's pretty fast. But below that, you may actually notice it. If you go higher than that, then this is less likely to be detected simply because the human eye can't really pick up on it once it's flickering that fast. So just try adjusting the hertz setting.
And this is usually something that you can adjust within your operating system or the settings for the graphics adapter card itself. And possibly also the monitor. Newer monitors often have on screen settings where you can adjust them there as well. And ultimately you want the same setting for what your video card is outputting versus what your monitor expects to receive. And then distortion is typically due to the resolution. So this is quite simply your X and Y axis. And it's the number of pixels on each axis. So 1024 by 768 is a very commonly used value these days.
And it's up to you with respect to what you like. Because as you increase the resolution, the picture tends to get better. But each individual component on the screen such as icons will tend to get smaller. So it's up to you, but the image may be displayed in the wrong geometry if you choose a setting that is again incompatible with the monitor. You may still be able to see an image but it just looks distorted. It's too long or it's too wide or it's too short or too narrow.
[Video description begins] Other Common Issues. [Video description ends]
And finally, some other common issues include the color patterns. Again, maybe you just get a completely incorrect color pattern. I have found that in many cases, this is also due to a loose connection. So maybe the whole screen just kind of gets a bit of a pinkish hue, or maybe a greenish hue, or even blue. Again, something along the lines of the three primary colors. But just the patterns are off compared to what they should be. Burn in is much less of a problem these days. But in earlier flat screen monitors they did tend to run a little bit hot from the backlight.
And if you left the same image on the screen for too long, it quite literally could remain there forever. That's what they referred to as burn in. But this is why you have screensavers. As long as it's constantly refreshing, then you won't get that burn in. And if it's a dim image, this just could be a problem with the backlighting. So again, this would be something that's actually wrong with the screen itself. Although bear in mind you often have brightness settings on the devices. And sometimes people might adjust that without really knowing it. They might hit a keystroke combination or a setting on the monitor itself that they just didn't realize. And it just appears too dim. So it's really just a matter of changing the setting there. But, of course, it's not corrected by adjusting the settings. Then, again, you could be looking at just replacing the screen or the monitor.
Mobile Device Symptoms
Now in this presentation, we'll talk about troubleshooting mobile devices, beginning with some display and input issues. But with respect to that term mobile, that is a fairly broad term. We tend to think of mobile phones and maybe tablets as the common mobile devices, but of course, laptops are mobile. Maybe an eReader, or a GPS, or any kind of fitness device. So there are a lot of mobile devices that would fall under this category. But particularly with a laptop, one common problem might be that there's no display. Now in many cases, there's nothing wrong with the display. It's that the system is configured to send its display to an external source, such as an external monitor or maybe a projector.
And this is often done using a function key combination. Now, it will vary depending on make and model, but commonly it's the F5 key. So you can press and hold FN, that's your function key, then press F5. That allows you to toggle through your display options, and it just might send to an external display only. So you can test with an external monitor to see if that's case, or maybe a projector if you don't have another monitor handy. Now, if you're running Windows 10, then you should also be able to use the Windows key, that's the key that has the little Windows logo, and the letter P, that also allows you to cycle through your display output options.
Now, if it's a flickering display, this could be the brightness setting, it just might just be set too low so that it's barely on. It could be the refresh rate of the screen. Certainly check any physical connections if there are any. But it could be indicative of a failed LCD panel as well. Now again, you can usually replace an LCD panel, but be mindful of the cost. It might be cheaper to actually replace the entire unit. Again, depending on what it is. And if it's just a little bit too dim, again, it could still be the brightness setting. Almost any device that has a built-in screen allows you to set the brightness.
So somebody just may have accidentally set it all the way down. It could be an issue with the drivers. If it is some kind of external monitor that has some built-in capabilities then maybe you can try updating the drivers. And again, you can replace the backlight for something like an external monitor, but again, be mindful of the cost. And in terms of input, you may still have a keyboard, of course. On a laptop, there's almost always going to be a keyboard.
But other devices such as tablets maybe have detachable keyboards, and even some mobile phones still have keyboards built right in. So sticking keys in most cases are a result of something being spilled on the keyboard. So you can get something like contact cleaner to try to clean them off, as long as it's something that's safe for use with electronics. But if it's entirely stuck down, again, depending on what it is, you may be able to actually pull the keyboard off and perhaps clean from underneath. But if it is entirely integrated into the unit, such as a mobile phone, again, you might be better off just replacing the entire unit.
[Video description begins] Troubleshooting Power Issues. [Video description ends]
Now as far as power issues go, of course, check the AC adapter itself and verify that it is getting power. There is usually an indicator light on most power adapters that will essentially inform you that it is getting power. So then if you aren't getting any power to the device, then there could be a problem with the connector. There obviously could be something wrong with the device itself. And with most mobile devices, there is also a battery. So some common issues with batteries include overheating, maybe a swollen battery. Because, again, there are chemicals inside there, so sometimes they tend to start leaking and they literally swell. So just identify if the battery needs replacement. And again, most mobile devices do support replacing the battery. It may still be somewhat expensive, but probably not as expensive as replacing the entire unit.
[Video description begins] Troubleshooting Network and Connectivity Issues. [Video description ends]
And of course, mobile devices typically tend to have connectivity to some kind of network, and most commonly it's WiFi. So if you have no connectivity at all, clearly just check the wireless settings of the device. And if it's something like a laptop, you can maybe open up something like a command prompt and ping any other system on the network to see if you are getting a response. And of course, verify your own IP address configuration so that you can confirm that it appears to be a valid address.
And if it's intermittent or unreliable, then in almost every case this is a matter of positioning. You might just be right on the boundary of how far that signal is transmitting with respect to its reliability. So you've already got that connection, it's not a matter of having no connectivity, you were able to connect but then you can't seem to load a webpage or get your email. So you're probably just a little bit too far, maybe there are too many obstructions in your way.
And if you have no Bluetooth connectivity, then, of course, verify the paired devices with the primary device, and do be mindful of distance as well. Now, most Bluetooth devices do tend to be pretty close to the primary device. But it's still something that you should consider if it's a little farther away, and also the power level of what you are trying to connect could be an issue. Because if it's just about out of power, then maybe it's not transmitting as strong a signal.
[Video description begins] Troubleshooting Bluetooth Issues. [Video description ends]
And other issues that may arise with Bluetooth might involve needing an update to the operating system and/or the drivers for the device. And as mentioned, you always have to configure device pairing when it comes to Bluetooth. So just make sure that the two devices are paired. Maybe review the documentation to see if there's anything that in particular has to be done to pair them, such as creating a passcode.
This is common if maybe you are trying to pair a Bluetooth device with something like your car, it will tell you that you need to create a passcode. And in some cases, one of the two devices needs to be turned on first in order for them to correctly recognize each other. And of course, check your Device Manager if it's something like a Windows laptop to verify that the device is in fact showing up.
[Video description begins] Troubleshooting Other Common Issues. [Video description ends]
And finally, some other common issues may include slow performance and low battery life. You can check the temperature if the unit is overheating. Then, of course, maybe the cooling system has failed. Maybe you just have too many apps open all the time. So shut down any unused ones. Let the device cool if it's running too hot. And, of course, check the application manager. In most cases, you will have something along those lines to see what is actually running.
You might not be aware of something that is running that is taking up a lot of resources. And if it is a GPS device, then most commonly the problem here is still just a reliable connection, because a GPS requires a clear line of sight to the sky. So if you're trying to use it indoors, for example, you might not get a very good signal. And like anything that is wireless, it's still susceptible to sources of external interference. And any type of device may have an unresponsive touchscreen. Again, in most cases, this probably is going to require that the device be just simply exchanged. You can repair in most cases. You can get a new screen for certain devices. But in many cases, it will be a little more expensive depending on what it is. So certainly be mindful of the cost in terms of replacement versus repair.
Laptop Disassembly
In this presentation, we'll talk about some basic key considerations and best practices for assembling and disassembling laptops. Now, the reason why you need to pay a little more attention is because laptops are obviously so much more tightly packed, it's difficult to get at many of the components. It's not like you're working with a large desktop tower, where you have tons of room to get at things. Obviously, for enhanced portability, everything is as small as possible and everything is packed in as tightly as possible. So you really need to rely on the documentation for the make and model to ensure that you are accessing all of the internal components correctly.
So there are a few things that are fairly common from unit to unit. In other words, certain techniques will generally be applicable, regardless of the system, but there will still be some variation as to where you will find this component or that connection. So ensure that you do have the documentation. Now, most systems will allow you access to the primary components, such as the hard drive, the battery, and the memory, through the bottom. So you just flip it over, and typically there are panels that you can unscrew to get at those components. But accessing the entire motherboard would certainly require a little bit more. Might have to disassemble the entire housing and remove several other components before you can get to the motherboard.
So again, documentation is key. And you might want to pay a little extra attention to wearing a ground strap because again, everything is packed so tightly that any kind of a shock can travel throughout a lot of different components. So you really do want to pay attention to the electricity, and most definitely unplug all power. Now, bear in mind that every laptop has two sources of power, the power adapter and a battery. So you don't want to be servicing the unit while the battery is still attached, because that still can deliver power. So certainly remove the battery and unplug the power connection before you start doing any servicing. And in many cases, they actually won't let you access the internal components without removing the battery. So a little bit of safety is sort of built into the design, if you will.
[Video description begins] Laptop Assembly/Disassembly - Best Practices. [Video description ends]
So as far as some best practices are concerned, do be sure that you are using the right tools. Now again, because of their size, many of the screws that you'll be using are the very small, what they tend to call jeweler's screws. So you need the jeweler's screwdrivers in many cases. A standard screwdriver is simply too large. So try to just make sure you get the right set of tools. And label anything that is connected. Now, you typically won't find the large cables that you might see in a desktop system.
It's usually a very thin ribbon cable that's made out of plastic in many cases, but you might still want to label it to make sure that you put it back in the correct location. And again, follow whatever documentation you can locate for that particular make and model. And because the screws are very small, and again, the location of parts is very specific in a laptop, definitely make sure that you document where anything came from as you take it out. And those screws are very easy to lose, as well, because they are so small. They're easy to drop, and once they do drop, it can be very difficult to find them. So you really just need to exercise a lot more care when working with laptops, as opposed to working with a nice large desktop tower.
Network Problems
In this presentation, we'll talk about some wired and wireless network problems. And this begins with your operating system selecting which connection to use. Now this can refer to wired versus wireless. Or perhaps you have a lot of different wireless networks available. So if you are in an environment where you do have both, wired and wireless, and you are connected to both. Then in almost every case, the operating system will choose the wired. That's usually faster, it's usually more reliable. But there might be instances where you actually want to use the wireless, just for maybe testing. So you might have to manually switch over, if you will. And typically, the easiest way to do this is to simply disable the other connection. You can right-click on the adapter itself, and just temporarily disable it.
Of course, this will force it to use the other one. But ultimately only a single connection can be used at one time, and you can prioritize which one to use. Now again as mentioned, if it's wired versus wireless, then the operating system will almost invariably prioritize the wired. But if it's just a matter of only wireless, and you have a lot of different wireless connections. Then you might find that the one you use most often is just too far down the list. So if you travel a lot, for example, and you connect to a bunch of different restaurant WiFis, coffee shops, hotels, airports, and all of that kind of stuff. You might find that there are dozens of WiFi connections, and maybe the one that you use most often is at the bottom of the list.
Now it should still work, but it might take a while to connect. So you can move them up and down in the list in many cases. Or perhaps, maybe a better option is just to remove the ones that you don't use very often. Maybe they were just one time connections. With respect to connection issues, if you do manage to connect, again, wired or wirelessly, you may still want to verify the IP address configuration. Even though it might show that you are connected, that doesn't necessarily mean that you have received a valid IP address configuration.
So you can usually right-click and choose the properties of the connection. Or if it's a Windows system, you can open a command prompt, and type in ipconfig and hit Enter. And it will report what you received or an address configuration, and you can verify that this is correct or incorrect. And you can also verify the WiFi connection properties if it is specifically WiFi. And as mentioned, you can remove, or what is often referred to as forgetting the wireless networks, and then manually rejoin if you have to. But as mentioned, you can sometimes see many, many WiFi connections. And if you just don't use those anymore, then really you should remove them so that it doesn't attempt to connect to them in the future.
[Video description begins] Issues with IP Conflicts. [Video description ends]
Now another issue is an IP conflict. And this occurs when two devices on the same network end up with the same IP address. This effectively doesn't work. Now, in an environment where DHCP is being used, or dynamic host configuration protocol. That system itself will not issue out the same IP address twice. But it could be that someone has brought a device into the environment. And that device is manually set to use an IP address that has already been issued by the DHCP server. In this case, those two devices will conflict, and no network connectivity, or at least one of those devices essentially will result.
Now you can verify the manual versus the dynamic address configuration, again by using something like ipconfig, to find out the address configuration of each device. And you can use the PING utility to verify connectivity to other network resources. Again, from a command prompt, you can just type in the word ping. And you can type in the address of a neighboring device, or the default gateway address, or even an Internet address. So it would be ping, maybe 192.168.1.1, or something like the default gateway. Maybe 1.50 for a neighboring device. And you can actually ping something like www.yourfavoritewebsite.com, in terms of an Internet address, and just hit Enter. And if you receive a reply, then your connectivity should be fine. But if you don't get a reply, then of course, you might be the device in conflict, so you need to reconfigure that system.
[Video description begins] Troubleshoot SSID Not Found Issues. [Video description ends]
Now there may also be issues with the service set ID, or SSID, not being found, or maybe it's a mismatch. But essentially, your system needs to have the same SSID as the wireless access point. So simply ensure that you are connecting to the proper access point connection. And of course, avoid open access wireless if you can because in many cases, you might actually find the same SSID. People at home, for example, might just name their wireless home.
So you might actually end up connecting to someone else's if they're both open access. So try to avoid that. You also need to be mindful of the wireless network standards, your 802.11a, b, g, n or even ac. And simply ensure that the device is compatible with the access point with respect to that standard. And obviously you need to properly configure the encryption settings. The encryption method and the passphrase obviously have to match on both ends.
[Video description begins] Limited Wireless Connectivity and Transfer Speed. [Video description ends]
And finally, if it's an issue with limited wireless connectivity and/or maybe slow transfer speeds, do be mindful of the antenna types. And in most cases, the more you have the better, with respect to the distance that it will travel. And clearly, be aware of any environmental considerations. If there are a lot of obstructions such as concrete walls and metal studs, this absolutely can interfere with both the strength and the speed. And also be mindful of the operating frequency. The common values are 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, but these are not compatible with each other.
So any device that expects to connect over 2.4 GHz must find an access point running on the same frequency. And the same goes for 5. So again, they aren't compatible with each other. And in some cases, it could be the device capacity. In other words, the access point may have a restriction with respect to the number of connections. Now, that's typically something that has to be configured. It's usually not on by default. But an administrator can go in and say that only 10 devices are allowed to connect to this particular access point. So once 10 are connected, the 11th simply will not connect. So again, that's something that does need to be considered. But as mentioned, it's a manual configuration, not something that's there by default.