Software Failures In Your Leptop or Pc

The more severe software problems are usually caused by a hardware failure. No start (with or without an error message), frequent crashes with different errors each time, frequent freezes or Windows running extremely slow all indicate hard disk, memory (RAM), motherboard or overheating problems. If you have used the recommendations for setting up Windows with two accounts, the chances of having viruses or spyware are very slim. 

Troubleshooting:

There are two ways of doing this:
Try to remove all viruses and spyware, although there are some really nasty trojans and rootkits that are almost impossible to remove. This method seems faster and easier but it can take from about two hours to over six hours.

Reinstall Windows. Backup your files, reinstall/restore Windows from the CDs that came with the computer, then install back all the programs you use and copy back your files. This method will probably take at least three or four hours and you will have to redo all custom settings you have in Windows and in the main programs you use. The advantage of this method is that it will take care of all software problems you may be having and your computer will run faster at the end.

 Symptoms:

The most common software failures are caused by viruses and spyware. The Internet doesn’t work, computer is running slow,  there’s an icon next to the clock that tries to scare you into buying some kind of “antispyware”, Internet Explorer doesn’t work, when you try to start a program it takes more than a minute for it to appear, etc.

The other common cause of software problems is when updating or installing a new driver or a Windows update. In these cases the fix is easy: restart the computer in safe mode and use Windows’ build in System Restore to undo the last installation/update. If the computer doesn’t want to start in safe mode, Windows has to be reinstalled.

Pc Viruse and Spyware Removing

You will need an Internet connection with a network cable, wireless will not work. If you use a wireless router, you will need to temporarily attach a network cable between the router and the computer. It is also possible to do this with dial-up connection but it will take quite longer.

Can you still access the Internet? If yes – continue to the next step. If not – you will need to fix it first.
To be able to do that, you will need to download several programs on another computer and burn them to a CD or use a flash drive to copy them to your computer. You will need:

• Trend Micro’s SysClean.com and the latest virus pattern file http://www.trendmicro.com/download/viruspattern.asp.
• Ad-Aware SE Personal and the latest definitions file (defs.zip) http://www.lavasoftusa.com/
• WinsockxpFix.exe
• Firefox or Opera or get both if you want to try them.
• These instructions in plain text file (right-click -> Save As…). Follow those instructions to restore your Internet access, then return here to finish cleaning your computer from viruses and spyware.

First Step: on Plug in the network cable and start the computer in “Safe Mode with Networking”.

To do that you will need to keep pressing the F8 key several seconds after you see the very first (logo) screen when starting the computer. If you have a BIOS password, start pressing the F8 key as soon as you enter it. If a “Select a boot device” screen appears, select the hard disk, press “Enter” and continue pressing F8. If the usual “Windows XP” screen appears, that means you’ve missed the moment. Wait for Windows to load, then restart it and try again. Eventually you will see the advanced startup screen of Windows (black screen with white text). Use the “Up” arrow key to go to “Safe Mode with Networking” and press “Enter”.

Log into your admin account (or your account if you have only one) and dismiss the warning that windows is running in safe mode by clicking “OK”.

Second Step: Clean the Temporary Internet Files and Internet Explorer.

Go to Control Panel -> Internet Options, click “Delete Files…” on the “General” tab, then click “Settings…” just next to it, then “View Objects…” and delete all of them. Then click on “Connections” tab, then “Lan Settings…” and uncheck all three checkboxes there, then click “OK”. After that go to the “Programs” tab, click on “Manage Add-ons…” and disable all. Click “OK”, then “OK” again to close the “Internet Options” control panel.

Third Step : Clean your temp folder.

Open “My Computer” and go to “Local Disk (C:) -> Documents and Settings -> [your account name]“, then on that window’s menu at the top go to “Tools -> Folder Options…” select the “View” tab and click “Show hidden files and folders” and uncheck “Hide extensions for known file types”. Then click “OK”. Now you should see a folder “Local Settings”. Open it, then right-click on the “Temp” folder and select “Delete”. Repeat this for the rest of your accounts if you have more that one. After that empty the trash.

Fourth Step : Disable all startup items and non-windows services with msconfig.

Go to Windows’ Start button, then select “Run”, type “msconfig” and press “Enter”. This is Windows “System Configuration Utility”. Click on the last tab “Startup” then click on “Disable All”. After that click on the “Services” tab, then on the “Hide All Microsoft Services” checkbox, and then on “Disable All” again. Then Click “OK” and “Exit Without Restart” to return to the desktop. This will disable all startup items and non-windows services. You can enable the ones you need later, after cleaning all viruses and spyware.

Fifth Step : There are quite a few free programs and tools that would help you clean viruses and spyware.

My favourites (at the moment) are below. Download, install, update and run all programs in that order:
Trend Micro’s SysClean.com – download both sysclean.com and the latest virus pattern file. Then unzip them both in the same directory and double-click sysclean.com. It scans all files and may take some time to complete.
BitDefender’s on-demand scanner – look for the free v. 8.0
a-squared free
AVG Anti-Spyware
Spybot – Search & Destroy
HijackThis

This is a more advanced tool that will let you look at some of the inner workings of Windows. After starting it select “Do a system scan only”. It is safe to check all checkboxes and select “Fix checked”, as the program makes backups and you can restore any needed settings later.

LSPFix.exe

If HijackThis reports unknown “winsock providers”, use LSPFix to remove them. The default (Windows) ones are: Msafd.dll, Mswsock.dll, Mswsosp.dll, Rnr20.dll, Rsvpsp.dll and Winrnr.dll. If you have Novel Netware installed, you will have some of these: Nwws2nds.dll, Nwws2sap.dll and Nwws2slp.dll. If you see any other entries listed in LSPFix, remove them. Some antivirus programs have entries there too. You can remove these entries as you will have to either reinstall the antivirus or better switch to another, since your currently installed one has failed to protect your computer.

After you finish with HijackThis and LSPFix, restart your computer in normal mode. Uninstall your current antivirus and after restarting, either reinstall it back or switch to another one. You can also try one of the free antivirus programs. In the last two years I’ve been using AVG Free at home and never had any problems. If you are uninstalling Norton, you better run the Norton Removal Tool after restart.
After that get Firefox or Opera or get both if you want to try them. Both of these web browsers are a lot safer than Internet Explorer as almost all web based exploits work only in Explorer.

Genaral Tips for laptop users

Find out how to properly “manage” your laptop, what to do if… (something bad happens) and how to maintain it working well and avoid “surprises”…

--> Although this site talks generally about laptops running Windows, many articles apply to any personal computer running any major operating system – Windows, MacOS or Linux. LaptopTips tries to look at all basic topics from a beginner’s prospective. After all, over 90% of all computer users would never leave the “beginner” category. Even most of the “power users” are usually experts in one area, mostly the use of a particular software, but may not be aware of basic hardware setup and troubleshooting.

This site contains a lot of concise practical advice on all basic topics that a modern computer user should be aware of, from initial hardware and software setup with data security in mind, to the “bare minimum” of preventive maintenance that would help your computer to work better and last longer. LaptopTips also deals with the more common computer failures, providing a step by step help on the symptoms, how to diagnose and fix them.

Award BIOS / CMOS Setup For Your Pc

This is the BIOS setup for Award BIOS v6.00PG. If you have a different version of the Award BIOS their would be a lot of similarities. If your BIOS is AMI or Phoenix then the common BIOS features would have some similarities. Whatever BIOS you have, this setup guide should give you an idea about how to setup a BIOS. Please note that setting up BIOS incorrectly could cause system malfunction, therefore it is recommended that you also follow the BIOS guide provided on your motherboard manual.

If you decide to make changes to certain options it is safer to make a note of what you have changed. Then restart the system to see how it performs. If the system behaves abnormally or becomes unstable you can revert back to your previous settings.

Click on any of the BIOS setup options below to setup that feature.

Softmenu III Setup	PC Health Status
Standard CMOS Features	Load Fail-Safe Defaults
Advanced BIOS Features	Load Optimized Defaults
Advanced Chipset Features	Set Password
Integrated Peripherals	Save & Exit Setup
Power Management Setup	Exit Without Saving
PnP/PCI Configurations

Softmenu III
 Softmenu III is where you can setup up the CPU without setting jumpers on the motherboard. You can setup the CPU simply by selecting the speed i.e. Pentium III 750 from the list. This ensures that the CPU bus, multiplier, voltage etc, is correctly set for that particular CPU. However you can manually setup each feature if required. Once you have finished with the setup press ESC to return the previous menu. 

Standard CMOS Features
Here you can setup the basic BIOS features such as date, time, type of floppy etc. Use the arrow keys to move around and press enter to select the required option. You can specify what IDE devices you have such as Hard drive, CD-ROM, ZIP drive etc. The easiest way to setup the IDE devices is by leaving it set to auto. This allows the BIOS to detect the devices automatically so you don't have to do it manually. At the bottom, it also displays the total memory in your system.  

Advanced BIOS Features
As you can see from figure 3, there are numerous advance settings which you can select if required. For most cases leaving the default setting should be adequate. As you can see the first boot device is set to floppy. This ensures that the floppy disk is read first when the system boots, and therefore can boot from windows boot disk. The second boot device is the Hard disk and third is set to LS120. If you want to boot from a bootable CD then you can set the third boot device to CD/DVD-ROM.

Advanced Chipset Features
Here you can setup the contents of the chipset buffers. It is closely related to the hardware and is therefore recommended that you leave the default setting unless you know what you are doing. Having an incorrect setting can make your system unstable. If you know that your SDRAM can handle CAS 2, then making changes can speed up the memory timing. If you have 128MB SDRAM then the maximum amount of memory the AGP card can use is 128MB. 

Inegrated Peripherals
This menu allows you to change the various I/O devices such as IDE controllers, serial ports, parallel port, keyboard etc. You can make changes as necessary.  

Power Management Setup
The power management allows you to setup various power saving features, when the PC is in standby or suspend mode. 

PnP/PCI Configurations
This menu allows you to configure your PCI slots. You can assign IRQ's for various PCI slots. It is recommended that you leave the default settings as it can get a bit complicated messing around with IRQ's.  

PC Health Status
This menu displays the current CPU temperature, the fan speeds, voltages etc. You can set the warning temperature which will trigger an alarm if the CPU exceeds the specified temperature. 

Load Fail-Safe Defaults

If you made changes to the BIOS and your system becomes unstable as a result, you can change it back to default. However if you made many changes and don't know which one is causing the problem, your best bet is to choose the option "Load Fail Safe Mode Defaults" from the BIOS menu. This uses a minimal performance setting, but the system would run in a stable way. From the dialog box Choose "Y" followed by enter to load Fail-Safe Defaults.

Load Optimized Defaults

Like the Fail-Safe mode above, this option loads the BIOS default settings, but runs the system at optimal performance. From the dialog box Choose "Y" followed by enter to load Optimized Defaults.

Set Password

To password protect your BIOS you can specify a password. Make sure you don't forget the password or you can not access the BIOS. The only way you can access the BIOS is by resetting it using the reset jumper on the motherboard.

Save and Exit Setup

To save any changes you made to the BIOS you must choose this option. From the dialog box choose "Y".

Exit without Saving

If you don't want to save changes made to the BIOS, choose "N" from the dialog box.

How to Install Windows 7 In Your PC

The best way to install Windows 7 is to do a clean install. It is not difficult to perform a clean installation. Before you start the installation process I recommend that you check Windows 7 System Requirements list to ensure that your hardware is supported by Windows 7. If you don't have Windows 7 drivers for all your hardware, it is a good idea to download all the drivers from the hardware manufacturers website and save all the necessary drivers on a CD-R or a USB drive before you start the installation.


Windows 7 DVD is bootable. In order to boot from the DVD you need to set the boot sequence. Look for the boot sequence under your BIOS setup and make sure that the first boot device is set to CD-ROM/DVD-ROM.
Step 1 - Place Windows 7 DVD in your dvd-rom drive and start your PC. Windows 7 will start to boot up and you will get the following progress bar.

Step 2 - The next screen allows you to setup your language, time and currency format, keyboard or input method. Choose your required settings and click next to continue.

Step 3 - The next screen allows you to install or repair Windows 7. Since we are doing a clean install we will click on "install now".

Step 4 - Read the license terms and tick I accept license terms. Then click next to continue.

Step 5 - You will now be presented with two options. Upgrade or Custom (Advanced). Since we are doing a clean install we will select Custom (Advanced).

Step 6 - Choose where you would like to install Windows 7. If you have one hard drive you will get a similar option to the image below. You can click next to continue. If you have more that one drive or partition then you need to select the appropriate drive and click next. If you need to format or partition a drive then click Drive options (advance) before clicking next.

Step 7 - Windows 7 starts the installation process and starts copying all the necessary files to your hard drive as shown on the image below.

Step 8 - It will go through various stages of the setup and will reboot your system few times.

Step 9 - When your PC reboots it attempts to boot from DVD as its the first boot device. Do not press any key during the boot prompt so Windows 7 will continue with the installation by booting from the hard drive.

Step 10 - After the reboot your computer will be prepared for first use.

Step 11 - At this stage you need to choose a user name and computer name. Click next to continue. The user account you create here is the Administrator account which is the main account for your Windows 7 that has all the privileges.

Step 12 - Choose your password and password hint just incase you forget your password and need to jog your memory.

Step 13 - You can now type the product key that came with Windows 7 and click next. If you do not enter the product key you can still proceed to the next stage. However Windows 7 will run in trial mode for 30 days. You must therefore activate Windows within 30 days otherwise you can not access your computer after 30 days.

Step 14 - Help protect your computer and improve Windows automatically. Choose Use recommended settings.

Step 15 - Review your time and date settings. Select your time zone, correct the date and time and click next to continue.

Step 16 - Select your computer's current location. If you are a home user then choose Home network otherwise select the appropriate option.

Step 17 - Windows will now finalize the settings for your computer and restart.

Step 18 - After the final restart Windows 7 will start to boot up.

Step 19 - Finally you have the logon screen. Just type your password and press enter or click on the arrow to logon to Windows 7 for the first time.

Step 20 - After you have logged on to Windows 7 for the first time, you will see similar desktop to the image below. At this point you can start using your computer. However it may not be fully configured. You need to make sure that all the hardware is detected correctly and the necessary device drivers are installed. This can be done from the device manager.

Step 21 - To go to device manager click - Start Menu -> Control Panel -> System and Security -> System -> Device Manager. You will see all your hardware listed as shown on the image below. You need to check if you have any yellow exclamation marks next to the name of the devices, similar to "Multimedia Audio Controller" on the image below. This indicates that the driver has not been installed for this device.

At this stage you can install the driver for this device. To do so, Right Mouse click on Multimedia Audio Controller -> Update Driver Software...

Step 22 - You can choose to "Search automatically for updated driver software" or "Browse my computer for driver software". If you have the driver CD or if the driver is on a USB drive then choose "browse my computer for driver software". Window 7 will search and install the driver from the CD or you can locate the driver manually.

Once you have removed all the yellow exclamation marks from the device manager your Windows 7 configuration would be fully complete.

Step 23 - Finally check if you have successfully activated Windows 7. Click Start Menu -> Control Panel -> System and Security -> System. You will get a window similar to the image below. Towards the bottom you will see Windows is activated followed by your product ID. This shows that your copy of Windows 7 is fully activated.

How to Install Windows XP In Your PC

This procedure demonstrates how to install Windows XP Professional. The procedure to install Windows XP home edition is very similar to the professional edition. Since Windows XP Pro is more advanced operating system, it will be used to demonstrate the installation procedure.

The best way install Windows XP is to do a clean install. It is not difficult to perform a clean installation. Before you perform the installation I recommend that you check Windows XP Compatibility List to ensure that your hardware is supported by XP. If your hardware is not on the compatibility list you can check your hardware manufactures website to download the drivers for Windows XP. Save all the necessary drivers onto floppy disks or CD before you start the installation.

 DETAIL HERE

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Most common hardware problems in laptop pc

In this post I will summarize most common laptop or notebook hardware problems ever mentioned on this site. I will not be digging into the operating system related problems, only laptop hardware issues.

I’ll provide most common laptop failure descriptions and give some suggestions how to troubleshoot or repair the problem.

Problem 1.
Laptop doesn’t turn on at all.

Problem description: When you plug the AC adapter into the laptop, there are no lights turning on at all. When you push on the power button, nothing happens. The laptop appears to be completely dead, makes no sounds, no indications of life.

Possible problem:
- AC adapter failed and the battery discharged completely. First of all, test the AC adapter. If it’s dead, replace the adapter.
- DC jack separated from the motherboard (or DC jack broken) and the laptop doesn’t get any power from the AC adapter. In this case the DC jack has to be replaced.
- Laptop motherboard failed. If that’s the case, most likely the laptop not worth fixing.

Here are some tips for testing laptop AC adapter and DC jack connector.

Also, make sure to read step-by-step instructions for troubleshooting dead laptops.

Problem 2.
Laptop turns on but screen is blank.

Problem description: The laptop turns on, LED lights on the laptop turn on, cooling fan works but nothing appears on the screen. The screen is completely black and blank. There is no image on the screen at all, not even a very dim image.
Possible problem:
- This problem could be related to the memory failure. It’s possible one of the memory modules failed and the laptop doesn’t turn on because of that. In this case you can try resenting memory modules to make sure they are making good contact with the slot. You can try removing memory modules one by one and test the laptop with only one memory module installed. You can try replacing memory modules with new modules.
- If resenting/replacing memory modules doesn’t help, try removing the hard drive, DVD drive, modem, wireless card, keyboard, etc… In other words, disassemble the laptop to bare minimum and test again. If the laptop still doesn’t turn on, most likely you have failed motherboard or processor.

Problem 3.
Laptop turns on and off repeatedly.

Problem description:
The laptop turn on without showing any image on the screen. After a few seconds the laptop turns off by itself. Then it turns on and off again. It continue turning on and off repeatedly until you power off the laptop completely.
Possible problem:
Most likely it happens because of some kind of motherboard failure. You can try reseating/replacing memory as I described in the Problem 2. If it doesn’t help, I would say this is motherboard related failure.
In most cases it’s not worth replacing the motherboard, better to buy a new laptop.

Problem 4.
Laptop makes noise while running.

Problem description:
The laptop turns on and everything works fine, except it makes some constant weird grinding or rattling noises. Some laptops make noises all the time, other laptops have them intermittently.
Possible problem:
In most cases this noise is coming from the cooling fan or laptop hard drive. You can turn on the laptop, wait until it starts making noise and after that listen closely on the bottom of the laptop. If the laptop starts making noise when the cooling fan starts running, most likely you have a failing fan. Replace the cooling fan.
If the laptop makes noise even when the fan not spinning, probably it’s coming from the hard drive. Back up all personal data from the hard drive as soon as possible, it can fail any moment. Replace the hard drive.
Here’s another technique to figure out if the noise coming from the fan or hard drive. Remove the hard drive from the laptop and stat the laptop. Wait until it warms up and the fan starts spinning. If the laptop still makes same noise even when the hard drive removed, most likely it’s bad fan.

Problem 5.
Laptop shuts down or freezes while in use.

Problem description:
The laptop turns on and runs properly but after a while it freezes or shuts down without any warning. When it happens, the laptop feels hot on the bottom. Also, the cooling fan works harder than usual.
Possible problem:
Most likely this is heat related issue. It happens because the cooling module gets clogged with dust and the laptop cannot “breath” properly. The laptop shuts down or freezes because the processor (CPU) overheats. Cleaning the cooling fan and heatsink should fix the problem.

Problem 6.
Laptop battery not charging properly

Problem description:
The laptop battery stopped charging properly. It’s not charging at all or charges only after you adjust the position of AC adapter plug inside the power connector on the laptop.
Possible problem:
- Failed battery.  If the battery stopped charging completely try reconnecting the battery first. If it doesn’t help, remove the battery and try running the laptop just from AC adapter. If the laptop runs fine from AC adapter but doesn’t charge the battery at all, most likely it’s either bad battery or motherboard problem. Try replacing the battery first.
- Loose DC power connector. If the battery charges only after you adjust the position of AC adapter tip inside the connector, this is DC jack related problem.
Problem 7.
Screen light doesn’t work or fails while the laptop running.

Problem description:
The laptop starts properly but after a while the screen light turns off. The image still appears on the screen but it’s very dark. In some cases the screen light never starts but you still can see a very faint image on the screen. In all cases the laptop video appears to be fine on the external monitor or TV.
Possible problem:
Most likely it’s either the screen inverter or screen backlight lamp (CCFL) failure.  Both fail very similarly causing the screen light to go off. In order to trobuleshoot this kind of failure effectively, you’ll need some spare parts: either new working inverter or known good backlight lamp.

Problem 8.
Laptop has strange or garbled image on the screen.

Problem description:
The laptop turns on properly but shows bad, wrong or garbled image on the screen.
Possible problem:
- Graphics card failure. First of all, test your laptop with image output on the external monitor. If you see the same problem on the external screen, most likely this is graphics card related failure.
- If the problem appears only on the laptop screen, it could be related to one of the following: poor connection between the video cable and motherboard or LCD screen or failed video cable or failed LCD screen.

Problem 9.
Some laptop keyboard keys stopped working.

Problem description:
The laptop turns on and runs properly but some keyboard keys do not work at all or type wrong characters.
Possible problem:
Most likely this the keyboard failed. Laptop keyboards are not repairable. If some keys stopped working, you’ll have to replace the keyboard.

Problem 10.
Missing or broken keys on laptop keyboard.

Problem description:
A key got separated from the laptop keyboard.
Problem solution:
If a key got separated from the keyboard, it’s still possible to fix it without replacing the entire keyboard.
Hopefully you didn’t damage the key hinges.
If you have many keys missing, probably it makes sense to replace the whole keyboard.

Enjoy Your Leptop