Computers Computer Troubleshooting

7 Tips on Troubleshooting Your Computer

Published at 03/12/2012 04:47:07

Introduction

There are those times that you want some task accomplished but fail to meet your needs. These are the times that your malfunctioning computer really gets into your nerves as they impede your work. It is such times that you wish you had sufficient knowledge on computer troubleshooting. To troubleshoot means that you will go through your computer to seek for any possible flaws. This is as easy as it sounds but there are some few details that you need to put in place. Troubleshooting can be performed on various computer hardware and software. Having an understanding of the parts of the computer that slows it down is the very first step in successful repair of your computer.

Step 1

Fragmentation is one of the major reasons for incredibly slow computers. Disk fragmentation occurs when files are added, changed or deleted, they do get scattered in desperate regions of the disk. This will substantially slow down your computer. The secret to troubleshooting for such problem is by using in-built defragmentation tools. You can also use third party programs to defragment your computer.

Step 2

In case you are using Windows as your operating system, you should check out for other services that are enabled by default. Some of these programs are unnecessary and just slows down your computer for no apparent reason. Troubleshooting for this problem is easy as you only get to uncheck the programs that you do not need. There are also runaway processes that slow down your computer. You can end these processes that take up 98 percent of the CPU.

Step 3

The random access memory (RAM) is another major hardware issue that your computer is likely to be suffering from. There are various RAM that are available on the market. However, you should not buy a RAM with slower speeds than those of your motherboard as your computer will perform slower.

Step 4

Processor overheating is one issue that you do not want to rule out yet. You need to go through all those troubleshooting trouble without checking the processor. The overheating may be due to a failed fan, dust on the fan or loose fan. This can be easily solved by fixing your fan or cooler.

Step 5

You cables should be a major source of concern while troubleshooting your computer. This is why you should confirm if all the cables are connected firmly. These cables include floppy ribbon cables, IDE cables and power cables.

Step 6

There are instances where you file system issues might be the reason why your computer needs troubleshooting. These include the recycle bin, temporary Internet files, and installed programs not in use and downloaded program. These should be removed and the recycle bin emptied.

Step 7

The other area of concern during troubleshooting is the background programs. These background applications do start automatically slowing your computer.

Tips and comments

When troubleshooting for a system shut down, you should first of all consider all the possible hardware complication. These are the most common reason for slow computers. After doing this is when you can investigate probable software problems.

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