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The first thing to realise before you start looking into fixing your own pc, is that most of the time its a software fault, and not very often hardware related, so dont break out the hammer and chisel to open up the case just yet. Its time to stop, and consider when the fault first manifested itself. Had you just installed some new software or updates to your existing software? Have you downloaded a new Internet Explorer plugin or did anything request permission to install itself while you were surfing? Have you updated a device driver or installed some new hardware? If the answer to these questions is Why Yes, what harm could that possibly do? then it could be that the culprit is a conflict with the new program or update. If so, then you could try using the softwares uninstall link, or the Add/Remove Programs section in the Control Panel (Control Panel is linked from your start menu usually). If this doesnt work, you can always bring out the big gun, and use the System Restore utility. This can be found in the Start > Accessories > System Tools folder. This can be extremely scary the first time you use it with all kinds of warnings and texts to read, but basically it will roll back your computer to one of the previous dates it has stored. It doesnt delete documents or emails, just removes any software installed after the date youre going to reset to. Sometimes your pc wont even get as far as Windows, but you can always try the Safe Mode (if it is setup). As your pc is starting up, keep tapping the F8 key and you should get to a screen where you can select a variety of startup methods. Ignore all but the Start In Safe Mode option, and select the appropriate number for it and press Enter. This stops a lot of unimportant stuff from loading up and may just allow you to get into Windows to use one of the options above (uninstall or System Restore). In this mode however you will not have access to many of your usual services, such as networks, or internet connections, and you may also find your soundcard drivers wont be loaded so you get no sound. Dont panic, this is normal, and after you reboot from Safe Mode to normal mode your peripherals should all return to normal. A majority of the pc repairs I have carried out in my capacity as geeky friend have been as simple as using the tools and techniques above. There are also plenty of other tools hiding inside Windows menus, which can be used to help you repair your own PC. Like the ones above they can seem intimidating the first time, but they are quite safe to use, and rarely cause a problem. Just dont tell my friends about these tools, I like the feeling of superiority when I can fix their pcs with just a few clicks of the keyboard and mouse. |
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