Windows & Network Troubleshooting

Q. hey can u tell whats the problem form my pc its continously restarting when i switch on the cpu button its ok till windows xp prof... logo after that only it is again restarting..... A. check ur windows Xp installed files..... to do that: 1. Restart computer 2. press F8 3. choose Start windows in Safe mode 4. Run-> type "cmd" 5. Command prompt will now open type this command -> sfc /scannow 6. It will search ur computer for correpted files. and it ask OS CD 7. When Checking finished Restart Ur Computer or Cant able to load in Safe mode..... Reinstall ur OS

No sound is heard from audio (music) CDs Various conditions may cause this problem. To troubleshoot, check the following: 1.Microsoft Volume Control or your mixer program mute options and volume sliders. 2.Connect headphones to the stereo phone jack on your CD-ROM drive’s front panel; adjust the volume control settings on the drive. If there is sound from your headphones, check the CD audio cable connection from the CD-ROM drive to the audio card. 3.Ensure the speakers are properly connected to the audio card’s output connector. Joystick port is not working To troubleshoot, check the following: 1.The audio card joystick port conflicts with another joystick port in the system. Disable the audio card joystick port, and use the system’s joystick port. 2.The joystick drivers, MSJSTICK.DRV and VJOYD.VXD, may not be installed. Uninstall the joystick, then reinstall to load the drivers. The drivers should come with the driver CD or floppy diskette with your sound card. Computer hangs or resta...

Here are some basic trouble shooting tips for new monitors: The picture does not appear Check to make sure the signal cable is firmly connected in the socket. Check to see if the computer system's power is ON. Check that the Brightness Control is at the appropriate position, not at the minimum. The Screen is not synchronized Check to make sure the signal cable is firmly connected in the socket. Check that the output level matches the input level of your computer. Make sure the signal timing of the computer system is within the specification of the monitor. The position of the screen is not in the center Adjust the H-Size, H-Phase or V-Size, V-Center controls. Check if the signal timing of the computer system is within the specification of the monitor. The screen is too bright or too dark Check if the Brightness or contrast control is at the appropriate position, not at the maximum or minimum. Check if the specified voltage is applied Check if the signal timing of the computer syste...

Cause: This issue could be caused by any of the below possibilities. 1.Boot options are not set properly in CMOS 2.Non bootable CD or CD-R in computer 3.All boot devices set are not bootable Solution: Boot options are not set properly in CMOS Verify that the boot options within CMOS are set properly. Below is an example of how we recommend the boot options be set. 1.Floppy drive 2.CD-ROM drive 3.Hard Drive 4.Other / Network Non-bootable CD, CD-R, DVD or other disc in computer Verify that no CD, CD-R, DVD, or other disc is in the computer possibly causing the computer to attempt to boot from that disc. All boot devices set are not bootable If all of the above recommendations have been attempted and you encounter the same issue it is likely that the computer is not detecting any devices in the computer that are bootable. Attempt to boot from a bootable floppy disk. If you are unable to boot from a known bootable floppy diskette, ensure that the floppy drive is properly setup. Once you ar...

Size information The capacity of a computer hard disk drives and the files it contains can be confusing. Below is a listing of the standards in different size values. It is important to realize that not all manufacturers and developers use these values. For example, a manufacturer may consider a gigabyte as the value of a gibibyte. Bit Value of 0 or 1 Nibble 4 Bits Byte 8 Bits Kilobit 1,000 bits Kilobyte 1,000 bytes Kibibit 1,024 bits Kibibyte 1,024 bytes Mebibit 1,048,576 bits Mebibyte 1,048,576 bytes Megabit 1,000,000 bits Megabyte 1,000,000 bytes Gibibit 1,073,741,824 bits Gibibyte 1,073,741,824 bytes Gigabyte 1,000,000,000 bytes Gigabit 1,000,000,000 bits Tebibit 1,099,511,627,776 bits Tebibyte 1,099,511,627,776 bytes Terabyte 1,000,000,000,000 bytes Terabit 1,000,000,000,000 bits Pebibit 1,125,899,906,842,624 bits Pebibyte 1,125,899,906,842,624 bytes Petabit 1,000,000,000,000,000 bits Petabyte 1,000,000,000,000,000 bytes Exabyte 1018 bytes Exabit 1018 bits Exbibit 260 bits Exbibyt...

Cause: This issue could be caused by any of the below possibilities. 1.Software issue or error. 2.Hardware issue or error. 3.Heat related issue. 4.Computer virus. 5.Issue with operating system. Answer: Software issue or error Errors generated by software programs can cause a computer to reboot unexpectedly or without warning. If you are running Windows XP see the below section "For Windows XP users" before continuing. If you are not running Windows XP or following the below steps still cause your computer to reboot without warning. Boot your computer into safe mode, and let the computer run in safe mode. If the computer is still rebooting in safe mode the issue is likely not software related but something else, skip to the next section. If the computer is not rebooting in safe mode it is likely you have software related issue. We would recommend you run through the basic troubleshooting section for your operating system. For Windows XP users Windows XP is designed to automati...

Cause: This issue can be caused by any of the below possibilities. 1) Hard disk drive is short on available disk space. 2) everal software programs have been installed/uninstalled leaving behind bad files and/or confusing the software. 3) Data Corruption. 4) Computer is overheating. 5) Bad Hardware. PC Solution: Below are steps for Microsoft Windows that should help speed up the computer or determine why the computer is running slow. Not enough hard disk drive space If you have a hard disk drive that is 2GB or smaller, ensure that there is at least 200MB of hard disk drive space free. If you have a hard drive larger than this size, verify that there is at least 500MB of free hard disk space. This available space allows the computer to have room for the swap file to increase in size as well as room for temporary files. Hard drive corrupted or fragmented Run Scandisk or something equivalent to help ensure that there is nothing physically wrong with the computer hard disk drive. Run Defra...

To Remove any unneeded running Processes Log on as AdministratorStart Settings Control Panel Administrative Tools Services Default settings for services Descriptions of System Services (XP/2003) Windows XP Home and Pro Service Configurations by Black Viper W2K Tweak Guide Once completed, repeat the "tasklist /svc" method and compare. If you use the "tasklist /svc >tasklist.txt" method, change the second output (to prevent overwriting the previous file) to: "tasklist /svc >tasklist1.txt" (no quotes) then compare. You can also view this info in System Information, however the text output loses the formatting and is almost unreadable. Note: to temporarily disable a Service while troubleshooting:Start Run (type) "msconfig" (no quotes)Click on the Services tab, uncheck desired service. (for testing only!)

Determine what Services are running in Windows XP When you bring up the Task Manager you'll see an entry for Services and the amount of memory consumed. However this one listing is actually all the Services combined into a single entry. As you can see I have them trimmed down to only the Services needed for this machine. To view the complete list: Fr om a command prompt: Start Run (type) cmd (click Ok) (type) tasklist /svc (press Enter)(XP Pro only) You will see all the Services running in process. To save the onscreen info: Right-click and select: Select All Right-click again and select: Mark Open Notepad and Paste the info File - Save As: tasklist.txtor (type) "tasklist /svc >tasklist.txt" (no quotes)

Problem: Windows pops up a message saying, “A HI-SPEED USBdevice plugged into a non-HI-SPEED USB hub.” Cause: This problem generally occurs when one plugs a USB 2.0device into a USB port, the reason being the lack of proper drivers. Solution: In you’re using Windows XP, make sure you have installedthe drivers for proper functioning of the USB 2.0 hub. Most motherboardsrely on Microsoft-certified USB drivers for USB 2.0. You candownload the USB 2.0 drivers from Microsoft’s Web site, or you caninstall Windows XP SP2. Problem: Your Flash drive is 512 MB, but it can’t store data morethan 256 MB Cause: This is a common problem with most cheap Flash drives.Though they are advertised as 512 MB and show up as 512 MB in thesystem, they have a bad memory chip that doesn’t allow copying ofdata more than 256 MB. Solution: Don’t take chances with Flash memory. Buy a Flash driveonly from a reliable and known manufacturer.

Problem: Your drive reads data very slowly. Cause: This could occur if the drive is old, and the laser pickupassembly weakens. It might also happen when the pickup lensgathers dust. Solution: Get a lens cleaning kit and clean the lens. If that doesn’twork, it’s time to get a new drive! Problem: Your CD-RW drive ejects and reloads the disc duringoperation Cause: This isn’t a problem; it’s a mechanism to clear the drive’sbuffer. All CD-RW drives are provided with some buffer memory tosmooth out the writing process. While some drives have a way toclear it out, some aren’t provided with any, in which case the drivemight pop out the disc to clear the buffer memory. Solution: Before buying a drive, make sure it has a way to clear outbuffer memory. To find out what drives have this feature and whichones don’t, ask someone who already has the drive model you’recontemplating buying. Problem: Your CD-ROM drive immediately ejects an empty disc. Cause: This can be either a software or a ha...

Problem: You can’t access the full capacity of a hard drive that’slarger than 8.4 GB. Cause: This a common problem with older computers when thehard drive is upgraded. BIOSes on older machines were writtensuch that they could only recognise hard drives of up to 8 GBcapacity. When one tries to attach a higher-capacity hard drive,the system either recognises it as an 8 GB drive, or fails to recogniseit altogether. Solution: The most commonsolution to this problem is toflash the motherboard BIOS.However, since such motherboardsare really dated, it isquite unlikely that you’ll beable to get hold of new BIOS. Ifyou’re lucky, you might find anew BIOS on the manufacturer’sWeb site. If you don’t, you have the option of installing anIDE-PCI card—a card that fits into the PCI slot and offers two IDE connectorsfor hard drives. These IDE-PCI cards have a separate BIOS,which allows you to attach higher-capacity hard drives. It shouldn’t cost more than Rs 500. Problem: FDISK in Windows 98 miside...

Poor performance: The throughput of a wireless LAN (WLAN) is said to be around 54 Mbps for 802.11g and 11 Mbps for 802.11b. If your computer is using the 802.11b standard and the source is using 802.11g, you will not receive speeds in excess of 11 Mbps. Apart from this simple mismatch, problems with WLANs abound: high utilisation, coverage holes, obstructions, interference and bad access point placement can also affect the speed of the net­work. WLANs work on the radio frequency and use air as the medi­um. Since air has a time lag while sending and receiving signals (as compared to copper), it causes high collision rates and retransmis­sion. These collisions result in noise, which in turn affects network speeds. Gadgets such as microwave ovens affect the performance of a WLAN as well. Other objects include cordless phones that run on the 2.4 GHz frequency, as well as other WLANs. If there are other WLANs within the area, change your WLAN to non-conflicting channels. It’s im...

Wake on LAN: Check if the system you are trying to wake up is connected to the power source. Check for loose cables and for the Wake up on LAN setting in the BIOS (this should be enabled). If you don’t find the “Wake on LAN” setting in the BIOS, your mother­board doesn’t support this feature. Cannot access a system: If you’re trying to connect to a Windows NT/2000/XP-based system and receive a message that the system cannot be found, it’s probably not a network prob­lem—it’s just that the user name might not be listed. To over­come this, just add the user name to the Windows NT, 2000 or XP-based system. System locks up after installing network card: Sometimes, when you install a new LAN card, your system could hang. If that hap­pens, open your machine’s cabinet and remove the LAN card. Clean the LAN card’s golden connectors as well as the PCI slot on the motherboard. Re-plug the card and make sure that the card sits properly in the slot. Now restart the system in Safe...

Missing Protocols In Windows 95 and 98, to check if TCP/IP is installed on your com­puter, go to Network in the Control Panel. If the protocol is installed, it should be listed under the installed Local Area Network properties. If not, you need to reinstall it by clicking the Add button. Select “Microsoft” as the manufacturer, and under the network protocol, select the TCP/IP protocol. You’ll need to reboot the system. If you’re using Windows ME/2000/XP, go to Control Panel > Network and Dial-up connections > Local Area Connection. Here, go to Properties. If the protocol is installed, it should be listed under the network adaptor properties. It is important to note here that a network adaptor is different from a dial-up adaptor. The dial-up adaptor gives you access to the Internet, and not to the LAN. If you don’t see the TCP/IP protocol here, click the Add or Install button, select the protocol and click OK. Once installed, you will need to reboot your system for the changes to ...

The most common problem you might face in networking is when you are not able to see other computers on the network. In this situa­tion you need to follow the following steps. The Device Manager in Windows XPFirst, check if your network card is properly installed. Verify that your network card is properly inserted in the motherboard slot and that the card’s resources are properly set and not conflicting with other hardware. Also check that there are no loose network cable con­nections. If you have connected your home network to a hub or switch, check if the cables are connected properly and that the hub or switch is powered on. It is important to note that the maximum allowable distance from an adapter to the hub is 100 metres. To check if the network cable is properly connected to the back of the computer, look if the LEDs on the network card are proper­ly illuminated. If there is a solid green/yellow LED, or if the light is blinking, it indicates that the card is connected...

Problems One of the common problems many people face is the inability to play some downloaded movie files or video CDs. There might be an error message stating that a particular codec is missing and needs to be installed before the file can play correctly. In many cases, the player will not give any kind of error message, leaving you mystified. Assuming that your CD and DVD drives are working without trouble, the culprit would be the lack of a supporting codec. What are codecs? “Codec” stands for “Compression-Decompression algorithm.” In raw uncompressed form, multimedia files take up a huge amount of space. To minimise the space used, the multimedia video and/or audio files are encoded using a particular codec. When you want to listen to or view the file, a video/audio player decodes the infor­mation in the file using the specific compression-decompression algorithm. When a multimedia player (like Windows Media Player, Winamp, etc.) doesn’t play a particular file, the problem is us...

The screen blanks after it is idle for some time evenwithout the screensaver Cause: This could be due to the Power Management settings in either Windows or the BIOS. The settings control when the moni­tor should blank out after a period of inactivity. Solution: Disable Power Management (ACPI) in the BIOS. If required, disable it in Windows as well. (Right-click on the Desktop, select Properties, and click the Power Management but­ton on the Screen Saver tab). ‘Not Enough Video Memory’ error message comes up Cause: This message would appear when you have run out of both RAM and virtual memory. Solution: Increase the virtual memory of your system. Virtual memory should be at least 1.5 times your physical RAM. In Windows XP, right-click My Computer and select Properties. Click the Advanced tab, and click Settings under Performance. Select the Advanced tab. Under Virtual Memory, click Change. Select Custom, and set Initial equal to the amount of RAM you have and Maximum to 1.5 t...

Read This First Many problems with video (graphics, display, etc.) cards, and general Windows stability, can be due to incorrect soft­ware drivers. Before looking anywhere else, ensure that you have the correct drivers for your video card. This will save you many hours of needless frustration. If your card is onboard and part of the moth­erboard chipset you can visit the motherboard manufactur­er’s Web site to download the latest updates for the video drivers, or get it from the motherboard CD. If you have an add-on card, get the latest updates from the card manu­facturer’s Web site or the CD that came with the card. The screen flickers, causing eye strain and fatigue Cause: The computer ‘paints’ the screen with the image several times a second—this is known as the refresh rate. If the refresh rate is set too low, it can cause visible flicker, which can be a strain onthe eyes. Solution: Right-click on the Desktop, select Properties, go toSettings > Advanced, and look f...

Modern monitors are especially robust and in most cases, you would upgrade the PC before thinking of changing the monitor. Troubleshooting is relatively easier than the rest of the PC for the simple reason that it is an independent ‘box’ with no user-service­able parts. Warning Do not try to open the monitor yourself. There are high voltages inside, and it is best left to a monitor professional who knows what he is doing. There’s no power to the monitor Cause 1: There actually is no power being supplied to the monitor. Solution 1: By far the most common mistake people make is to for­get to check the power cables! Sometimes, when monitors are moved around, the power connectors come off or become loose. Plug all cables in tight and check if the power returns. If it is con­nected to a UPS or stabiliser, check if there is power supply from that unit. Also check the power cable; try using another cable which you know works, to see if power is restored. Cause 2: If the power ca...

Some of the main reasons for flash BIOS corruption are incom­patible add-on cards, aborted flash updates due to power fluctua­tions (laptop users note: don’t flash while on battery, ensure you are plugged into a live wall outlet), or improper BIOS images. If your flash attempt fails, don’t panic! Such failures are often reliably recoverable, as most newer BIOS codes today include a Boot Block Protection option. A BIOS of this type has two distinct parts. The first Boot Block part contains information needed to initialise only critical system devices such as the floppy drive, processor, memory and ISA video devices. This part is write-protected and can­not be overwritten by flashing. The second part is the flashable part, known as the System Block, and contains all the information need­ed to initialise other system devices such as video, storage, COM ports, input devices, other peripherals, and performing the POST. To recover from a corrupted flash, you need to be able to...

Warning Never Flash The BIOS Unless Absolutely Essential! In the old days, when you wanted to upgrade/update your BIOS, you had one of two options: change the mother­board or replace the chip with a newer model. With the introduction of EEPROM (Electronically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory) it has now become possible to update the BIOS via software. Taking advantage of the capabili­ties offered by EEPROM, mother­board manufacturers have begun releasing new versions of the BIOS with greater frequency these days. There are many reasons that an update to the BIOS may be required: the new version offers better stability, compatibility or performance; new technical break­throughs require new features in the BIOS; a device attached to the computer may not function with­out the newer version; and increas­ingly, flashes fix some problems in the earlier version of the BIOS! Just as the PC motherboard has a BIOS chip, so do other hard­ware components and p...

These are some of the most common Stop Messages along with their cause and suggested resolution: Stop Code: STOP 0x0000000A IRQL_NOT_LESS_EQUAL Code Meaning : Faulty device drivers, or services from backup util­ities or virus scanners Recommended Resolution: Remove, disable or stop the offending drivers, backup utilities or anti-virus programs. Get updated soft­ware from the manufacturer. Stop Code: STOP 0x0000001E KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED Code Meaning: Some driver files may be causing a problem. Recommended Resolution: Remove, disable or update the driver-file listed in the error message. Verify if new hardware installation is correct. Stop Code: STOP 0x00000024 NTFS_FILE_S YSTEM Code Meaning: Usually caused by disk corruption in the NTFS file system or third-party disk defragmenters. Recommended Resolution: Use hard disk diagnostic software to verify that the hard disk is working. Remember to always Use Microsoft-certified disk defragmenters. Stop Code: STOP 0x000...

One of the most dreaded error messages for a Windows user is the blue screen, or the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) as it is pop­ularly known, which suddenly pops up informing you that something is seriously wrong with Windows. What this screen essentially means is that Windows has crashed and needs to reboot to recover. Usually, you will be able to recover and con­tinue without any problems, but it can sometimes be a hair-rais­ing experience—like when you’re pressed for time and have to get that PowerPoint presentation ready for your boss! Windows 9x/ME In Windows 9x/ME this error is less serious but more common. You can usually recover from the error by simply pressing [Ctrl] + [Alt] + [Del] and restarting the computer, or by switching off the PC and switching it back on. However, the error message will contain very little information that you can use in troubleshooting. Problems causing the BSOD The BSOD is the main way for virtual device drivers to report a problem. The err...