People have no shortage of problems when it comes to the use of computer hardware and software; both have multiple problems, and sometimes quite frequently, biggest problems occur when users don’t know what to do about the problems they encounter. Hardware has plenty of problems depending on what it is used for and how old it is but there are of course some problems that are more common than others. Regardless of whether you rely on your software and hardware to fulfill personal or professional needs it can be hugely helpful to you to understand what some of the common problems are and how to resolve them without needing to contact a customer services assistant every time you run into trouble.
The very basic computer hardware problems are most commonly associated with power and loose wires. Generally this issue is fairly easy to identify; often if there is a problem with the power supply you simply won’t get power, so your computer or monitor might not turn on at all, if there are problems with other connections between the computer system then there may either be no signs of power or lights to indicate power but no actual actions being performed.
First check the power; is it plugged into the computer and monitor properly? Is it plugged in and turned on at the wall properly? Is there any sound or light coming from the PC that may indicate it is in fact getting power? Some computers have a power button on the back as well as the front, does yours? Is it turned on? Have you tried pushing the power button? If nothing else has worked you may need to test your sockets and cables; the easiest way of doing this is to try different ones and see whether they offer different results.
If the problem is not with your power check all of the other cables both inside the computer and out, make sure they don’t look worn or frayed, make sure they are properly plugged in and if they require power make sure that they are connected to it. The problem is almost always easier to fix if you can identify where the problem is, rather than simply identifying that you have a problem. For example; if your screen is flickering or not coming on you can identify that the problem is either with the monitor or the cable for the monitor, this in itself does not take a great deal of thought. Of course if you have problems with other hardware components such as the hard drive, motherboard, and fan etc. The problem can be harder to identify.
If your computer loses power every so often for no apparent reason it could be a problem with the fan, if your fan is particularly loud it could also be an indication that there is a problem with it. Fans can be prone to damage as they are a moving part within the computer, so if it isn’t spinning at all your computers can overheat, particularly if the environment in which your computer works is particularly warm, when the computer overheats it will suddenly shut down without warning due to a CPU failure (the CPU is generally the first component to overheat). This can be a difficult problem to identify as it can come and go and may or may not happen depending on the temperature around the computer. The longer this problem is left the more damage you are likely to do to your computer, if you catch the issue early all you have to do is replace the fan – which is cheap and easy, if you leave it you could end up needing to replace your whole computer. To reduce the chances of your fan becoming damaged keep your computers clean; open the case and dust the computers on a monthly basis, dust becoming trapped in the fan can cause a lot of the damage that occurs.
If there is a problem with your hard drive you may find that your computer starts to behave strangely when dealing with saved files and software; this might be error reports, the inability to read files, software running slowly or crashing frequently and other such issues. Often people recognize these problems as being associated with malware, however this is not always the case. Hard drives can have problems when they get older, when they suffer physical damage and when they’re full, try to maintain your hard drives carefully and back up frequently so that you can remove files you don’t need at the time.
If you have installed new hardware or software and an item of hardware has stopped working either properly or altogether as a result it may not be the fault of the hardware. Hardware is able to communicate with the computer using drivers, the software and hardware you install can get in the way of those drivers and cause problems for them, which disrupts the hardware’s ability to communicate with the computer. Driver developers aren’t always prepared for the software and hardware that gets in the way of their own, so sometimes a problem can’t be resolved until they have encountered it. Once a problem has been found and resolved a driver update becomes available for download that will fix the problem; go to the manufacturer’s website and try installing the latest driver.