Computer Help Part 10 Of 10 - Quick Fixes

If you didn't start reading from Computer Help Part 1 of 10 - Hardware Terms, then I highly recommend starting there first before continuing on...

Computer Help Part 10 Of 10 - Quick Fixes

Desktop Doesn't Power On:
If your desktop computer shows absolutely no signs of life (no lights coming on at all), then try these steps before taking it to a computer repair shop, such as the Geek Squad at Best Buy...

1. Make a note of each plug you have plugged into the back of your computer.
2. Unplug each and every cable connected. Most computers will have about seven cables attached to it (power, monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, printer/scanner/all-in-one, and ethernet/phone line), but this depends upon what all you have.
3. Press and hold the power button as if you were attempting to power on your computer.
4. Wait about five seconds.
5. Re-attach all of the cables/cords in the back exactly the way they were plugged-in, making sure they're all firmly attached. Most computers will have small symbols and/or color codes of what goes where, except for USB devices (such as printers and all-in-ones). The blue round plug that has a keyboard symbol on it fits into the round blue port that also has a keyboard symbol next to it, the green round plug that has a mouse symbol on it fits into the round green port that also has a mouse symbol next to it, the blue squarish plug fits into the squarish blue port, etc. It usually doesn't matter what USB plug goes into what USB port, except for some USB printers and all-in-ones. Also make sure that you plug-in the power, monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers, printer or all-in-one, and the ethernet or phone line cables.
6. Press the power button again.

If it powers on, then you're in business! If not, you've got computer hardware issues.

Laptop Doesn't Power On:
If your laptop computer shows absolutely no signs of life (no lights coming on at all), then try these steps before taking it to a computer repair shop, such as the Geek Squad at Best Buy...

1. Shutdown (power off) your laptop.
2. Remove the battery completely from the laptop. Most laptops have one or two latches or switches that hold the battery in-place underneath of the laptop, one that locks and one that's spring-loaded.
3. Plug the A/C Adapter (power cord) both into the laptop and into the nearest wall outlet.
4. Hold down the power button for about five seconds and then let go.

If your laptop powers on, then it's ok! Once your OS (Operating System, such as Microsoft Windows) loads-up, shut it down normally, and after it completely powers off, re-insert the battery, making sure BOTH latches or switches that hold it in-place are secure. However, if it still didn't power on, then it's safe to say that it has bigger hardware issues.

Desktop Powers On, But Has No Display (No Video):
Hopefully, your monitor cable has just come unplugged. To make sure, follow these steps...

1. Shutdown (power off) your desktop computer. You may have to hold down the power button for at least five seconds to do so.
2. Turn off your computer monitor. Most monitors have a power button usually located somewhere around the botton-right of the monitor itself.
3. Unplug your monitor cable in the back of your desktop computer. It's usually a squarish or rectangular connection, and is usually blue or white, and usually has thumb screws to secure it into the computer
4. Plug the monitor cable back into the desktop computer.
5. If it has thumb screws, make sure that they are screwed into your computer as tight as you can get them, alternating back-and-forth between the both of them, like putting a tire on a car.
6. Power on your computer monitor.
7. Power on your desktop computer.

If you still don't have ANY display or video whatsoever, then you may have a bad video card in your desktop computer or a bad computer monitor. To test your computer and your monitor further, and you have access to another desktop computer, try plugging the monitor into the other computer, and also plug your computer into the other monitor. Power them both on and see which one doesn't have video, and you've found your culprit!

Computer Has Frozen Or "Hung":
Sometimes, for some unknown reason, Microsoft Windows just stops reacting, whether it was while you were doing something, or it was just sitting there, or while it's trying to load, shutdown, or restart. For whatever reason, if you've let your computer try to do it's thing for at least an hour and still no progress, then maybe it's time to do a "hard shutdown", meaning we're forcing the computer to turn off no matter what! All you have to do is...

1. Wait for at least one solid hour before doing anything! Be patient, because if Microsoft Windows is having to install an update it just downloaded or doing something else, following the next steps could only create more problems!
   
2. After waiting for an hour and still nothing, hold down the power button for at least five seconds.
3. Wait for at least five seconds.
4. Push the power button briefly to turn back on.

Hopefully, this might fix your issue. If it happens again, then something is definitely wrong with either your computer's hardware, such as the hard drive, or your software, such as Microsoft Windows. If you get a menu screen asking you to to either load Normal Mode, Safe Mode, and other options, try each option in this sequence:

1. Normal Mode (the mode you usually use on a daily basis)
2. Last Known Good Configuration (loads as what is implied, the last known time Microsoft Windows was working properly)
   
3. Safe Mode (loads only the basic, bare minimums for Microsoft Windows to run)

If you are able to load Microsoft Windows in any of these modes, then most likely, you've got a software issue and may need to do a full/destructive Operating System Recovery (discussed in Computer Help Part 5 of 10 - Recovery Discs). However, if not, then you may have a hardware issue, such as a bad hard drive or bad stick of system memory.

Broadband Internet (Cable or DSL) Doesn't Work, Part 1:
Before taking your computer into a computer repair shop, like the Geek Squad at Best Buy, try this little "quick fix" to see if your internet connection might start working again...

1. Shutdown (power off) all computers that connects to your broadband internet (both wired and wireless).
2. Unplug ONLY the power cord going into your cable or DSL modem. It's usually the round-tipped, black plug.
   
3. Unplug ONLY the power cord going into your router (only if you have one). It's usually the round-tipped, black plug.
   
4. Wait about one minute.
5. Plug the power cord back into the cable or DSL modem.
6. Wait about five minutes.
7. Plug the power cord back into the router (only if you have one).
8. Wait about one minute (you can skip this step if you don't have a router).
9. Power on all of your computers in the house and open your web browser (such as Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, or Opera) to see if you can browse the internet. Visit a website you may haven't been to recently, such as http://www.bestbuy.com/ or http://www.geeksquad.com/ and see if it works now.

If this "quick fix" didn't connect you back onto your broadband internet (cable or DSL), then I would call your cable or DSL ISP (Internet Service Provider) and talk to their tech support. If all else fails, take it to a computer repair shop. It may have a bad NIC (Network Card Interface), your firewall could be blocking your internet connection, or your computer may be infected with computer malware infections.

Internet Still Doesn't Work, Part 2:
If resetting your cable or DSL modem didn't fix your Internet connection, then try either of these fixes, depending whether you are using Windows XP or Vista...
Microsoft Windows XP:

1. Click on the Start Menu in the bottom-left corner of your screen
2. Go to All Programs
3. Go to Accessories
4. Left-click on Command Prompt
   
5. Type ipconfig /release and press the ENTER key.
6. Type netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt and press the ENTER key.
7. Type netsh winsock reset resetlog.txt and press the ENTER key.
8. Type arp -d * and press the ENTER key.
9. Type nbtstat -R and press the ENTER key.
10. Type nbtstat -RR and press the ENTER key.
11. Type ipconfig /flushdns and press the ENTER key.
12. Type ipconfig /renew and press the ENTER key.
13. Type ipconfig /registerdns and press the ENTER key.
14. Restart your computer.
15. Test your Internet connection by visiting a website you may haven't been to recently, such as http://www.bestbuy.com/ or http://www.geeksquad.com/ and see if it works now.

You may also follow the steps bellow, just skip Step #4, and double-left-click on the FixNet.bat file instead.

Microsoft Windows Vista:

1. Use any other computer that has access to the Internet and that also has USB ports
2. Download FixNet.bat at http://webpages.charter.net/drkstlkr/FixNet.bat and save it to a USB flash (pen) drive or an external hard drive
3. Open the flash (pen) drive or the external hard drive on the Windows Vista computer that doesn't connect to the internet
4. Right-click on the FixNet.bat file
5. Click on "Run as Administrator" from the drop-down menu

…And Finally…
I hope these "quick fixes" may have helped someone. If I think of more, I'll be sure to post them.

I don't offer any "tech support", but I will try to answer any blog posts as quickly and as thoroughly as possible. Between lack of time with both work and family, please don't ambush me with dozens or hundreds of messages. These series are a simple "computer help guide", and if you need more help, there's plenty of help out there on the internet. If you can't find the help that you're looking for on the internet, most computer manufacturers and software companies have technical support. Also, you can always call 1-800-GEEK-SQUAD (1-800-433-5778). They offer tech support over the phone, but they also charge for it as well, with or without warranties. Or lastly, you could just bring your computer into a local computer shop, such as the Geek Squad at Best Buy, etc., and we'll be more than happy to take a look at it and quote you repair options and costs. It's always a good idea to always bring-in your Recovery Discs (discussed in Computer Help Part 5 of 10 - Recovery Discs) with your computer in case you need a new internal hard drive, and if you bring-in a laptop, it's always a good idea to always bring in your A/C Adapter (power cable), also.

This currently concludes my Computer Help series. I'll try to add and update these blogs as much as possible. I hope these series was a help to any of you! Please be sure to comment if there's a topic you'd like to see or want more info on.

1. Computer Help Part 1 of 10 - Hardware Terms (Start)
   
2. Computer Help Part 2 of 10 - Software Terms
   
3. Computer Help Part 3 of 10 - Upgrading & Maintenance
   
4. Computer Help Part 4 of 10 - Data BackUp
5. Computer Help Part 5 of 10 - Recovery Discs
   
6. Computer Help Part 6 of 10 - Protection Software
   
7. Computer Help Part 7 of 10 - Free Software
   
8. Computer Help Part 8 of 10 - Not-So-Free Software
   
9. Computer Help Part 9 of 10 - Scheduled Tasks (Previous)
   
10. Computer Help Part 10 of 10 - Quick Fixes (Current)