Basic troubleshooting guide:
On Hardware and Software issues
Index:
General hardware issues Q&A:
p. 2 – My computer freezes or is behaving strangely.
p. 2 – My computer doesn’t power up.
p. 3 – Nothing appears on the monitor.
p. 3 – Non-system disk or disk error at boot.
p. 3 – Keyboard/mouse does not work.
General software issues Q&A:
p. 4 – Windows displays a blue screen during startup.
p. 4 – Windows does not start successfully or repeatedly displays a blue screen.
p. 4 – Running a system restore.
p. 5 – Cannot login to Windows.
p. 5 – Cannot access the Internet or web browsing is slow.
p. 5 – Cannot access email.
p. 6 – Issues with Microsoft office.
Basic troubleshooting guide:
General hardware issues Q&A:
My computer freezes or is behaving strangely:
· Try restarting your computer. Many basic problems can be resolved easily and quickly this way.
· Press the Ctrl & Alt & Del keys on your keyboard together at the same time. This should bring up a menu that will allow you to run Task Manager. In Task Manager, switch to the Applications tab. Highlight any programs with the status ‘Not Responding’ and choose End Task. You may be asked to confirm if you want to end the unresponsive program, so choose Yes. Do this for all programs that are not responding.
· If all else fails and you cannot shutdown/restart your computer, then hold down the power button on the machine until it forcibly turns off. Wait a few seconds and then turn it back on again.
My computer doesn’t power up:
· Check that all the cables are securely plugged into the back of the machine and the monitor.
· Check that the power cables are plugged into a power socket and the socket has been turned on.
· Try using a different power socket or, if you are using a power extension strip, plug the power cable directly into a power socket in the wall.
· Replace the power cable with one that you know works.
· Check if there are any lights on at the front of the machine:
o If there are lights on the machine but not the monitor, then it’s probably a monitor issue.
o If there are lights on the monitor but not the machine, then it’s probably a machine issue.
o If there are no lights on anything, then it may be possible there is a local power cut.
· With laptops, try removing the power cable and the battery. Hold down the power button for about ten seconds, and then plug the battery and power cable in again. Press the power button to see if it switches on.
Nothing appears on the monitor:
· Make sure both the computer and monitor are on.
· Make sure the monitor is securely plugged into the computer.
· Make sure the power cable is firmly plugged into the monitor.
· Some computers have multiple display ports, so make sure you have plugged the monitor into the correct one. Try each one in turn, switching the monitor off then on in between moves.
· Most monitors have a status window displayed when you turn it on. Check if you can see this status window when you press the power button on the monitor. You can also try this with the menu button on the monitor, which should bring up an options menu on the screen. This shows the screen is working ok, so it may be an issue with the video cable from the monitor or the machine itself.
· Check the brightness & contrast levels of the monitor via the menu button, to make sure it has not been set too dark.
· Move the mouse and press any key on the keyboard to make sure the screensaver hasn’t activated or that the computer hasn’t gone into standby/hibernation mode.
Non-system disk or disk error at boot:
· Remove any floppy disks, CD/DVD discs and USB memory sticks or external hard drives and try booting up again.
· If you can hear a repeated scraping or clunking noise, power off the computer as soon as possible, as there may be a physical problem with the hard disk and you may lose data.
Keyboard/mouse does not work:
· Make sure the keyboard/mouse is firmly plugged into the back of the computer
· Try unplugging one or both, and then reinserting it into the back of the computer
· Try plugging your USB keyboard/mouse into a different USB socket
· Replace the keyboard/mouse with one that you know works
· If you cannot see any lights on your keyboard when you press the Caps Lock or Num Lock key, it may be a dead keyboard
· Make sure there is no dirt or fluff clogging up either the optical laser or roller ball on the underside of your mouse. It may require a clean
· If you are using a wireless keyboard/mouse, try pressing the reset button on the device or replacing the batteries.
General software issues Q&A:
Windows displays a blue screen during startup:
· Windows may automatically restart after displaying a blue screen, as shown below. You may also get a Windows startup menu upon reboot. If you do, choose ‘Start Windows Normally’ and see if the problem goes away. It may be a one-off glitch.
· If Windows hasn’t automatically restarted after displaying a blue screen, press the Ctrl & Alt & Del keys on your keyboard at the same time to restart the machine. You may need to press and hold the power button on the machine to force it to turn off. Switch it back on and, if you get a Windows startup menu upon reboot, choose ‘Start Windows Normally’ and see if the problem goes away.
Windows does not start successfully or repeatedly displays a blue screen:
· When you turn on the computer, press the F8 key on your keyboard repeatedly until you get a Windows startup menu. Choose to start Windows in ‘Safe Mode’. If Windows boots up and you can login, restart Windows and let it boot as normal which may resolve the problem.
· When you turn on the computer, press the F8 key on your keyboard repeatedly until you get a Windows startup menu. Choose ‘Last Known Good Configuration’, which will try and load Windows with the settings that last worked successfully.
· Do a System Restore to a previous working state.
Running a system restore:
System Restore is a feature of Windows that takes regular snapshots of your machine. You can restore Windows to an earlier point in time with these snapshots, with the aim of restoring it to a time before you started experiencing problems.
System Restore will not delete any of your personal files or documents.
· If you can boot into Windows either normally or via Safe Mode (see above), then you can run System Restore via Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> System Restore.
· Choose a date and restore point that you would like Windows to restore to. You should choose a date that is before the time you started experiencing the problems.
· If you cannot boot into Windows, then do the following:
o Windows Vista/7: Press F8 repeatedly at boot until you get the Windows startup menu. One of the entries in the menu is ‘Repair your computer’. This may also be shown automatically as an option if Windows failed to start correctly last time around:
§ First, try running a ‘Startup Repair’ to fix any problems preventing Windows from starting up correctly (see image below).
§ Failing that, try running ‘System Restore’ to restore Windows to an earlier point in time (see image below).
o Windows XP: Press F8 repeatedly at boot until you get the Windows startup menu. Choose ‘Safe Mode with Command Prompt. You will need to type in a local administrator username and password. Then type in: %systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe and press return.
Cannot login to Windows:
· Ensure you are using your correct DIDE username and password.
· Check that Caps Lock/Num Lock isn’t on by mistake.
· Check that your password is what you are expecting it to be by typing it into the Username box. This allows you to see what you are typing in case your keyboard is set to another locale, for example.
· Check that the ‘Logon to’ box shows DIDE as the domain (only if your computer is on the DIDE private network).
· Check the network cable is securely plugged in at both ends.
· Try logging on to another computer to see if your account works on that. Ask someone else to logon to your computer to see if they can or not.
Cannot access the Internet or web browsing is slow:
Reset Internet Explorer (IE) back to its default settings and clear the temporary internet files:
· In IE click on Tools and then Internet Options.
· Click on the Advanced tab and then click on Reset.
· Tick the box next to ‘Delete Personal Settings’ to delete temporary internet files. Note: you will not lose your Favourites. Close and then reopen IE.
· If you have another web browser installed (such as Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome), try running that and see if you can browse the web. If you can’t, then there may be connectivity problems.
· If you are having problems accessing your e-mail via Outlook as well as the internet, try restarting your computer.
Cannot access email:
· Restart Outlook. You should be prompted for a username and password when Outlook starts. · Try accessing your e-mail via Outlook Web Access. If you can, then Outlook itself is having problems. If you can’t, then there may be a problem with the e-mail servers. · Check ICT’s service status page to see if there are any general e-mail issues.
Issues with Microsoft office:
For Office 2007, run the Microsoft Office Diagnostics tool:
· Click on Start -> All Programs -> Microsoft Office -> Microsoft Office Tools -> Microsoft Office Diagnostics.
· Click on Continue to start the tests and repair any problems found
For Office 2010, run the Repair tool:
· Click on Start -> Control Panel -> Programs & Features (or Add/Remove Programs in Windows XP).
· Click on ‘Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010’ and then click on the Change button in the toolbar.
· Choose Repair and click on Continue.