Simone is exasperated. She has to work on her university assignment but her PC is not working properly. For example: She would like to open a single Internet Explorer window but a whole series of windows are opening up. Simone is not alone when it comes to this sort of problem. As a matter of fact, most of us will come across these kinds of problems in our life. When you fall sick you go to a doctor and he/she asks you a couple of questions as well as taking a look at your case history before giving any medication to you. In a similar way you have to find out what's wrong with your PC before treating it, if it's working in an aberrant manner. This article will help you in finding out what's troubling your PC.
The first symptom that shows us your PC has got some problem is an error message. For example you get a pop-up box on your screen, a Window message, asking you to send an error report and says the application will be subsequently closed. Error messages just tell you that something is wrong so that you can then work at getting to the cause of the problem. When you get an error message try to analyze the situation in respect to what you were doing when you received it. Write down the error code. At times error messages can be very bewildering. For example: you want to open some file but it's saying some other application is using that specific file. If you do get error messages like this then it is time to question some of your recent activities such as:
* Did you install any software or hardware recently?
* Did you install anything from the Internet?
If you have installed some software and after this your PC has become unstable, by using System Restore you can remove any system changes that were made after the last time your PC was working properly. It automatically creates restore points (or system checkpoints) when you make a change to the system. If your PC has become unstable after you made some changes, open system restore, choose a restore point, and return your computer to its previous stable state. To use the System Restore utility:
1. Click Start
2. Point your cursor to Programs.
3. Point to Accessories
4. Point to System Tools
5. Click System Restore and follow the instruction on the wizard.
If the error messages or the recent history of your PC doesn't provide much information to you, you have to explore your PC in some of the following ways:
1. Scan you system for viruses, Trojan horses, spywares or other malwares.
2. Use a Process Explorer (freeware program) tool. Windows Task Manager shows which processes and files are currently being used and how much memory they are using, but some process names aren't clear. Process Explorer not only gives all this information to you but also tells you which application started a process and which resources that particular application is currently using. It also has a potent search capability that quickly shows which processes have particular handles opened or DLLs loaded so that you can close any unwanted application. Process Explorer works on Windows 9x/Me, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Server 2003, and 64-bit versions of Windows for x64 processors.
3. Go through the error log file created by Dr Watson. Dr. Watson is a program that is used to help detect, debug, and log errors that are encountered while Windows or Windows programs are running. It automatically creates a text file when an error is detected. When running Windows 2000 the error is logged under the file "drwtsn32.log" or "user.dmp", and when running Microsoft Windows 95, 98 or ME the file is logged with a .WLG file extension and stored under the WindowsDrwatson or Documents and SettingsAll UsersDocumentsDrWatson folder.
4. If you are having a networking-related problem you can use a Network Diagnostics system utility tool. You can run various tests using this so that it can collect different types of information. It scans your system to see whether you have network connectivity, and whether or not your network-related programs and services are running.
By going through these basic procedures hopefully you will find out what's troubling your PC, and once that is known you can commence treatment.
Source of reference: www.microsoft.com
Priyanka Agarwal
http://www.m6.net
Hosting webhelpers
Choose Not To ConformPalm pilots and pdas are constantly growing... Read More
One of the most confusing parts of beginning your Cisco... Read More
ASR (Automated System Recovery) is a feature available on the... Read More
Feeling overwhelmed in selecting a new TV? With all the... Read More
CCNA FAQQ. What exams do I have to take to... Read More
Time is money. And when you constantly have to divide... Read More
That desk in front of you and everything else around... Read More
It's free, it comes with Windows and it's used by... Read More
The DNS (Domain Name System) servers are what your computer... Read More
The registry is where the computer stores information about the... Read More
We all enjoy our favorite screensavers but in the same... Read More
You probably heard of the new Firefox browser version 1.0... Read More
System File Checker is a great utility that is typically... Read More
The battle is heating up for market share, home movie... Read More
A Computer in Your HandCarrying around an address book and... Read More
There are soooo many choices. With all the styles and... Read More
Selecting a TV isn't as easy as it used to... Read More
1. Before sitting down for coding, you must have formal... Read More
Just The Facts, Ma'mPalm pilots are all the rage now.... Read More
So I'll start from the very beginning.One day I was... Read More
Computer is an electronic machine work on the instructions of... Read More
While most small businesses really do need to find a... Read More
In the early days, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) were not... Read More
Are you looking for an MP3 player but am not... Read More
Sometimes your PC will start acting strange for no apparent... Read More
scheduled maid service Mundelein ..In my humble opinion nothing makes a long trip easier... Read More
Google, in their march to stay ahead of the pack... Read More
Good Morning Mr. Sampson. Please type in you Personal Identification... Read More
The first step is: Start > My DocumentsSo you have... Read More
Feeling overwhelmed in selecting a new TV? With all the... Read More
Below you will find some useful information and comments about... Read More
Buying Your PCBuying a PC that's right for you and... Read More
MP3 players are everywhere! It seems that the number of... Read More
About mail-mergingMail-merging is the process of merging variable data and... Read More
Although there are many things that can affect the performance... Read More
All over the world, people carry with them walkmans and... Read More
Surf the 'Net for about 10 minutes and chances rate... Read More
I do a holiday letter every year and send them... Read More
HTTP ProtocolThe web is run on port 80. You are... Read More
You have your television and home theater receiver; you just... Read More
ComputersBusinesses and individuals alike have all grown to rely on... Read More
If you use a computer, you need to know more... Read More
Having two operating systems is not as difficult as many... Read More
It's free, it comes with Windows and it's used by... Read More
We all enjoy our favorite screensavers but in the same... Read More
For those seeking to buy their first flat panel TV... Read More
Want to save money while promoting your web-based business? Of... Read More
In this era of Internet, most people are frequent users... Read More
OK, so you caught a computer virus and your system... Read More
Stimulus thru Caffiene or Visual Input?It appears that the Mobi... Read More
Personal Technology |