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
We have just entered the time of year that most... Read More
As the Web grows more crowded and just plain "noisy"... Read More
Confused by EDTV vs HDTV? We don't blame you. The... Read More
Using SQL Server 2000 and above versions you can retrieve... Read More
Introduction In this article I will clearly spell out the... Read More
You use Ctrl+Alt+Del to see what's running on your PC,... Read More
Many computer users are worried about their computer's performance. After... Read More
Getting started with video editing is very simple you only... Read More
Your Bible At Your FingertipsIt is fairly easy to find... Read More
If you don't have an mp3 player, and even if... Read More
Spyware is the software that collects information about your online... Read More
PDA Medical BenefitsIf you are concerned about your medical history,... Read More
Each of the items in the checklist below is part... Read More
The Internet can be a dangerous place.While you're enjoying the... Read More
After another security hole recently surfaced in Microsoft's Windows operating... Read More
When studying for your Cisco CCNA, CCNP, or CCIE exam,... Read More
"Automated Testing" is automating the manual testing process currently in... Read More
The Internet is an awesome tool, but be careful and... Read More
MP3 players are everywhere! It seems that the number of... Read More
I recently took a good look at what was keeping... Read More
I'm eighty-one years old and I bought my first computer... Read More
While most small businesses really do need to find a... Read More
Plenty! When we made the decision to be our own... Read More
Projectors have come a long way in the past few... Read More
A Computer in Your HandCarrying around an address book and... Read More
quick home cleaning Lake Forest ..Digital cameras ratings are great tools for deciding which camera... Read More
There are soooo many choices. With all the styles and... Read More
If you utilize a computer at home or work it... Read More
Freezing is also known as crashing or hanging. It's frustrating.... Read More
We all enjoy our favorite screensavers but in the same... Read More
Saving Lives With A Pocket PCFree medical downloads can be... Read More
Spyware is the software that collects information about your online... Read More
Those small USB drives have so many names, pocket drives,... Read More
I got my eyes set on a iPod mini, as... Read More
Get started creating web pages using text files and HTML... Read More
The following practice, if done regularly, may help you to... Read More
Stimulus thru Caffiene or Visual Input?It appears that the Mobi... Read More
This is not your typical lost data story. I was... Read More
Cisco Certification: Taking Your First Certification ExamYou've studied hard; you've... Read More
IntroOne of the big advantages of PCs over earlier types... Read More
If you don't have an mp3 player, and even if... Read More
So I'll start from the very beginning.One day I was... Read More
I've worked my way from the CCNA to the CCIE,... Read More
With renting methods such as online DVD rental and pay-per-view,... Read More
1. Let your PC boot up completely before opening any... Read More
How can you compare mp3 players to be sure you're... Read More
It seems like fast never quite rates fast enough.No matter... Read More
Computer related terminology could sometimes be daunting to newcomers. These... Read More
IF WE say that it was mainly because of the... Read More
ASR (Automated System Recovery) is a feature available on the... Read More
Personal Technology |