Computer Hardware Troubleshooter

Alternative to Windows default Device Manager|DevManView

We are familiar with default windows device manager, which mainly used for configuring both external and internal devices, which are connected to a computer system. Device manager displays all the peripherals, which are presently connected to the system mother board in a tree view.DevManView is the alternative to default  device manager and can effectively manage all the devices with their simple user interface.

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Posted by Chandrashekhar - September 4, 2010 at 9:54 pm

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How To Replace Motherboards In Desktop Computers

What is a Computer Motherboard?
Motherboard is a main piece of your computer. All other devices of computer connected to motherboard directly or indirectly. Some devices directly connected to motherboard by means of PCI Buses and some other devices connected by means of cables and connectors.  As a stand-alone part, motherboards are probably the part that would very rarely need an upgrade.

Reasons for upgrading Motherboards

  • When lack of slots for an adequate graphics card
  • Failure of Mother Board due to power issues, BIOS problems
  • No RAM slots for installation of adequate RAM.

Now time for deciding whether you want to keep the same part or you need a new part

to double check that all existing parts fit.

Buying New Parts

If you want to completely upgrade your PC and buy new components along with you motherboard, you are effectively building a new computer.

When buying new motherboards look for:

  • Availability of RAM slots
  • Presence of PCI expresses slots for Graphic Card.
  • Mother Board CPU slots which can support more then one type of Processors. For example LGA 775 processor slots supports, Dual core, Core2Duo, Core2Quad Processors.
  • Presence of onboard slots like Audio, Ethernet, USB. Now a day’s all mother board comes with these ports by default.

Other Necessary Parts: Now a day’s PC configuration is like this

CPU: Intel Dual-Core, Core2Duo or Core2Quad

RAM: Minimum 1GB

Optical Drive: DVD Writer

Hard Disk:Minimum 160GB

Monitor: 18.5” or 19” TFT.

Once you have purchased your motherboard and other necessary part, you are ready to install it.

Taking out the Motherboard

You will need just a screwdriver for the entire process

  1. Disconnect all the wires  and connectors behind your computer
  2. Take out  Computer Cabinet Cover
  3. Then move on to largest wire that connects the power supply to the motherboard
  4. Then remove other wires such as LED, Power Switch and Reset Button
  5. Remove IDE connectors from Hard disk and Optical drives
  6. Open the case – you may need to use a screwdriver for this
  7. ‘Ground’ yourself by touching the large metal bar across the computer towards the top. So that you can avoid static electricity effect on electronics parts as usual as  on your body parts
  8. After this, if you installed any PCI cards or graphic card in PCI slots remove very gently, begin by pulling up the end of the adapter.
  9. There is a hook on the other end of the graphics card. Be aware of this when fully detaching the card. Lay the card to the side when you are done.
  10. You now have to take off the heat sink and fan located on the CPU.
  11. Detach the wire from the heat sink and fan from the motherboard.
  12. Depending on what model of CPU you have, you need to take off the heat sink and fan first. There should be a latch that you lift that will release both the heat sink and fan.
  13. You now need to take out the actual motherboard.
  14. There will be screw all around your motherboard. Unscrew these and you should be able to lift it up out of the computer relatively easy.
  15. Once you have the motherboard out, you need to take off the RAM and actual CPU.
  16. Lift the metal latch located above the CPU socket.
  17. Gently lift the CPU up and off the motherboard. You may need to move it from side to side a little to loosen it.
  18. On either side of the RAM will be some handles. Push these down and the RAM card should pop right out. Be careful to not use too much force.

Remember:

  • No water or food anywhere near where you are working
  • Never use force if something is not going right

Re-Attaching the New Motherboard

Once you have successfully taken out your old motherboard, you can now proceed to install the new one. The steps taken here are basically the same as detaching the motherboard, but in the opposite way.

  1. First, put the CPU onto the motherboard and close the metal lock.
  2. Open the handles on the RAM slots and push the RAM into it. There are corresponding holes on the RAM cards so make sure these are aligned.
  3. You should here a click with the RAM is attached properly.
  4. Take the motherboard and place it in the computer.
  5. Depending on the two types of motherboard you have, you may need to realign the ‘legs’ that the motherboard is screwed onto. In this case, take out the legs and screw them back in the corresponding shape to the larger holes on the motherboard.
  6. After doing this, screw in the motherboard.
  7. Plug the power supply into the motherboard.
  8. As before, you now need to replace the heat sink and fan on the motherboard. Place them onto the CPU and latch it in.
  9. Remember to plug the wire leading out of the fan into the motherboard for power.
  10. You now need to install your graphics card.
  11. Sliding in the end of the graphics card that has the hook first, slowly lower the other end until it fits nicely onto the motherboard. You may need to lift or switch a handle to secure it in place.
  12. You now have to reattach all the wires you took out.
  13. Start with the larger ones. Since you should not have removed the read/write drive and hard drive when taking out your motherboard, they should still be in place. Plug these into the respective slots.
  14. Now plug the rest of the wires in.

Related:How To Install Laptop RAM Modules.

image credit:Techiwarehouse

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Posted by Chandrashekhar - March 7, 2010 at 8:08 am

Categories: Computer Hardware Troubleshooter, News   Tags: , , , , , ,

Steps to Fix Printer Spooler SubSystem App Error.

You may experience any of the following symptoms on your Windows XP-based computer.Generally you can see Printer Spooler Subsystem Error while accessing the printer and Fax Folder,sometime during printing,sometime when you try to start the Print Spooler service.
The Error message is like this
Spooler subsystem app has encountered a problem and needs to close.
This issue may occur if a third-party printer driver or a third-party service that is installed prevents you from adding printers, or if the third-party printer driver or the third-party service affects the functionality of a newly installed printer.

To fix this problem automatically, click the Fix this problem link.
Then click Run in the File Download dialog box, and follow the steps in this wizard.

Note The Fix it solution can be run in either Light mode or Full mode.Light mode makes changes to the spooler that should not require you to make any additional changes. Full mode will restore the print spooler to default settings and require that you reinstall your printers.

You can verify that the print spooler service is running. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.
  2. Expand Services and Applications, and then click Services.
  3. In the details pane, right-click the Print Spooler service, and then click Start (if it is stopped).
  4. Exit Computer Management.
If you want to manually remove this error message visit Microsoft Support page

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Posted by Chandrashekhar - January 25, 2010 at 9:47 am

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How to Check for Dead Pixels on LCD Monitors

If you have an LCD monitor for your PC, then sometimes some pixels on the LCD might not work properly. A defective (hot, dead or stuck) pixel is a pixel that does not illuminate properly or does not display the correct color output. It usually looks like an annoying black, white or colored spot on your screen. It is not easy to find dead pixels directly on your monitor. InjuredPixels is a freeware tool which llows you to easily check for dead or defective pixels on LCD monitors
It can be used to test new LCDs before purchasing or during the warranty period. InjuredPixels is very easy to use and can be run directly from the Internet without installation. When you execute the program, it actually fills the entire screen with a primary or custom color, allowing you to inspect the screen for pixels that do not match the selected color.It is User Friendly Software
InjuredPixels runs on Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP with Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 or above. The main executable program file of InjuredPixels natively runs on both 64-bit and 32-bit versions of Windows.

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Posted by Chandrashekhar - December 24, 2009 at 11:34 am

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Portable Hard Drive Quick Defragmenter Tools For USB Drive


Here is the Portable defrag tools list that suitable stored on USB drive for hard drive defragmenter purpose. Defragment utility has been become important tools for windows user to make sure the files fragmentation is well organized and recover or repair the hard disk bad cluster.

However, the default defragment tools on Windows operating system is eventually slow and less functionality. So, below show a list of free Portable hard drive defragmenter tools can been use to defrag your hard disk for better performance and recover bad cluster. Meanwhile, this portable defrag tool doesn’t requires software installation, which you can run it directly from USB drive or removable storage drive.


Best Free Portable Hard Drive Defragmenter Tool:

WinContig – Portable Defragment Tool



Portable Defragment tool do not requires any installation directories or registry entries install on your computer. It can help windows user performs quickly defrag files and folders without having to defrag the whole disk for better optimization and performance.

PageDefrag – Portable Defrag Tools


PageDefrag uses advanced techniques to provide you what commercial defragmenters cannot: the ability for you to see how fragmented your paging files and Registry hives are, and to defragment them. In addition, it defragments event log files and Windows 2000/XP hibernation files (where system memory is saved when you hibernate a laptop).

MyDefrag ( Previously known as JKDefrag)



This defragmenter tools comes with better defrag features and GUI interface compare to JKDefrag. Meanwhile, it also integrated with Microsoft defragmentation api as the core defragmenter engine which it will load fast, low overhead, with better optimization on your hard disk perfor
mance.

Auslogics Disk Defrag – Portable Disk Defragment Tool

Auslogics Disk Defrag is a compact defragmentation tool that supports FAT 16/32, and NTFS (with compressed and encrypted files). It helps in maintaining high-level disk performance and speeding up your PC. Plus more, Auslogics Disk Defrag can also defrag removable storage media and ‘View detailed reports’ of Defragmentation Results.

With above portable hard drive defragment tools, you can easily defrag hard drive without installing defrag software on computer. If you know portable defrag tools should includes on the list, let us know via comment.

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Posted by Chandrashekhar - December 9, 2009 at 11:38 am

Categories: Computer Hardware Troubleshooter, News   Tags:

Steps to install PCI VGA(AGP) Card to Computer Mother board

One of the easiest installs on your computer is to install PCI cards. There are about a million different types of PCI cards.

To install PCI cards, you need to:

  • Unplug your computer from the wall and remove your computer’s case cover so that you have plenty of room to work. More on this here. Also have your antistatic wristband on because PCI cards are VERY sensitive to static electricity.
  • Locate your PCI card slots (labeled A) on your motherboard. Then use a screwdriver to remove the screw (labeled B) holding the PCI slot cover. Once removed, set aside the screw, you’ll need that later!
  • Align your PCI card with the slots on the motherboard and make sure the hole in the face of the PCI card lines up over the hole which you removed the screw.
  • Now to install the PCI slot card, firmly press down on it until it is in position. Finally, replace the screw that you removed before to secure the PCI card into place.
  • Troubleshooting a PCI card install


  • Plug your computer back in and turn it on. Your computer should detect the new card and be prepared to install any new drivers.

  • Here are a couple tips if you have trouble when you install your PCI card.

    • If your computer doesn’t turn on make sure the power cable is plugged into the wall and plugged into the computer’s power supply.
    • After installing your PCI card, if your computer turns on but beeps a couple times and the operating system does not load, repeat the install process but try the PCI card in different slots on the motherboard, it is possible that you have a bad slot.
    • If all else fails when you install your PCI card, contact its manufacturer for more help.


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    Posted by Chandrashekhar - December 5, 2009 at 9:09 am

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    How Monitor Fan Speeds Temperatures and Voltages in PC



    Speed Fan monitors
    controls
    fan speeds, temperatures and voltages in computers with hardware monitor chips. Speed Fan can even access S.M.A.R.T. info for those hard disks that support this feature and show hard disk temperatures too, if supported. Speed Fan can even change the FSB on some hardware. At the lowest level, Speed Fan is a hardware monitor software, but its main feature is that Speed Fan can control fan speeds according to the temperatures inside your pc, thus reducing noise and power consumption.



    Download Free SpeedFan 4.34

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    Posted by Chandrashekhar - December 2, 2009 at 9:03 am

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    How to Replace CMOS Battery

    Introduction and Lithium Battery




    Every PC motherboard has a battery. That battery serves two purposes: to feed the configuration memory (also called CMOS) and to feed the real time clock of the computer (the one that show the date and the time).

    An indication it is time to change the motherboard battery is receiving one of the following error messages when you turn on your computer: CMOS CHECKSUM FAILURE, CMOS BATTERY STATE LOW, CMOS SYSTEM OPTIONS NOT SET and CMOS TIME AND DATE NOT SET. Another indicator of a low battery is a clock that, after being set, runs well while the computer is on, but shows the wrong time when the computer is turned on the following day (it is late).

    The motherboard battery can be built using three different technologies: Nickel-cadmium (NiCd), NVRAM (Non-Volatile RAM) and Lithium (Li). The Lithium battery, which is a round one (the size of a coin) and can be easily found at watchmaker's and computer parts stores, has long been the most used type. To buy one of these batteries, all you have to do is to look for a model CR2032 one.

    Replacing the motherboard lithium battery demands some care. It seems to be a simple task, but it is not.

    The lithium battery may use basically three socket types: socket with upper tab (Figure 1), socket with lateral tab (Figure 2), and the socket into which the battery stands instead of lying (Figure 3).

    Lithium Battery

    Figure 1: Socket with upper tab.

    Lithium Battery

    Figure 2: Socket with lateral tab.

    Lithium Battery

    Figure 3: Another kind of battery socket.

    While the replacement of the battery in the socket with the lateral tab or of the one that stands is simple (Figures 2 and 3) – all you have to do is draw back the tab using your finger or a small screwdriver and replace it – the replacement of the batter that has an upper tab covering it (Figure 1) demands extra care. In this type of socket, if you raise the metallic tab to replace the battery, it will lose its pressure and will not make contact with the battery anymore, damaging the socket. In this case, the correct replacement of the battery in done pressing a small plastic lock at the side of the socket with the fingers or using a small screwdriver. That will allow the battery "to slide" laterally, not damaging the upper tab.

    Whatever the socket used, don't forget that the replacement of the battery should be done while the computer is off


    Related Articles

    How to Replace CMOS Battery

    How to Repair Monitor

    How to Change Mother Boards in Desktop?

    How to Upgrade a Computer's BIOS

    How to Repair SMPS

    Intel Atom Processor

    Mother Board Basics

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    Posted by Chandrashekhar - November 11, 2009 at 8:14 am

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    How to Repair Monitor

    Computers are useless without a monitor. You can’t surf the Net or see what you typed on the keyboard. It’s a good thing that computer monitors are virtually trouble free. Besides checking to see if it’s plugged in and making a few adjustments there’s little you can do to fix it without specialized help. Even so, let’s take a look at how they work and how to tackle something you can fix, the monitor fuse.

    How Does It Work?

    Computer Monitor Repair, Copyright Fix It Club: Common Repairs Made Easy!

    Components of a typical computer monitor.

    A computer monitor, sister to the television monitor, displays information from a computer on a screen. The monitor uses digital values sent by a computer processor to create a stream of electrons that light up phosphors on the inside of the screen. The signals are in each of the three primary colors, combined into various color signals that seem to move across the screen. Portable computers use a screen made up of liquid crystal display (LCD) cells instead of phosphors. Computer monitors receive their signal from a monitor cable from the computer and their power from a separate electrical cord.

    What Can Go Wrong?

    Computer monitor problems are not always problems with the monitor. Testing of the monitor must be done with the computer . The monitor may not come on. The image on the screen may not be clear and bright

    How Can I Identify the Problem?

    If the monitor does not come on, make sure there is power to the electrical receptacle . Check the electrical cord . Check the connections between the monitor and the computer and make sure the computer is on. Test the line fuse (see below).

    Computer Monitor Repair, Copyright Fix It Club: Common Repairs Made Easy!

    Interior of a computer monitor. Identify but don’t touch the power supply.

    If the image on the screen is not clear and bright, check your owner’s manual for instructions on adjusting the monitor. Typically there are adjustment buttons on the monitor face below the screen.

    What Parts, Materials, and Tools Do I Need?

    Replacement cables and fuses are available from the manufacturer as well as from local computer shops. Tools you may need to access, test, and fix a computer monitor include these:

    • Screwdrivers
    • Multimeter

    What Are the Steps to Fixing It?

    Fix-It Tip

    A computer monitor gets its instructions from a video controller card in the computer. The card may be an add-on expansion card or it may be built into the main circuit board, called the motherboard. If it is a separate card, you may need to open the computer and make sure the card is firmly connected. Also check the flat data cable that runs between the video card and the motherboard, if so equipped.

    Computer Monitor Repair, Copyright Fix It Club: Common Repairs Made Easy!

    Locate, remove, and test the line fuse, typically located near the power cord entry.

    Test and replace a monitor fuse:

    1. Disconnect the monitor from the electrical receptacle and from the computer processor.

    2. Lay the monitor on a padded surface and remove the housing screws (some may be under pop-out tabs).

    3. Slide the rear housing off.

    4. Locate the line fuse typically near the power cord entrance. Remove the fuse from its holder and test it with a multimeter. Replace the fuse if it is faulty.

    Caution!

    For safety, follow the manufacturer’s instructions in the owner’s manual to discharge the video tube before working near it. In most cases this means using jumper wires to connect a 10,000-ohm resistor between the chassis ground or common ground and a screwdriver, and shorting the high-voltage lead by inserting the screwdriver under the suction cup.

    Troubleshooting Tips for New Monitors

    You are encouraged to make links to this article from your website and tell your friends

    Here are some basic trouble shooting tips for new monitors:

    1. The picture does not appear
      • Check to make sure the signal cable is firmly connected in the socket.
      • Check to see if the computer system’s power is ON.
      • Check that the Brightness Control is at the appropriate position, not at the minimum.
    2. The Screen is not synchronized
      • Check to make sure the signal cable is firmly connected in the socket.
      • Check that the output level matches the input level of your computer.
      • Make sure the signal timing of the computer system is within the specification of the monitor.
    3. The position of the screen is not in the center
      • Adjust the H-Size, H-Phase or V-Size, V-Center controls.
      • Check if the signal timing of the computer system is within the specification of the monitor.
    4. The screen is too bright or too dark
      • Check if the Brightness or contrast control is at the appropriate position, not at the maximum or minimum.
      • Check if the specified voltage is applied
      • Check if the signal timing of the computer system is within the specification of the monitor.
      • Especially, check the horizontal frequency.
    5. The screen is shaking
      • Move all objects that emit a magnetic field, such as a motor or transformer, away from the monitor.
      • Check if the specified voltage is applied.
      • Check if the signal timing of the computer system is within the specification of the monitor.

    Related Articles

    How to Replace CMOS Battery

    How to Repair Monitor

    How to Change Mother Boards in Desktop?

    How to Upgrade a Computer’s BIOS

    How to Repair SMPS

    Intel Atom Processor

    Mother Board Basics

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    Posted by Chandrashekhar - November 11, 2009 at 7:30 am

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