Simple solutions that may or may not help

 

By following instructions on this page you agree that neither Palisades Computer Repair nor it’s repair tech are legally liable for ANYTHING, including any loss, alteration or corruption of data, nor any loss of time, business, anticipatory profits, or special or consequential damages.

 

Try "Last known good configuration"....

 

If you know a thing or two about computers and you are feeling brave, you can try restarting the computer while pressing F8 several times until you get to the "advanced options" menu, then use the up / down arrow keys to highlight "last known good configuration" and press the "enter" key. Do this at your own risk.  This may or may not fix the problem. If you have already restarted your computer to the desktop then this recovery method will likely not help. NOTES: A reset to "Last Known Good Configuration" can only successfully fix a problem IF you didn’t have any issues the last time you started Windows. "Last Known Good Configuration" only modifies the registry. It does NOT affect user data such as your personal photos, MP3's, documents, etc.

Or try using "system restore" on Windows XP if…

* Problems started to occur after you installed a program, Windows update, software update, or a driver.

* You accidentally removed or modified an important system file that is causing the system not to function properly.

Will system restore help to recover from a virus infection? Unlikely. Viruses almost always wipe out restore points or they completely disable the Windows system restore feature.

 

1) START > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore > select "restore my computer to an earlier time".

 

NOTES: System restore modifies not just parts of the registry, but changes system files (extensions: EXE, BAT, DLL, .com, .drv, .sys, etc…), drivers, and more. 

System restore never touches file formats related to things like documents, email, music, and a few others that aren’t critical to the system’s operability. It also ignores things placed in “My Documents”.

It uninstalls all programs installed after the selected restore point rollback. 

Don't use system restore if you have important files placed throughout your computer, and you’re not sure if system restore will ignore them. On Windows XP computers, place all of your important personal files into the “My Documents” folder to ensure that they are protected.

 

Have you tried restarting the computer a couple of times? 

Is the monitor really getting power from the wall outlet or power strip? Is the monitor power light on?

Is the monitor data cable securely connected at both ends (at monitor and the computer)?

Did the monitor fail? Try swapping out a known working monitor.

 

Is the computer itself really getting power?  Do you see lights on the computer? Do you hear the hard drive spinning? Do you hear the fan running and/or hear test "beeps" after starting up? If there are no signs of any power then make sure the power connector is securely plugged into the computer as well as to the outlet. Test to see that the power strip or power outlet is indeed working by plugging a known working light into it. It is common that some or all outlets along a power strip may fail.

 

For laptop computers try pressing the "Fn" key (located below the left "Shift" key) or try pressing Fn + F7. These keys (when accidentally pressed) can cause the monitor to turn off. These keys may "toggle" the monitor back and forth between "on" and "off". Don't forget to toggle back.

For laptop computers check to see if the lid switch is somehow pressed in (and thus causing the monitor to turn off).

For laptop computers try connecting an external monitor into the VGA outlet (video out) located on the side.

 

Here's just a few, but keep in mind that these are not definitive symptoms.....

The computer may reboot itself or just go completely dead in the middle of use, shutting off or restarting. (NOTE: Not always caused by a failing motherboard)

 

Hesitancy or other problems as soon as the PC is turned on.

 

The BIOS freezes up.

 

When first powered on, the laptop's lights turn on normally, the internal fans run, but the monitor is black with no text what so ever. When connecting a secondary monitor it shows just a black screen too. You cannot enter into the BIOS either.

 

Slightly bulging capacitors seen on the motherboard are not normal.  Bulging capacitors may be a sign of major problems to come. Often parts fail slowly.  However you might get lucky and the computer runs fine for another 10 years.

 

NOTE: Laptop, netbook and all-in-one computer motherboards are much more likely to fail (than desktop motherboards) because by nature, hot parts are crammed into a small space with little ventilation. It's a ripe environment for parts to overheat and fail.

 

Is your "Cap Locks" engaged? If so disengage it. Passwords are case sensitive. The "Cap Lock" key is located above the left "Shift" key. When the Cap Locks is turned on, a light illuminates. On most keyboards this light is usually located somewhere above the "Home" key, and it causes letters to be entered as UPPER case. Otherwise PCR can either recover or reset your password for only $20 (drop off price) in 15 minutes to 1 hour.

Note that the so called "log on / log off failure loop" is a more serious problem that would require a full diagnostic and repair.

 

Try turning off your modem, computer and router (if any). Wait about 100 seconds, then restart your modem, wait another 50 seconds then turn on your router (if any). Wait about a minute, then turn on your computer and try launching your browser again. If that doesn't work it is possible that your modem is overheating. Repeat the above instructions, but wait 15 minutes (because sometimes modems overheat and need to cool down).

Also visit the PCR Lost Network Connection page for further help and pricing details.

 

Authors of viruses are getting much much more sophisticated at blocking the normal repair methods used by even repair techs.

You can try booting in "safe mode with networking", try downloading, installing and removing found viruses with Malwarebytes, then see if the computer will boot to the desktop in "normal" mode. Just getting to the point of booting to the desktop in normal mode usually requires deleting registry start up entries with a special offline boot CD. This process is NOT for even the most knowledgeable computer users! Nowadays viruses leave system damage behind and or rootkit viruses still control various functions of the computer even though it boots to the desktop. Often viruses disable Windows updates, prevent you from installing Microsoft Security Essentials, disable task manager, disable security center, disable the ability to view hidden files and folders, infect the hosts file, etc, etc. Repairing this damage is usually the most time consuming. Keep in mind that when infected, computers almost always have MANY instances of viruses, sometimes hundreds. It's never just one virus.

 

This may be caused when a disk is sitting inside the CD / DVD drive (or floppy drive) and the BIOS boot order is to "look" there first (before the hard drive). Remove all CD's, DVD's, USB memory sticks, or floppy disks then try rebooting.

 

If you're tech savvy, unplug the computer power cord, open up the computer, touch the side of the chassis to release any static electricity, then try reconnecting the data cable connection to the hard drive. Try replacing the SATA cable. When you try to start the computer do you hear the hard drive spinning up? If not try reconnecting the power cable connection to the hard drive.

 

This "operating system not found" error can also be caused by a failing hard drive, failing motherboard, virus or other correctable software issue.

 

Please note that these are NON-STANDARD parts which are usually NOT cheap, and not sold at your local Fry's or Best Buy. Usually the manufacturer or a 3rd party distributor sells these parts at a premium. This type of repair may "appear" to be a simple repair but it still falls under the standard $100 repair price (plus parts).  If this is an older laptop, often it's most cost effective to just skip the repair and buy an entire replacement laptop instead.

 

 

"My computer is sometimes sluggish and slow. Virus?"

Not necessarily. Sometimes this is simply due to normal processes that occasionally or always automatically run in the "background", such as anti-virus software updates or Windows updates that are being downloaded, or due to an automatic virus scan that is running. Often these processes run when you first turn on your computer or after a specific time every day.  If they are running it may take unusually long to do something as simple as opening up your web browser or email program. If your computer is acting sluggish, often you can simply hold your mouse pointer over one of the task bar items found in the lower right hand corner of your desktop and discover that a program is running in the "background". You may hear the hard drive "working". In this example (to the right) the anti-virus software was running an automatic scan.

 

 

 

Do you have less than 15% space remaining on your drive?

This can really slow a computer down. 

START > My Computer > Right click your hard drive and select "properties"

 

Sometimes you can fix a problem by using the Windows "Help and Support Center"

START > Help & Support > Fixing a problem