Common PC Problems and How to Troubleshoot Them for Immigration.

1. DAY 2
Common PC Problems and
How to Troubleshoot Them

2. Common PC Problems and How to
Troubleshoot Them
 You don’t have to run to the repair shop every
time or call IT Dept. when your PC ends up with an
issue. Many of the common PC problems have
a rather simple solution, and you can fix them
yourself with a few simple steps.
 To help you troubleshoot common PC problems
yourself, we’ll take a the most common PC
hardware problems and what your options are if
you face any of them.

3. Slow Performance
• Problem: My applications are responding very slowly.
 Why is my computer so slow?
This happens especially when a computer first turns on or connects to a network. In
most cases, this is caused by heavy bandwidth usage. In other instances, it can be
caused by lack of hard drive space, running too many applications at once, having too
many browser tabs open at one time, or even just a dusty room! The solution for this
issue depends on the root of the problem.
 Once you’ve gotten rid of some of your browser’s extensions, eliminated applications
you aren’t using, or identified the application that’s eating up all of your processing
power, you should be able to see a huge difference in your computer’s processing
speed.
 (You can do this by using the Task Manager for Windows or the Activity Monitor for
Mac to see which applications are slowing you down).

4. The Solution:
 Note: Be sure to enforce proper network use by making sure that users aren’t
viewing too much digital content via streaming or continuously downloading large
files. Doing so will help you keep your bandwidth use under control. However, if you
find that your employees are utilizing the network correctly, it might be time to
upgrade your network to meet your business needs.
 If you feel that the sluggishness of your applications is due to another issue, proceed
to Step 1.
1. Step 1: Try restarting your PC. Sometimes, a quick reset will fix any and all issues
right away. Doing so will clear your system memory (RAM). If this works, remember
to shut down your PC when it’s not in use. If this doesn’t help, proceed to Step 2.
2. Step 2: Now, it’s time to check on your hard drive and make sure that it’s not
approaching the end of its lifespan. So, let’s run a hard drive check:
 Right click on “Drive”. Then, click “Properties” and then click “Tools”. Click “Check
Now”. Select “Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors”. Doing this will stop
your computer from tapping into any malfunctioning areas of the hard drive.

5. PC Overheating
• A heating PC slows down the whole system
and leads to frequent crashes. Additionally,
PC components may also get permanently
damaged due to constant exposure to heat.
• There are two main reasons your PC heats
up,
 i.e. either the cooling system isn’t
working properly or
 the PC is heating to the point your
cooling system can’t handle it anymore.

6. Dysfunctional USB Port
• Method 1: Restart the PC
• Restarting the PC is the answer to many problems, and it is a common
solution to USB port problem as well.
• Method 2: Uninstall USB port driver
Uninstalling the driver of the USB port will force Windows to reinstall it when you will
restart the PC. This may fix the problem. Here is how to do it:
1. Press Windows + R keys and enter devmgmt.msc in the Run dialog to open the Device
Manager.
2. Here, expand Universal Serial Bus controllers option.
3. Now right-click the entry USB Host Controller and then click on Uninstall.
4. Repeat this for all entries with USB Host Controller to uninstall drivers for all the
USB ports.

7.  Once
deleted,
restart the PC
and Windows
will
automatically
reinstall the
drivers and fix
any driver
issues.

8. Method 3: Disable USB selective suspend
 USB Selective Suspend is a Windows power
saving feature that suspends unused or idle
USB ports to conserve power. Sometimes it
could stop a USB port from working. Here is
how to disable it:
 Press Windows + R keys and type
powercfg.cpl in the Run dialog to open
Windows Power options.
 Here click on Change plan settings next to
your current plan and then click on Change
advanced power settings.
 Now, expand USB settings and disable USB
selective suspend setting.
 Restart the PC to see if it fixes the USB port
issue.
Note: This option should be kept enabled if you want to save
battery power.
If it doesn’t fix the USB port issue, then enable it again.

9. PC keeps disconnecting from Wi-Fi
• If your Wi-Fi is working fine but your PC
keeps disconnecting from it, then your PC’s
network card may not be receiving full
power. Windows has a built-in power saver
option that gives less power to the network
card. You need to disable this feature:
• Go to Advanced settings in the Power
Options.
• Here expand Wireless Adaptor Settings and
then expand Power Saving Mode.
• Set this to Maximum Performance.

10. • 1. Check the power supply
 If it’s a laptop, a loss of power could result from a battery that has completely run out of charge. So, the
first thing to do is to plug it in and leave it to charge for a few hours. If that doesn’t work, it could mean
the charger is faulty, so, if you can try a different charger. If the charger has a power indicator, check
whether it lights up when you plug it in.
 If your PC is a desktop computer and doesn’t start, check that it’s not the plug socket at fault by
plugging it into a different socket. If that doesn’t work, it could be that the power supply in your PC has
failed.
2. Make sure the monitor or display is functional
 If you can see that your PC has power, because the fans start-up or the power lights come on, but
nothing else happens, there are a couple of possible faults.
 If you have a desktop PC connected to an external monitor, it could be the display that’s faulty. Check
the power connection to the monitor and that it’s properly connected to your PC. Try disconnecting it
and reconnecting it. If that doesn’t work, try connecting a different monitor, if possible. That way you’ll
be able to either determine it’s the monitor’s fault or rule it out.
 If you have a laptop, or if you’ve ruled out the external display, it could be that your PC is in sleep mode
and is having trouble waking. To check that, shut it down completely and restart from cold. To do that,
PC isn’t powering on, cont,…

11. • 3. Eliminate external hardware
 If none of the steps above work, the peripherals could be the culprit. This
could either happen because of electrical issues or external hardware
failures.
 After doing this, try restarting the system again to see if it works or not. If
it doesn’t, move on the next final step.
• 4. Reinstall system
 If none of the steps work, the last thing you would want to do is to
reinstall your Windows. Because till this point, you can be sure that it’s the
software and not a hardware issue.
 Since you can’t turn your computer on, there’s no way to get access to
your file. However, there are methods to backup your files from the hard
PC isn’t powering on, cont,…

12. Noisy hard drive  If you hear clicking or grinding
sound from the hard drive, then it
might be time to get a new one.
Hard drives have a limited lifespan
and loud sounds are the main sign
of a near hard drive failure.
 You can use CrystalDiskInfo hard
drive monitoring tool to check the
health of your hard drive. The tool
will tell you the current health of
the hard drive with signs like
"Good", "Caution" or "Bad".

13. Blue Screen of Death
 The dreaded Blue Screen of Death
(BSOD) can occur due to both software
and hardware problems, but usually, it’s a
hardware problem. Whatever the cause,
BSOD requires immediate attention as it’s
a sign of a big problem.
 BlueScreenView is a great Nirsoft
utility that will show important
information if you have recently suffered
a Blue Screen of Death. You should be
able to identify and solve the problem
using this information. Below are some
common reasons for BSOD and their
solutions.

14. Blue Screen of Death Solution
• 1. Corrupted drivers
 A corrupt driver may be the cause of
BSOD. To find that out, use the
following steps:
 Open Device Manager by
typing devmgmt.msc in the Run.
 Here expand each menu and look for
a yellow triangle icon next to each
driver.
 If you find any, right-click on it and
select Update Driver Software to
update its driver.

15. Blue Screen of Death Solution cont,…
2. Too much pressure on the RAM
• If you open too many programs that RAM can’t handle,
then it may freeze the system and show BSOD. For that,
you should either stop opening too many programs or
upgrade the RAM.
3. Faulty hard disk
• BSOD is also a sign of a dying hard disk, use the
instructions in problem #11 above to identify hard disk
problems.

16.  Make sure your computer isn’t overheating.
If it is, close unused applications, check the fan is
working properly, and conduct a good dusting after
the computer is turned off before trying other
solutions for an overheating PC.
 Boot into Safe Mode before trying to fix a
problem.
 Scan for Malware that is causing the crash.
 Reset or reinstall Windows.
Blue Screen of Death Solution cont,…

17. Motherboard Problems
 The motherboard contains several parts
of the computer including the RAM, BIOS
system, mass storage, and CPU. These
devices can create numerous potential
problems.
 Problems with the motherboard range
from too little RAM to BIOS problems.
Fixing the problems will depend on the
specific problem and, in the worst-case
scenario, purchasing a new motherboard
will fix the problems.

18. Keyboard issues
 If your keyboard is making
noise and won’t type repeated
words properly, then there is
no problem with the keyboard.
You must have enabled toggle
keys and filter keys in Windows
settings that cause such a
problem. To disable them:
1. Open the Control
Panel and click on Ease of
Access.
2. Here click on Change how
your keyboard
works button.
3. Now uncheck the
checkbox next to Toggle
keys and Filter Keys to
solve this problem.

19. Network Problems: Slow Internet
 Slow performance is typically due to congestion, or sometimes
poor quality connections that have corroded or otherwise
deteriorated. Congestion may not be directly related to bandwidth
exhaustion, as a single overloaded port on a switch or router can
diminish network performance.
 Clearing cookies and Internet temporary files on a regular basis
will improve the speed of your Internet browser. To open the
temporary files folder, type ‘% temp% ' in the Windows search box
and hit enter.

20. Network Problems: Malfunctioning
Devices or Equipment
 Sometimes, network issues occur within network equipment or
devices like Firewalls, Routers, Switches, Wifi APs.
 Problems can be due to bad configurations, faulty network
connection issues, packet loss, or maybe just because they’re been
disabled.
 You need to ensure that all the devices on your network are
configured correctly in order for your network to work properly.
Whenever you install or reconfigure a device, or upgrade
equipment firmware on your network, you need to test that device
to ensure that it’s been configured correctly.

21. Duplicate IPAddresses
 When two devices attempt to share a single IP, you see the dreaded
"Address Already in Use" Kill — with no ability to access the network.
 The Quick Fix: The blame for this often rests with your router's default
DHCP configuration.
 DHCP is probably trying to assign your new device an address at
the beginning of your subnet, and another device may already occupy
these low-numbered addresses with static IPs. If you've just introduced
a new device or server to your network, it may have its own DHCP
server.
 Simply disable the DHCP server on that device to restore sanity to your
network.

22. Choose a Network Monitoring Software
 When it comes to identifying some of these most common
network issues, the best tool at your disposal is a Network
Monitoring software.
 A Network Monitoring (or Network Performance Monitoring)
tool monitors end-to-end network performance to identify
network issues affecting your end-users, whether the problems
occur in your local network infrastructure, over the Internet, or
even in a service provider's network.

23. Common PC
Troubleshooting
Q & A
•END
Day Two