The Trouble with Troubleshooting …

The third video of the CompTIA A+ training is an introduction to PC Troubleshooting and it covers objective 1.3 of the essentials exam (identify tools, diagnostic procedures and troubleshooting techniques for PC components). David Davis, the instructor of this course, does a very thorough job in explaining the theory behind troubleshooting and how to apply troubleshooting techniques. He also provides the details on how to perform basic diagnostics and how to isolate problems and find possible solutions. Towards the end of the video, David also talks about preventative maintenance, which I found to be particularly useful.

This is some interesting and, not to mention important, stuff that anyone who uses a computer should know about. This 50 minute video could save lots of time and money just by making people aware of what causes the most common PC problems, and how easily some of these problems can be resolved!

For instance, the problem of an overheating computer is a common one, especially for many dedicated gamers (my brother Adam being not only one of the best but also the most committed!). In this case video cards and their processing units are most often responsible, but how do you know how to stop or even prevent overheating on your PC? An online game of World of WarCraft can be an intense experience that can take hours, so if you notice your computer might be overheating what’s the best thing to do?

Well, up until now my brother’s solution was to take down a side of the computer’s case to increase airflow. The only problem is: this has the exact opposite effect on a computer! Operating a computer with one of the case sides off means that the airflow isn’t working properly, and this makes the PC overheat even more. All the slots on the PC, except the fan’s “way in” and “way out”, need to be covered when the computer is turned on. There should also be proper ventilation around the computer’s case so that the air moving in and coming out is not being blocked by anything.

Who knew, right? Even my brother, who’s exceptionally smart and extremely technologically inclined (way more than his sis!), did not know about this handy, little tidbit! All he had to do to reduce the overheating was to move his computer from under his desk, out a little further to get better ventilation. And I was happy to help!

So why did I title this post: The Trouble with Troubleshooting? Well … while troubleshooting seems pretty straightforward — find the problem and fix it — it’s not actually this easy every time. The difficult thing about troubleshooting is finding the true source of the problem since many things could be at fault. That’s why it’s important to have a system for eliminating potential causes and finding the correct one. Troubleshooting is more than fixing a problem — it’s also finding what caused it, and making sure that it does not happen again.

While exploring the fascinating world of PC troubleshooting even further, I also found this helpful little site called Computer Hope.com which provides free computer help for everyone and anyone! The site has lots of useful information, and it also has a section on basic computer troubleshooting which might come in handy.

See you next week TST Readers!

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