Common Computer Hardware Problems..Things To Check

If your computer is acting up and you suspect a hardware problem?
Here is a basic list of things to check:

Check cables and connections:

Is everything properly plugged in and receiving power?
(Are the power strip on-off switches in the On poistion?)
Are cables snuggly plugged into their sockets?
Are both ends of the cable connected?

Check for strange noises:
Is the computer making noise?
All computers have internal fans designed to regulate the temperature inside the box.
If the fan goes, the computer gets too hot and fails or blue screens.

Do you hear the fan?
Look around the back of your computer to see whether the power supply fan is spinning.
If not, the power supply should be replaced.
In addition to the power supply fan, there is also a fan installed over the processor.
If the processor fan has failed it could cause the computer to shut down,or burn out the processor itself.

Some PCs can get hot even with their fans spinning.
For such systems, you can get fan "upgrades" by adding a second fan to the PC's case.
Laptops have internal fans, but they still run notoriously hot.
To help keep your laptop cool, consider an external cooling pad.
The pad contains several fans, and you set your laptop on top of the cooler.
The result is a cooler-running and much happier laptop.

Check for excessive heat:
Is the computer hot?
Electronics do get hot, but they're designed to dissipate the heat.
Heat is a Bad Thing for electronics. It causes errors.
In fact, your computer has a "recommended operating temperature" - if this temperature is exceeded then the computer will fail.
If the computer is hot, turn it off. Get it fixed.
Check a peripheral's power brick to see whether it gets too hot.
Power bricks (more properly, transformers) get warm but should never be hot.
If they're hot, they need to be replaced.

Check the monitor:
To do a quick check of the monitor, first ensure that it's properly connected and turned on.
A monitor plugs into both a power source and the computer.
The monitor may look dead, but the brightness may just be turned down all the way. Fiddle with the knobs to try to get a reaction.

Modern monitors are quite smart. If yours doesn't receive a signal from the computer, it displays a message telling you so.
It says No input or No signal or something similar, but conveys the general meaning of "I'm not connected to anything sending me a signal."
If you see that message and the cables are firmly connected, then the problem is most likely with the computer's video output.

Some monitors have more than one input.
You might see an A-B switch for viewing output from more than one source.
Some high-end monitors have both VGA and BNC connectors for the signal.
Please be sure your monitor is set to the proper input channel.

It's quite common for the power light on a monitor to turn green when the monitor is up and running.
When the monitor isn't receiving a signal, the light commonly turns amber or flashes.
The light also turns amber when the computer is in Sleep, Stand By, or Hibernate mode.
Tap the Ctrl or Enter key on the keyboard to see if the computer is just sleeping and has shut down the monitor.
On some computers, you have to punch the Power/Sleep button to wake it up.