Troubleshooting Computer Problems

Troubleshooting computer problems is, unfortunately, something we all end up trying at one time or another. This page covers the duh! mistakes that we all make. I have been building computers for over 12 years now, and I still do some of these things.

If you press the power button on the front of your computer, and nothing happens, these are some common computer problems.

• Power Cable - Is the power cable plugged in to the power supply on the back of the computer, and is it plugged from there into an outlet? If not, plug it in and give it a try.
• Power Switch - On the back of your computer, connected to the power supply is a power switch. Ensure that this is in the on position. If it is not, switch it over and try to turn on your computer again.
• Disc Still in Drive - On older systems, if you leave the disc in the drive, you may see a message on-screen that says something like "Non-System Disk" or "Disk Error", remove the disk from the drive and try rebooting.
• Surge Protector - Ensure that your surge protector or power strip is plugged in. If it is, ensure that it is getting power. Take a lamp and plug it in to verify that power is flowing through the strip.
• Monitor - If you hear the computer booting, fans spinning, hard drive spinning, but don't see anything on-screen, check the monitor. Verify that it is plugged into an outlet, and that it is plugged into the back of the computer.

Did this fix your issue? I hope so, but if not, head back to Computer Troubleshooting and we'll continue on.

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