12.1 Overview
12.1.2 Determining whether the problem is hardware or software related
By now it should be clear that the two essential parts of a computer are hardware and software. Computer hardware and software are very closely related and both work with each other, which can make problem solving difficult. Thus, it is important to determine whether the issue is related to hardware failure or corrupt programming in the software.

Hardware Issues
To begin separating this process, first look at the boot up sequence. When the computer boots up, the user should hear a single beep that occurs after the POST and just before the boot process begins. If there are hardware issues with the computer, these errors will occur or will be displayed before this beep. This is because the operating system or software side of the system does not get started until after this beep and only the BIOS and basic system hardware have been active before it.

Hardware related issues are either configuration errors or hardware failures. Hardware failures are typically identified by the operating system being unable to load. After the BIOS and basic system hardware have been checked and passed, the operating system will attempt to load. If the operating system is unable to load, it is a good indication that a piece of hardware has failed. If the problem appears to be related to a hardware failure, replace the hardware that might be causing the problem and see if the system boots up properly. Configuration errors occur as a result of a mismatch between the programmed configuration of the system and the actual equipment that is installed in the system. For example, if the end user installs software they may enter some parameters into the programs to match its capabilities to the configuration of the computer. If these configuration parameters are set incorrectly, the software will be unable to detect the system hardware properly and then an error occurs. Learn more about hardware-specific troubleshooting issues in Chapter 11, "Troubleshooting PC Hardware".