General Troubleshooting Concepts
In general, when troubleshooting any microprocessor-based equipment such as the PC, it is good practice to begin from the outside of the system and move inwards. Proceed in a systematic way as follows:

• First, start the system in a logical order to see what symptoms are produced.
• Next, isolate the problem as either software-related or hardware-related.
• After determining the nature of the problem, isolate it to a particular section of the hardware or software.
• Determine the appropriate solution, implement it, and verify that the problem is solved.

Most successful troubleshooting results from careful observation combined with deductive reasoning and an organized approach to solving problems.

First Boot Process Hangs for No Apparent Reason
Problems can occur during the installation of Windows and during restarts. What action to take depends on whether the system is a newly assembled computer or a previously functioning machine. This section assumes that Windows 98 is being installed to complete the computer assembly process (see Chapter 3). If the computer does not boot after Windows is installed, or there is no screen display or keyboard response, the machine should be restarted using the reset button. A restart using a Windows 98 Startup Disk, if one is available, may solve the problem. If the problem persists, one or more of the following should be checked. It may be necessary to power down the computer to perform some of these checks:

• Does the CPU cooling fan run? If not check that the power cable is plugged into the motherboard, that the power cable is plugged into the surge suppressor, and that the surge suppressor is turned on.
• Is the cable properly connected to the hard drive?
• Is the monitor cable connected to the video adapter card?
• Is the boot sequence in CMOS setup to drive A first?
• Do the lights on the keyboard flash during POST?
• Does the floppy drive light come on during the boot process?
• Are the contrast and brightness controls on the monitor turned up high enough to see a display?
• Are all memory DIMMs correctly seated in their sockets? If a RAM chip is not correctly seated, a typical symptom would be a blank monitor screen.
• Are all expansion cards correctly seated?
• Is the CPU installed properly, and correctly seated? If the CPU is not well seated, no display will appear on the screen.
• Is there a power connector attached to the floppy drive, hard drive, CD-ROM, and motherboard?
• Is the keyboard connected to the motherboard?

Using Some Handy Windows 98 Help Tools, Tips and Tricks
Some basic Setup troubleshooting tools are available in Windows or as third party add-ons. A few are discussed below, and more help is available from various web sources.

• SAFE MODE/ DEVICE MANAGER – If Windows 98 becomes unavailable, shut off the computer, and turn it back on. During this process, listen for a beep or wait for a few seconds. Then press and hold the left Ctrl key on the keyboard. This will open a Windows 98 Startup menu. From the list of options, choose Safe Mode, to boot Windows in a Safe Mode. In this mode, Windows loads only the basic devices it needs to run. Once in Windows Safe Mode, check device manager to ensure that there are no conflicts with any devices causing the system to not operate properly.
• SCANDISK / DEFRAG – Scandisk searches the disk drive for disconnected file clusters and converts them into a form that can be checked and manipulated. This will allow the user to check for any lost clusters that can be restored. Scandisk can also detect and delete cross-linked files from the disk drive. There are two types of tests that can be run, Standard or Thorough. Checking the box “Automatically fix errors” will allow scan disk to attempt to fix the errors it finds. The Standard test checks the folders and files on the drive for errors. The Thorough test also checks the folders and files along with examining the physical surface for any errors. The Defrag program realigns the positioning of the related file clusters to speed up the disk drive operation. It does this by making the files more easily read by the system. As a rule, always run Scandisk prior to Defrag.
• VIRUS SCAN – In Windows, a Virus Scanner checks all the hard drives for viruses. If any viruses are detected, clean the disk to eliminate them. If the errors persist, check the On-Line help resources for additional help with DOS, Windows, hardware, and other software.
• FDISK /MBR – This undocumented MS-DOS command can be very useful. MBR is short for Master Boot Record. Basically, it is the hard drive table of contents. One common problem when the computer will not boot is that the Master Boot Record has been corrupted. FDISK /MBR will rebuild this crucial OS boot record.

Lab Activity  (PDF, 8 KB)   In this lab, students will practice some basic troubleshooting skills.