ResearchFixing Your Own Computer - Part 1
It's funny how we see auto-parts and home improvement centers on every other block in the city, but computer parts outlets are still rare. Repairing your own car or improving your home with a do-it-yourself project is seen as a common thing for the average consumer to do, and yet when it comes to computers the idea of fixing your own computer without being a certified expert is still seen as a foreign idea. Today's desktop PC is composed of about 12 pieces that all plug into each other and fasten on with a few screws. Most computer parts take about 30 minutes to replace, and there are a range of hardware problems that are a cinch to diagnose.
Some rules of thumb: you only need a few screwdrivers and maybe a small pair of pliers for working on any computer part. You usually access everything by sliding off one side panel on the side of the case opposite the one that the motherboard is mounted on. Always touch metal before putting your hands on a computer part to discharge static electricity, and preferably work in a non-carpeted area to prevent static build-up. Everything in a computer plugs in one way only, s there's little danger of plugging the wrong thing in the socket. If it's difficult to plug in, it probably doesn't go there.
Problem: the PC simply doesn't start.
You turn it on and there's no lights or sound. This is 90% of the time a dead power box. The power box is the part that your computer's power cord plugs into, and inside the power box has a bundle of wires that split off and go to the other parts such as the motherboard and drives. To replace, tag and mark each wire, drawing a diagram of what plugs in where. Then just unplug all the power-box wires and remove the box. You can carry it into the computer store and ask for another one like it. Keep the receipt in case you were wrong; the store should have no problem about taking a power box back. You should especially suspect the power-box if the fan was making a lot of noise or you live in an extremely dusty environment such as the desert, since dust and sand will clog a power-box in just a few years. If the power-box wasn't the problem, then it's the motherboard and-or processor, and beyond the average layman's ability.
Problem: A CD doesn't load.
Your computer just can't find the CD when you put it in the drive. This is usually some dust that's sticking to the CD-ROM drive's electronic sensor, and is easily fixed by blowing the dust off of it. Get a can of compressed, canned air from the computer or office-supply store and blow in the CD-ROM drive's slot, being careful to keep the can upright. If the CD-ROM still doesn't work after this, it probably needs to be replaced. There's nothing connected to it but an IDE ribbon cable and the wire from the power box. Just unplug two wires, unscrew the drive from the computer frame, and replace.
Problem: loud fan noise.
Your PC has two fans essential to performance: one is the power-box fan and the other is a small fan mounted directly on the processor. Try blowing canned air on either of the fans while the machine is running. In the case of the power-box, it might be time to replace it soon, and in the case of the PC fan, you should definitely replace it if you even heard the noise twice in a row after blowing it out. A processor fan is cheap, as little as five dollars, but if it fails, your processor will overheat and die, sometimes taking out the motherboard with it.
Problem: a really slow computer.
If you're running Microsoft Widows, your first question should be if it has viruses/worms/malware, etc. If you're running a Unix system such as Linux, BSD, or Solaris, you should ask if you have enough swap memory and if it's using it all the time. The hardware solution is to upgrade your RAM. The RAM slots are the long, thin housings for the candy-bar shaped chips that plug into it. If one slot is empty, simply take your machine to the computer store and point out that you want a RAM memory module to fill that slot. If both slots are filled already, ask that store attendant if they have a higher-capacity RAM chip that will fit there. Unless your PC is older than ten years, there's usually no reason why it shouldn't be able to keep up with today's needs.