Hardware Tips: Take a Crash Course in Emergency PC Recovery

Sooner or later, a faltering hard disk, CPU, or other component will bring your PC to its knees. If a dead machine means you can't do your job, the failure may bring you to your knees as well, begging your boss or an angry client for mercy.

Waiting for the IT department or the local repair shop to fix your system, or arranging to use a loaner machine, can cost you hours of valuable work time. What you really need when disaster strikes is a way to get up and running fast.

First, find out what caused the problem: Wisps of acrid smoke wafting from your monitor's case, for example, send a very clear message. Unfortunately, the source of problems is rarely so obvious. Maybe a chip has failed, a Windows driver has been corrupted, or a cable has come loose. You can easily lose countless hours just trying to figure out what's wrong. Always remember the first rule of do-it-yourself PC repair: Know when to quit.

Or at least know when to ask--or pay--for expert help. Place a dollar value on an hour of your time and keep tabs on how much "money" you've invested as you go. It probably won't be too long before paying $35 to your PC maker's tech support line will seem like money well spent.

Save time by being prepared. When an airplane starts to sputter, the pilot pulls out a checklist and performs tasks that are known to work. Here's a troubleshooting checklist for your PC.

Check the obvious first: Make sure that all your power switches are turned on, and that your cables and cords are securely connected. Don't forget to check the fuse or reset switch on your surge protector.

Look in Device Manager: Windows' Device Manager will tell you if a component isn't working properly. To open Device Manager in Windows 98, Me, and 2000, right-click My Computer and select Properties (or press Windows- Break if you have a Windows keyboard) to open System Properties, and choose the Device Manager tab. In Windows XP, open System Properties as described above, select the Hardware tab, and click the Device Manager button.

A red X or a yellow circle with an exclamation point appearing next to the name of a device indicates a problem (see FIGURE 1). Double-click the listing to display the device's Properties screen, and then look in the 'Device status' box for more information (see FIGURE 2).

Test your suspicions: If you think a sound card, network adapter, CD-RW drive, or other device is misbehaving, disable it and see if the problem goes away. Open the device's Properties dialog box as described above. Under the General tab, choose Disable in this hardware profile (in Windows 98, Me, and 2000), or Do not use this device (disable) on the 'Device usage' drop-down menu (in Windows XP).

Check the plumbing: Turn off and unplug your PC, open its case, and make sure every cable, cord, and connector is properly attached. Before you start handling your PC's internals, make sure that you're properly grounded. It's best to use a grounding wrist strap, which costs about $10 at your local electronics store, but you can also discharge yourself momentarily by touching an antenna, water pipe, or other grounded object.

Sometimes detaching a connector and then reattaching it will take care of the problem. Likewise, expansion cards suffer from "creep"--they slowly work their way out of their motherboard slots. Carefully remove and replace them to ensure that they're properly reseated.

Try a different driver: Many hardware problems arise from conflicts relating to a device's software drivers. Check the Web site of your system or device manufacturer for updates. To find the version of your currently installed driver, open its Properties dialog box as described above and click the Driver tab (see FIGURE 3). Windows XP has a handy button on the tab that lets you reinstall an old driver when a newly installed one causes problems. (This happens more often than you might think, especially with graphics-card drivers.)

Perform some tests: Running a hardware-diagnostic program such as #1-PC Diagnostics' #1-TuffTest will perform a thorough check of your PC's hardware. You can download a limited free version. The more powerful shareware version of the utility is well worth the $10 price, however.