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Five-Minute Fixes

Rapid relief for balky PCs, stuck Windows, stalled networks, recalcitrant printers, and your other everyday computing hassles.

Kirk Steers

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Optical Drive-Bys

Silence Isn't Golden

Problem: Audio CDs won't play from your PC's optical drive.

Quick diagnosis: If your drive has a headphone jack on its face--usually just below the tray--plug in headphones, adjust the volume control next to the jack to a midrange setting, and play an audio CD. If you hear music, the drive is working.

Quick fix: Check the volume controls on your system's speakers, on the drive itself in Windows' Volume Control, and in the media player software. Double-click the speaker icon in your system tray, or click Start, Programs (All Programs in XP), Accessories, Entertainment, Volume Control, and make sure that the Mute option in each category is unchecked (see FIGURE 11).

Not-so-quick fix: The audio signal from a CD travels from the drive to the sound card (or to the sound chip integrated on the motherboard) via a small cable--not the power cable or EIDE cable. Make sure this cable is securely connected at both ends.

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