What to do Until the Computer Tech Gets There
Up to your ears in work to do, a classroom full of anxious minds, mouths, and hands and the computer decides to act up. Do you remember when your trainer told you w
hat to do when you DO have trouble? |
The Problem: No Power A computer must have some sort of power to run, either through an electrical outlet or a battery inside the computer (as in a laptop). When troubleshooting any computer hardware problem, it is critical to first check to make sure that all units experiencing problems are receiving power. If your computer does not seem to have power, try these actions: 1. Make sure all power cords are firmly in place. Power cords can fall out of ports or sockets, so check to make sure they are firmly plugged in. If the device experiencing problems has a removable power cord, make sure that the cord is plugged firmly into both the device and the electrical outlet. Check the power cord to make sure that it is not damaged. Sometimes power cords can get severed or partially cut in high traffic areas. Move the power cord around by either end to see if there has been damage there. If device comes on when "wiggling" the cord, replace the cord. 2. Make sure that all equipment power lights are on. A device may be firmly plugged in, yet not have power. Monitors, CPU's, printers, hubs and routers have power indicator lights on the front of the unit. Make sure that each piece of equipment that is plugged in has its power indicator light on. If the light is not on then either the electrical outlet is not delivering any power, the power cord is damaged, or the unit cannot receive power and is therefore in need of repair. 3. Test the equipment and electrical outlet. Unit Test : Plug the unit into an electrical outlet that you have confirmed is working by conducting an electrical outlet test (see below). If the unit works, then the original outlet should be serviced. If, however, the unit still doesn't work after being plugged into the new outlet, then report the problem to your BLT. Electrical Outlet Test : Plug another device like a lamp or clock into the electrical outlet in question. If the test device works, then the electrical outlet is working. If the test device does not work then the electrical outlet may be in need of repair and appropriate action should be taken. Power Cord Test : If the power cord is removable, you can try replacing it with another removable power cord. If the unit works with a new power cord, your original power cord is damaged and should be replaced. 4. If your computer is a laptop, try using the adapter to recharge the battery. 5. If you work in a bright sunny room, you might want to verify that the power is on, flip the light switch to see. |
The Problem:
The computer is on but the monitor is not working correctly
The monitor is blank: The monitor could be blank for
several reasons. Try these actions to bring it back to life: |
The Problem: Screen image is out of alignment or your desktop seems to be "off the screen" The size of the desktop image can be adjusted using the monitor controls. The monitor controls, usually found at the bottom of the monitor, allow you to: 1. Move the screen image to the left or right 2. Resize the screen image 3. Focus the image You can also change the resolution of your screen image. The higher the resolution the smaller the images appear on the screen, and the lower the resolution the larger the images appear on the screen. The resolution can be changed by accessing Start/Settings/Control Panel/Display (accessing means click start, select settings, select control panel, double click display). When the Display dialog box appears select the Settings tab, move the lever toward more to increase or less to decrease the resolution. While you have the Display dialog box open, notice that you can change the background, screen saver, and appearance of your desktop by choosing the appropriate tab and making a different selection for background or screen saver. |
The Problem:
The mouse is jerky or sticks 2. You may also look at the settings for the mouse. To do so, access: Start/Settings/Control Panel/Mouse. A Mouse Properties dialog box will appear. Different tabs in the dialog box will allow you to change the motion of your mouse, the double-click action, and the mouse tail (you can set the mouse to provide a tail when moving it across the screen). 3. You may also change from a right-hand mouse to a left-hand mouse in the mouse dialog box. 4. If your mouse buttons do not work anymore or do not work correctly, someone may have changed them to left-handed buttons. Go to the Select Start/Settings/Control Panel/Mouse to change them to your preference. |
The Problem: Nothing happens when you move the mouse This could have several causes. Try these actions to try to "fix" the problem: 1. Your computer may be frozen, try pressing the alt button to see if you can activate the desktop using the keyboard. If so, your computer is not frozen, go to step 2. If not, go to step 4. 2. See if the mouse cable is securely plugged into the computer. If not, plug it in. You may need to restart the computer to activate the mouse. 3. Your mouse may not have loaded when you turned on your computer, restarting the computer may take care of the problem. 4. If your computer is frozen and you are using a PC, try the keystroke combination (press all three buttons simultaneously) Ctrl/Alt/Delete This activates the Task Manager. Select End Task for the task that is not responding. 5. If you are using a Macintosh, try the keystroke combination (press all three buttons simultaneously) Alt/Command/Esc to "force quit" the application. 6. If none of these works, you may have to manually restart the computer. Normally, you should always use the computer's shutdown feature. However, when the computer is frozen you have no option but to manually restart the computer. |
The Problem: Nothing happens when you double-click an icon It is possible that the application is already running in the background. 1. If you are using a PC check the buttons on the taskbar to see if your application is listed there. If so, click the button to reactivate it. This will bring the desired application's open window to the front. 2. If you are using a Macintosh, click and hold down the monitor button on the far right on the title bar of the desktop to see the applications that are running, select the application you want to reactivate it. This will bring the desired application's open window to the front. The Problem: You get a message that says "Insufficient Memory" when you try to open another application or file This problem can be solved most of the time by closing applications that you are not currently using. Look to see what applications are running (see previous page to see how to determine what applications are running), select the one(s) you are not using and close or exit the application. You may need to restart the computer to "free up" the memory that has been used by an application. If you have this problem frequently, you may want to discuss increasing the amount of memory (RAM) you have on your computer with your technician. |
The Problem: The computer seems to be "frozen" Your computer is frozen if nothing responds, including the mouse. 1. If you are using a PC, try the keystroke combination Ctrl/Alt/Delete. If you get a dialog box, select Task Manager, then End Task for the application that is NOT responding. 2. If you are using a Macintosh, try the keystroke combination Ctrl/Command/Esc to "force quit" an application that is not responding. 3. If you can still move the mouse, minimize a window, or select an application on the task bar, the computer is not frozen, just not responding to the selected application. If this is the case, either End Task or Force Quit (see above for instructions for doing these actions). 4. If the computer is frozen, you may need to restart it to solve the problem. The Problem: Printer will not print any file 1. Make sure the printer is turned on. 2. Make sure the printer power cable is securely plugged into the electrical outlet. 3. Make sure the printer cable is securely plugged into the printer and the correct port in the back of the computer, check both connections to verify that they are secure. 4. Make sure the printer is "online", check the LED panel on the printer to see if it is online, if not press the online button to solve the problem. 5. Make sure the printer has paper and there is not a paper jam. 6. If you are using a networked printer, be sure you are sending your print job to the printer you "think" you are using. Check for the name of the printer when you choose File/Print and the print dialog box opens. The Problem: You double-click your file but your computer says it cannot open the file 1. Verify that you have the necessary software. Usually, you must have the software that was used to create the file installed on your computer in order to open the file. There are exceptions to this rule, however. Try opening the file from within your software. For example, you may be able to open a Microsoft Works file using Microsoft Word. If your file will not open when you double-click the file icon, activate the application you think may open it (like Word) and use File/Open 2. If it still does not open, call the building technology person. |
The Problem: You downloaded or saved a file but cannot find it Sometimes we forget to specify where we want a file to be saved when we download from the Internet. If you have "lost" your file, you can find it by using your computer's find utility. 1. On a PC: Click Start/Find/Files or Folders A dialog box will appear where you will type the name of the file. 2. On a Macintosh: Go to Finder (use the far right button on the desktop title bar) Choose File/Find to activate a dialog box where you will type the name of the file. 3. A list of locations for your file will appear. You can activate the file by double clicking the filename. 4. If you cannot remember the filename, try searching by date, file type, or size. The Problem: You are trying to edit and save a file on a disk but you get a "disk full" message If you are working with a file and your disk is almost full, it may not have enough room remaining to add the corrections to the file. To solve this problem try the following:
1. Save a copy of the file to your hard drive in case you
accidentally remove it from your disk. |
The Problem: Your network or Internet connection is not working If this is a computer with which you have accessed the Internet or network before and no changes have been made in the computer since you connected to the Internet or network, you should still be able to connect. If not, try the following: 1. Make sure your cable is connected to the hub or the chain. There are two basic setups for Internet connections, using a hub and daisy-chaining the Internet line. If you use a hub it will look like a round device with phone cables connected to it from computers. Make sure your connection is secure in both the hub and the computer. If it is daisy-chained make sure there are NO "breaks" in the connection, any break will disable the connection. 2. Try your connection in another port in the hub, sometimes a port goes bad and this will prevent you from connecting to the network. If it works now, you had a bad port. 3. Bad cables can also cause a problem connecting to the network. If you have a spare cable, try replacing the one you are currently using with the spare. If this works it was a bad cable. 4. Check with neighboring users to see if they are having the same problem. 5. If none of the above suggestions work, notify the technician. The Problem: You cannot log in Carefully read the message you get when trying to log in and follow the instructions if they are given. 1. If it says "login incorrect" but you can see that your login is correct, you may be typing your password incorrectly. 2. Retype your login and password carefully. 3. Check to see if "Caps Lock" is on, if it is on, turn it off. Logins and passwords are usually case sensitive and capital letters will be perceived as incorrect. |
The Problem How to Properly Clean your LCD Screen You have to be very careful when cleaning LCD screens. Too much pressure using the wrong kind of cloth will most likely scratch your display and could even burn some of its pixels. So the question is, what is the proper way to clean an LCD screen? First, you've probably seen some of those expensive LCD cleaning solutions in computer stores right? The good news is that you don't really need these. Mixing up your own cleaning solution is very easy and will actually save you quite a few bucks. You only need 2 ingredients: �� 70% Isopropyl alcohol �� Distilled Water The recipe is easy: Mix the Isopropyl alcohol and distilled water in equal parts (50/50) inside an empty Windex-like bottle. Do not use tap water! Doing so will leave white smears on your screen after cleaning it up because of the dissolved minerals inside the water. When finished mixing, just close the bottle using the "spray" adaptor that comes attached to it. Next, you will need to find a good, soft piece of microfiber or chamois cloth to clean your display. These can be purchased from auto parts stores or computer stores. Avoid paper tissues/towels at all cost! Using those on your screen would be just like scrubbing sandpaper on it and may scratch it permanently. You wouldn't want to do that right? Now that we have everything we need, start by turning off your screen. Dampen your piece of soft cloth with your cleaning mixture and then wipe the display gently from top to bottom. Never spray liquid directly onto the LCD. When you're done, wait a few minutes to let your screen dry, and then turn it back on. Voila, you're done! Your screen should now be sparkling clean. And if you absolutely want to use a product that was specifically made to clean LCD screens, PixelClean makes an excellent LCD cleaner that is quite effective and not too expensive. *Quoted from http://geeksaresexy.blogspot.com/2007/01/how-to-properly-clean-your-lcd-screen.html |
Glossary BLT - Building Level Technician, the first level technician in each school building to assist personnel with technology questions or problems. If this individual is unable to correct the problem, he/she is to contact the District Technology Center technicians for assistance. CD - compact disk, an example of auxiliary or external storage, it provides a place where data can be permanently stored and recalled to the main memory (RAM), they have 650 megabytes of storage space (as compared to 1.44 MB for a disk) CPU - Central Processing Unit, the "brain" of the computer Disk - an example of auxiliary or external storage, it provides a place where data can be permanently stored and recalled to the main memory (RAM), they are usually 3 1/2 " disks with a 1.44 megabyte storage capacity Floppy drive - the location for inserting the floppy disk. It is referred to as floppy because in the early days these disks were actually flexible or "floppy" Hard drive - storage location inside your personal computer, the size varies but newer computers have a hard drive that is capable of storing over a gigabyte of data Hardware - the actual pieces that make up your computer, such as CPU, monitor, keyboard, scanner, modem, joystick, mouse, etc. Hub - a central piece of hardware where you plug in the network connection cords Jack - where you plug the phone cord into the wall LAN - Local Area Network, such as the network within your room or school building Main distribution frame - where all the hubs in the building are connected to each other, usually found in a communication closet Multitasking - the ability to run or execute multiple programs at the same time Network or networked computers - networks are two or more computers wired to each other Network administrator - the person who manages the network NIC - Network Interface Card, each computer or peripheral that is connected to the network needs an NIC Node - one computer on a network PC - personal computer Port - the actual location where you plug in the cables for your computer or the hub RAM - Random Access Memory, though the RAM varies with the computer, newer computers have at least 32 megabytes of RAM. RAM is often referred to as "memory"; it temporarily stores any program that is being executed by the computer. The amount of RAM is important because the larger the RAM the more sophisticated the programs are that the computer is capable of running and that can remain in memory at the same time (multitasking) ROM - Read-Only Memory, the memory that is accessed when the computer is first turned on. It tells the computer to check itself then load the necessary parts of the operating system into the memory Server - a computer on the network that functions as a central storage and retrieval device. This is where all network applications are located Software - programs that are used to make your computer accomplish the tasks you desire WAN - Wide Area Network, such as the network found in several buildings or an entire geographical area |