Basic Care of Computers/Troubleshooting Tips

Teresa M. WilesClarkton School of Discovery

BASIC CARE OF THE COMPUTER:

1. Keep food and liquids away from the computer and keyboard.

2. Avoid locating your computer in a dusty area or in direct sunlight.

3. Do not move the computer while it is in use.

4. Always exit programs properly- do not just turn the power button off.

BASIC CARE OF FLASH DRIVES

1. Keep flash drives in a clean, dry storage area.

2. Only push the slider back and forth when inserting flash drive in computer.

3. Check flash drives for viruses using a virus check program on a regular basis.

4. Make back-up copies of your programs and important data.

BASIC CARE of CDs:

1. Handle by the edges to avoid fingerprinting.

2. Store CDs in cases to avoid scratches.

3. Protect CDs from extended exposure to sunlight, heat, and moisture.

4. Clean CDs with a soft, dry cloth. Wipe in a straight line from the center hole of the CD to the outer edge. If it is necessary to clean CD with a liquid, use isopropyl alcohol.

5. Never use solvents or abrasive cleaners on CDs.

6. Never stick adhesive labels on CDs.

Rules of Safe Computing to Avoid Virus Infection:

• Never open an email messages or attachments from unknown users.

• Do not download programs or questionable files from the Internet.

• Use a virus protection program.

Security Rules:

1. Regularly back up data on an alternate storage medium (floppy disk, CD, flash drive).

2. Change passwords on a regular basis to avoid hacking by other users.

3. Choose passwords that combine words, numbers, and symbols to prevent other users from guessing the password.

4. Never leave unattended computers logged onto your email account.

“NETIQUETTE”Online Ethical Behavior

1. Email is not private- the system administrator has access and monitors all messages.

2. Delete your email message once you have read it.

3. Always acknowledge that you have received an email attachment that someone has sent.

4. Email messages are informal, so tolerate editing and typing errors, but avoid using slang and many abbreviations for words.

5. Do not be vulgar or offensive. Irony, sarcasm, or harmless humor may be misunderstood.

6. Do not use all caps in messages- this is considered to be “SHOUTING” at your reader.

7. Do not publicly criticize or “flame” others.

TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS:

Basic Troubleshooting:• Always check to see if the plug is completely in

the outlet or power strip.• Turn the computer off; wait at least one full

minute; then restart the computer to restore the factory and default (automatic) settings.

PROBLEM: Computer will not restart.

SOLUTION (S):

1. Turn the computer off and try to restart again. 2. Use a “boot disk” to restart the computer and

check your hard drive. (If the computer restarts but you cannot open the C: drive, the hard drive may be damaged).

PROBLEM: Computer still will not restart- the screen is blank; there is no sound.1. Make sure the power cable is securely plugged

into the outlet or surge protector.2. Make sure the power cable is secure in the back

of the computer.3. Plug another electrical device in to the outlet to

see if it is getting electrical current.4. Use the power cable on another computer to

make sure it is working.

PROBLEM: Monitor is not working while the computer is running.

• 1. Make sure the monitor is fully plugged into an outlet or surge protector.

• 2. Make sure the power cable is connected to the monitor. • 3. Make sure the monitor plug is connected to the

computer securely and tightly. • 4. Check the screen controls to make sure it has not been

“darkened.” • 5. Move the monitor to another computer to see if the

monitor will work.

PROBLEM: Printer will not print documents. 1. Make sure the printer is turned on. 2. Make sure there is paper in the printer. 3. Check the cable that connects the computer to the printer. Check

both ends to make sure they are secure. 4. Check the print manager to see if the print command has been

accepted. If you do not see a print command, print again. If there are several print commands, delete all of them and print again.

5. Run a test print on the printer to see if printer is capable of printing.

6. Shut the computer down and restart to reset the factory settings.

PROBLEM: Print is unreadable or unclear.

SOLUTION (S):• Check the ink or toner cartridge.• If toner is low, shake cartridge and place into

printer.

PROBLEM: Printout has unreadable squiggly marks (garbage).

SOLUTION: The printer may not understand the computer- you may have uninstall and reinstall the printer.

PROBLEM: A Message Appears on the Monitor That Says:

Disk drive not valid. SOLUTION (S):

1. There is no disk or flash drive in the drive.2. The disk in the disk drive has not been

formatted.3. The disk in the disk drive is bad or damaged.

PROBLEM: A Message Appears on the Monitor That Says: Invalid drive specification.

SOLUTION (S):• You have made a typing error when asking for

the drive (C: or A: or D: or E:).• The drive that you are asking for is not

working. (Temporarily exit the program, check to see if the you can access the drive again; if not, restart the computer.)

PROBLEM: A Message Appears on the Monitor That Says:

File not found.1. You typed the file name incorrectly.2. You entered spaces or too many letters in the file

name; 3. The file is stored in another location-go to the MY

COMPUTER icon and open the C: drive- then open folders to find the file name.

4. Click on the SEARCH option-type a word that can be found in the file.

PROBLEM: A Message Appears on the Monitor That Says: Non-system disk or disk error. Take out floppy disk or flash drive and strike any key.

SOLUTION: Remove a disk from the disk drive and press ENTER to make the computer restart.

PROBLEM: A Message Appears on the Monitor That Says: Insufficient disk space.

SOLUTION (S):• Use another disk or delete some files to make

more space available.

PROBLEM: A Message Appears on the Monitor That Says:Insufficient memory or out of memory.

SOLUTION (S):• You do not have enough memory available on

the hard drive to complete the command. • If you have more than one program open,

close the programs you are not using. • If this does not solve the problem, exit all

programs and restart the computer.

PROBLEM: A Message Appears on the Monitor That Says:

Invalid media type.SOLUTION: The disk that you are using is no good or damaged- throw it away and get a new disk.

PROBLEM: A Message Appears on the Monitor That Says: File creation error or cannot write or save file.

SOLUTION (S):• Your disk may be write-protected: push the

button in the top left corner of the disk to the down position (so that the hole is not showing).

• You are trying to create a file with the same name as an existing file-give the file another name. If neither of these work, save the file on another disk.

PROBLEM: A Message Appears on the Monitor That Says: Not ready reading Drive A Abort, retry, fail?

SOLUTION (S):• The disk drive is not reading the disk- make

sure there is a disk in the drive and that it is inserted correctly- take the disk out and put it back into the disk drive until you hear a “click.”

• The disk in the disk drive is unreadable.

PROBLEM: A Message Appears on the Monitor That Says:

Too many files open. SOLUTION (S):

• Many programs allow you to open several files. This message means that you must close some files before opening more.

PROBLEM: A Message Appears on the Monitor That Says:

Path is not valid. SOLUTION (S):

• There is no disk in the drive that you selected. • The disk in the drive is not formatted. Take

the disk out, restart the computer, and try opening the disk again.

• WARNING: Formatting a disk that contains files will delete all the files.