Troubleshooting 101
As we mentioned earlier, troubleshooting is largely a matter of eliminating parts or programs that are working until you find the part that causes the problem. Consider this scenario: You pressed your PC’s power button this morning only to find that it didn’t start. The PC worked just fine last night, and you haven’t recently performed any maintenance on the system’s interior. If you start by making sure your PC truly isn’t powered on, you’ll save yourself several troubleshooting steps. Check the monitor’s light: Is the monitor on? If not, you’ll want to check its power cords. Once the monitor is on, take a second look at your PC. Do any lights appear when you try to power on the system? If you see lights, or if you can see or hear running fans at the back of the computer, the system doesn’t have a power problem. Instead, the PC may be having trouble sending an image to your monitor, which could indicate a problem with your motherboard, video card, or memory. If the PC doesn’t power on at all, check the power cord and the surge protector.
Many surge protectors have switches that let you kill power to any of the devices that plug into them: Check to make sure your pet didn’t accidentally trip that switch. Next, check the wall outlet by plugging a different device into the socket your PC’s power cord occupied. If you’re certain that power is flowing to the PC, you’ve ruled out the most basic problems and can focus on more advanced troubleshooting tips, such as those discussed in “What To Do When: Your PC Won’t Start” on page 10.
When All Else Fails
If you exhaust this issue’s troubleshooting tips without finding a solution, it’s time to turn to the Web or to contact tech support. You’ll find a searchable database of thousands of articles at Smart Computing’s online Tech Support Center. Smart Computing also operates a free tech support hotline: Call (800) 368-8304, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., CST. If you call your PC manufacturer’s tech support line, be sure to have some basic information about your system handy, including the model number and serial number. Many PCs display the model name and number on the front panel, whereas the serial number often resides on a side panel or the back of the computer. | 
