The Most Common Computer Problems, Part 3: Hardware Issues

It's been over a year since I have updated this blog, and what a year it has been!  I have been busy getting married and starting a family, and haven't had much time for writing informative and useful posts.  However, now that things are a bit more settled (for the time being, at least), I can start helping my readers figure out their PC problems once again.  It's good to be back.

Since it has been a year, feel free to review Part I & Part II of this series, which deals with hard drive errors and viruses/malware, respectively.

The end of this series deals with more of the physical aspects of computers failing, the hardware.

The hardware of your computer are all the physical parts that are combined together to make your computer function.  Some of the most common pieces of computer hardware include the CPU (a.k.a. processor, central processing unit), the memory (a.k.a. RAM, random access memory), the monitor, the keyboard, the mouse, the power supply, and many others.

All of these pieces of hardware serve a specific purpose, and a failure of one or more of these parts may lead to error messages, crashes, and sometimes even keep the computer from starting up.

Hardware problems can be a bit trickier to diagnose compared to problems like malware, which are usually evident right from boot up.  Some issues could possibly stem from more than one part, making a diagnosis difficult at times.  For example, if someone brings me a computer that only displays a black screen upon start up, it could be faulty or misplaced RAM, a bad video card, a failing power supply, or perhaps even the entire motherboard is toast (not likely, but still a possibility).
  

Various hardware compoents of a PC (Image credit: Damien van Holten)

In situations like that, the old adage "K.I.S.S." can help tremendously.  "K.I.S.S." literally means "Keep It Simple, Stupid."  As with many things, problems with computers are often the cause of the simplest thing going wrong.  Perhaps in the situation described above, the real problem was the monitor's video cable was not actually hooked up to the PC, which can also cause a black screen.  Starting with the most obvious solutions first can eliminate a long and frustrating (and potentially expensive) troubleshooting session.  Gradually work from the easiest possible solution, making your way up to the most difficult one by one.  More often than not, the problem will stop after the first couple of checks.

Generally speaking, the most common hardware problem I have encountered myself is a faulty memory module.  I, myself, have had random crashes, blue screens and reduced performance because of a faulty stick of RAM.  After ruling out all other possible problems, a simple Windows 7 memory check confirmed that one of my RAM modules was faulty.  After removing it, my computer worked flawlessly again... albeit with 2GB less RAM.

RAM often malfunctions over time (Image credit: devilll0991)

  I have since replaced it with another 4GB so no worries there.  But I'm not the only one that's had this problem... many friends and clients have brought me their PCs, complaining of random crashing and errors.  After checking the usual suspects (hard drive errors, malware, and simple fixes), the RAM is almost always to blame.  Pop in a new stick and their PCs are ready to go again, just like before.

This is not to say that all hardware problems are as easy to diagnose as this, however.  Many times hardware issues are vendor specific.  I once had a client whose laptop hadn't started up in over a year, although the power was clearly on and the computer seemed to work, just with no display.  After a thorough internet search, it turns out her specific laptop had an issue with the video card popping out of its slot over time from the computer being turned on and off.  Heat from the computer being on makes computer hardware expand just a little, and cooling does just the opposite.  Over time, this process had moved the video card just enough to lose signal to the motherboard.  After properly reinserting the video card into the slot, the computer ran normally again, even after a year of not working.

Another client of mine had a computer that would literally restart itself at random times for no reason.  This one really had me stumped, and I must have replaced every part on this computer thinking it would be the key to fixing the restarting problem.  After trying just about everything with no success, I started to think about the symptoms.  It appeared as though someone was walking by randomly and pressing the power button on the PC, but of course there wasn't.  Then, it dawned on me: the power button!  Sure enough, once I wired a new power button on to this PC, it started working just fine... no more random restarts.  From this case, I learned that not all problems are necessarily from the internal parts of a computer.  Even the smallest piece of plastic attached to the case can cause major issues at times.

So in summary, hardware issues are a relatively common computer problem and can be difficult to diagnose at times.  Using a "K.I.S.S." approach to finding and fixing hardware problems is generally the easiest and most efficient way to figure out which piece of hardware is causing the trouble.  Keep in mind that sometimes even the most simple of parts, such as a fan or a switch, can cause big issues.


This concludes the three part series on the most common computer problems.  Hopefully, this information will be of use to computer users trying to solve their own computer issues.  If you are having a problem that you can't figure out on your own, feel free to contact me and get some advice.  Or have me fix it if you live locally... my rates are very competitive.

At PCTRA, we keep this from happening. (Image credit: karindalziel)

Good luck, and come back soon for more simple and useful computer repair knowledge!