Things To Check First

Although a list of things to check won’t catch every PC problem you encounter,

you’ll be surprised at how often the simple steps below can lead to

troubleshooting success. Whether you’re kicking off a troubleshooting session or

at your wits’ end after hours of fruitless research, here are some good tips to try.

• Is the PC’s power supply switch turned on? Some PCs have a power switch at

the back. Make sure it hasn’t been switched off.

• Are all cables connected? Loose connections regularly cause headaches. Remove

and reconnect each plug firmly, even if you’re sure it’s connected.

• Are all peripherals turned on? Make sure a powered-off print server isn’t preventing

your printer from working.

• Does the Device Manager display any problems? Check this tool for red Xs,

which indicate a malfunctioning or disabled device.

• Is there a new driver? Updated drivers often fix hardware problems. If you can’t find

new drivers (check the manufacturer’s Web site), try reinstalling your existing driver.

• Have you installed software updates? Software publishers sometimes release

patches via their Web sites. Also, check to see if your software recently installed

updates automatically. In rare cases, a software update may introduce problems.

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The Peripherals

Some other parts, not required, can also be connected to the computer to complement it. A peripheral is an object attached to the computer to help it perform some necessary assignments none of the other parts can handle. The most used peripherals are the printer, a digital camera, a scanner, a projector, an external drive (such as an external CD burner for an old computer), etc.

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Mouse

A mouse is an object that is meant to fit the proportions of a hand and is positioned on the table so the user can move it easily. Like the other parts, a mouse is connected to the computer, usually to the back, by a cable. Nowadays, it is not unusual to have a wireless mouse so that it doesn't need a cable.

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Keyboard

A computer keyboard is a wide object that is equipped with buttons on which there are letters and numbers:

To distinguish them from other objects, and to synchronize their names with other objects that use similar settings, such as the piano, the buttons on the keyboard are called keys. 

To provide a better management, the keys on a keyboard are divided in sections. This arrangement is by convention so the users would be familiar with them and be able to use any keyboard they come in contact with.

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Monitor

The monitor is the video display you will be looking at, most of the time, to evaluate your work, find out whether the assignments are being carried out satisfactorily. A monitor is largely controlled by some pieces of hardware inside of the computer. But the monitor itself is mainly used to display your work in a graphical setting you can easily interpret. To display what is going on with the computer, the monitor is connected to the computer using a cable. The connection is usually done from the back of both machines:

Monitors come in different sizes. The (most important) size of the monitor is measured diagonally on the screen and is given in inches:
Based on this, monitors range in sizes of 12", 14", 15", 17", 19", 21", 29", etc. Monitors are also characterized by the flatness of their screen. The flatter and the wider screens are usually the better. 

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