Basic PC Hardware Diagnostics

  • Thread starter Thread starter Chris Guimbellot
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Chris Guimbellot

Hello,

I have sort of a strange question. As the network admin for a small company,
I am the only person to handle all computer issues, including hardware
problems. I have in the past been able to repair simple hardware problems
such as new hard drives, more RAM, etc, but I have really not much of an
idea about how to run a diagnostic on a PC. Because of that, I have had to
send a lot of my PCs to a repair shop. Needless to say, I am getting tired
of paying for all that work when I know that I probably could learn at least
basic diagnosis and repair and save some cash. That said, where do I go
about learning how to do repairs on PCs. Does anyone know of any good books,
sites, etc? I would appreciate any help on this. Thanks,

Chris
 
I have sort of a strange question. As the network admin for a small company,
I am the only person to handle all computer issues, including hardware
problems. I have in the past been able to repair simple hardware problems
such as new hard drives, more RAM, etc, but I have really not much of an
idea about how to run a diagnostic on a PC. Because of that, I have had to
send a lot of my PCs to a repair shop. Needless to say, I am getting tired
of paying for all that work when I know that I probably could learn at least
basic diagnosis and repair and save some cash. That said, where do I go
about learning how to do repairs on PCs. Does anyone know of any good books,
sites, etc? I would appreciate any help on this. Thanks,
Click to expand...

My opinion.. you can't learn just from one method... books or otherwise..
combine hands on learning (in the form of a training course), with some light
reading on relevant stuff, and some practical experience at home (start with
cheap old stuff, if you break it then it's a learning exercise and you know not
to do it next time)

By way of books, "Upgrading and Repairing PC's" would be high on my list:
http://www.quepublishing.com/promotion/1626 (expensive tho.. I just go into
the bookshop and read the bits I want ;-)

Regards,
Chris
 
My opinion.. you can't learn just from one method... books or otherwise..
combine hands on learning (in the form of a training course), with some light
reading on relevant stuff, and some practical experience at home (start with
cheap old stuff, if you break it then it's a learning exercise and you know not
to do it next time)

By way of books, "Upgrading and Repairing PC's" would be high on my list:
http://www.quepublishing.com/promotion/1626 (expensive tho.. I just go into
the bookshop and read the bits I want ;-)

Regards,
Chris
Click to expand...

I agree but would only add: just do it. A lot of repair involves
process of elimination/trial & error or simply "I've seen that
before." The more you've fixed or read the more you can rely on the
time saving "I've seen that before" solution. So there's no
substitute for digging in & trying to tinker or repair any & every
machine you can get your hands on. The cheapest & broadest reading
for learning tool is the internet where hoardes or ppl regularly post
their HW & SW problems & get help as well as knowledge bases & support
faq's., etc. There's no shame in asking someone to help you through a
repair you are having trouble figuring out. As time goes on you'll
get faster, will be able to do more from your own knowledge, and will
eventually quickly get a sense of which repairs are practical and
which are not.

As far as diagnostics some manufacturer's provide them but there are
also many utility suites, benchmarking & burning in software that can
tip you off to problems. try them all and see what you like best.
Often, though, the problem is either so straightforward that a
diagnostic is of no use, or a diagnostic is not rigorous enough to
identify the problem so you are back to careful observation of
behavior & process of elimination/trial & error & "I've seen that
before" type troubleshooting.
 
Thanks again for the help.
I agree but would only add: just do it. A lot of repair involves
process of elimination/trial & error or simply "I've seen that
before." The more you've fixed or read the more you can rely on the
time saving "I've seen that before" solution. So there's no
substitute for digging in & trying to tinker or repair any & every
machine you can get your hands on. The cheapest & broadest reading
for learning tool is the internet where hoardes or ppl regularly post
their HW & SW problems & get help as well as knowledge bases & support
faq's., etc. There's no shame in asking someone to help you through a
repair you are having trouble figuring out. As time goes on you'll
get faster, will be able to do more from your own knowledge, and will
eventually quickly get a sense of which repairs are practical and
which are not.
Click to expand...

I agree. That's how i got good at network admin. Just never been a hardware
guy. I do have that book on order that skeleton guy recomended so that
should help a little bit.
As far as diagnostics some manufacturer's provide them but there are
also many utility suites, benchmarking & burning in software that can
tip you off to problems. try them all and see what you like best.
Often, though, the problem is either so straightforward that a
diagnostic is of no use, or a diagnostic is not rigorous enough to
identify the problem so you are back to careful observation of
behavior & process of elimination/trial & error & "I've seen that
before" type troubleshooting.
Click to expand...

In terms of the software, I have found a few packages (some for RAM testing
and some for hard drive testing). I don't guess there is some site that you
know of that lists many of them and describes them so I don't have to
rummage all over the web? Just a thought.

Thanks again,

Chris
 
In terms of the software, I have found a few packages (some for RAM testing
and some for hard drive testing). I don't guess there is some site that you
know of that lists many of them and describes them so I don't have to
rummage all over the web? Just a thought.
Click to expand...

I'm sure that there is - I just don't know of one off hand.


I can tell you

- Memtest 86 is good for ram diagnostics
http://www.memtest86.com/

- & the PassMark BurnInTest
http://www.passmark.com/products/bit.htm
is nice because it verifies & compares the writes or computations it
makes so it has a lot of potential. I haven't found it to be very
rigorous though or to strain machines enough.

- Norton diagnostics from an older norton utilities suite might be
worth a try.

- HDD manufacturers generally have diagnostic software that can be
used worth their disks or on systems that have their disks installed.

there are many programs that do a lot to benchmark & provide
information about hardware but aren't very rigorous as far as
diagnostics or burnin testing. Sisoft sandra is one popular example
of this.


let us know if you find a good site that summarizes what's available.

good luck.
 
Hello,

I have sort of a strange question. As the network admin for a small company,
I am the only person to handle all computer issues, including hardware
problems. I have in the past been able to repair simple hardware problems
such as new hard drives, more RAM, etc, but I have really not much of an
idea about how to run a diagnostic on a PC. Because of that, I have had to
send a lot of my PCs to a repair shop. Needless to say, I am getting tired
of paying for all that work when I know that I probably could learn at least
basic diagnosis and repair and save some cash. That said, where do I go
about learning how to do repairs on PCs. Does anyone know of any good books,
sites, etc? I would appreciate any help on this. Thanks,

Chris
Click to expand...

Tried Scott Muller's Upgrading and Repairing PCs? It costs a bit but it's
worth it.

Mike
 
Mike,

Thanks for the response. I got the book last week and am already learning a
lot. You are right, it is good, expensive...and heavy. I appreciate the
help.

Chris
 
Chris said:
Hello,

I have sort of a strange question. As the network admin for a small company,
I am the only person to handle all computer issues, including hardware
problems. I have in the past been able to repair simple hardware problems
such as new hard drives, more RAM, etc, but I have really not much of an
idea about how to run a diagnostic on a PC. Because of that, I have had to
send a lot of my PCs to a repair shop. Needless to say, I am getting tired
of paying for all that work when I know that I probably could learn at least
basic diagnosis and repair and save some cash. That said, where do I go
about learning how to do repairs on PCs. Does anyone know of any good books,
sites, etc? I would appreciate any help on this. Thanks,

Chris
Click to expand...
You can buy a decent motherboard replacement for about $35. That's all
the repair shop does, but I'll bet they charge a lot more.
 
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