Computer Repair With Diagnostic Flowcharts

Computer Repair with Diagnostic Flowcharts – Free Flowcharts Edition Eight flowcharts from published available through the FonerBooks.com website. The full revised eBook with 17 flowcharts and troubleshooting text is available for $9.95. The linked website versions of the flowcharts are interactive, ie, click on the diamond decision symbols and the browser shows the relevant text. The linked flowcharts also include the text for each chapter. I had to remove the text from this eBook due to possible duplicate content issues with Google.

Six laptop troubleshooting flowcharts online at: http://www.daileyint.com/hmdpc/repair.htm

Copyright 2010 by Morris Rosenthal This eBook may be shared online and printed for personal use only, on the condition that any electronically transmitted or printed copy include this copyright notice and statement. This eBook may not be used for commercial purposes or modified in any way without the prior written consent of the copyright owner.

Flowcharts produced with Microsoft Visio Standard

Power Supply Failure No

Live screen?

Yes

Check power requirement vs rating.

No No

New hardware installed?

No

Yes

New build?

Proceed to Video Failure chart.

No

Power comes on?

Yes

Good AC power source? No

Boot on 2nd try?

No

Yes Premature power_ok signal. Try different power supply.

Yes

No

Proceed to Motherboard Failure chart.

Yes

Select proper voltage on rear of power supply. Yes

Power switch fail?

Yes

Either you have a short circuit in the case or a geometry problem placing an unacceptable Yes stress on the motherboard. It’s also possible that the video adapter was never seated, due the bracket position.

Is 110/220 V set?

Yes

Use live outlet.

Hear any beeps?

Remove latest addition and retry. Test, replace power supply.

Yes

Replace switch or substitute front panel reset switch, if available.

Yes

Hard drive spin up?

Installed motherboard lead?

No

No

Replace power supply.

No

Check manual and motherboard silkscreen. Connect lead from front panel switch.

Power supply connections to motherboard correct?

No

Yes

Powers motherboard on bench?

No

Bad adapter on bus? Yes

Strip system down to video adapter only. See Box A, on Conflict Resolution chart.

No

Remake motherboard power supply connections.

Spin up on other lead?

No

Yes Defective power supply lead or connector. Try drive in test PC.

You can open the interactive version of this flowchart in your browser on the fonerbooks.com website by clicking on the chapter heading below. The interactive version allows you to get the text for each decision symbol without paging ahead. Power Supply Failure Or cut and paste http://www.fonerbooks.com/power.htm

Video Failure

No

No

Does system power up?

Yes

Monitor power on?

Check monitor power source. Make sure cord is fully seated in the monitor socket.

Live screen?

Yes

Controls in middle of range?

No

RAM seated?

Yes

Hear a string of beeps?

Yes Video cable secure?

No Adapter seated?

Check both ends of video cable.

No

No

No

Yes

Reseat video adapter, secure. Cable damaged, pins bent?

Monitor tested?

Yes

No

No

Test monitor on good PC or laptop.

Repair or replace video cable. Testing with a different technology video adapter (PCI vs PCI Express) doesn’t prove the card slot is good No

Proceed to Motherboard Failure chart.

No

“No Signal” displayed?

Yes

Yes

Yes

Reseat RAM on Motherboard.

“No power” displayed?

Connect video card power inside PC

Adjust brightness and contrast. Yes

Proceed to Power Supply Failure

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

Any other adapters installed?

Yes

Yes Live with new video adapter? Yes

Try old adapter in other system before chucking.

No

Live with lone video adapter?

Freezes on BIOS Screen? No

Yes

Proceed to Conflict Resolution chart.

Proceed to Video Performance chart.

You can open the interactive version of this flowchart in your browser on the fonerbooks.com website by clicking on the chapter heading below. The interactive version allows you to get the text for each decision symbol without paging ahead.

Video Failure Or copy and paste: http://www.fonerbooks.com/video.htm

Motherboard, CPU, RAM Failure Power diagnostic done?

No

Proceed to Power Supply Failure.

Yes

RAM matched, seated?

No

Reseat RAM, positive lever lock. Install pairs if required.

No

CPU seated flat?

Hear beeps?

Proceed to Motherboard Performance chart.

Yes

No

Reseat CPU and heatsink.

Yes

No

Proceed to conflict resolution chart

No

No

Freezes on swapped Yes RAM?

Yes CMOS settings default?

Yes Replace RAM with type listed in motherboard documentation.

Default motherboard Yes settings?

Restore default motherboard settings with jumpers or switches.

Freezes bare bones?

No

Proceed to Video Failure diagnostic chart

Yes

No

Freezes on boot screen?

Yes

Video diagnostic done?

Yes

Check fan power point, (fan1), replace.

Yes

Yes

Fan on heatsink active?

No

Live Screen?

No

No Load defaults from BIOS.

Yes

Runs on bench?

Yes

Heatsink active?

No

No Locate short, binding, or swap case.

Yes

Bad CPU, watch voltage and heatsink on replacement.

CPU swap work?

No

Motherboard bad.

Install new heatsink, connect fan. May be too late for CPU.

You can open the interactive version of this flowchart in your browser on the fonerbooks.com website by clicking on the chapter heading below. The interactive version allows you to get the text for each decision symbol without paging ahead.

Motherboard, RAM, CPU Failure Or copy and paste http://www.fonerbooks.com/cpu_ram.htm

ATA Drive Failure No

BIOS register drive?

No

Drive seek, spin up?

Yes

CD or DVD drive?

Yes

No

Yes Try swapping power cables and test in other PC or external USB shell before trashing.

No

SATA drive?

Yes

Proceed to CD / DVD chart.

Yes 300 MB/s SATA2?

No

Drive No cycles up, down? Yes

Check on-drive compatibility jumper if old 150 MB/s controller.

Swap power Data lead, try isolating Yes connection on IDE cable, good? check power Set management. BIOS on old No Master/ Yes motherboard may No Slave? fail to detect Mode, No SATA when X-fer speed present. correct? Check data Set Cables cable seated PATA hard No cable select Yes seated, both ends, test Yes drives require 80 (CS)? new? cable. conductor cable, check mode in No Reseat IDE and Yes CMOS. power cables. Select Master/Slave or Replace IDE cables CS. CS requires 80 if in doubt. Does No FDISK see Yes conductor IDE cable or custom 40 wire cable. drive?

IDE Yes ribbon cable No keyed? Replace IDE cable. If BIOS still doesn’t register drive, either motherboard controller or drive is bad or incompatible.

Isolate drive on primary IDE controller. If FDISK still doesn’t see drive, the MBR may have been trashed by a virus.

Match pin 1 on all connectors.

Proceed to Hard Drive Boot and Performance chart.

You can open the interactive version of this flowchart in your browser on the fonerbooks.com website by clicking on the chapter heading below. The interactive version allows you to get the text for each decision symbol without paging ahead.

ATA Drive Failure Or copy and paste http://www.fonerbooks.com/ide_hd.htm

CD or DVD Playback

No BIOS register drive?

Yes

Yes

Locked in software?

Try ejecting before boot.

Yes

Pin hole on drive face?

Reading right drive?

Read other discs?

No

Burner problem?

Read data disc?

Yes

No

Check CODECs, recent update of media player

Proceed to Recording Problem.

Yes

DAE settings or audio patch cable from drive to sound card.

Boots OS?

Try other diagnostic chart.

Clean disc with flannel, check for scratches. Device Manager problem?

No

Replace IDE cable, change BIOS mode, try drive in test PC.

No

Change CMOS boot sequence, pre-spin drive, try CD in test PC.

No

No Proceed to Conflict Resolution.

Plays movies?

No

Yes

Yes

Plays music CDs?

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

No Laugh at self, pick right drive.

Eject and remount. Try another disc. Check drive mounted level with 4 screws.

No

No

Two drives installed?

Drive vibrates, noisy?

Yes

Pull drive, faceplate, pry and pray.

Make sure you didn’t use any long mounting screws.

Yes

No

Proceed to ATA Drive Failure

No

Unplug power, insert straightened paper-clip, pull tray.

Yes

Tray ejects?

Drive shares IDE cable?

DVD SATA?

Yes

Isolate on secondary IDE.

Yes Replace data cable, test drive in USB enclosure or other PC.

You can open the interactive version of this flowchart in your browser on the fonerbooks.com website by clicking on the chapter heading below. The interactive version allows you to get the text for each decision symbol without paging ahead.

CD or DVD Playback Or copy and paste http://www.fonerbooks.com/ide_cd.htm

Modem Failure

DSL or cable modem?

Yes LED may say “Online”, green is usually good. Yes

Internet LED lit?

ISP pick up?

No

Power off PC and modem, retry. Line unplugged, modem failure, or service out.

Busy or ringing?

Yes

Confirm ISP’s phone number, area code and prefix for outside line. Cable? No

Filters installed? Yes

Friend w/ same? No

Multi-port modem?

Try networking cable on different modem port, USB, or test wireless function with laptop.

Yes

No

Connect to different ISP?

Try borrowed DSL modem.

No

Yes

Reboot, try again.

“No dial tone”?

No

Yes

Best driver installed?

Device Manger report problem?

Pass OS modem Yes test?

Try new modem.

Yes

Proceed to Modem Performance

Check modem standards and brands supported with ISP.

No

Likely PC networking, network adapter or software, especially firewall.

Connect at lowered speed?

Yes

Try direct line or new modem.

No

Yes

ISP No confirm user info?

Install on ALL lines!

No

Gets online?

No

Try dialing on pulse

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Get valid user name, password from ISP.

Yes

Does modem dial?

Yes

No

Yes

No

Yes

No

Connect line jack on modem.

Download latest driver from web.

Proceed to Conflict Resolution.

You can open the interactive version of this flowchart in your browser on the fonerbooks.com website by clicking on the chapter heading below. The interactive version allows you to get the text for each decision symbol without paging ahead. Modem Failure Or copy and paste http://www.fonerbooks.com/modem.htm

Sound Failure

Any non-beep audio?

No

Sound enabled in O.S.?

No Enable sound (Control Panel for Windows PCs) and test clips for Windows actions. No

No

External speakers powered?

Yes

External volume dials up?

Yes

Any “!” or “?” in Device Manager?

Plug in speaker brick (transformer), except for USB powered or old battery speakers.

Best driver loaded?

Device Manager register card?

No

Download latest driver from Internet.

No

USB sound?

Yes

Yes

Yes

Register with video only?

No

Yes

No No

Try different USB port, cable. Try on other PC or laptop.

No

Yes

Confirm speaker jack connected correct port (nonUSB only). If 3D sound card, use front speakers.

No

Yes

Proceed to Conflict Resolution Checked all jacks?

Proceed to Sound Performance

Yes

Yes

Turn up external controls on speakers, old sound cards.

Yes

Hunted down every software volume?

Sound capable devices, and 3rd party software may all have individual volume controls. Watch for “mute” boxes checked.

Built-in motherboard No sound?

Disable motherboard sound in CMOS and install sound card. Yes

Yes Proceed to CD or DVD Playback

Problem with music CDs only?

No

Replace sound card. Use USB speaker or USB sound card if no expansion slots.

Hardware failure. Check speakers, patch cables, sound card on test-bed system.

You can open the interactive version of this flowchart in your browser on the fonerbooks.com website by clicking on the chapter heading below. The interactive version allows you to get the text for each decision symbol without paging ahead.

Sound Failure Or copy and paste http://www.fonerbooks.com/sound.htm

Network Hardware Diagnostics

No

Yes

New hub added to LAN?

Check crossover (X) port wiring.

PC sees other network units?

Yes

Yes

Random problems?

No

No

No

Link light lit?

Software limits, user settings.

Yes

Shielded cable?

No

Yes Yes

Yes

Device Manager problem?

Proceed Conflict Resolution.

Physical layer (cables, devices)

No

Clone setup from good workstation.

No

Tried Yes known good cable?

No

No

Swap cable or check pairs, ends.

Yes

Within physical layer limits?

Yes

Add repeaters, re-route cables. Fails on traffic, # of users?

No

No Most likely software conflicts, virus.

New network card works?

No

Flaky off network also? Yes

If connection stable on new port, prior port is failing. No

No

Yes

Swap hub for switch, check server utilization.

Reboot, improper software configuration or bad network adapter.

Problem is unlikely network hardware if only this workstation has intermittent failures. Try eliminating all other non-essential software tasks for testing purposes.

Check proper ground (one end)

Tried different port on hub?

No

PC Yes works at new location? In-wall cabling failure, limits, or hub port.

Copied network config?

Proceed to Motherboard Performance. Cable bypass to hub fix? Yes

Yes

Bad patch or inwall cabling.

Throw out old adapter, $10 new.

You can open the interactive version of this flowchart in your browser on the fonerbooks.com website by clicking on the chapter heading below. The interactive version allows you to get the text for each decision symbol without paging ahead.

Network Hardware Diagnostics Or copy and paste http://www.fonerbooks.com/network.htm