Technical FAQ

• The internet/network was working and has suddenly stopped.
• My computer was working yesterday, but it just wont turn on today.
• I keep getting these annoying ads popping up, even when I'm not using the internet
• My computer was fast when I bought it, but now it is so slow.
• I can't open this file.
• I can't gain access into that folder or those files.
• My internet bill is so high all of a sudden.
• I plugged in my USB drive and I can't see it in Windows Explorer.
• My printer has dissappeared from my list of printers.
• I want my computer to ask for a password to log on.
• I need to have my password changed.
• Connecting to my desktop from a remote location would be very handy.
• I don't have any space left on my hard drive.
• Windows keeps restarting for no apparent reason.
• I need to backup this file. I need to back up my computer.
• My email is not sending and/or receiving.
• My staff are forever playing games on the company's time.
• I have a wireless device but I my PC/laptop wont connect to it.
• I'd rather have an email address that isn't @bigpond.com, @yahoo.com or @hotmail.com
• I saved that document somewhere, but now I just can't find it.
• Can I make it so my files are available no matter which workstation I log onto?
• Reaading my email is hard with so much spam clogging my mailbox.

The internet/network was working and has suddenly stopped.

Although it is a very broad comment, these types of issues can be resolved quickly and easily in most situations.

First things first:

Try to ping an address. This is a simple test to establish data connectivity. To ping - Click your Start Menu, choose 'Run', then type 'cmd' into the textbox of the 'Run' dialog box and press enter. You should now have a black window with a DOS prompt. Now type 'ping [hostname]', and await a response.

Ping a known host on the internet (ie: ping google.com.au). If you get a response then you have a connection and data is getting through. Try restarting your PC and see if the problem continues. If so, you may need further assistance.

If your ping returns 'host unknown' or 'host unreachable', it may be related to DNS resolution. Try pinging an actual IP address. One IP address that always responds is 72.14.203.104 (google). If you get a response then you have DNS issues. If you have experience with DNS then try manually setting your DNS server setting to a known DNS server (139.130.4.4 telstra), then try pinging a host again (google.com.au). If you have a response now, your issue is solved; if not, you may need further assistance.

If neither of the above ping attempts failed to work, try pinging the gateway. The address can be found by opening the command window and typing 'ipconfig /all'. This should give you a list of your IP address, Subnet Mask and your gateway address. In your Command Windows type 'ping [gateway address]'. If it responds, you know you have at least a connection to the gateway. This may help in trouble shooting later.

Next Step: (in the event that you cannot seem to contact the internet)

Check the physical and visual aspects. Are all the cables securely connected to the modem, the router and into your server/computer? Are there any cables that are free (cables that don't seem to be connecting to anything)? See if you can find the device that they may have become unplugged from, and try plugging them back in.

Are all the device(s) that handle your internet securely plugged into the power socket? Often overloading power sockets and power boards with brick sized adapters can result in one pushing against another and releasing it from the socket.

Look for lights on devices. There should be lights on all modems, routers, switches and even on the network card in the back of your computer. Lights alone, will only prove the power is on - not that there is any data moving though.

In the majority of cases there are lights on each device that correspond to features of the device. Some examples have been set out below.

• Modems (modem/router/gateway) - All modems have lights to represent ADSL or Cable connectivity. Even the old 56K modems show a 'hook' or 'online' light! Check and see if you have all the usual lights that would indicate a solid connection. You may need to refer to your documentation that came with the device to interpret what each of the lights is for.
  
  ADSL modems should have a DSL or Synch light (to show your have a connection to the local telephone exchange). It should have a Connection or Internet light (which would indicate that you are logged into your service provider). There should also be at least one LAN light to show that your computer/server or other device is connected to this device. More often than not, there is between 4 and 8 LAN lights - each representing the different devices that are connected to the modem.
  
  If your DSL light is off, check the phone cable into the modem and ensure it is connected both to the wall and the modem. If you still get no joy, then you may have a line problem between your building and the local Exchange, in which case you may want to call your service provider and have them check the lines.
  
  If your Internet light is off (assuming the DSL light is on) then you are not connected. This may be a number of issues. Most likely is that the username and/or password set in the device is incorrect. You will need to log into the device in order to check and/or change these settings. Refer to your device documentation to complete this process. Most devices are available through a web interface - simply open your browser and type in the IP address of the device in the browser address bar (you may need a username and password to gain access). To obtain this address, check your IP settings of your PC (Start > Run > cmd [enter] > ipconfig [enter] ). The gateway address is most likely to be the adress of the device you wish to connect to.


• Routers - As with modems, routers have the same set of lights with the exception of the DSL and internet lights. Instead of the DSL and internet lights, there would normally be a WAN light which represents your connection from the router to the modem device.
  
  If your WAN light is off then you are not connected. Check your cables.
  
  Routers can be setup in many different ways and as such, problem solving is more difficult. Sometimes it is a username and password issue. Other times it can be a routing issue. Unless you have experience with routers, it's probably better to leave this one for the technician.
  
  There should also be at least one LAN light to show that your computer/server or other device is connected to this device. More often than not, there is between 4 and 8 LAN lights - each representing the different devices that are connected to the router.


• Switches - Switches are simple devices that act as a smart repeaters for your network. Each port on a switch should have a coinciding light representing connectivity. If there is no light on a particular link, chances are the device at the other end is not connected or switched on (or faulty). It is extremely rare that one port on a switch is faulty, so only assume this as a last resort.
  
  If all the lights on the switch are flashing constantly with no intervals, there may be a loop - a cable that is connecting the switch to itself. Sometimes this happens when multiple switches are in the same cabinet, and especially with messy cabling. Easiest way to figure out which one is causing the congestion is to remove cables one at a time until suddenly the lights settle.
  
  Faulty switches often give the effect of constant or zero communication over the network.


• Network Cards - Each PC connects to the network through a network card. More often than not, a network card has lights representing the link state and link speed. If you have no lights, you have no link. Make sure your cable is connected and that it terminates into another network device (switch/router).
  
  If your network card is disabled in your operating system, this usually results in the link lights remaining off.

If you have not acheived a connection after trying all or some of the above, contact ANE and we will get you going again.

• Push power button on PC.
  You should now see at least a green light representing power to the motherboard. Fans should be starting and you should hear at least the basic hum of the computer beginning it's start sequence. Often a short beep will indicate that the CMOS is startable and initiating a start up of the BIOS.
  
  • If you get no green light but the PC is humming - motherboard may be faulting.
  • No fans, hum or lights - possible faulty power supply.
  • Green light and fans with strange beeping - there is something that is stopping CMOS allowing the PC from continuing initialization. Refer to your PC's motherboard manual to try to identify what the beeps are relating to. Some common possibilities have been listed below:
    
    • Many short beeps often relates to a CPU problem.
    • Repeating 3 - 4 lengthy beeps with a small silence in between usually indicates a problem with RAM modules.
    • Long beeps with equal silences usually relates to VGA component problems.
  
  
  Many of the above problems can sometimes be fixed by re-seating components (removing and re-inserting). For instance, removing the RAM modules and re-inserting them will ensure that they have a solid connection again.
  
  
• BIOS should begin initializing the system and performing basic tests on motherboard components. You should be able to see the screen has returned from sleep mode and a basic screen of white text on a black background is beginning to show. Once this process completes, Windows should begin to load and you should see the familiar screen with the logo and start up message.
  
  If you are not arriving at the WIndows startup screen, try to watch where the process is failing during the BIOS initialization. Sometime you will need to press a special key to see this information as it is often covered over with logo of the motherboard manufacturer. Try Esc, Ctrl+Esc, Del, F1, F2, F9 or F10. The basic steps of BIOS initialization are outlined below:
  
• Prcessor check and display of current clock speed
• RAM test - count RAM from byte 0 to its entirity (counted in KB)
• Identify IDE Controller and any hard drives and/or CD/DVDs that are connected to it.
• Identify SCSI Controller and any hard drives and/or CD/DVDs that are connected to it. This is followed by a small utility that checks the configuration of any SCSI hard drives for RAID systems and their logical drive assignments.
• Identify PCI and serial buses, and all devices connected to either bus respectively. Often followed by a map of all the IDs and IRQ assignments for those components.
• Check the drive marked as the startup drive for boot information.
• Follow the boot information and boot the operating system suggested from the allocated partition.
• Start into Windows initialization. (Loads device drivers and operating system files)


If the PC fails at any point by either freezing or giving an error of some description, it may give you some idea of which device is causing the failure. Fixing it may be more of a difficult issue and we would recommend that you do not try to perform these fixtures yourself unless you have experience with this type of equiptment, rather have a qualified engineer attend to it.

• Windows should start up - load the newtork and apply computer settings prior to giving you the familiar logon prompt.
  
  If there a problem between BIOS finishing loading and Windows starting up, try running the Winodws startup in safe mode or with 'boot logging' enabled. This is achieved by pressing F8 at the moment you would normally expect to see the Windows loading screen with the big logo. Make your selection from the alternate boot menu and watch as the files windows uses to load are scrolled up the screen.
  
  Note: Don't be fooled - if Windows stops loading, the current file you can see loading (assuming safe mode or boot logging was selected), has already loaded. It is the next sub-sequent file that has proabably caused the issue.

Computers, like humans are susceptible to viral infection. How your computer becomes infected is usually through poorly written programs allowing malicious code to execute and cause problems, users clicking on fancy looking gimics in emails and on websites, even people trying to connect to your PC and plant nasty software.

Once you're infected, your PC performance will usually decrease dramatically, followed by a series of strange events happening (ie: pop-ups, message boxes with anti-viral alerts, and a plethora of other weird and wonderful suprises).

We have given you a basic run down of how to go about bringing your PC back to its former glory. We also suggest that even if you have no suspicion of infection, to install at least one anti-spyware program. This will not quash the need to have an anti-viral solution still in place, simply add an extra layer of insurance that you will be protected in the event of a potential catastrophy.

Kill the spyware

Do yourself a favor: before you get on that plane or train or bus, burn a CD with the following programs and take it with you.

• Ad-Aware and its most updated definitions
• Spybot Search & Destroy and its latest definitions
• Spyware Blaster

More are listed in Lifehacker's Spyware cleaners section, but this trio is a good start. When you arrive at your parents' computer, shut it down. Unplug the connection to the Internet. Start it up, and hit F8 during boot, then choose Safe Mode. Pop in your CD, install each program, and run a full system scan. This'll take awhile, so go eat some turkey and come back. Remove any suspicious or critical objects each cleaner finds. Then, reconnect the Internet cable and reboot normally.

Update Windows

Using Internet Explorer, visit windowsupdate.microsoft.com . Let it scan the machine and install any updates it lists (critical ones for sure - recommended at your discretion.) This process can take a long time, depending on the speed and age of the machine, so go fetch a few extra helpings of stuffing. When you come back, reboot as needed. Yes, it may be up to a dozen times. When given the option, turn on Automatic Updates.

While you're there, download Microsoft AntiSpyware , install and run it for another addition to your spyware cleaner arsenal.

Switch the system's default web browser to Firefox

Download Firefox . Install it, and import all of IE's preferences and bookmarks. (See previous Lifehacker feature Importing Bookmarks into Firefox for more info on how.) When Firefox asks if it should be the default web browser, click "Yes." Finally, remove the blue E from your parents' desktop. On newer versions of Windows (like XP), you can simple drag and drop the blue E into the Recycle Bin. In Windows 98 (yeah you know some of your parents still use it), in Control Panel choose Internet Options. On the Advanced Tab, uncheck "Show Internet Explorer on the Desktop."

To help your parents grok the transition from the blue E to the orange fox, rename Firefox's desktop shortcut to something more obvious, like "Internet - Mozilla Firefox."

Uninstall unneeded programs

In the Control Panel, open up the Add or Remove Programs applet. Review the list of programs. Anything you don't recognize or don't use - delete it. It should go without saying that any software whose title contains the words "bargain," "tracker," "snoop" or "monitor" should get removed immediately, and their authors basted for long painful hours over a very hot fire.

Trim down the startup program list

From the Start menu, choose Run, type MSCONFIG , then hit Enter. In the Startup tab, run through and uncheck anything your parents don't need loading into memory automatically on boot. A bunch of these programs will be unidentifiable (though check out their file path for a hint), so when it doubt, keep it checked. If you're feeling really ambitious, use a utility like Startup Inspector to figure out what can get tossed and what can stay.

Install a firewall

If your computer is connected directly to the Internet - especially if they just upgraded to broadband this year - be sure to get a firewall running on the machine. Why? you ask. Well, a portscan will give you the answer to that question. This helpful online port scan application (Java applet) will show you how many ports on the 'rents' PC are open to denial of service attacks or worse. Without a router acting as a firewall, a computer connected directly to a cable modem is exposed to the wilds of the Internet which runs rampant with infected PCs just waiting to spread their viruses and keylog you credit card numbers. The free ZoneAlarm does just fine as a software firewall; alternatively, simply enable Microsoft's built-in firewall (in Control Panel, Windows Firewall).

Scan and defragment the hard drive

Run the built-in Windows ScanDisk and Defragmenter on the computer's hard drive to fix any errors and optimize disk access. Before you begin, shut down all applications which write to the disk. Disconnect the PC from the Internet, shut down ZoneAlarm, disable Task Scheduler and turn off the Windows screensaver. Then, open "My Computer" and right-click on the hard drive. In the "Tools" tab, press "Check Now" to run ScanDisk. When that's done, press "Defragment Now" to defrag.

Tip: start each of these processes before you go to bed and let them run all night. For slower machines with larger hard drives, these can take a long time.

• 1.) If a PC has less than 512 MB of RAM, add more memory. This is a relatively inexpensive and an easy upgrade that can dramatically improve system start-up and performance. There are many types of RAM so to be sure you are buying the correct type, write down the details from the sticker sthat is on the RAM that you already have installed in your PC.
  
  
• 2.) Ensure that Windows XP is using the NTFS file system. If you're not sure, here's how to check: First, double-click the My Computer icon, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Next, examine the File System type; if it says FAT32, then back-up any important data. Next, click Start, click Run and type CONVERT C: /FS:NTFS before pressing the Enter key. This process may take between 5-15 minutes; it's important that the computer be uninterrupted and virus-free. The file system used by the bootable drive will be either FAT32 or NTFS. ANE highly recommend NTFS for its superior security, reliability, and efficiency with larger disk drives.
  
  
• 3.) Disable file indexing. The indexing service extracts information from documents and other files on the hard drive and creates a "searchable keyword index." As you can imagine, this process can be quite taxing on any system.
  
  The idea is that the user can search for a word, phrase, or property inside a document, should they have hundreds or thousands of documents and not know the file name of the document they want. Windows XP's built-in search functionality can still perform these kinds of searches without the Indexing service. It just takes longer. The OS has to open each file at the time of the request to help find what the user is looking for.
  
  Most people never need this feature of search. Those who do are typically in a large corporate environment where thousands of documents are located on at least one server. But if you're a typical system builder, most of your clients are small and medium businesses. If your clients have no need for this search feature, ANE recommend disabling it.
  
  Here's how: First, double-click the My Computer icon. Next, right-click on the C: Drive, then select Properties. Uncheck "Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching." Next, apply changes to "C: subfolders and files," and click OK. If a warning or error message appears (such as "Access is denied"), click the Ignore All button.
  
  
• 4.) Update the PC's video and motherboard chipset drivers. Also, update and configure the BIOS. These drivers are often found at the manufacturer's website along with instructions and other useful information. For more information on how to update and configure your BIOS properly, refer to the motherboard documentation supplied with your PC at sale time.
  
  
• 5.) Empty the Windows Prefetch folder every three months or so. Windows XP can "prefetch" portions of data and applications that are used frequently. This makes processes appear to load faster when called upon by the user. That's fine. But over time, the prefetch folder may become overloaded with references to files and applications no longer in use. When that happens, Windows XP is wasting time, and slowing system performance, by pre-loading them. Nothing critical is in this folder, and the entire contents are safe to delete.
  
  
• 6.) Once a month, run a disk cleanup. Here's how: Double-click the My Computer icon. Then right-click on the C: drive and select Properties. Click the Disk Cleanup button -- it's just to the right of the Capacity pie graph -- delete all temporary files.
  
  
• 7.) In your Device Manager, double-click on the IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers device, and ensure that DMA is enabled for each drive you have connected to the Primary and Secondary controller. Do this by double-clicking on Primary IDE Channel. Then click the Advanced Settings tab. Ensure the Transfer Mode is set to "DMA if available" for both Device 0 and Device 1. Then repeat this process with the Secondary IDE Channel.
  
  
• 8.) Upgrade the cabling. As hard-drive technology improves, the cabling requirements to achieve these performance boosts have become more stringent. Be sure to use 80-wire Ultra-133 cables on all of your IDE devices with the connectors properly assigned to the matching Master/Slave/Motherboard sockets. A single device must be at the end of the cable; connecting a single drive to the middle connector on a ribbon cable will cause signaling problems. With Ultra DMA hard drives, these signaling problems will prevent the drive from performing at its maximum potential. Also, because these cables inherently support "cable select," the location of each drive on the cable is important. For these reasons, the cable is designed so drive positioning is explicitly clear.
  
  
• 9.) Remove all spyware from the computer. Use free programs such as AdAware by Lavasoft or SpyBot Search & Destroy. Once these programs are installed, be sure to check for and download any updates before starting your search. Anything either program finds can be safely removed. Any free software that requires spyware to run will no longer function once the spyware portion has been removed; if your customer really wants the program even though it contains spyware, simply reinstall it. For more information on removing Spyware click here.
  
  
• 10.) Remove any unnecessary programs and/or items from Windows Startup routine using the MSCONFIG utility. Here's how: First, click Start, click Run, type MSCONFIG, and click OK. Click the StartUp tab, then uncheck any items you don't want to start when Windows starts. Unsure what some items are? Visit the WinTasks Process Library. It contains known system processes, applications, as well as spyware references and explanations. Or quickly identify them by searching for the filenames using Google.
  
  
• 11.) Remove any unnecessary or unused programs from the Add/Remove Programs section of the Control Panel.
  
  
• 12.) Turn off any unnecessary animations, and disable active desktop. In fact, for optimal performance, turn off all animations. Windows XP offers many different settings in this area. Here's how to do it: First click on the System icon in the Control Panel. Next, click on the Advanced tab. Select the Settings button located under Performance. Feel free to play around with the options offered here, as nothing you can change will alter the reliability of the computer, only its responsiveness.
  
  
• 13.) If you are an advanced user who is comfortable editing your registry, try some of the performance registry tweaks offered at Tweak XP.
  
  
• 14.) Visit Microsoft Windows update site regularly, and download all updates labeled Critical. Download any optional updates at your discretion. By default, Internet Explorer will use Windows Update, however it is recommended to upgrade to Microsoft Update as it also finds and updates your Microsoft Office products.
  
  
• 15.) Update your anti-virus software on a weekly, even daily basis. Make sure you have only one anti-virus software package installed. Mixing anti-virus software is a sure way to spell disaster for performance and reliability.
  
  
• 16.) Make sure your PC has fewer than 500 type fonts installed. The more fonts you have, the slower the system will become. While Windows XP handles fonts much more efficiently than did the previous versions of Windows, too many fonts -- that is, anything over 500 -- will noticeably tax the system.
  
  
• 17.) Do not use multiple partitions on a single hard drive. Windows XP's NTFS file system runs more efficiently on one large partition. The data is no safer on a separate partition, and a reformat is never necessary to reinstall an operating system. The same excuses people offer for using partitions apply to using a folder instead. For example, instead of putting all your data on the D: drive, put it in a folder called "D drive." You'll achieve the same organizational benefits that a separate partition offers, but without the degradation in system performance. Also, your free space won't be limited by the size of the partition; instead, it will be limited by the size of the entire hard drive. This means you won't need to resize any partitions, ever. That task can be time-consuming and also can result in lost data.
  
  If you wish to seperate your company data from your operating system files, the most efficient and effective approach is to install a seperate hard disk and store your data upon it. This method has other advantages in that disk read and write times are faster for both data and operating system files. If your operating system drive fails, your data drive is safe, and can be removed and attached to another PC whilst the original PC is repaired.
  
  
• 18.) Check the system's RAM to ensure it is operating properly. I recommend using a free program called MemTest86. The download will make a bootable CD or diskette (your choice), which will run 10 extensive tests on the PC's memory automatically after you boot to the disk you created. Allow all tests to run until at least three passes of the 10 tests are completed. If the program encounters any errors, turn off and unplug the computer, remove a stick of memory (assuming you have more than one), and run the test again. Remember, bad memory cannot be repaired, only replaced.
  
  
• 19.) Disable unnecessary services. Windows XP loads a lot of services that you most likely do not need. To determine which services you can disable for your client, visit the Black Viper site for Windows XP configurations.
  
  
• 20.) At least once a year, open the computer's cases and blow out all the dust and debris. While you're in there, check that all the fans are turning properly. Also inspect the motherboard capacitors for bulging or leaks.

• 1.) Log on to the computer with an account that is setup as an Administrator. If you are using XP Home, you must boot into safe mode, and then log on to an account that has Admin access in order to access the security tab.


• 2.) If you are using Windows XP pro, the first thing you must do is disable Simple File Sharing. In Windows Explorer click the Tools tab and select the Folder Options from the menu.


• 3.) In the "View" tab, scroll down until you see "Use Simple File Sharing (Recommended)". Untick this option, then close (click OK) the "Folder Options" window.


• 4.) Right-click the folder that you want to take control of, and then click Properties. You should see 4 tabs that say "general", "sharing", "Security", and "Customize". Click the Security tab.


• 5.) Next, click the "Advanced" tab, and then click the Owner tab.


• 6.) In the user list, click the user name or you want have access to the folder, or click Administrator if you are logged in as the Administrator. If you want to take ownership of the contents of that folder you originally selected, click the Replace owner on subcontainers and objects check box.


• 7.) Next, click OK, and then select Yes when you receive the message:
  
  "You do not have permission to read the contents of directory folder name. Do you want to replace the directory permissions with permissions granting you Full Control?"
  
  Click "Yes". This will transfer ownership of the folder over to whomever you selected. If you wish to give access to another user, in the security tab of that folder, click add user, select the user, then give that user the access permissions they require.

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The most common IT mistakes businesses can make...

1.) Not having an IT plan or budget for the year - our workplaces are now inseparably reliant on IT. When a businesses IT fails ..... [more]

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