How to Troubleshoot the Worst PC Disasters

Vanishing files? Flaky connections? Don't panic! Here's what to do when technology turns evil.

What do you do when your computer suddenly seems possessed? Whether it's satanic software or a hard drive from hell, there are hundreds of vexing problems that can make it devilishly difficult to get anything done.

Don't call for an exorcist just yet. For most people, a little troubleshooting knowledge goes a long way. We'll show you how to solve puzzling network failures, save devices that were accidentally dropped in water, retrieve mistakenly deleted digital photos, and even revive a dead hard drive by popping it into a freezer.

Not every trick in these pages will work for everyone, but they're worth a shot when things go bad. With a pinch of luck and a bit of skill, you can send those digital demons back to wherever they came from.

Memory Mayhem

DISASTER: You add a stick of RAM, and then your PC comes down with a case of the crashes. Sudden shutdowns, failed boot routines, and mysterious divide-by-zero errors can all be symptoms of a memory upgrade gone bad.

SOLUTION: You can remove the DIMM and go back to the earlier configuration, but if you need the memory capacity, a few things are worth trying.

1. Though it's rare, you may have a defective stick of RAM that needs to be replaced. To check, download and run Memtest86; it stresses and examines RAM to find errors that often don't appear during day-to-day use. We recommend Memtest86 for stress-testing your system immediately after any memory upgrade.

2. The two memory modules may have a timing mismatch, which you can work around by using the system Setup utility. As you boot the PC, watch the screen for a message indicating which key to press to access Setup; once you're in your PC's Setup utility, go to the memory settings screen. (You may find these settings under chip set features, but some PC Setup utilities may limit your ability to change memory configuration.) In the memory timings area, check the Column Address Strobe (or CAS) value. If it reads 2, change it to 2.5, then save the settings and reboot. That will add time for both modules to react to inputs from the system, though at a slight cost in responsiveness.

3. If that fails, underclock your system bus. In the Setup utility, find the settings for the frontside bus. Depending on your motherboard, you may be able to hand-tune the bus in 1-MHz increments. Drop the bus speed by 10 MHz or so. A caveat: Decreasing bus speed will slow performance.

Notebook Transplant

DISASTER: You dropped your laptop, and now it won't start. How in the world do you retrieve the data stored on it?

SOLUTION: Fortunately, almost all notebook PC hard drives use a standard pin interface based on the IDE spec. For about $10, you can purchase a laptop hard-drive adapter that allows you to plug your notebook hard disk directly into a desktop computer. Once the drive is connected to a working PC, you can apply the full battery of diagnostic and repair tools to the drive--something you can't do on a dead-as-a-doornail notebook. You can find an adapter cable at PC Connection.

Hard-Disk CPR, Part 1

DISASTER: Your hard drive is dying, and you have the parade of error messages and system crashes to prove it.

SOLUTION: The drive may be overheating due to high room temperatures or insufficient air flow inside the system case. Make sure nothing is blocking the flow of air through your PC. Turn the computer off and let it cool. If your machine will boot, back up your data. Then follow the steps in the next paragraph to check the disk for file-structure errors and sections that don't hold data reliably.

On the desktop, double-click My Computer, right-click (C:) or Local Disk (C:), and click Properties. Click the Tools tab and then Check Now in the 'Error-checking' area. In Windows 98 and Me, the ScanDisk dialog box will open; choose Thorough and leave 'Automatically fix errors' unselected. In Windows 2000 and XP, the Check Disk dialog box opens; leave its two check boxes unselected. Then in all Windows versions, click Start. If asked, tell Windows to discard any lost file fragments and to fix files.

If your PC won't boot to Windows and you hear your drive spinning, your PC Setup program's disk setting may be incorrect. Look on the drive itself to see if the setting is specified there, or call the drive maker. Restart the system and then enter your PC Setup program by pressing the key that the on-screen directions specify. Verify that the disk setting is correct, then exit Setup.

Hard-Disk CPR, Part 2

A dead drive may mean a faulty IDE cable is connected to it. Replace or swap the cable with a working one. If that doesn't work, try one of a variety of data-recovery utilities, including the $100 Norton SystemWorks 2003, the $199 Ontrack EasyRecovery DataRecovery Edition, or the $299 Winternals Disk Commander. If you prefer not to use a data-recovery utility, consider the advice below in "Deep C: Salvage." If all of these options fail, then you'll have to purchase a new hard drive.

Deep C: Salvage

DISASTER: Your drive died and went to heaven. How can you retrieve your files?

SOLUTION: Given the cost of storage these days (80GB for under $100), the cheapest solution is to replace your dead hard drive and then restore your system to its previous state with your backup. What, no backup? You can try services like Ontrack's Data Recovery Center. Though pricey (typically over $100 to recover a single drive's data), it's effective. Winternals' $399 ERD Commander 2002 is another costly yet outstanding utility; it boots your PC directly from a CD-ROM, and its Windows-like interface makes it easy to use.

Here's a last-gasp trick for copying data from a drive that won't read or spin: Place the disk in a Ziploc freezer bag and pop it into the freezer for an hour. Seriously. Cooling the disk can subtly change the geometry of the head and platters, enabling the drive to pick up data for a brief period of time. Make sure you have a new hard disk installed, as well as mirroring software like Norton Ghost ready to make a one-shot transfer of the old disk's contents.

Still no luck? Here's your final--albeit slim--hope: Use a Torx driver (a screwdriver with a star-shaped head) to remove the cover from the hard drive and then give the drive heads a gentle tap. Hook the drive to your system (yes, with the top off) and see if you can access the disk.

System Crash

DISASTER: Microsoft crows about the reliability of Windows XP, but that doesn't mean programs have stopped crashing altogether. In fact, over the last 48 hours we've watched Microsoft Outlook, the Opera Web browser, and ATI's TV applet crash so hard that they simply refused to start up again. The next time you repeatedly double-click a program icon without results, the first thing you should suspect is a hung application, regardless of which version of the Windows operating system you use.

SOLUTION: In Windows XP and 2000, right-click the Windows taskbar and click Task Manager on the context menu. Select the Processes tab in the application window, and click the list box column head labeled Image Name to sort the list of running applications by name. Find the application you want to run. In many cases two, three, or more instances will appear, as shown in FIGURE 1. Right-click the offending application and choose End Process. Make sure to click OK to confirm your choice. Repeat these steps until all instances of the program are shut down. Close Task Manager and start the application again.

Unfortunately, Windows 98 and Me don't offer control over running processes. To clear a frozen application, press Ctrl-Alt-Delete to bring up the Close Program dialog box. Highlight the application and click the End Task button; you may have to wait several seconds before it takes effect.

Background App Sneak Attack

DISASTER: You install a media player and notice a new icon in your system tray, but then your PC slows down and an application even crashes.

SOLUTION: Background utilities loading themselves at start-up can sometimes do a lot more harm than good. This is where the Windows System Configuration Utility (in 98, Me, and XP) comes in handy. The program lets you zero in on self-starting applets such as media players. (Unless an IT administrator controls certain aspects of the PC, you should be able to access this utility.)

Select Start, Run, type msconfig in the Run dialog box, and press Enter. Click the Startup tab, and in XP, click the border that appears between the Command and Location column headers and drag it to the right until you can read the contents in that column. Look through the list of start-up items for ones you don't recognize, as shown in FIGURE 2 (and while you're at it, uncheck boxes for duplicated items or commands). Examine the command for each unknown item for clues to its identity (for example, though 'qttask' may seem cryptic, QuickTime users will recognize a command that includes '\QuickTime\qttask.exe').

Still can't figure out some of them? Track down these sneaky apps by clicking Start, Search or Start, Find to locate the.exe file referenced in the command (remember to search system folders and hidden folders, too). Right-click the file and select Properties. Click the Version tab, if it exists, to see if the data there helps. For DLLs, search for the name (up to the comma) that follows the RUNDLL command and use the same steps as for the.exe files to find clues to what each DLL does. Finally, it couldn't hurt to search the Internet for an item that won't identify itself. Uncheck the items that you want Windows to pass over the next time it starts, and then click OK.

For more-severe start-up problems, use the System Configuration Utility to load only the basic services and devices that Windows needs to run (in XP), or choose which items to load at start-up (in 98 and Me). On the General tab, click the Diagnostic Startup radio button and click OK.

Windows 2000 doesn't include this utility. Download it, extract the two msconfig files from the zipped folder, and place them in your system's winnt\system32 folder.

Digital Photo Panic

DISASTER: Uh-oh. You accidentally deleted photos from your digital camera.

SOLUTION: USB-based cameras and memory card readers often allow a computer to access media cards just as it would any other drive. To recover the files, you'll need an undelete program such as UnErase, which is included in Norton SystemWorks 2003, or a stand-alone application like the $30 Undelete 3 from Executive Software.

Here's what to do: Stop--don't use the camera, because you may scramble recoverable data on your memory card. Connect your camera to a PC via the USB cable or place the memory card into a memory card reader.

Instead of using the camera's software to access the card, double-click My Computer. If you see the card represented as a drive in My Computer, you should be able to launch the undelete software, point it to the drive (your memory card), and retrieve the deleted pictures.

Have no such utility? LC Technology's $40 Photorecovery for Digital Media and DataRescue's $29 PhotoRescue can salvage images from CompactFlash, Memory Stick, Secure Digital, SmartMedia, and other formats.

Death by Dial Tone

DISASTER: Dropped connections, busy signals, and slow page loads can leave dial-up modem users feeling like second-class citizens on the Internet. We can't make ISPs install more modems, but we can offer tweaks that may eliminate being tossed offline.

SOLUTION: Call waiting may be a source of dropped connections. You can suppress it by adding a code (often *70; check your phone book) at the start of each dial-up string. In Windows 98 and Me, open Control Panel and Telephony to see this setting.

In XP and 2000, open Control Panel and Phone and Modem Options (XP users may need to click Printers and Other Hardware in Control Panel's Category view). Select your modem and click Edit to see the call-waiting feature in the General tab.

For all Windows versions, activate the To disable call waiting, dial check box as shown in FIGURE 3, and select the appropriate code from the drop-down list (or type it into the box).

Programmed timeouts can also disconnect you from the Net. Windows XP, for instance, allows 20 minutes of idle time before kicking you offline. You can lengthen or even remove that time limit. Open Control Panel's Internet Options, click the Connections tab, and double-click your connection. Click the Dial-up settings' Advanced button (in Me, click Properties, and select the Dialing tab). Uncheck the Disconnect if idle for box (Enable idle disconnect in Me), then make sure that 'Disconnect when connection may no longer be needed' is unchecked. Click OK. In 2000 and XP, click Properties, then select the Options tab. In the drop-down list called 'Idle time before hanging up', choose never to disable timeouts. Some ISPs enforce timeouts--no amount of Windows tweaking will help. Alternatively, download Keep It Alive to periodically create modem traffic and keep links active. Note, however, that using this utility may violate your ISP contract.

Crummy Ink Jet Printouts

DISASTER: Your printer starts producing jagged, blurry, or even smudged prints.

SOLUTION: Nailing down the culprit can be tough. Here are things to try before you call the manufacturer. Run a test print after each step to see if your efforts succeed.

1. The printhead on your cartridges could be clogged with ink. Your printer driver likely includes a cartridge-cleaning routine, which you can access from your printer's Properties dialog box. Click Start, Printers (Printers and Faxes in XP), right-click your printer icon, and then click Properties. Most printer drivers will present a button that says something like 'Clean Cartridge'. Run this routine and see if it resolves the problem.

2. For poor-looking pages that feature misaligned colors and blacks, faulty calibration may be the cause. Try to calibrate the printer from the printer's Properties dialog box. Find the button that says 'Calibrate Printer' and run the routine.

3. If calibration fails, try physically opening the printer case and reseating the ink jet cartridges; one or more could have become loose. Follow your printer's manual to see how to fully remove and reseat each cartridge.

4. Old drivers or those unqualified by Microsoft for newer versions of Windows can degrade output. Printing problems that crop up after you install new drivers likely stem from the drivers themselves. In this case, go to the vendor's site and download a qualified driver made specifically for your model.

5. Your printer's cartridges may be the issue. Over time, they can pick up dust or fibers that streak the wet ink as the head moves across the page. Use a lint-free cloth and distilled water to clear gunk off the cartridges.

6. Recycled and refilled cartridges are a frequent source of trouble. Consider switching to new cartridges from the printer vendor for a time.

Water Rescue

DISASTER: You just dropped a phone or Pocket PC into the sink--it's time to kiss your hardware good-bye. Or is it?

SOLUTION: 1. Pull the item out of the water and remove (and toss) its batteries to prevent a short circuit. (If the battery is integrated, trapped water will probably short out the device.) For desktop PCs caught in a flood, being plugged in--even with the power off--is enough to fry the motherboard. The good news: Many floods are accompanied by power outages that could spare your system. That said, you should remove the CMOS battery from your desktop PC. Consult motherboard or system manuals for directions.

2. Open the device and expose the interior (see "PC Survival Kit" for helpful tools). Gently shake out the water; remove peripherals. Use a soft rag to clean off dirt or mud.

3. Use distilled water--a gallon or more for a PC--to thoroughly rinse components, particularly metallic leads and wired connectors. Distilled water cleans salts and minerals that hamper good connections. Avoid soaking display screens.

4. Dab the device dry with a soft cloth and set it out for 24 hours in a dry, warm place. Apply electrical contact cleaner solution to leads to break down dirt and improve contact. Remove each wired connector from its port, clean leads of both, and reconnect them.

5. Reassemble the device, insert a new battery, and test. For PCs, replace the power supply if it got soaked and install a new CMOS battery. Also plan to replace spinning media drives--if they got wet, they'll probably fail soon.

Radio Silence

DISASTER: CD burners let you roll your own compilation music discs, but the discs won't play in your car's CD player.

SOLUTION: You can try a couple of things to coax some tunes out of that reluctant player. First, reduce the write-speed setting in your CD-writing software (some drives may go down only to 8X or 4X, but others allow recording at the slow yet more accurate 1X speed). Audio CD players are far less tolerant of bit-level errors than are CD-ROM drives. Slowing the burn rate may also produce cleaner discs that stand a better chance of working in your home or car stereo.

Next, make sure you use write-once CD-R media, which have higher reflectivity than rewritable CD-RW media, making them easier for audio players (including car stereos) to read.

If you're already using CD-Rs, try swapping media types. Not all discs are the same; in fact, some are quite poor. You may encounter quality discrepancies even among media from the same company--and within the same spindle of discs. If one vendor's media doesn't work (for example, a green-colored, cyanine-based disc or a blue-colored, azo dye-based CD), try another type (such as a gold-colored, phthalocyanine-based disc).

Network Catastrophe

DISASTER: Home networks are supposed to be trouble-free. Once all your systems are tuned to the DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server and configured for sharing resources, you should be set. But when the LAN goes dark, be patient and work toward a fix.

SOLUTION: Open a Command Prompt window by clicking Start, Programs (All Programs in XP), typing command, and pressing Enter. Then type ping, a space, and the name or exact IP address of another PC on your LAN. Press Enter, and you should see 'Reply from' lines with times in milliseconds scroll up the screen, indicating that the network is fine.

The culprit may be that the other machine isn't granting you access, or an overzealous software firewall (such as ZoneAlarm) is barring the gates. Make sure the other system is properly configured to recognize access attempts from your user account. If you have a firewall, lower the local security setting sufficiently to allow PCs on the network to see each other.

A 'Request timed out' message indicates that you've provided an incorrect address or that the network isn't working. (You could try to hail networked PCs through Network Neighborhood, but pinging is much faster.)

Many home networks use hardware firewalls that act as DHCP servers for assigning IP addresses to PCs on the network. If that component is down, it could foil your connection. From the command prompt, type ipconfig /all (add a space followed by |more to prevent text from scrolling off the top of the screen) and press Enter. Under 'Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection' it should say Yes under DHCP Enabled. An IP address should be listed next to DHCP Server. If not, your DHCP firewall may be on the blink; make sure that it is on and that all its connections are solid.

Finally, check the network hub. Thrown circuit breakers or loose power cords can cause a home-network outage. Make sure network cables are firmly set, and that your PC's network card is seated properly.

Michael Desmond is a freelance writer based in Colchester, Vermont.

Optical Drive Dilemma

Optical drives are some of the most problematic hardware we've seen in the PC World Test Center, says Senior Performance Analyst Elliott Kirschling. "I've seen many fail, and others that have trouble just reading discs."

Sometimes, the operating system will see the CD-RW or DVD-ROM drive, but no amount of fiddling will get the drive to read or write discs.

"Some of this may be caused by dirty lenses," says Kirschling. Here's a fix: Send a shot of compressed air inside the drive to blow dust and other particles off the lens.

In some cases the laser just dies. "It's like a lightbulb, working for a while and then expiring," says Robert Resovich, Plextor's applications engineering manager. --M.D.

PC Survival Kit

Anyone who has worked with computers knows there is a veritable universe of useful tools, utilities, and Web sites for managing system trouble. Here are a few items that can keep you prepared.

Tools

A set of small Phillips (1) and standard (2) screwdrivers are a must for adding and removing components. Also consider a Torx driver (3) (which has a star-shaped head) for screws on hard-drive enclosures. Needle-nose pliers (4) and tweezers (5) are useful for setting jumpers and getting at hard-to-reach items. A lint-free cloth (6) lets you clear dirt and grime from ink jet printheads and card connections without leaving behind fibers. Consider a small paintbrush for cleaning tight spaces. Compressed air (7) clears gummed up fans and vents, revives blinded optical drives (see "Optical Drive Dilemma"), and improves data connections. Electrical contact cleaner solution (8) cuts through grime and corrosion to improve electrical conductivity--just the thing for cleaning an old device. A handheld vacuum (9) lets you suck dust and pet hair out of less-accessible places.

Software

Symantec's $100 Norton SystemWorks 2003 packs hard-disk, backup, antivirus, system recovery, and other tools. Vcom's $60 SystemSuite is another great option.

Disk utilities are must-haves for recovering from drive failures. The most capable stand-alone disk packages (as opposed to suites mentioned above) include Ontrack's $199 EasyRecovery DataRecovery and the $299 Winternals Disk Commander.

Web Sites

Caught without a boot disk? Find another computer, go to Bootdisk.com, and download what you need pronto. At TweakXP.com, you'll find useful utilities, bug reports, and a host of tips and fixes for Windows XP. And if you head to HardForums.com, an adjunct to the HardOCP.com site frequented by tech-obsessed users, you'll find forums that can offer a lot of insight into a wide range of troubleshooting topics, as well as helpful solutions. --M.D.

Problem Solvers: Ten Ways to Stop Disasters Before They Start

1. Treat your PC right: Check your PC case every couple of weeks for dust buildup at the vents and fan holes. Also open the PC at least twice a year to clear out dust and debris that inevitably gets sucked inside. You'll prolong fan life and greatly reduce the risks of overheating your PC.

2. Back up your data: Invest in a rewritable DVD drive or a second hard disk--it'll let you back up data conveniently and fast. You can also use Microsoft Backup to create System State backups with all your Registry and system settings. Someday, you'll thank us.

3. Do routine disk maintenance: Windows' built-in utilities can perform routine surface scans and file defragmentation. You'll catch potential problems early, protect files from errors, and even improve performance.

4. Don't fly blind: Use Motherboard Monitor; it can read the input from temperature sensors built into a computer's motherboard, CPU, and hard drive to warn of an impending meltdown. It also monitors fan activity to alert you if a cooling fan fails.

5. Activate Windows System Restore: This terrific utility for Windows Me and XP (98 lacks a similar program) takes a complete snapshot of your system's state before every significant Registry change. Should a software or hardware upgrade go bad, System Restore acts like a time machine to return Windows to its last working configuration. You can also perform manual or scheduled restores. Click Start, Programs (All Programs in XP), Accessories, System Tools, System Restore, and follow the wizard. For Windows 2000, use Backup (on the System Tools menu) to create backups, and if necessary to restore System State information (click the plus sign under 'What to restore' to find the appropriate System State check box).

6. Get an uninterruptible power supply: A UPS (about $60) acts as a backup electrical supply, allowing your computer to weather power outages. It also serves as a surge suppressor and line conditioner to shield components from spikes and dips in current.

7. Play it safe: Beta drivers (beta meaning "not yet final") can create all sorts of problems. If you opt to get the latest leaked beta driver for your graphics card, you should also download and store on your hard disk a Microsoft-verified driver.

8. Keep Windows updates coming: As ridiculous as it may seem to patch Windows every three days, some updates are critical for keeping other people out of your PC. Check updates as they arrive, and be sure to immediately install any that resolve a significant security issue.

9. Buy an antivirus program: The app runs in the background to screen incoming/outgoing traffic and clear infections. Download the latest virus profiles to keep protection current.

10. Use common sense: You can avoid a lot of potential virus exposures simply by being careful. Don't open every e-mail attachment you receive. If an attachment from a known source seems odd or suspicious, verify the message with the sender before you open it. Also be wary of Web sites you visit, since malicious sites can attempt to run nefarious Java, HTML, or ActiveX code on your computer. --M.D.

Do You Smell Something Burning?

The PC World Test Center has seen it all--faulty hard drives, fading graphics on monitors, power surges, you name it. But when the analysts smelled something burning from a test PC, they were alarmed.

The system's CPU overheated because its heat sink fell off during shipment. Like most people, we don't look inside a PC as soon as it arrives. First, the analysts run a virus scan, then they back up the system. Next, they open the PC case and poke around inside.

If you encounter a similar problem, Senior Performance Analyst Elliott Kirschling advises you to unplug the PC as soon as you smell something or see smoke. Although your first instinct might be to grab a fire extinguisher (or head for the nearest exit), that is necessary only if the machine is actually on fire.

With a scorched CPU, the computer is useless. If your PC is under warranty, call the manufacturer. Describe the situation to a technician and ask about your options (such as replacing the PC).

If the system is no longer under warranty, check inside the PC. Open the case to see if the heat sink is still properly in place on the CPU; if it isn't, the chip may have burned. Look for scorch marks on the processor to confirm that that's what happened. If so, replace the CPU and hope the motherboard is okay; there's no easy way to determine this until you rule out the processor.

If, however, the heat sink is in place, try to find the source of the burning smell. The problem may be an inoperative power supply; if that's the case, replace it. Warning: Do not open the power supply--it may give off a very dangerous electric shock.

Even if you've replaced the power supply or the CPU, other components may also have been damaged; replacing one part won't necessarily fix the PC. For example, the graphics card or hard drive could also stop working. This scenario is especially likely after a power surge--sometimes even if you have a surge suppressor (or UPS) already installed. --Grace Aquino