Q. When I turn on my computer, I just hear beeps, What's wrong?

A. Most computer main boards come with a Power On Self Test (POST), if there is a problem with one or more of the hardware devices connected to the main board the system will beep in a particular sequence. The number and duration of the beeps can indicate where the problem exists. Take note of the beep code and the BIOS make and year and then call a technician with that information.
 

Q. My system completes the POST, but it won't boot the operating system

A. Check to make sure you don't have a diskette in the floppy drive. If so remove it and repeat the startup. If it still won't start or you don't have a disk in the drive, it is possible the boot files may have become corrupt or have been deleted. Insert your emergency boot disk or boot able disk in the floppy drive and restart the system. Be careful at this point, some system come with an emergency recovery disk. These recovery disks can reformat your hard drive resulting in the loss of all programs and data that is on the hard disk restoring your system the way it was the day you brought it home.
 

Q. Windows begins to load, but stops before I see my icons

A. This problem can be particular nasty, if Windows won't start, that is it loads part way and just stops, you could have corrupt files on your hard drive. The first thing to try would be to re-boot the system and startup in "Safe Mode". You can do this by hitting the F8 key when you see the message "Starting Windows 95" or "Starting Windows 98". You will then see a Startup menu, select "Start in Safe Mode". If Windows loads in Safe Mode, you most likely have a driver or file that has gone corrupt, which would require replacing. If Windows still won't start, you could have a hardware problem or a more serious file corruption problem. Try re-installing Windows from the setup disk or run the recovery disk that came with your system, again beware the recovery disk can wipe out all your programs and data. If you are able to start the system with the "Command Prompt Only", perform a scandisk at the DOS level to see if it will find & fix any of the corrupt files.
 

Q. Windows begins to load but stops after my desktop icons appear

A. Something loading up in the Systray is having a problem, all the little icons in the lower right corner of the screen in Windows 95/98 are programs that run on restart, sometimes these won't install correctly or there may be something wrong with the coding itself. It may become necessary to un-install the program that added the icon and see if the problem reoccurs.
 

Q. Windows starts, but then it says my video adapter is not configured correctly.

A. Sometimes changes in the system configuration will trigger Windows to re-query the system properties and re-assign some features, like your video adapter. Right click anywhere in the open on your desktop and select "Properties", then select "settings" and check to make sure your video adapter is correctly selected and configured.
 

Q. Why do my colors look funny?

A. Some programs or games require 256 colors, even when you have more than 256 colors the program insists on having 256 colors (dumb program). Some programs will ask you if you would like it to make the change for you, others require you do it. If a program does it automatically, the next time you start Windows, your wallpaper may look odd. Again right click anywhere on the open desktop and change your colors back to the desired settings.
 

Q. Why is there so much black around the edges of my screen?

A. Some older monitors can not present an entire screen full, newer models however are for the most part "Edge-to-Edge". To fill the screen use the controls on the front of the monitor or the "On-Screen adjustments". In other cases check the video properties in Windows to make sure you have the proper monitor type and refresh selected.
 

Q. I can't hear any sound from my speakers

A.  Check to make sure if your speakers are powered that you have fresh batteries in them or that they are plugged into the wall or power strip. Also make sure the cord is plugged into the correct jack on the back of the PC. Some system will come with a Voice Modem that has a jack that looks the same as the sound and may even be labeled "speaker". Don't get this confused with the sound card jack. If you still can't hear sounds, check the sound adapter settings. Right click on "My Computer" and select "Properties" then select "Device Manager", scroll down to the sound section and make sure you have the correct sound card drivers loaded up. If there is a question mark in front of the sound adapter, there may be something set incorrectly. Some sound cards don't use the conventional settings Base I/O 220, 330 IRQ 5, if you have a PnP (Plug-n-Play) sound card, check to make sure there is no conflict with any other device.
 

Q. I can hear some sounds, but not others.

A. Not all sound cards are alike, most programs and games are written to use the "Creative Labs Sound Blaster"(tm.) settings, your card may not be able to use those settings or simply can't emulate the Sound Blaster. Most of the time this will occur in DOS based games and programs running under "Pure" DOS(Command Prompt Only) not shelled out of Windows. If your sound card will emulate the Sound Blaster, check to make sure the DOS drivers are loading on bootup. You may need to make a special Bootable DOS diskette whenever you want to run a particular game or program.
 

Q. My CD ROM Drive won't read my CD disk.

A. The biggest mistake folks make with CDs is they treat them like music CDs, make sure the data CD is clean! Finger prints, scratches and dust is your worst enemy. With music CDs, you can afford a few prints or scratches, you simply get a brief  hole it the music, sometimes not even noticing it. Data CDs on the other hand can not afford even one hole in the data. Most of the time a single scratch won't affect the program, but if the scratch is in an area of the data that contains program code, you can most guarantee you will have problems with the program running. If the scratch is outside of the program data area, sometimes it won't do much at all, maybe leave a red or blue speck on the screen when viewing some things, or omit a portion of a character of graphic image. This is most of the time non catastrophic and you can just ignore the spot. If your CD is really dirty. try cleaning it, but if it's scratched you may need to replace it. That can be quite spendy if your CD was MS Office or something. Remember to keep your CDs in the Jewel Box or sleeve it came in and handle it by the edges and center hub hole.
Other problems may have to do with the system CD drivers, make sure the proper drivers are loading for the correct CD ROM Drive and that there is no other drives conflicting with the CD (Zip drives etc.)
 

Q. Why can I not play music on my CD drive?

A. Check that the CD music drivers are loaded in Windows. Also there is a small audio cable that runs from the CD ROM drive to the sound adapter internally, if this is not plugged into the correct pin socket you won't hear any CD music.
 

Q. I have a 56k modem, but I don't get a 56k connetion

A. Some ISPs (Internet Service Providers) don't offer 56k connections, check with your ISP. If your are being offered 56k, check the protocol the ISP uses and make sure your modem complies with it (X-2, Kflex v90). Another factor can be your phone lines, most residential lines can not support high speed transmission. The line condition will play a very large role in the connection speed.