Getting an Idea of What Is Wrong

• Make an intelligent guess as to what has failed. Most of the time, the easiest problems to identify are ones where something no longer functions. Your immediate question should be: "What happened immediately before the failure?"
  The next move will depend on what the answer is. If there was a software installation, it would be a good idea to uninstall the software that was most recently installed, and then restart the computer. This usually will fix the problem. More basic problems include failed hardware that has to be replaced. The technique for discovering the problem in this situation is to replace what you think has failed until the computer works properly again. For example, if there is no picture, substitute another monitor. If the picture does not return, the problem could be a failed video board or even a failed component on the motherboard. However, a user easily could have changed the screen refresh rate to a rate which is completely inappropriate for that monitor. So the question needs to be asked assertively until the clues as to what really happened come forward.
  
  

Procedures For Diagnosing A PC Problem

• Windows PCs have built-in tools for diagnosing problems. If something has happened, the first place to look (if the computer still boots up) is the Event Viewer. Click on the "Start" button, and in the "Run" box in Windows XP ("Search" in Windows Vista), type "eventvwr.exe." Opening the application log will bring up a list of everything that has happened to the machine going back several days (depending on how it is configured). There are three event classifications: Information, Warning and Error. While the Information messages will be informative and great bedtime reading for geeks, they are not immediate cause for concern and probably can be ignored. For diagnosing a problem, the Warnings and Errors will tell a story, pointing directly to things that are causing the machine to malfunction.
  If there is nothing in Event Viewer that looks to be causing a major problem, try the Task Manager. Press "CTRL"+"ALT"+"DEL" and choose "Task Manager." The Processes tab will show processes that are monopolizing use of the CPU (central processing unit). Depending on what is going on, you might see a CPU "maxed out" at 100 percent, which indicates an errant program. Click the Processes column head twice to sort the column and spot the top CPU hogs.
  
  

Remedies For Workstation Problems

• A workstation that is running slowly will invariably have either little or no resources left for the system, or malware running on it. With the amount of online threats on the Web today, it should come as no surprise if the computer has been compromised. A good start to fix this would be a Malwarebytes scan (see Resources). Install Malwarebytes and choose the update tab first. Next run the scanner and get rid of anything it finds.
  Another thing that causes a Windows computer to run slowly is temporary files that build up during Internet surfing. There are some great free cleaner scanners out there (see Resources). If you run the CC Cleaner on the system after each Web surfing session, the PC will run a lot faster than if this has not been done. CC Cleaner removes all of the files that get saved on the computer when a browser is opening Web pages.