Computer Repair with Diagnostic Flowcharts Free Download PDF

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: www.daileyint.com/hmdpc/repair.htm

Copyright 2011 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

Yes

Power comes on?

No

No

Live screen?

Yes Yes Check power requirement vs rating.

Good AC power source? No Use live outlet.

Yes

Proceed to Video Failure chart.

New build? No

Yes

Is 110/220 V set? No

No

Boot on 2nd try?

Yes Premature power_ok signal. Try different power supply. Select proper voltage on rear of power supply. Yes Installed motherboard lead? Power switch fail? Check manual and motherboard silkscreen. Connect lead from front panel switch. No

No

Hear any beeps?

Yes

New hardware installed?

No

Proceed to Motherboard Failure chart.

Yes

No

Yes Replace switch or substitute front panel reset switch, if available. Yes Power supply connections to motherboard correct? No

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

Remake Hard drive spin up? Yes motherboard power supply connections.

No

Either you have a short circuit in the case or a geometry problem placing an unacceptable stress on the motherboard. Its also possible that the video adapter was never seated, due the bracket position. Replace power supply.

Spin up on other lead? No

Yes

Powers motherboard on bench? No

No

Bad adapter on bus? Yes

Yes Defective power supply lead or connector. Strip system down to video adapter only.

See Box A, on Conflict Resolution chart.

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
Yes

Does system power up? Yes

No Proceed to Power Supply Failure

No

Live screen?

No Check monitor

Monitor power on?

Yes Connect video card

Yes

No power displayed?

No

power source. Make sure cord is fully seated in the monitor socket. No

Controls in middle of range?

power inside PC Yes

Hear No

No Signal displayed?

No

a string of beeps? Yes No

Yes Video cable secure? Yes

Adjust brightness and contrast. Yes Adapter seated?

No

Check both ends of video cable.

No

RAM seated?

Yes Cable

Reseat video adapter, secure.

Reseat RAM on Motherboard.

Yes

damaged, pins bent? No

Yes

Monitor tested? No Test monitor on good PC or laptop.

Repair or replace video cable. Any Testing with a different technology video adapter (PCI vs PCI Express) doesnt prove the card slot is good No Live with new video adapter? No

Freezes Yes on BIOS Screen? No Proceed to Video Performance chart.

other adapters installed? Yes Live with lone video adapter?

No

Yes

Proceed to Motherboard

Failure chart

Yes Try old adapter in other system before chucking.

Proceed to Conflict Resolution 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

No Power diagnostic done? Yes

No

Live Screen?

Yes

Yes

Freezes on boot screen?

No

Proceed to Power Supply Failure.

Yes

Video diagnostic done?

No

Freezes bare bones? No

Yes

No

RAM matched, seated?

Yes

Proceed to Video Failure diagnostic chart

Proceed to Motherboard Performance chart.

Reseat RAM, positive lever lock. Install pairs if required. No

Yes

CPU seated flat? Yes

No

Proceed to conflict resolution chart Freezes on swapped RAM?

Fan on heatsink active?

Reseat CPU and heatsink.

No

Yes

Check fan power point, (fan1), replace.

No

Hear beeps?

Yes Yes CMOS settings default?

Default No motherboard Yes settings?

Replace RAM with type listed in motherboard documentation.

No Load defaults from BIOS.

Restore default motherboard settings with jumpers or switches.

Yes

Runs on bench? No

Yes

Heatsink active?

No

Locate short, binding, or swap case.

Yes

CPU swap work?

No

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

Bad CPU, watch voltage and heatsink

on replace

ment.

Motherboard bad.

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

Drive seek, spin up?

No

BIOS register drive?

Yes

No

Yes

CD or DVD drive? Yes

No

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

No

SATA drive?

Yes

Proceed to CD / DVD chart. No

No

Yes 300 MB/s SATA2? Check on-drive compatibility jumper if old 150 MB/s controller.

Drive cycles up, down? Yes

Data Yes connection good? No Mode,

Swap power lead, try isolating on IDE cable, check power management.

No

Set Master/ Slave?

Yes

BIOS on old motherboard may fail to detect SATA when present.

Set cable select Yes (CS)? No

Cables seated, new? Yes

No

Check data cable seated both ends, test cable.

X-fer speed correct?

No

PATA hard Yes drives require 80 conductor cable, check mode in CMOS.

Reseat IDE and power cables. Replace IDE cables if in doubt.

Select Master/Slave or CS. CS requires 80 conductor IDE cable or custom 40 wire cable.

No

Does FDISK see drive?

Yes

IDE Yes ribbon cable No keyed?

Isolate drive on primary IDE controller. If FDISK still doesnt see drive, the MBR may have been trashed by a virus.

Proceed to Hard Drive Boot and Performance chart.

Replace IDE cable. If BIOS still doesnt register drive, either

motherboard controller or drive is bad or incompatible.

M a t c h p i n 1 o n a l l c o n n e c t o r s .

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
Yes BIOS register drive?

No

Tray ejects?

Yes

No

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

Drive vibrates, noisy?

No

Yes

Locked in software?

No

Proceed to ATA Drive Failure

Yes

Plays music CDs? No

Try ejecting before boot.

Yes

Pin hole on drive face?

No Pull drive,

Yes

Plays movies?

Unplug power, insert straightened paper-clip, pull tray. Make sure you didnt use any long mounting screws. Yes Two drives installed? Yes Reading right drive? No

faceplate, pry and pray.

No No Burner problem?

No

Read data disc? Yes

Yes Proceed to Recording Problem.

Check CODECs, recent update of media player DAE settings or audio patch cable from drive to sound card.

Read other discs? Yes

No Yes Boots OS? No

No

Laugh at self, pick right drive.

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

Try other diagnostic chart. No DVD SATA?

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

No Proceed to Conflict Resolution. No Replace IDE cable, change BIOS mode, try drive in test PC. Drive shares IDE cable? Yes

Yes

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

Isolate on secondary IDE.

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
Yes LED may say Online, green is usually good. Yes Internet LED lit? No Power off PC and modem, retry. Line unplugged, modem failure, or service out.

DSL or cable modem?

No

Yes

Does modem dial? Yes

No

No

ISP pick up?

Yes

Busy or ringing?

No

No

Gets online?

Yes

Confirm ISPs phone number, area code and prefix for outside line. Cable? Yes Filters installed? Yes No Install on ALL lines! No

Try dialing on pulse No ISP confirm user info? Yes Proceed to No Connect at lowered speed? Yes Modem Performance

Get valid user name, password from ISP.

Friend w/ same?

Yes

Connect to different ISP?

Yes

No

Try borrowed DSL modem.

No

Check modem standards and brands supported with ISP. Yes Best driver installed? No

No

No dial tone? Yes Connect line jack on modem.

Multi-port modem?

No

Try direct line or new modem.

Yes Try networking cable on different modem port, USB,

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

No

Device Manger report problem?

Yes

Download latest driver from web.

Pass or test wirele ss function with laptop.

No

OS modem Yes test? Reboot, try

Proceed to Conflict Resolution.

Try new modem.

again.

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
Sound enabled in O.S.?

No

Any non-beep audio?

Yes

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

Yes

Proceed to Sound Performance

Yes

External speakers powered? Yes Best Yes driver loaded?

No

External volume dials up?

Turn up external controls on speakers, old sound cards. Yes

No

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

Device Manager register card? No

Download latest driver from Internet.

No

Any ! or ? in Device Manager?

Yes

USB sound? No

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

Proceed to Conflict Resolution

Yes

Register with video only?

No

Checked all jacks?

Yes

Yes Disable motherboard

Built-in No motherboard sound?

No Confirm speaker jack connected correct port (nonUSB only). If 3D sound card, use front speakers. Sound capable devices, and 3rd party software may all have No Hunted down every software volume?

sound in CMOS and install sound card. Yes

Problem Ye s Proceed to CD or DVD

Replace sound card. Use USB speaker or USB sound card if no expansion with music CDs only?

No individual volume controls. Watch for mute boxes checked. Playback

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

Hardware failure.

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

Yes New hub added to LAN?

No

PC sees other network units?

Yes

No

No

Random problems?

Yes

Check crossover (X) port wiring.

Yes

Link light lit?

No

Software limits, user settings.

No

Shielded cable? Yes

Yes

Copied network config?

No

Physical layer (cables, devices)

Check proper ground (one end) Yes Within physical layer limits? Tried different port on hub? Yes Add repeaters, re-route cables. Fails on traffic, # of users? No No

Yes

Device Manager problem?

No

Clone setup from good workstation. No No

Proceed Conflict Resolution.

Yes

Tried known good cable?

Yes

PC works at new location?

No

Swap cable or check pairs, ends.

Yes

In-wall cabling failure, limits, or hub port.

Reboot, improper software configuration or bad network adapter.

Swap hub for switch, check server utilization. If connection stable on new port, prior port is failing. No Cable bypass to hub fix?

No

Flaky off network also? Yes Proceed to Motherboard Performance.

Problem is unlikely network hardware if only this workstation has intermittent failures. Try eliminating all other non-essential software tasks for testing purposes. No Most likely software conflicts, virus.

Yes

New network card works? 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