Troubleshooting your PC

About This Book

This is a problem-solving book. After all, if every problem mentioned in this book were to land on a computer at one time, even I would toss the thing out the window and take up yodeling or log rolling instead. The idea here is simple: You have a problem, and you look up the solution.You can use the index to discover where solutions to specific problems lie, or you can just browse through Part II, which covers many solutions based on the particular piece of the PC that’s being troubled. Each section within a chapter mentions the problem and covers potential solutions. Sample sec¬tions include
In the presence of unwelcome silence

* Fixing missing Hibernation mode
* The whatever-submenu on the Start menu is missing!
* The mouse is getting s-l-o-w
* Things to check when the printer isn’t printing
* Where did the download go?
* Why doesn’t it shut down?
* “Windows doesn’t remember my password!”

And many, many more. You don’t have to learn anything. You don’t have to complete worksheets or take quizzes. Just find your problem, look up the answer, and follow a few quick and easily explained steps, and you’re back on your way with a working computer in no time.

How This Book Is Organized

This book contains four major parts to whet your troubleshooting appetite. Each part contains chapters that help further explain the part subject. Then, each chapter is divided into individual sections that address specific issues. Everything is cross-referenced. You don’t have to read the entire book, from front to back. You may start reading anywhere and receive the full enjoyment that you would if you were to start on the first page or wherever the binding falls open when you try to lay this book on its back.

Part I: What the @#$%&*!?

The chapters in this part of the book serve as a handy introduction to the entire notion of troubleshooting your PC. I give you some explanations, some quick things to try, plus helpful tips and advice on where to go when you can’t find the answers.

Part II: Troubleshooting Minor Irks and Quirks

The chapters in this part make up the book’s core. Each chapter covers a specific aspect of the computer, either some piece of hardware or something you do, such as use the Internet. Each chapter contains general troubleshoot¬ing information and some specific (and common) questions and answers along with their possible solutions.

Part III: Preventive Maintenance

Nothing beats being prepared. The chapters in this part tell you how to best prepare for the potential of PC peril and how to optimize your system, and you get some general good advice on what to do “just in case.”

Part IV: The Part of Tens

The traditional For Dummies Part of Tens contains several chapters with some good advice, all bundled into neat lists of ten.
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