General Hardware Issues and Troubleshooting you should do

• My computer freezes or is behaving strangely.

Try restarting your computer. Many basic problems can be resolved easily and quickly this way.
Press the Ctrl & Alt & Del keys on your keyboard together at the same time. This should bring up a menu that will allow you to run Task Manager. In Task Manager, switch to the Applications tab. Highlight any programs with the status 'Not Responding' and choose End Task. You may be asked to confirm if you want to end the unresponsive program, so choose Yes. Do this for all programs that are not responding.
If all else fails and you cannot shutdown/restart your computer, then hold down the power button on the machine until it forcibly turns off. Wait a few seconds and then turn it back on again.

• My computer doesn't power up.

Check that all the cables are securely plugged into the back of the machine and the monitor.

Check that the power cables are plugged into a power socket and the socket has been turned on.

Try using a different power socket or, if you are using a power extension strip, plug the power cable directly into a power socket in the wall.

Replace the power cable with one that you know works.

Check if there are any lights on at the front of the machine:

If there are lights on the machine but not the monitor, then it's probably a monitor issue.

If there are lights on the monitor but not the machine, then it's probably a machine issue.

If there are no lights on anything, then it may be possible there is a local power cut.

With laptops, try removing the power cable and the battery. Hold down the power button for about ten seconds, and then plug the battery and power cable in again. Press the power button to see if it switches on.

• Nothing appears on the monitor.

Make sure both the computer and monitor are on.

Make sure the monitor is securely plugged into the computer.

Make sure the power cable is firmly plugged into the monitor.

Some computers have multiple display ports, so make sure you have plugged the monitor into the correct one. Try each one in turn, switching the monitor off then on in between moves.

Most monitors have a status window displayed when you turn it on. Check if you can see this status window when you press the power button on the monitor. You can also try this with the menu button on the monitor, which should bring up an options menu on the screen. This shows the screen is working ok, so it may be an issue with the video cable from the monitor or the machine itself.

Check the brightness & contrast levels of the monitor via the menu button, to make sure it has not been set too dark.

Move the mouse and press any key on the keyboard to make sure the screensaver hasn't activated or that the computer hasn't gone into standby/hibernation mode.

• Non-system disk or disk error at boot.

Remove any floppy disks, CD/DVD discs and USB memory sticks or external hard drives and try booting up again.

If you can hear a repeated scraping or clunking noise, power off the computer as soon as possible, as there may be a physical problem with the hard disk and you may lose data.

• Keyboard/Mouse does not work.

Make sure the keyboard/mouse is firmly plugged into the back of the computer.

Try unplugging one or both, and then reinserting it into the back of the computer.

Try plugging your USB keyboard/mouse into a different USB socket.

Replace the keyboard/mouse with one that you know works.

If you cannot see any lights on your keyboard when you press the Caps Lock or Num Lock key, it may be a dead keyboard.

Make sure there is no dirt or fluff clogging up either the optical laser or roller ball on the underside of your mouse. It may require a clean.

If you are using a wireless keyboard/mouse, try pressing the reset button on the device or replace the batteries.