Friday, February 18, 2011

PC Problems You Can Fix Yourself

Our PCs are usually quick to let us know when something is wrong. It’s just not always easy to understand what they are trying to tell us so we can fix the problem. This guide shows you how to interpret a few common cries for help and diagnose the underlying causes.

Problem 1: My computer spontaneously shuts down or restarts

The cause: When your computer shuts down or restarts for no apparent reason, it’s not possessed, it’s just trying to tell you that there may be something wrong with your hardware. In most cases, it’s either your power supply or your fan that’s at fault.

The fix: Check to see if your computer is producing more heat than normal. When a fan is dirty or malfunctioning and can’t cool the PC properly, the computer will shut itself down. Try cleaning your fan. If your fan is clean and seems to be running smoothly, then your power supply unit (PSU) may be broken and needs to be replaced.

Problem 2: I am getting the message “you system is running low on virtual memory”

The cause: In addition to RAM, virtual memory is used by your PC to run applications. The longer a program has been open without being shut down, the higher the virtual memory usage will be. So if you get this error occasionally, this could be the cause and restarting certain programs or rebooting may help. Otherwise you may have an application with a memory leak.

The fix: If you suspect a memory leak, hit Ctrl-Alt-Delete to get to your Task Manager. Click on the Processes tab, then View -> Select Columns.

Now you will have a new column showing the virtual memory sizes of all the applications you’re running. To sort the list from largest to smallest, click twice on the column name. If you find an application that is using a suspiciously high level of virtual memory, it could have a bug and should be reinstalled. If an application doesn’t seem to be at fault, but you still get this message repeatedly, your system’s RAM may be too low, and you might need to install more RAM memory.

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