Troubleshooting Tips

General
Mouse and Keyboard
Printer
Monitor
Sound
Computer
Network

GENERAL TIPS FOR TROUBLESHOOTING

Check that electric cords, computer cables,
and network cables are secured properly
Rebooting often solves problems.
Write down error messages word for word.
Be as specific as possible when describing a
problem, e.g: “ Every time I try to print to the HP 2200
TN Printer from Word 2000, I get an error message
saying “xyz ”.
Know the Computer Number of other identification tag number when you call.
If possible, find a way to get you and your
phone in front of the computer (get a long cord or use a
cordless phone, speaker phone, or cell phone).

MOUSE AND KEYBOARD PROBLEMS

No mouse pointer at all

Check that the mouse is connected to the back of the machine. The connections are color-coded.
Reboot the machine.

Limited or erratic mouse movement

No keyboard response at all

Check that the keyboard is connected to the back of the machine. The connections are color-coded.
Reboot the machine.

Unexpected symbols or keys

Toggle the Windows and/or Function key (usually lower left on keyboard) to make sure you are not
in Function mode.
Check the font that is being used (many fonts are symbols and not letters) and change to a
letter-based font (Times New Roman is usually the default font).
Check that the keycaps are in the correct location (younger kids sometimes play with these…)

Text seems to disappear when you are typing

Toggle the Insert button (toward upper right) to be sure you are not in Overwrite mode.

PRINTER PROBLEMS

Printer doesn’t print

Try printing again using the File/Print option. Be sure that you have selected the correct.
Check that the printer is turned on and the cables are connected at both the printer and the hub.
Check that the top and drawers to your printer are closed, that you have paper loaded, and that your printer is not offline.
Test the Internet on your machine. If it isn’t working, then go to NETWORK PROBLEMS because your printer problem is most likely related to a network problem.
Try printing from a different software application (for example, if you were using Word, try printing something from Excel to see if the printing problem is specific only to Word).
Reboot the computer and try to print again.
Turn your printer off. Reboot your computer and then turn the printer back on. Try to print again.
Try printing from another machine. When you call tech support, let me know if you can't print from just one machine or if you can't print from either machine.

Printer prints but the page is blank

Make sure that you have toner left.
Make sure you are not printing a web page that has white text on a dark background.
Reboot your computer and try again.

MONITOR PROBLEMS

Black screen or message to verify your connections

Be sure your computer and monitor are both powered on.
If they are both powered on, turn off your computer and monitor and check that the cable from the monitor to the computer is secure.
Reboot your computer and turn on your monitor.

Screen contrast, brightness, horizontal/vertical size, etc. is incorrect

Use the dial on the monitor to adjust the spacing to the desired height, width, contrast, etc.
Reset the monitor to "factory default" settings using the monitor controls.
Check the display settings on the computer. Open My Computer, Control Panel, and Display. Set the background to “None,” set the Appearance to “Windows Standard” or “Windows Large” as desired, and Settings to “High=Color (16 bit)” and “800 x 600 pixels.”

SOUND PROBLEMS

Click ONE time on the speaker symbol at the bottom right of your screen and verify that “Mute” is not selected. Raise the volume level as necessary.
Check to see if you have headphones plugged in to the front of the computer. If so, put on the headphones and move the black control box on the headphone wire up and down to change volume.

COMPUTER PROBLEMS

Computer doesn’t turn on at all

Check that the computer really isn’t turning on – you will see no lights on the front of the computer and no sound at all coming from the computer.
Verify that electricity is being provided to the computer via the power cords, power strips, etc.
Change out the electric plug and/or power strips, or try to plug something else into the power strip or plug to see if the problem
is with the computer or power strip or if you have an power problem at your building.

Computer turns on but you can’t see it booting up

If you hear the computer booting up and no unusual sounds, verify that the monitor is turned on.
If you still can’t see your screen, power off your computer and monitor and check that the cable from
the monitor to the computer is secure. Turn the computer and the monitor back on.

Computer turns on but it gives you a message about a non-system disk

Computer freezes or gives fatal exception error

Try to turn the computer off by using Ctrl-Alt-Del and choose Shut Down. If you can’t, power off the machine using the power button - you must hold the button down until the machine turns off..
Reboot when the machine makes no noise (about 10-15 seconds after you turn it off).
You may be instructed to scan the drive for errors. Answer Okay or Yes.If errors are found, answer Okay or Yes to fix them. If you are asked to save your changes, answer No.

Computer won't shut down

NETWORK PROBLEMS

If you cannot get on the Internet

Check to see that the network cable on your computer is securely plugged in the back of the machine and into the hub.
Type in a couple of rarely visited web page addresses to see if you can get to those pages. For example, type in www.swt.edu and “www.shsu.edu.” If you can get to those sites, the Internet is working but the web site you were trying to get to is down.
Check that the hubs are turned on and that a network cable is securely plugged into a hub and that the hubs connect to each other or to a wall jack.
Continue to verify that the network equipment you see is turned on and has network cables linking it to the next piece of network equipment (hubs) or the wall jack. If you unplug any network cables, be certain to plug them back exactly where you found them.
Reset all network equipment. That means turning the equipment off for 10 seconds and then turning it back on. Some equipment may have an on/off switch but for most equipment you will unplug the power cord adapter and plug it back in. Types of equipment that you may need to plug and unplug include computers, hubs (which look like white boxes with multiple phone jacks in them), and possibly a router and a cable/DSL modem (which look like boxes with just a few
phone jacks).