Common Computer Issues - Diagnoses and Resolution

Common Computer Issues - Diagnoses and Resolution
This guide is meant to serve as a general means of troubleshooting common hardware-related issues that frequently pop up in SH/SC. All this information has been gathered over time from various threads and compiled into one source to hopefully assist users with any issues their computer might run into.

Table of content
Common Computer Issues - Diagnoses and Resolution
1. My computer is hard-locking
a. Heat
b. RAM
c. Software
d. BIOS
e. Power
f. Motherboard and Devices
2. My computer spontaneously reboots
3. My computer spontaneously shuts down
4. BSODs and STOP Codes
5. Crashing when Windows loads
6. When Safe Mode fails
Version History

Richardson Air Force Academy grad shares chest bump with President Bush

Richardson Air Force Academy grad shares chest bump with President Bush

When the moment finally came to meet the most powerful man in the United States, Theodore Shiveley had just two words for him: "Chest bump."

As the Richardson 22-year-old's class of Air Force Academy graduates streamed across a stage, many asked President Bush to do something unusual for them.

Some stashed pens in their socks so he could sign their hats. One even called his parents and asked the president to say hello on a cellphone.

Lt. Shiveley opened his arms and got the president to engage in a hearty chest bump with him.

"Hey, it's a once-in-a-lifetime chance," said the newly minted second lieutenant, who graduated from Plano East High School. "It was there during the ceremony when we saw other people doing stuff, and I thought, 'Well, let's one-up everybody.' "

As the president and the new graduate saluted each other a few feet apart, "I just hit my chest and said, 'Chest bump,' " Lt. Shiveley said. "And I gave him a little body language so he knew what I was about to do, so I didn't knock the president on his rear."

Lt. Shiveley admitted he had some reservations about smacking into the commander-in-chief.

"I didn't want to get shot by the Secret Service for jumping the president," he said.

"And then I thought, 'Ah, what the hell.' "

How to Work Virus Program.

Strange as it may sound, the computer virus is something of an Information Age marvel. On one hand, viruses show us how vulnerable we are -- a properly engineered virus can have a devastating effect, disrupting productivity and doing billions of dollars in damages. On the other hand, they show us how sophisticated and interconnected human beings have become.

For example, experts estimate that the Mydoom worm infected approximately a quarter-million computers in a single day in January 2004. Back in March 1999, the Melissa virus was so powerful that it forced Microsoft and a number of other very large companies to completely turn off their e-mail systems until the virus could be contained. The ILOVEYOU virus in 2000 had a similarly devastating effect. In January 2007, a worm called Storm appeared -- by October, experts believed up to 50 million computers were infected. That's pretty impressive when you consider that many viruses are incredibly simple.

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When you listen to the news, you hear about many different forms of electronic infection. The most common are:

Viruses - A virus is a small piece of software that piggybacks on real programs. For example, a virus might attach itself to a program such as a spreadsheet program. Each time the spreadsheet program runs, the virus runs, too, and it has the chance to reproduce (by attaching to other programs) or wreak havoc.
E-mail viruses - An e-mail virus travels as an attachment to e-mail messages, and usually replicates itself by automatically mailing itself to dozens of people in the victim's e-mail address book. Some e-mail viruses don't even require a double-click -- they launch when you view the infected message in the preview pane of your e-mail software [source: Johnson].
Trojan horses - A Trojan horse is simply a computer program. The program claims to do one thing (it may claim to be a game) but instead does damage when you run it (it may erase your hard disk). Trojan horses have no way to replicate automatically.
Worms - A worm is a small piece of software that uses computer networks and security holes to replicate itself. A copy of the worm scans the network for another machine that has a specific security hole. It copies itself to the new machine using the security hole, and then starts replicating from there, as well.
In this article, we will discuss viruses -- both "traditional" viruses and e-mail viruses -- so that you can learn how they work and understand how to protect yourself.

Satellite Sputnik orbited Earth

When the satellite Sputnik orbited Earth in October 1957, Russia pulled ahead in the space race. The Cold War was on, and the United States scrambled to respond in kind. It had already developed a satellite under another national program, but it became clear that a dedicated space agency was in order. President Eisenhower and Senator Lyndon B. Johnson led the drive. It took one year from Sputnik's launch to get the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) through Congress and into full operation. Not a second was wasted in eliminating Russia's lead: Even before NASA was fully up and running, the United States sent a satellite into orbit. We were officially in the Space Age.


From the start, NASA's goals were lofty. It planned to expand human knowledge of space; lead the world in space-related technological innovation; develop vehicles that can carry both equipment and living organisms into space; and coordinate with international space agencies to achieve the greatest possible scientific advancements. In the last 50 years, NASA has achieved every one of those goals, and it continues to seek answers to some of the biggest mysteries in science as it evolves with a changing world.

AMD64 Solutions




The AMD64 platform is leading the industry to pervasive 64-bit computing.


The AMD Opteron™ processor, the AMD Athlon™ processor family, and AMD Turion™ 64 mobile technology comprise the AMD64 family.

* AMD Opteron processor – servers and workstations
* AMD Athlon processor family – desktops and notebooks
* AMD Turion 64 mobile technology – notebooks

AMD64 is designed to enable simultaneous 32- and 64-bit computing with no degradation in performance. With Direct Connect Architecture, AMD64 processors address and help eliminate the real challenges and bottlenecks of system architectures because everything is directly connected to the central processing unit.

Explore AMD’s 64-bit leadership.

Enjoy mobile performance made for the ultimate, on-the-go lifestyle.
AMD Turion™ 64 mobile technology is the most advanced family of simultaneous 32- and 64-bit Windows®-compatible processors made for mobility uniquely optimized to deliver AMD64 performance in thinner and lighter notebook designs with longer battery life, enhanced security*, and compatibility with the latest wireless and graphics technologies, today and tomorrow.


* “Enhanced Virus Protection (EVP) is only enabled by certain operating systems including the current versions of Microsoft® Windows®, Linux, Solaris and BSD Unix. After properly installing the appropriate operating system release, users must enable the protection of their applications and associated files from buffer overrun attacks. Consult your OS documentation for information on enabling EVP. Contact your application software vendor for information regarding use of the application in conjunction with EVP. AMD strongly recommends that users continue to use third party anti-virus software as part of their security strategy.”


MD Turion™ 64 X2 Dual-Core Mobile Technology Product brief

AMD Turion™ 64 X2 Dual-Core Mobile Technology Overview

* AMD's most advanced family of dual-core processors made for mobility—delivering outstanding multi-tasking performance in thin and light notebook PC designs

* Simultaneous 32- and 64-bit performance and designed to be compatible with the next generation 64-bit Windows operating system, Microsoft® Windows® Vista™.

* Rich choices for customers of all kinds —long battery life, better security with Enhanced Virus Protection* , and designed for compatibility with the latest wireless and graphics technologies—today and tomorrow

Leading-edge Mobile Performance

* AMD64 dual-core performance delivers exceptional multi-tasking and multi-threaded performance for both 32 – and 64-bit environments

* Featuring AMD's innovative Direct Connect Architecture for leading-edge dual-core processor performance

* HyperTransport™ technology boosts overall system agility so your applications are responsive and you get incredible performance

* AMD Turion™ 64 X2 dual-core mobile technology featuring AMD Digital Media XPress™ delivers a rich experience on today's multimedia-enhanced software, enabling stellar performance and playback quality on digital entertainment such as games, streaming video and audio, DVDs, and music

* As a leading innovator in today's microprocessor technologies AMD products offer lasting reliability and cutting-edge technology

Enabling Your Mobile Lifestyle

* Uniquely optimized to support today's innovative thin & light notebook designs empowering highly mobile business professionals and consumers living today's on-the-go lifestyle

* AMD PowerNow!™ technology , the first dynamic power management technology in the industry, delivers performance on demand and can extend system battery life up to 65%

* Compatible with currently available 802.11a, b, g, and Bluetooth wireless solutions, AMD Turion 64™ X2 mobile technology enables mobile PC users with integrated Wi-Fi certified WLAN technology to keep in touch. Anywhere mobile users go—from the airport, to poolside, to a remote office location—they can access the Internet, check e-mail, and stay connected

Richer Choices

* Allows customers to choose among the best in wireless connectivity, graphics, and security

* Renowned industry innovator AMD collaborates with industry-leading technology companies to bring you a powerful notebook with the exceptional performance and mobility you expect

*Enhanced Virus Protection (EVP) is only enabled by certain operating systems, including the current versions of Microsoft® Windows®, Linux®, Solaris, and BSD Unix. After properly installing the appropriate operating system release, users must enable the protection of their applications and associated files from buffer overrun attacks. Consult your OS documentation for information on enabling EVP. Contact your application software vendor for information regarding use of the application in conjunction with EVP. AMD strongly recommends that users continue to include third-party antivirus software as part of their security strategy.