“I think it has a fever”—what to do if something doesn’t seem right
Error messages that appear on a computer screen can cause the bravest souls to quake in their boots. These messages are generally as harmless as a spooky movie, but they can be just as frightening.
It’s a good idea to keep a diary of any problems you have with your computer. Make a note of the date, time, and what happened. If an error message shows up, write it down exactly as it appears. In the unlikely case that you bought a lemon, it will also be helpful information when you return the computer.
This chapter will go over some of the problems that you might come across with your computer. I want you to be aware of them and show you that they can be solved. Be assured that most of these problems will not happen. There is even the possibility that none of them will ever happen (although the chances of that are about the same as you winning the Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes).
I don’t expect you to understand the logic behind the solutions; just read along to get a feel for how to troubleshoot problems. Consider this chapter your first-aid kit for your computer experience.
Most monitors have a small light that indicates if the monitor is on. If this light is not lit, it means the monitor is not getting electricity.
• Is the monitor turned on?
• Is the computer plugged in?
• Is the monitor plugged into the computer?
• Is the computer plugged into a working outlet?
• If it’s plugged into a surge protector, is the surge protector plugged in and turned on?
• There is a dial to increase or decrease the brightness of the screen somewhere on the monitor. Perhaps that is turned to the darkest choice. Find that dial and see if you can adjust the screen.
These solutions may seem too obvious to solve the problem, but that is often the case with computers. Because computers seem so complex, the simple solutions are sometimes overlooked. If only I had a dollar for every time a client called in distress and the culprit was a part of the computer that had been unplugged by accident.
Again, chances are something isn’t plugged in correctly. Trace the path of each cord. Unplug the cord from its port and then replug it into the port. Sometimes even I find myself wondering why a document won’t print, and then I remember I unplugged the printer the last time I took my laptop on the road. Oops.
If it’s still not working, try restarting your computer.
The first thing to do is try to visit another website. That determines if the original website you were trying to access is acting up or there’s a different problem. I usually try cnn.com as my test site, because it’s lush, and if it opens up, that means that you, your computer, and your Internet connection have no problems, but the website you were trying to visit was having a hiccup. Give the site some time to get its act together and try again later.
If you have no success opening cnn.com, close the window and try connecting to the Internet with a different browser. If you have a PC, you will have Internet Explorer (the blue E) already on your desktop. If you have a Mac, you’ll have Safari (the compass). They are both browsers, allowing you to “browse” the Internet. If you haven’t already, download Mozilla Firefox (firefox.com). It’s a browser that works well on both Macs and PCs. If Internet Explorer or Safari don’t open, try to open Firefox. If Firefox opens, try to access the desired website. If you succeed, the problem was with your other browser.
If you’re still not able to connect, the problem could be your modem. The best thing to do at this stage is turn off the computer. Turn off your modem, and unplug all of the plugs in the back of the modem. (Take note of where each one is plugged before removing it. If you haven’t already, you can mark each cord by labeling it with masking tape to ensure there will be no mistaking what it plugs into.) Let it all sit for a full minute, then plug the cords in again and turn the modem on. Wait another full minute for the modem to reset itself. Now turn on your computer and try to connect to the Internet again.
It’s a good idea to make a note of the lights on the modem when it is working well. That way, if you can’t connect to the Internet, you may be able to identify the problem quickly with just a glance at the lights. (“Eureka! What should be green is yellow or not lit at all.”) If restarting the modem doesn’t work, call the company that provides your Internet service, and see if they can troubleshoot things from their end.
This remains one of the great mysteries of the computer. Sometimes it just freezes up on you. It’s a bit like when a part of my brain can’t come up with the name of a person I’ve known for years. Something stops working momentarily. The computer might fix itself in a few minutes, but if it doesn’t, you can bring it back to life.
Option 1. Rather than continue to click the mouse or hit the Enter key (on a PC) or the Return key (on a Mac), just get up from your desk and walk away. Some people get very frustrated when the computer freezes up. Be warned—computers cannot withstand the Samsonite stress test. Do not pound on your keyboard or your mouse. It will only make matters worse. If you need to take five, do so. By the time you come back to the computer, it may have adjusted itself.
Option 2. You can try gently depressing the Esc (Escape) key a couple of times (the Esc key is usually at the top left of the keyboard). The Esc key is used to get out of a program or to stop an action before it is completed.
Option 3. If the Esc key doesn’t help, you will need to “soft boot” (or “force quit” in Mac speak) the computer. To soft boot means to close a program that isn’t responding or, if that doesn’t work, to force the computer to restart or shut down without pulling the plug. To “hard boot” the computer is a last resort and involves cutting off the electricity (by shutting off the computer or unplugging it) rather than following the proper shutdown process. My interpretation is that you’re giving the computer a swift kick with a soft boot as opposed to a hard boot. We won’t hard boot the computer unless absolutely necessary. Of course, you should never really kick the computer, with or without footwear!
• When a PC freezes, first try the Windows Task Manager window to close a program that is not responding.
To soft boot a PC:
• Find the Ctrl (Control), Alt (Alternate) and Del (Delete) keys on your keyboard.
• Hold all three down simultaneously, and then release.
• Click on Task Manager with Windows 7.
• A Windows Task Manager window will appear. It will list all the programs that are open or running.
• Hit the Enter key on your keyboard. That instructs the computer to End Task. That means the computer will close the program that is highlighted in blue. (This program may have the words “not responding” next to it.) You’ll then be asked to confirm this choice. Hit the Enter key again to confirm.
• If that doesn’t work, hold down the Ctrl, Alt, and Del keys again and release.
• The Task Manager window will reappear. If you can move the mouse arrow to the words Shut Down, do so and click once. If your mouse is also frozen, then hold down the Ctrl, Alt, and Del keys one more time and release again.
• This will instruct the computer to restart. It’s a more gentle solution than hard booting the computer, which involves turning the computer off by cutting off the electrical current.
• When a Mac freezes, the Force Quit Applications window will help you to “soft boot” the machine.
To soft boot a Mac:
• Find the 
(Command), Option Alt, and Esc (Escape) keys on your keyboard.
• Hold all three down simultaneously, and then release.
• A Force Quit Applications window will appear. It will list all the programs that are open or running.
• Hit the Return key on your keyboard. That instructs the computer to Force Quit. That means the computer will close the program that is probably causing the problem.
• If that doesn’t work, hold down the (Command), Option Alt, and Esc keys at the same time and then release.
• This will instruct the computer to restart. It’s a more gentle solution than hard booting the computer, which involves cutting the electrical current by turning the computer off.
The computer may have frozen because the program you were in had a hiccup of sorts, not because the computer has any real problems. That’s why we first look at the programs that are open and see if closing one of them will unfreeze the computer.
Option 4. If a soft boot fails, you have no choice but to hard boot (shut down) the computer. You do this by turning the power switch off on the computer. If that doesn’t work, you’ll have to unplug the computer or turn off the surge protector. Count to 60 and then turn the computer back on. Everything should be fine now.
Note: When you close a program through a soft or hard boot, you can’t save any of the changes that you’ve made. For example, you are writing a letter to your son and the computer freezes. You soft or hard boot the computer to unfreeze it. The parts of the letter that you had not saved probably won’t be there when you retrieve it. Yet another reason to save often.
Don’t worry! This window will only appear if your computer has a floppy disk drive on it (which most new ones will not). If you have a floppy disk drive and you see this message, you simply forgot to take your floppy disk out of the A: drive. Remove the disk and press any key (whatever key that your little heart desires) on the keyboard. Your computer should continue the startup process without a glitch.
This window will appear on a PC if something went wrong during the startup process. For right now, we don’t care what went wrong. We just want to get the computer back on track. In this case the first thing to do is to hard boot (turn off) the computer, count to 60, and turn it back on.
• If the box appears again, choose Option 3, Safe Mode, by typing the number 3 and hitting the Enter key.
• Now let’s shut the computer down by moving the mouse arrow to the Start button (on the bottom left of your screen) and clicking once.
• Move the arrow up to the words Shut Down and click once.
• A Shutdown Window will appear in the center of your screen; move the mouse arrow to the word Restart and click once.
• Next, hit the Enter key. This will allow your computer to restart and all should be cured.
I’m sure all of this sounds a bit unappealing, but it really isn’t that bad when you’re doing it. Trust me.
On a PC this is called the DOS prompt. Try typing in the word “win” and hitting the Enter key. This may bring the desktop screen up. If that doesn’t work, then turn off the computer (hard boot), count to 60, and turn it back on.
This Mac error message leads one to believe that identifying it as a Type 1 or 2 or 10,000 error would help solve the problem, but that isn’t the case. For us civilians we can only glean from that message that we should restart the computer.
• Gulp!
• Hold down the Command, Option/Alt and ESC keys at the same time and then release.
• This will instruct the computer to restart.
This error message shouldn’t happen often, if at all. Keep a record of when it occurs. If it happens frequently, it would be wise to have the machine serviced.
Chances are the document or folder you want to delete is still open. Make sure that you’ve closed the document or folder and quit the program that it lives in.
Your printer hasn’t gone mad. The most likely explanation is that you actually asked it to print and print and print, by repeatedly clicking on the Printer 
icon. The printer now has several print jobs in its queue and wants to print them all.
If you have a PC, follow these steps to stop the print jobs:
• Click on Start 
in the bottom left corner of your screen.
• Click on Control Panel.
• Double-click on Printers (or Printers and Faxes).
• Double-click on your printer’s icon.
• Click on Print in the menu bar top left.
• Click on Cancel All Documents.
If you have a Mac, follow these steps to stop the print jobs:
• Click on the Printer icon in the Dock 
.
• Click Stop Jobs 
.
• Click to select the print jobs listed in the bottom area of the window.
• Click on Delete in the top left corner 
.
• Click Start Jobs 
.
It may take some time for the printer to obey your commands and stop printing. Be patient. If you’ve followed the steps above and it still won’t stop printing, turn everything off, unplug the printer from the computer, and count to 60. Then plug everything back in and turn everything on again. Everything should be back to normal now.
Even if your printer is telling you that your ink cartridge needs changing, wait until you notice the ink is light on your printouts before replacing it. Printers tend to notify you that new ink is needed when there’s still a bit of life left in the existing cartridges, and printer ink is expensive. But when your cartridge really is running out, follow these steps.
• Be sure the printer is on.
• To remove the ink cartridge you’ll either lift the lid off your printer or pull down the front panel (each printer model is different).
• Push down on the old cartridge with your thumb (be firm). Once the cartridge has disengaged, pull it forward and remove it from the printer.
• Take the new cartridge out of the wrapper and remove the little piece of plastic that covers where the ink comes out. Be careful not to touch that part of the cartridge. (The oils from your fingers can clog it.)
• Place the new ink cartridge into the slot from which you removed the old one. It’ll most likely start with the back tipped slightly up or down, and you’ll have to push on the front. It can feel like it takes a bit of force.
• If your printer is a scanner/copier as well, when you close the lid or front panel, your printer is probably going to ask you to print out an alignment page or something similar to that.
• Follow the directions on the page printed to align the cartridge.
If this all seems like too much, call in the cavalry. But, have your knight in shining armor show you how to change the cartridge so you can do it next time.
As I mentioned in Chapter 5, computers have several enemies.
• A magnet held over a floppy disk can delete everything stored on that disk. Magnets can also damage the screen and other components in your computer case. My advice: Keep your magnets on the fridge and nowhere near your computer.
• Liquids should be kept far away from your keyboard. As you may recall, just a few drops of milk from my cereal spoon caused a huge amount of damage to my machine. Don’t take that chance. Instead, take regular breaks from the computer and enjoy your refreshing drink in another room—or at least a few feet away. Any excuse to get up from the computer helps prevent bleary eyes and fatigue anyway.
• Little kids are the Wunderkinder of computers. However, they may not be gentle with your keyboard or mouse. Never let young children use your computer unsupervised.
• Static electricity is another villain. I recently read an article that a woman’s computer at work conked out every day at 4:45 P.M. Several technicians tried to find the problem but to no avail. Finally, a technician decided to observe her at that hour. What he discovered was that as her workday came to a close she would get more and more anxious about finishing her work on time. She would cross and recross her legs, conducting static electricity from the thick carpet below her desk, which in turn fouled up her computer. For this reason, it isn’t wise to have the computer in a room with a heavy pile carpet.
• Be sure to protect your CDs and DVDs from any extremes. They don’t respond well to direct sunlight or heat. The safest thing to do is to store them in a box or on a bookshelf. I used to keep mine on a shady windowsill until a friend accidentally sent them on a four-story Kamikaze drop. Splat. Now I have them safely stored under my desk. You can purchase shelves, boxes, or albums designed to store and organize CDs and DVDs.
A computer can have a virus (see Chapter 16), and that virus can reproduce itself inside the computer or move from one computer to another via an e-mail attachment or a CD.
The nasty truth about viruses is that they are created by humans. They are the result of some computer geek’s wanting to see how insidious his or her virus can become. Viruses can be debilitating, but they can also be detected and destroyed with virus software. Your computer probably came with virus detection software. If not, ask your salesperson about it.
You are the first line of defense against a virus. The most likely way to infect your computer with a virus is by opening an e-mail attachment that is carrying a virus. Be sure your e-mail service offers virus scanning with attachments. If you receive an e-mail with an attachment and you don’t recognize the sender, immediately throw the e-mail away.
A virus can manifest itself in a variety of ways. You may notice that your computer functions more slowly than usual or that certain tasks aren’t being carried out properly. Unfortunately, a virus can also destroy information stored on your computer.
If your computer begins to misbehave (i.e., it suddenly turns off repeatedly, programs shut down without your instruction, the computer moves at a snail’s pace when it used to be a jackrabbit, etc.), get thee to a technician and have them run diagnostics it on it to see if it has been infected.
If you must call tech support, have all pertinent information about your computer at the ready. You may need to provide the tech person with the specs on your system. It’s a good idea to have written down the make and model of your computer and the operating system. The make and model (e.g., Sony Vaio PCG-505FX, MacBook, etc.) is usually noted on the front of your computer case. When the computer is warming up, the operating system (e.g., Windows 7, Vista, OSX, etc.) will be displayed.
Alternatively, if you have a PC, you can find all this information by right-clicking on the Computer icon. Then left-click on the word Properties. Here you may see the make and model of the computer, the operating system, and even the amount of RAM. If you have a Mac, you can click on the Apple in the top left corner, then click on About This Mac.
If you took advantage of the Test Drive Form on page 56, all the information you need is already written on that form. Handy, isn’t it?
Ask if the tech support person is familiar with your system. I’m all for learning on the job, but not when it comes to tech support. With so many different computer systems being used and a lot of compatibility problems, it is essential that you start your search for answers with someone who is familiar with your system. If the technician is not familiar with your computer system, please feel empowered to ask for someone who is. Without hesitation, I will request a tier-two technician—tech talk for someone more knowledgeable or a supervisor.
I just threw a lot of “ifs” and bad scenarios at you. Rather than make you anxious, this is all meant to empower you, knowing that you have the resources available should something go wrong with your computer.
I would love to tell you that your computer will never have a problem, but I would be lying to you. Computers were made by humans and they have flaws. I hope that, between this book and the instructional book that came with your machine, a solution is never too far away.
