Computer Repair Flowchart Troubleshoots Hardware Problems
We recently showed you a fun (but accurate) tech support cheat sheet courtesy of popular web comic xkcd. If hardware is more your problem, this series of interactive charts can help you troubleshoot some common hardware problems.
The flowcharts are the creation of author Morris Rosenthal. Morris has created detailed, interactive charts for everything from hard drive failure to CD and DVD troubleshooting to modem failure.
I’m by no means the resident hardware expert at Lifehacker HQ, but the charts offer an easy way to diagnose and resolve some basic problems for anyone from beginners to the more hardware-savvy folks out there.
Hit up the link to see all eight diagnostic charts in action.
Computer Repair with Diagnostic Flowcharts [via Boing Boing]
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Comments (AU Comments | US Comments)
@xtthew: Yeah, heaven forbid people accumulate knowledge and empower themselves to learn how to fix their own common problems. Better that they are forced to go through some clergy-like IT elite in order to solve even the simplest of issues.
I learned by searching, reading, asking, questions, and searching some more. While I am hardly an IT master, I've been putting together and repairing computers for the past 15 years or so and learned everything I know by just doing the reading, asking questions, making some mistakes, and learning from them.
JerryA
Nope,
What you have seen is Gb, not to be confused with GB. So 150MB is approximately 1.5 Gb (With some funny math), and the same for the latter.
Now you know.
ZalmanElephat
Usually its a problem with the flux capacitor not fluxing.
unf0cused
@xtthew: lol, trouble brews in the future for those in the IT field!
ceez
@dchall8: I feel you on that one. I myself, have noob skills at best and I find it sad that I'm the "go to guy" at my work.
@bodar: ...
[words fail me]
@TheFu:
LMAO! The IT Crowd FTW... Can't wait to see what they have in store for the next season. :)
@xtthew: I wish I could "digg" your comment! (or give it some kind of thumb-up !-)
Great. Now noobs will bring their computer in after it shocked them when they touched the inside while its still powered on.
I have never seen a 150MB/s or 300MB/s SATA Drive, I have seen 1.5GB/s and 3.0GB/s SATA.
tagno25
i used to be really intersted in this. i will save the link in case i forget how to figure this stuff out.
chrisp
@dchall8: This is awesome. The first training course I ever went to (it was an Apple course), stressed: "always assume it is something simple". I think I would only add "have you rebooted" to the above.
muledoggie
As meager as my computer skills are, I have always been the "go to" guy in every office I've been in. In the spirit of Star Trek I developed the following diagnostic process:
Level 1 Diagnostic: Check power plug at wall
Level 2 Diagnostic: Check power plug at back of computer
Level 3 Diagnostic: Check power plug from computer to monitor
Level 4 Diagnostic: Check data plug behind computer
Level 5 Diagnostic: Check data plug behind monitor
Level 6 Diagnostic: Check on/off switch
That's really all you need to become the "go to" guy in most offices.
@TheFu: Haha love that show
SoccerCore11
While this is useful it seems a little advanced for the average user. (and people above that probably don't need it.) I doubt they would be able to make much sense of it or know how to do the things it asks. I guess they have a ton of googling ahead of them and possibly some more accidentally broken hardware :P
shibathedog
@Step666: Uhh it's not MEANT to be funny? Some parts are chuckle-worthy though.
From CD-ROM DVD Troubleshooting:
- Two drives installed? -> Yes
- Reading right drive - > No
- Laugh at self, pick right drive
bodar
@TheFu: You have to tell him to hold it in for a few moments. It's one of those tricky buttons.
jupiterthunder
@TheFu: IT Crowd love! "Is it plugged in?"
Marjorie Burns
Roy: [answers phone] Hello IT. Have you tried turning it off and on again? ... OK, well, the button on the side. Is it glowing? ... Yeah, you need to turn it on. Err, the button turns it on. Yeah, you do know how a button works, don't you? No, not on clothes.
[en.wikiquote.org]
TheFu
I don't get it, where's the funny bit?
This is the kind of stuff that threatens the computer service businesses. Now you'll have everyone running around with a huge paper searching Google with questions like "What is SATA", "Where is jumper on Hard Drive", "define:good".
@dchall8: It appears your problem is that your monitor has not been equipped with an electrical socket. Better contact purchasing to get an updated model.
ericesque