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Computer POST and beep codes The computer POST (power-on self-test) checks a computer's internal hardware for compatibility and connection before starting the remainder of the boot process. If the computer passes the POST, the computer may give a single beep (some computers may beep twice) as it starts and continue to boot. However, if the computer fails the POST, the computer will either not beep or generate a beep code that tells the user the source of the problem. If your computer has an irregular POST or a beep code not mentioned below, follow the POST troubleshooting steps to determine the failing hardware component. AMI BIOS beep codes Award BIOS beep codes Dell beep codes IBM BIOS beep codes Macintosh startup tones Phoenix BIOS beep codes Motherboard help AMI BIOS beep codes Below are the AMI BIOS Beep codes that can occur. However, because of the wide variety of different computer ...

How To Fix Hardware Failure A hardware could be a sound card, a graphic card or a hard drive. Problems with a hardware is not very common but when it happens, often it’s not the hardware itself that is broken, but a driver or a software is not updated or got errors. Before you start to test your hardware, make sure that all cables are inserted the right way and that no cables are damaged. If your hard drive doesn’t work, try to test it on another computer or an external hard drive case. Don’t call the manufacturer or the computer shop before you have tested everything you can do. How To Fix Hardware Problems In Windows! You can use the device manager in Windows to fix hardware problems, if there’s a problem with a driver or a software and not the hardware itself. Go to the Control Panel and click on the Hardware and Sound link. You will see the Device Manager link in the right menu. Click on it and if you see any devices that show a red X or a yellow exclam...

How to Identify Which Hardware Component is Failing in Your Computer Concluding that your computer has a hardware problem is just the first step. If you’re dealing with a hardware issue and not a software issue, the next step is determining what hardware problem you’re actually dealing with. If you purchased a laptop or pre-built desktop PC and it’s still under warranty, you don’t need to care about this. Have the manufacturer fix the PC for you — figuring it out is their problem. If you’ve built your own PC or you want to fix a computer that’s out of warranty, this is something you’ll need to do on your own. Blue Screen 101: Search for the Error Message This may seem like obvious advice, but searching for information about a blue screen’s error message can help immensely. Most blue screens of death you’ll encounter on modern versions of Windows will likely be caused by hardware failures. The blue screen of death often displays information about the driver that ...

How To Diagnose Hardware Problems When Your Computer Won’t Turn On Last week I showed you some of the simplest DIY repairs and upgrades that you can do yourself , but one reader asked how to diagnose which component was the problem. Today I’d like to walk you through the process of diagnosing a faulty PC that won’t turn on, then next week I’ll show you some more in-depth tools to pinpoint problem hardware in a situation where the computer will turn on, but is acting strangely. Obviously, if the power won’t start on your PC then no amount of software tools is going to help you, so it’s time to open the case and start the hardware diagnosis process. Strip Non-Essentials: The first thing I do if the computer won’t turn on is to disconnect or even physically remove any non-essential system components. This includes: PCI / ISA / PCI Express Cards – Anything apart from your video card (and your video card too if you have an onboard port you can use instead) should be r...

How to Find Out What is Causing Problems on Your Windows 7 PC       Are you experiencing problems on your PC such as hangs or crashes? Here is one possible way to see what is causing the trouble. Take a look at the Reliability Monitor that comes with Windows 7. For example, if you have had a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) crash, you may not have gotten a chance to record the error messages. But you can retrieve the data from a BSOD in the Reliability Monitor history. It also can help you find out if a particular application has issues. It displays a timeline for various system events and divides them into failures, warnings and information. To open Reliability Monitor Open the Action Center ( see how at this link ) Click “Maintenance” to expand the menu Under “Check for solutions to problems reports”, click “View reliability history” A report covering a selected period of time li...

How to Transfer and Print Photos from Your Phone You’ve taken tons of photos with your camera phone. Now what? Here’s how to store and print them.  Transfer photos to your computer Transferring your smartphone photos to your computer doesn’t have to be a tricky task. For some devices, you can use a USB data cable to do so. However, not all devices are made the same, and it’s often easier to explore other options: Email . Use your smartphone or tablet and email your favorite photos to yourself. Open the email on your desktop and download the photos to your computer or external storage device (or both, which is smart in case something happens to your computer. Then, you’ll have the photos on your storage device, or vice versa). Use a photo-sharing account . Many photo-sharing services have apps that allow you to upload your photos and access them via your web browser. Upload photos to the cloud . Upload your photos to a cloud service, such as the Verizon Clou...

How to Share Printers Between Windows, Mac, and Linux PCs on a Network Windows, Mac, and Linux can all get along together, sharing files with each other on a network . They can also share printers, allowing you to use a single wired printer for all the computers on your home network. This is only necessary if you have a wired printer connected directly to a computer, such as USB printer. Modern wireless printers connect to networks and share themselves, so you just have to connect to them. Share a Printer on Windows As with file sharing, you’ll need to visit the Network and Sharing Center in the Windows Control Panel, click Change advanced sharing settings , and enable “file and print sharing.” Macs and Linux PCs can’t connect to homegroups and use the more convenient sharing features built into modern versions of Windows, so you’ll have to set up printer sharing the old fashioned way. Visit the Printers list in the Control Panel, right-click the printer you want ...