Common Hardware Conflicts & Problems
1)
System Conflicts –Sometimes a device encounters a
problem in accessing the required computer resources. Conflicts can be
identified in the Device Manager tab of the System icon in Control Panel and
are illustrated with either a yellow or red flag displayed next to the device
with the problem. Most versions of Windows have a hardware trouble-shooter
built in which may help to solve the problem. Many devices also have a range of
possible settings and so can be changed to a value that does not conflict with
other devices in the computer. Right clicking on the computer symbol in device
manager lists the resources allocated by the computer to all the different
devices.
2)
Updating Drivers – Often Windows will incorrectly identify a
particular hardware device inside your computer. Viewing the Device Manager tab
of the System icon in Control Panel helps to see if this is the case. As with
system conflicts, a yellow flag may denote a problem with a driver. A yellow
question mark identifying a peripheral as “other device” is also a sign that
Windows has tried to load a driver for a device, but has failed to properly
configure / identify it. There are usually three ways to update a driver as
follows…
a)
Run the original or updated driver installation program from the
manufacturers CD or disk.
b)
Alternatively by selecting the properties for the device, there is
usually an option to update the driver, whereupon you can insert the
manufacturers CD / disk
c)
If this fails it may be worth removing the device listing from
Device Manager, restarting the computer, whereupon you are likely to be
prompted for your CD / disk and the driver can be re-installed at this point.
In Windows NT 3.51 / 4.0 and in other non plug and play environments you will
not be prompted for a CD / disk and the installation will need to be initiated
manually.
3)
BIOS Problems / Issues – Every computer has a BIOS chip which holds
essential information about the computer. Usually a prompt is displayed on the
screen before Windows loads saying press
a)
Incorrect Time & Date – The BIOS has a small CMOS battery that
enables it to hold the computers settings when the power is off. If the battery
becomes flat the time and date will revert back to
b)
Computer refuses to boot from a floppy disk – One of the settings
inside the BIOS area dictates what disk drives are installed in the computer
and which order they are to be looked at during start-up. If the order is set
to C, A the computer will never boot from the floppy disk as long as it is able
to from the hard disk. Changing the order to A, C enables the computer to look
for any bootable disk in A: before loading Windows from C: It is important to
check that the settings for A: are 1.44MB, otherwise the computer will not
recognise a normal floppy disk.
c)
Please Insert Disk with Operating System Message – Occasionally a
flat CMOS battery may cause the computer to loose track of which hard disk is
inside it. If the BIOS does not recognise the hard
disk it will appear as if the hard disk is no longer there. Most modern hard
disks can be auto-detected in the computers BIOS and after entering the BIOS
and then selecting the option to auto-detect the hard disk, everything should
return to normal, after saving changes and rebooting. If this doesn’t solve the
problem it is also possible that a cable has become loose inside the computer,
or of course that the drive is defective ( defective hard disk drives are often
very noisy ).
d)
Other BIOS functions control plug and play, power management and on
off switches for serial / infra-red ports. If Windows does not recognise a
physical part of the original computer, it may be switched off in the BIOS.
4)
Other Issues -
a)
Always take out and re-seat any card inside the computer that
suddenly stops responding and also check any internal cable connections.
b)
Software driver upgrades often solve known conflicts and are usually
available from the manufacturers’ website in the event of continued problems.
c)
Sound problems are often associated with the sound volume being
turned down or muted from within Windows ( the sound
volume control is often shown as the yellow speaker on the taskbar ).
d)
Monitors sometimes have their brightness turned down to 0%, which
makes the screen display invisible! Settings on the front of modern monitors
enable the screen display to be stretched and contorted, often causing the
bottom or the side of the screen to slip out of sight. The monitors control
buttons can rectify these problems.
Please
email support@ITCroydon.co.uk
for questions or support on hardware conflict issues.