How do computer technicians diagnose hardware problems?

September 15, 2009

s there someone who works at or has worked at a computer repair centre who can shed some light to this? I imagine a format is done to a computer first to ensure that the problem is hardware related and not software; but what is done to actually find out which component of the computer is responsible for a problem if there are no errors or anything present?

Say for example a computer is running slowly, but after a format, it continues to run slowly. The RAM and processor appear to be running smoothly, but yet a computer tech always finds out what the problem is, even if the usual problems are eliminated. How would one go about testing? Are special diagnostic tools used? If so, what are the most common ones? If not, what is done?

SOFTWARE GLITCH WINDOWS XP?

July 26, 2009

Custom Build PC. Started having glitches in almost all programs. Usual operations, just this day starting acting all weird/glitches.

I scanned with AVG and got the following changes.

Partition table (MBR) Change
Boot Sector of disc Change
Kernel32.dll Change
wsock32.dll Change
user 32.dll Change
shell32.dll Change
ntoskrnl.exe Change

I attempted to get into System Restore but I get an new window that only allows me to report a windows error.

I got into BIOS, changed to boot from CD-Rom. Put Win XP Disc in and it boots. When I select repair it tells me I have no hard drive recognized. When I attempted to re-install, it tells me I have no hard drive recognized.

NO. 1: Virus? If so, do I just get something like Norton which will allow me to restore to a earlier time? Full Scan with AVG picked up notta except the changes I’ve included herein.

NO. 2: Glitch? I’m lucky to have had a couple years no problems and today is my problem day? It’s a computer, computers get glitches? Am I able to undo the changes to bring me "back to normal?"

NO 3, Good computer tech can breeze through this in 3 minutes?

NO 4, Is there a back-door to get into system restore to restore to a previous time?

I did de-frag the hard drive which took nearly 7 hours (250-gig). I did a Win. System Clean up which took 30 min.

De-frag normally takes 30-min at best. System Clean up takes usually 2-3.

Now de-frag and System Clean up taking the usual short periods of time.