Computers are very unpredictable devices, and often throw tantrums when you are doing something critical on them. Just like how Murphy’s Law states that If anything can go wrong, it will, your computer too is capable of giving you problems when you least expect them. However, this guide to identifying hardware problems should hold you in good stead the next time you are experiencing problems. Each hardware subsystem of your compute is explained, along with symptoms that are often observed when this particular part of the computer is malfunctioning.
Memory Subsystem
One of the most important parts of your computer that dictates the performance of your system would have to be the memory of your computer. Memory in a typical computer is further divided into two kinds – Primary and Secondary. There is also a tertiary memory system, but this is not important and is easy to identify if it is causing problems.
Primary Memory
The primary memory is also called as the Random Access Memory (RAM), and is where your files are help temporarily. Hence, whenever you run any program, all the files and other attributes associated with the program are held in this memory. If you are unable to understand this concept, it is quite alright! The part that you need to understand is whether this component is guilty of causing your computer to behave strangely. In a majority of cases, it has been observed that the RAM is actually responsible for computer problems. Common symptoms include random freeze-ups, computer showing error screens (the infamous blue screen on the windows environment), and your computer generating mysterious errors whenever you run a program.
Secondary Memory
Don’t jump to conclusions yet, because there might be other reasons to why your memory is behaving this way. Temperature is one major aspect here, and if your computer is running too hot, it is bound to give you a hard time. The secondary memory, or what you might know as your Hard Disk Drive, is where you store all your files permanently. This component rarely fails, and if it does, you should be able to almost instantly identify it. To being most modern computer will warn you about a failing hard disk prior to the operating system being loaded. A technology known as S.M.A.R.T is specifically designed to warn you about hard disks that are about to fail. Watch out for these signs the next time you power up your computer.
Processor Subsystem
This is another crucial part of your computer which is basically considered the brains of your computer. This part covers your processor and the motherboard. Both of these have different tasks to perform on your computer and understanding each one of their functions will help you identify whether or not the components are malfunctioning.
Processor
The processor of any computer is responsible for running programs and crunching the numbers that are associated with them. If you aren’t aware, computer programs are basically a series of instructions that are executed by the processor. Every single action of yours is translated by the processor in order to land at the desired result. Hence, when you observe that you are running a program but it is taking its own time to open up, then the processor might be under stress. A stressed out processor will show signs by slowing down the execution of programs and refusing to run more programs at the same time.
It is very rare for a processor to malfunction as they are extremely precise components, engineered in technically advanced laboratories. However, it is possible for the processor to be malfunctioning if the conditions within your computer are inhospitable. This would be extremely high temperatures or very high or low humidity levels. Temperatures exceeding 85⁰C is considered to be critical for most processors and if it crosses a 100 degrees, you can safely assume that some component within your computer is going to fail.
Motherboard
Problems related to the mother board are slightly tougher to pinpoint to. In most cases, you will need an expert to troubleshoot the computer and help you identify the problem. However, if you feel that you want to do it on your own and getting a technician is a little too expensive, then there are a couple of ways in which you might be able to do it.
For starters, if you are observing problems copying data from your optical drive (DVD, CD etc.) to your hard drive, or if the files that you acquire from the internet are often corrupted once the download is complete, there could be a problem related to your motherboard. If your computer stops producing sound abruptly when you were watching something or if there are a lot of computer freezes when you are in the middle of something, your mother board could be at fault.
One again, it is important to remember that such faults are extremely difficult to accurately pinpoint to your motherboard. Unless you have ruled out everything else, you shouldn’t consider your motherboard as the malfunctioning component. Ensure that you check out all of the other components before blaming it on this particular one.
