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        PC Hardware Troubleshooting

Some hardware troubleshooting help, in no particular order.


Invalid Page Faults

A very common Win9x error, and an utter bastard to track down the cause.

Searching the Microsoft Support website gives some clues, as do other links on the web. However, the cause of much IPF-ing in a PC I used was simply the case temperature was too high (something I found no hint of on the web till I posted on a hardware forum). Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer (of course, being the same thing in Win98..) were most affected by this and threw by far the most IPF exceptions.

Some solutions, then, are:

  • Update video card BIOS and driver
  • Turn off/down hardware acceleration in Control Panel->Display->Settings->Advanced->Performance
  • Install latest DirectX version
  • Check password file (see MS support for more details), recycle bin, temporary & swap files - rebuild/delete as necessary
  • Check CPU HSF (Heat Sink & Fan) working properly
  • Improve air circulation within the case (a house fan blowing into the PC with the case off works, though case mods/fans are a good long-term solution)

PC will not POST or boot after installing new motherboard

I encountered this problem when I first upgraded my PC unassisted. It turned out to be a very simple problem: the motherboard spacer screws were in the wrong positions, and one was shorting out the circuitry on the board. (Ouch!) Some guidelines for installing new motherboards are:

  • Try and use anti-static pads/wristbands, but don't panic if you don't have anything - I've never used any anti-static equipment and I've never damaged components from static shocks. Touch the PSU (Power Supply Unit) outer case to ground yourself. Use common sense: Don't do any work around surfaces/items you know are staticky (plastic is often a bitch for causing static) and store components in their original bags & boxes.

  • Always test the motherboard out of the case first: Plug in the PSU only, seat the board on a firm, clear surface and turn it on. You should hear multiple beeps indicating that the board is working and has detected there is no video card.

  • When installing the motherboard into its case, check the case is the correct form factor (AT, ATX, etc.). Move IDE connectors & other cables as much out the way as possible. Make sure the spacer screws match up to holes in the motherboard.

  • Be firm when plugging in CPU, RAM & expansion cards, but do not use excessive brute force: while motherboards are surprisingly flexible, too much muscle can crack them, sometimes invisibly, causing big problems....

  • If at all possible, format the HDD (Hard Disk Drive) the OS (Operating System, e.g. Win98) boots from and perform a clean installation of your OS. This is not absolutely crucial but it can help messy driver/IRQ confusion from the changeover cropping up.

  • Check the CD-ROM you usually get with new motherboards - it often has some damn useful software & drivers on it! :)

CD-ROM does not work - "Please insert the xxx CD-ROM"

This has happened to me with modern software (especially games) in several CD-ROM drives. Again, this is one of those problems that no matter where you look online, the obvious answer just isn't there. The solution in my experience is simple: the CD-ROM heads need cleaning... in fact, I could often get CD's to work properly just by blowing into the unit with the drive bay open, putting the CD back in and closing it...


USB not working with on-board USB controllers

With some motherboards/computers that use on-board USB controllers, you can get some very annoying problems (can't remember exactly what happened with me, but basically my ADSL modem would not work properly). The cause is often the power supply to the device (USB devices do not have a seperate power cable - they are like console game controllers and draw power through the single USB connector) is not sufficient. Another problem though is identifying the weak link - it can be the device drawing too much power (one of those "undocumented features"..!), the motherboard not supplying enough power to the USB port, or even the PSU being too weak. Therefore, solutions include:

  • Buy a USB/PCI expansion card
  • If you have a system with many devices, especially things with moving parts like disk drives, fans etc., consider upgrading to a more powerful PSU
  • I also found overclocking can cause power problems... this can be either explicit (you bumped up the core voltage with the BIOS settings) or implicit.