Mood:  crushed out

1. Computer boots but gets stuck or hung after detecting the processor speed and the memory.

a.       Check Hard Disk if the power cable and cable 80 are installed properly.  In some cases you see NTLDR missing on the screen. (Tip: follow theredline in the cable 80, you might have inverted it).

b.      If more than one Hard disk or CD/DVD ROM is connected in one cable, check for slave and master jumpers (Make one as the master and the rest are slaves.)

c.       One of the hard disks is defective. You should remove or replace.

d.      Check Motherboard jumpers

e.      Check CMOS configuration

f.        You might have abused OVER CLOCKing the processor. Return BIOS setting to default.

1. Computer gets stuck after detecting the HDD and doesn't resume to Windows, Mac or Linux or any of your OS.

a.    No Operating System is installed (you bought a new computer without an OS installed). You should install an operating system to get your computer working.

b.    Your operating system is corrupted. (NTLDR missing). Safest thing to do is to reinstall your operating system.

Mood:  crushed out

1. Computer turns on but does not boot (power led lights up and ATX PSU fan is turning). In many instances you here a BEEPING sound.

a.       Try reinserting the DIMMs (memory chip), the PCI or AGP video card or the processor. These hardware should be keyed into the respective cutouts on the motherboard.  Press firmly down until it seats correctly.

(Note: Handle these modules only by their edges or wear grounding strap)

b.      One of these may be defective - Motherboard, memory, video card, processor.

(Note: In changing defective hardware, check your Motherboard specification for details)

c.       Check Motherboard jumpers

d.      Check CMOS configuration

e.      You came up with this problem after overclocking or after accidentally overclocking your CPU because you did not read the manual. The only solution is to clear the BIOS if it does not reset automatically to default.

f.        You updated the wrong BIOS configuration. Install the previous BIOS

Mood:  crushed out

1. Computer turns on but does not start / boot (Power led lit up and turns off, the ATX power supply fan is turning).

a.       There are instances that the ATX power supply is defective. This may be caused by insufficient supply of power to the motherboard (usually the problem when adding hardware to your computer like CD ROM) try changing your ATX PSU to higher wattage (ex: change your 300W ATX PSU to 400W).

b.      Problem happens when you just assembled or set up a brand new clone / generic desktop. Try reinserting the ATX PSU cables, check Motherboard jumpers if set correctly, and check IDE / SATA cables.

c.       The motherboard is defective. Parts in your motherboard get busted, like IC and capacitor.  (Note: Never put your coffee or water on top of the CPU or monitor, this might spill and cause damage.) In this case you need to replace your Motherboard.

(Note: for compatibility of your existing hardware, use same motherboard specifications.)

d.      The reset button could be stuck. Pick with a pointed object like paper clip to release the button.  Never bang the CPU.

Mood:  crushed out

WARNING!  All cables carry electric current.  Be sure to hold only insulated part, keep your hands dry, and keep your body insulated by using dry rubber gloves. Make sure you are not grounded (Stay away from walls and off the floor). You may stand on top of a styrofoam or wear rubber shoes. Otherwise, you may not only get SHOCKED but you may SHORT sensitive parts in the computer.  

1. If your computer doesn't turn on (No lights and fan doesn't rotate)

    a.       There might be a power failure in your area, wait for power to come back (huh! Some people are damn stupid).

    b.      Check the circuit breaker, it might have tripped.

    c.       Check for loose cables.  Probably there is no power entering your computer - reinsert all power cables at the back of your computer and also from the source. Be sure to insert cables properly.

    d.      Check the AVR or UPS if you're using one.

-          Their cables might not be plugged in properly in the source.

-          The fuse might have blown; you need to change this with the same ampere rating.

-          Some UPS won't work if the battery is drained so let it charge for an hour before turning on your computer.

-          If none of the above works then remove the AVR or UPS and plug your monitor and CPU directly to the power outlet and switch on your computer. Change your AVR or UPS if found defective (AVR or UPS are frontline protection for your computer against abrupt power change).

    e.      In this process you need to open the CPU and remove the ATX Power Supply

-          Unplug all cables of the ATX PS from the motherboard, FDD, HDD, CD DVD ROM etc.

-          Test the ATX power supply. Replace the power supply with same wattage if defective or bring it to the electronic shop for repair.

-          To learn how to test the power supply without attaching to the motherboard click here >>

-          If the ATX power supply is not defective, put it back and make sure all cables are properly in place.  Go to the next step.

    f.        Have you just reset the BIOS?  You could have forgotten to put the jumper back.  (Note: Always remove the battery before attempting to reset/clear the CMOS. Afterwards return first the jumper then the battery.)

Mood:  on fire

Another Windows XP Virus.

I have encountered a virus last night.  My Antivirus kept on detecting cli5yr8.dll, for which I would select "delete virus."   Problem is, cli5yr8.dll would still be detected by my computer upon restarting. So I tried removing it manually - which was also not successful.

I have noticed that this virus disables the "show hidden files and folders" so you cannot delete this file under window mode. This virus falls under the category of malware and trojan according to my AV, and it comes with the following file names:

• cli5yr8.dll - this is the virus detected by most AV and it resides in the drive where you installed windows. c:\documents and settings\"name of user"\local settings\temp.  The local settings folder and temp may be hidden.
• w1hva13.exe - found in the main directory of every hard disk drive of your PC. Example: If you have three partitions in your drive like C:, D:, & E:, the w1hva13.exe probably resides in all these drives with the file hidden.
• kxvo.exe - found in "windows\system32\ " this file may be hidden.
• fool0.dll - found in "windows\system32\
• eso0.dll - found in "windows\system32\
• autorun.inf - found in the main directory of every HDD drive. This file is hidden.

All these files should be removed in your system.

 How do you remove cli5yr8.dll, w1hva13.exe?

            If your computer is infected with this virus and your AV cannot disinfect affected files or delete them, and when your web search on this virus turns up just an anti virus software for sale - hold your money.  You need not buy an anit-virus software each time a new virus comes up because no one AV can clean them all.  So, you may want to do it my way.  Here are the steps to remove the virus manually in Windows XP.

1. Restart your computer in SAFE MODE (press the F8 key several times before your system loads and select SAFE MODE).
2. Since you can't see these files because they are hidden, open DOS prompt (start --> All Programs --> accessories --> command prompt).
3. Type cd\ at the command prompt then press Enter to go to the main directory. You should see "C:\>" if drive C is your system drive.
4. To verify if the files are present, at the C:\> type dir /ah to view hidden files. If you see w1hva13.exe and autorun.inf.... your computer is already infected.
5. At the command prompt C:\> type attrib -s -h -r -a w1hva13.exe and press Enter. This makes the file visible and removing other attributes that prevents you from deleting the file.
6. At the command prompt C:\> type del w1hva13.exe and press Enter.
7. At the command prompt C:\> type attrib -s -h -r -a autorun.inf and press Enter
8. At the command prompt C:\> type del autorun.inf and press Enter
9. Do steps 5 to 8 for all the physical drives present.
10. Now go back to your system drive and type C:\>dir c:\ w1hva13.exe /s /ah if you find the file, follow the searched path and do steps 5 & 6.
11. Go back again to the main directory of your system drive by typing cd\ and do step 10 for the other remaining files of the virus. If you cannot see these files using step 10 then probably it's not hidden, so negate the "/ah". The other remaining files kxvo.exe, fool0.dll & eso0.dll are found in windows\system32\
12. Lastly do step 10 or 11 for the file cli5yr8.dll.

For the registry entries of this virus. I never looked for it. My computer is working just fine. Use the system restore to rewind your system registry.

TIPS:

1. Learn how to use the command prompt or DOS mode.

2. Normally autorun.inf should not be present in your hard disk drives.  This is commonly present in cd's or dvd's that automatically run when you insert it. This file is hidden, and if you encounter this kind of file in your hard disk drives you should suspect it as a virus. To verify further, open the command prompt and go to the main directory and type C:\>type autorun.inf.  You will be able to see here the associated virus files and usually it ends with the extension ".exe"

3. Use an anti spyware and registry blocker software like spybot search and destroy. Its free!