IT Queries: Computer problems answered

In my CD drive one CD is broken inside and it is not coming out. CD drive is not opened. What do i want to do next?

Normally you’d eject a CD through using a straightened paperclip and pushing it into the tiny hole at the front of the CD drive.

While you should try this, it’s highly likely a broken CD has damaged the device as well.  So in this case, we’d suggest replacing the entire unit.

If it’s a desktop computer, then it’s a simple matter of swapping the old one out. For a laptop, you’ll need to contact the manufacturer and its very likely you’ll find the repair is expensive if you can do it all. In that case, you may want to consider an external drive.

When I boot my machine it starts check disk for drive d and the keyboard doesn’t work while checking the disk so I can’t cancel it.

The keyboard not working is fine. This is due to the BIOS not being set to detect your type of keyboard during startup.  It’s best to get a computer tech to look at this as it involves changing some very sensitive settings.

The chkdsk on startup is a much more serious problem. This usually indicates bad sectors on the hard drive. This will mean replacing the drive.

To check for the bad blocks, run Check Disk in the full /r mode. We have instructions on a previous page, just change the drive letter to d:.

when i start my CPU there is a message always appearing on my screen

how can i set that on my bios to continued booting and not to press F1 before it continues?

What’s  happening is your BIOS, the part of the system that remembers all your settings and handles the initial start up of the computer, keeps forgetting the computer settings.

This is almost certainly a flat battery on the motherboard. Most motherboards use a watch battery to keep the BIOS chip charged while the power is off. When the battery goes flat, the BIOS resets.

It’s probably best to take the system to a computer tech who can replace the battery and check your BIOS settings.

I reformatted my desktop yesterday, but my problem is i lost my CD for the motherboard drivers and now when I check on the internet I’m having a hard time finding my board driver. Anyone can help me to find my board driver? My motherboard is V6DU. thanks.

The downloads for your motherboard can be found at the Jetway website. Download the chipset drivers along with the video and sound drivers as this will give your computer a major speed boot.

In future, before reformatting make sure you have all the drivers and other important software before starting. Also make sure you have all your critical passwords.

My computer makes a noise like an engine and regularly blacks out. What could be the problem?

It sounds like it is a heat related problem. The noise is a defective fan and because heat isn’t being dragged off important components, the computer overheats and shuts down.

You must get this seen to by a computer technician as keeping a computer overheating will eventually damage it and you might lose data. Depending on the age of the computer and the damage already done this will cost between $50 and several hundred dollars.

If the computer’s more than five years you may want to replace it.

I installed a new monitor, which worked fine until I tried to adjust the display settings to improve the fonts. Then I got a black screen and a message that said I have the wrong frequency. Now I can’t see anything to reset the default display. I know the monitor works because I can see the computer name and Windows logo at boot up. How do I get to settings again?

You’ll need to start the computer in Safe Mode. Once in Safe Mode, Click Start, Control Panel and choose Display.

In the Display properties, click on the Settings tab and move the slider under the heading Screen Resolution to the left.

When you reboot the computer, the display will be back at 16 colors. You can then move it back to the proper resolution.

If this happens in future, don’t panic. If you wait ten seconds WITHOUT touching the mouse or keyboard the screen will go back to the previous setting.

My pc seems to be getting slower what ways are there to speed it up before I decide to go out and buy more speed for it?

I assume you mean getting more memory when you say “buy more speed for it”. In my view, adding memory is always a good idea to give a sluggish computer a boost.

In this case though we’d recommend you give your computer a clean up just to see if that will give it a speed boost. First, try uninstalling any unnecessary programs. Only remove programs you know and don’t use: If you don’t know what it does, leave it alone.

The next step is to make sure your system is clean with a spyware check.

Once you are sure the system is clear of nasties, run a clean up tool to flush out accumulated junk. We recommend Cleanup! Make sure you backup important data files first.

With all of that done, it can be worthwhile checking your disk for minor errors. The Chkdsk tool built into Windows is as good as any.

If you find all of this hasn’t improved speed then you should speak to your local computer tech about the upgrading options.

Hard drives are complex and precision engineered pieces of equipment and saving files on them is a complex business. Sometimes the computer can forget forget exactly where it has saved files.

When this happens, computers slow down as the system has to search for files when it needs them.

To overcome this problem in Windows computers, you can run the Check Disk command. Click Start, Run and type Chkdsk c: /r in the box. On Windows Vista machines click Find and do likewise.

The c: refers to the main disk drive. If you have more drives you can insert d:, e: or whatever. Note this won’t work with CD and DVD drives but it will with external and flash drives.

A black box will appear and if you’ve chosen the C: drive or any other drive that’s in use, it tell you the drive is locked and do you want to run chkdsk the next time you start the computer. Type Y (for yes) and press the enter key.

If the drive is in use as a network or data drive, you may be asked if you want to dismount the drive. Press N (for no) and then Y for the next question.

When you restart the computer a blue screen will appear telling you a disk check has been scheduled and press any key to cancel. Leave the computer alone and let it run.

Be warned this process might take several hours. Once the process starts, you cannot cancel the operation and the computer must not be restarted.

If Chkdsk detects bad blocks on the hard drive, then you should contact your computer expert immediately as your hard drive is probably beginning to fail.

I have a hp m9080a running windows vista ultimate. When i goto double click on internet explorer, a clicking/ticking noise starts to come from inside the computer. This noise continues to happen every few seconds while ever the internet explorer screen is up. the IE screen however stays blank and doesnt actually load the website. My PC is less than 6 months old. Your help would be much appreciated.

The ticking noise is probably from the system overheating. Some computers are set to give a warning when the CPU, Central Processing Unit’s, temperature goes above a certain level. The ticking is that warning.

Given this happens when Internet Explorer is opened, it indicates there is a problem with the program. The first suspicion is you have a malware infection so the first recommendation is to check your computer for viruses and Trojans.

If you have trouble opening Internet Explorer, you should be able to go straight to the websites by clicking Start, Run and typing the address into the run box.

If you do this you have to include either the http:// or www. at the start of the address so the computer knows it’s a web page and can use the right program.

We’d also recommend running Firefox and keeping Internet Explorer in reserve for websites that won’t work on anything else.

If the problem continues, it could be you have a hardware fault. As the machine should still be in its warranty, you should contact the manufacturer or retailer.

When I open my CPU there is no message on the monitor and it is all blank. and the red signal lights on the CPU which is the red light is not blinking. is my motherboard or my monitor? thanks.

It sounds like a motherboard problem. The quickest way to find out is to plug another monitor onto the computer and see what happens.

The culprit could be something as simple as a video card, memory module or expansion card has worked itself a little loose on the board and simply needs reseating.

Either way, it is a job for a qualified technician and we’d suggest contacting your local computer repairer.