Computer Hardware Servicing NC II Tutorial

Owner : Ms. Sheila

Unit : Toshiba Satellite A135 - S4527 Laptop

Operating System : Win Vista and Win XP (Win Vista was Corrupted)

Technician : Drokz

URL : http://clhidohsr.blogspot.com

PROBLEM :

Toshiba Satellite A135 - S4527 with Win XP Operating system have problems with playing media files like to play music or play videos. It also made Photoshop CS to be corrupted and unusable. There was no sign of virus attack.

CLIENT REQUESTS :

File Backup (PDF, Word, Excel, Presentation, Pictures, Mp3, etc..)

Web Cam should be installed and run

Limewire and Photoshop should work

INTERVENING FACTORS :

Toshiba Satellite A135 - S4527 is lost

WebCam driver cd also lost

OBSERVATIONS :

Photoshop doesn't work

Media Players won't play any media file

Web Cam doesn't work

Can't establish a connection to the internet

TROUBLESHOOTING PROCEDURE :

- Since the laptop doesn't have any support cd (it was lost), we need to have a backup of the currently installed driver. This can be achieved by using softwares capable of extracting currently installed drivers in your computer. In my case, I used Hiren's boot cd and then DoubleDriver. It can easily be downloaded and also free.

- The requested files were then had backup and saved it in a 300-GB External Drive.

- It is now time to troubleshoot what makes all things go wrong. I then asked Ms. Sheila what was the last action she or a user has done to her laptop. She said that an XP Service Pack 3 was installed and everything went unusually wrong. There is a proper procedure in installing the Service Pack 3 Update at the Microsoft Support Site

- I uninstalled the Service Pack 3 from the Control Panel but the changes of the update seems to be already "permanent"

- Now the update might have possibly caused the changes, she said the installation was stopped and restarted. And upon restart, there was another instance of Win XP on the boot selection screen. 1 for Vista and Two for Win XP. The installation should be rolled back through System Restore. Here is the procedure for System Restore:

a. Go to "Start" Button then to "Run"

b. In your "Run" box type "restore" (without the quotations)

c. Click on the "rstrui" icon and run the System Restore

d. Choose a restoration point and the system will automatically restart to restore to the given restoration point.

- In our case System Restoration didn't work out. So we need another program to have the system files fixed. So I used ERD Commander to do the job.

- After using the ERD Commander, results were just the same. The changes made by the update could not be rolled back. So I decided to re-install the XP SP 2 Operating System.

- The XP installation was done and files were saved to the local drive. Also, the drivers were updated from the driver backup made earlier using Hiren's Bootable CD.

- The Web Cam was also installed and it functions well after the Operating System Re-Installation. Installed Photoshop and also working well. The failed Service Pack 3 installation must have caused the problems.

REPORT :

Failed Service Pack 3 Update of XP if not installed properly causes undesirable results like making other programs not run and or makes it not run because of its strict security.

- Peripheral connection / failure
- Video Card


TROUBLESHOOTING PROCEDURE

- Unplug the system unit from the AVR

- Drain off any ESD (Electro-static discharge) by holding the system chassis for a minute

- We unscrewed and remove the left side cover of the system unit. Turn the side down with the open side facing up.

- Removed the peripherals ( HDD, CD - ROM, Sound Card, and the WLAN Card) Thus leaving just the ram and video card intact.

- Turned on the system unit, we then observed the system now beeped once indicating that the system is ok. CRT Pilot lamp flashes a steady green light and having no display.

- We turned off the system then unplugged, we removed the video card and depended on the VGA port instead. And upon turning it on, still 1 beep, a steady green light on the CRT, and NO VIDEO DISPLAY.

- We checkedif the RAM is defective, cleaned its connector edges and transferred it to another slot. And then again, 1 beep, steady green light, and no display. RAM and the slots should be ok.

- The CPU was then reseated and applied with a thermal paste on its heatsink contact surface. The heatsink will increase or fill the micron gaps between the cpu and the heatsink.

- But when the system was turned on again, the result were stiull the same. A beep on boot up, green steady light on the CRT, and NO DISPLAY. The CRT must be defective.

- We borrowed another CRT and connected it to the system unit we were fixing and as it was turned on, there was a display. The CRT is found to be defective.

- The removed peripherals were then installed back and upon turning on the system using the good CRT. Everything is just OK.


DEFECTIVE PERIPHERAL

- Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)

In checking display problems, stick to checking the display peripherals rather than jumping from one that is non-relative to the probable cause of the display problem.