A few months ago I wrote about an odd DVD problem I’d been having on my primary PC. The symptom was that discs weren’t being detected by the OS and simply wouldn’t play. CDs played fine. At that time I traced what I thought was the problem to a copy of PowerDVD that was a bit out of date. As it turns out, that wasn’t the problem.

Segue a month or so. I put a DVD into the player, and again it didn’t show up in Windows. I pulled the disc, cleaned it, and put it in again. Nothing. So I moved it to the other DVD unit in the same PC, and it showed up just fine. Indications seemed to point to a bad drive or cable, and I decided to run the error down using (as usual) the scientific method.

I had a spare drive hanging around, so I swapped it in. Still nothing, so I swapped cables. No change, so I moved the drive to the other position on the cable. Now, suddenly, it worked. This seemed to indicate a problem in the OS itself, which definitely didn’t sound appealing at all. I decided to use an old trick to force Windows to recognize the device all over. This is a bit tricky, and you want to back up critical files before attempting it.

The process itself was relatively simple. I opened Device Manager, opened the list of IDE/ATAPI adapters (the DVD drives are both IDE) and told the system to Uninstall each one. Once they were all removed, I rebooted the system again. As expected, Windows re-ran its device recognition process and started installing the devices again. One more reboot, and I popped a DVD into the recalcitrant device.

As if by magic, the device started working again. Since running this little fix, I’ve played 2 movies and a few audio CDs, just to give it a workout. So far, it’s working flawlessly. Is this the final fix? I’m not sure yet, but at least I didn’t spend money on a new drive I didn’t need.

One of the major complaints users have about Windows is the amount of time the OS takes to start up. Thing is, in many cases it’s not Windows that’s the problem. Instead, it’s the number of add-on tasks that are installed by various applications and set to run every time the machine starts. All these extensions (they’re called the same thing in Mac-speak) can add an appreciable amount of time to your system startup processing. However, there’s an easy way to look at and modify or disable these tasks, even if the application vendor doesn’t provide that option.

Here’s how to do it. First, Boot up your machine. Use a watch to record the amount of time it takes you to get the login prompt. Then record how long it takes to log in after you’ve entered your usual login ID and password. These are your baseline numbers.

Now open the Windows Start menu and click on “run.” Now type in “msconfig” and hit enter. This brings up the System Configuration Utility, which allows the user to exercise a large measure of control over how the system operates. Next, click on the “Startup” tab. This will show you a list of each extension that’s set to execute at system boot time.

Now the fun part starts. I recommend you take a close look at what is and is not set to run at startup time. Remember that some of these programs are actually necessary to normal operation, so you don’t want to disable them indiscriminately. Make a list or take a screen shot of the “before” listing so you can fall back to it if something isn’t right after you’ve made changes.

Look for likely candidates — for example, the Sun Java updater runs automatically and I’ve never found an easy way to disable it. Also, some HP printers install automatic software update scanners that can be really annoying. Uncheck the items you want to disable, then apply the settings and exit.

Now, reboot and take a new set of elapsed-time readings. Depending on what you’ve disabled, you may save a few seconds or half a minute…or more. As an added bonus, if any of the disabled tasks ran as installed services over the life of the boot, you’ve probably saved some memory.

Now, that was easy. And you didn’t pay $40 or more for some software that claimed to “make your PC run faster.”

Many people seem to have problems finding and correcting PC hardware errors. I think this is because they see it as a complex, intricate system and don’t feel they have the ability to break down problem analysis into manageable steps. To be honest, troubleshooting can be difficult — especially when the problem is subtle or hard to pin down. The first thing to do is to define the problem clearly. Once you do this, the answer may suggest itself.

Witness a minor issue that cropped up on my system this week. I have 2 DVD drives, one HP and one Toshiba, installed. I popped a disc into the HP unit. It wouldn’t play, and my copy of Power DVD (Version 6) kept telling me there was no disc in the drive. I moved it to the Toshiba and it worked fine. Power cycling the machine brought the problematic unit back online, and it played the next disc just fine. Then the problem showed up again.

Thinking about it a bit, I realized Windows Update changes had occurred recently and figured this might be related to the issue. I visited HP’s site and found a firmware update for the drive, and pulled it down for installation. It needed to burn a bootable CD, and actually was able to access the HP drive just fine. This was, as they say, a hint. I hadn’t tried a CD, so I put one into the drive. It played fine, but DVDs went totally unrecognized even after I applied the firmware update.

Light dawned. Finally I had a clear problem description, and I fired up a copy of Nero’s DVD player. It found the disc with no problem, and was able to play both a movie and an audio CD. Power DVD would not, and I finally realized it was the culprit. Some recent OS update apparently introduced a driver change that caused the old (2005) version to stop working with this particular HP drive.

As I said, some PC problems can be subtle and very frustrating. But with a bit of experimentation, you can probably isolate and correct many errors without spending lots of money. Had I not tried several software packages, I might have ended up spending cash on a new DVD unit I didn’t even need.

Say what you will about Microsoft. Sometimes they come up with very cool ideas, and occasionally they even work. Sure, Microsoft Bob (anyone remember that?) and the Office Assistant are easily two of the smarmiest, most useless ideas ever. But it looks like they’ve come up with something that actually approximates what the famous Staples Easy Button does.

The service, called “Fix It,” is literally a one-button fix for over a hundred (at present) common Windows problems. The user consults the standard Microsoft Knowledge Base and, if they find the problem they want to fix, simply presses a “Fix It” button on the solution page. This option just debuted in December 2008, and will certainly expand over time.

What these buttons are doing seems fairly obvious, though I haven’t actually tried one so I can’t be certain. I suspect the button must be launching some ActiveX or other script that interacts directly with the OS, changing system settings or maybe even installing a driver to replace a defective older version. One has to admit it’s a clever solution, and definitely a better option for users whose technical abilities stop at pulling down a menu bar. It’s also a whole lot easier than following a series of often complex steps to resolve some oddball problem. How many users really have the knowledge or patience required to change default File Extension handling, for instance?

Obviously there’s a danger involved. If these scripts are really changing OS behavior, and one contains a defect or side effect, pressing that button could render a machine unusable. I’d also guarantee that at some point hackers will set up fake “fix your Windows bugs for free” sites in an effort to entice unsuspecting users into clicking buttons that will infect their machines with spyware or viruses.

So this is a great idea, but it should be used with some caution. Fixing some obscure problem with the click of a button is very appealing. I know one guy who just re-installs Windows every time he gets an error, since he has no idea how to change settings or troubleshoot a problem. Lowering the hassle threshold involved in fixing Windows errors is never a bad thing, after all.

I’ve been an iTunes user practically since the software appeared on the market, and generally like it quite a lot (especially since they’re going DRM-free). I’ve never had a problem with a download or with licensing, and have carried my iPod everywhere from the streets of London to the back woods of New Hampshire.

That said, the software is by no means perfect — as I found out recently. A few weeks ago I was prompted to download version 8.0.2. After grabbing the installer, I exited from iTunes and ran the upgrade…only to be greeted with an interesting error: “A program required for this install to complete could not be run. Contact your support personnel or package vendor.”

I’d seen this once before, and was told to simply remove and re-install the software. I did this once, but find it annoying since this means you have to re-enter settings and link back to your old library. So this time I ran through a bit of sleuthing, and finally found a solution on Apple’s own discussion boards. Apparently the problem is well known, and involves the Apple Updater application itself.

Happily, the first option I tried actually resolved the problem. As the discussion board reply noted, “Go to Add remove programs and find Apple Software update. Try repairing it. Select Change>>repair.” As soon as I completed this step, the package installed cleanly.

The biggest question is: what caused the problem in the first place? Did an Updater component get smashed somehow? Was a file removed by accident? Did some other component change a Windows Registry value that the 8.0.2 update expected to find?

I’ll probably never know, but the repair option is another tool in the diagnostic arsenal. Not all applications include this functionality, but if you’re having problems with an installed program it might be worth checking out. You might save yourself a lot of trouble and time.

As long-time readers know, my main PC is a home-built machine that’s been upgraded, both in terms of hardware and OS, repeatedly since 1998. It started off as a Windows 98 box on a Pentium II processor, and is now at XP SP2 with a 2.8 GHZ Pentium IV. The OS has been migrated (using Partition Magic) from one system disk to another without reinstalling anything.

Recently however, I thought it might be time to finally wipe and reinstall from scratch. The reason: performance. I’d had problems with delays when opening folders, especially those containing lots of different file extensions. Sometimes it might take 5 seconds to display all the files, and that was just too long. Disk defragmentation helped somewhat, as did removal of some oddball applications I’d installed long ago. But the delay was still unacceptably bad.

Today I decided to upgrade to the latest NVIDIA driver for my GeForce 7600 after getting a few BSoDs from the Omega drivers, which are supposed to be super-fast and gaming friendly. I visited the NVIDIA support site, grabbed the latest release, then uninstalled both the Omega add-ons and the base drivers they used. The usual reboot-install-reboot again sequence was followed, and the process was complete.

Guess what? The beast is now back to its old performance levels, and the folder-delay problem has vanished completely. Looking back on it, the Omega add-ons were written for base XP and haven’t been updated in about a year. I migrated to XP SP2 over the summer, which is about when the folder delay issue was first noticed.

The object lesson is that performance problems can originate in the craziest places. Upgrades to the OS can cause subtle, or not so subtle, incompatibilities to creep into any machine. If your machine has slowed down for no apparent reason, think about what you changed just before performance fell off.

Slow machines aren’t always related to hardware problems or (as many people believe) viruses. Driver incompatibilities like the one I just solved can really ruin your day.

Recently a former colleague sent a message to a mailing list, asking what the options were for a 4 year old PC that was apparently in the process of eating its own disk. The whining and grinding noises it was making, along with occasional Blue Screens of Death, indicated the system’s hard drive was on its last legs. What should she do, replace the disk or buy a new machine?

Replies began appearing almost immediately. Initially, people tried to guide her through various processes designed to preserve the current machine. The first suggestion involved backing up all her user data to an offline device, then buying a new disk and re-installing the OS (Windows XP) on it. Then she could restore her data and continue with her work.

Others suggested installing a second drive in the PC, then using Ghost or System Commander to clone the soon-to-be-deceased disk onto the new drive. This solution had the advantage of not requiring lots of user intervention or manual copying of files; instead she’d just start cloning the drive and wait until the process finished. I performed this process on an old laptop just last spring, in fact. It works great as long as you’re reasonably knowledgeable about disks and what steps should be performed. It’s not so good for someone who has little technical knowledge.

Someone else actually suggested building a RAID array in order to guard against such failures in the future. That’s not a bad idea, but again it’s not really a solution for a generic user. Of course, a PC shop could set all this up for a fee, but the bench charge and disk hardware could easily cost as much as a new system.

Finally the talk turned to replacing the whole system. As I’ve pointed out in recent months, this is a great time to buy a new system. Most makers are offering deep discounts and extended (often interest-free!) payment plans. You can buy a good system with 4GB of RAM, a big disk, and a fast graphics card for under $1000.

The former colleague in question hasn’t made her decision yet, but the whole discussion process just shows how wide-open the options are these days. Cheap upgrades are still a good choice for anyone on a budget, but a brand new machine (with a brand new warranty) could also be just the ticket.

In these days of recession, everyone needs to pinch as many pennies as possible. Wasting money on unnecessary expenditures is never a good idea, and I’ll also add that saving money by buying on the cheap isn’t always wise either. Your PC’s power supply and the way you manage the unit’s power consumption are great object lessons.

Many people turn on their PCs and keep them running constantly. If you use your machine almost constantly (as I do) this makes reasonable sense and can save a few minutes of boot-up time. But if you’re an occasional user who reads email for a half hour a day, leaving your machine booted constantly makes no sense at all. What you’re doing is wasting a lot of power and shortening the useful life of your machine.

Long ago someone said that the power surge that happens when powering on a PC sucks up more power than running it 24 hours a day. Someone else said that power cycling machines is worse for them than leaving them on all the time. Both assertions are just plain wrong.

Long ago, there may have been a few cases where one or both of these myths were true, but they no longer hold water. So why waste money by leaving your system powered up 24 hours a day? All you’re doing is wasting electricity and making your house hotter (remember, running systems generate heat).

I’ve mentioned the “cheap isn’t always the best” rule in the past, and power supplies are no exception. Name-brand units often have longer warranties, better quality cabling, quieter fans, and other features that make the higher cost worthwhile. Cheap units may not filter power quite as efficiently, may waste electricity if the electrical design is poor, and might not provide all the connections you need for a given application.

A $40 supply with a 1 year warranty may seem like a good deal, but the incremental cost of a $75 unit with a 3 year warranty could be well worth it. If the $40 supply dies after 366 days, you’ll have to pay another $40 (or more) to replace it. That means you’ve spent $80, plus the time and labor cost of installing two supplies. Compare this with that $75 3 year unit…spend that money once, and you won’t have to spend again for at least 3 years, saving at least $5 over the long term.

“A poor man pays for everything twice” a friend used to say. Spend wisely.

In my experience, most problems that turn up on a PC or Mac are the result of recent configuration changes. Install a new application, and it conflicts with previously installed software. Add a new video card, and your old drivers start playing havoc with performance.

Having been in tech support for way too many years, the first question any competent rep should ask a user is “what’s the last thing that was changed on the machine?” If you’re the user and lie when answering this question, shame on you. I know lots of people let their egos get in the way; they can’t admit that something they did caused a problem, so they try to hide it. But not being honest with a support rep is a poor way to get a problem fixed.

If you want to avoid calling tech support and admitting you’ve done something stupid, try backtracking to see if you can find the problem yourself. If your machine started crashing randomly right after you installed Manic Mania IV, uninstall it and see if the problem goes away. If the crashes or hangs started right after you installed new memory, take out those new modules and see what happens. You might have a defective memory stick, or maybe you bought the wrong type for your machine. You’d be amazed at the number of problems I’ve solved using this exact strategy.

A hint: take notes when you’re going through these steps. You might need to backtrack again, after all. If all else fails and you end up on the phone with tech support, you’ll look a lot smarter when you can recite the troubleshooting steps you’ve already performed. It may also save you time and money.

A second hint: change only one thing at a time. This is called the scientific method, and it’s the best way to perform troubleshooting. If your problem started right after you installed Manic Mania IV AND added memory, don’t remove them both at the same time or you’ll never know which caused the problem in the first place. Uninstall the software and run the machine for a while. If it’s still having problems, remove the memory.

If rolling back your most recent changes doesn’t correct the situation, it’s time to roll up the sleeves and get dirty with diagnostic software. Or you can take the machine to a repair shop. It’s your choice.

Several incidents I’ve experienced over the past few weeks have brought to mind techniques you can use to diagnose problems with your PC. In many cases, a problem could exhibit characteristics of either a hardware or software failure, and sometimes extreme measures are needed in order to sort it all out.

Incident #1: a PC that had been working fine for several years suddenly started shutting itself down randomly, with no warning whatsoever. The machine was operational one minute, then would simply power itself off. The first few times this happened, the system would restart with a touch of the on/off button. Windows reported no errors, and the usual virus scans didn’t reveal any infection or other issues.

Checking the built-in environmental monitor in the BIOS showed the system operating within normal temperature ranges, so a thermal fault didn’t seem likely. The machine had been moved recently, so all cards were removed and re-seated to eliminate the possibility of a loose connection. The problem persisted, then started happening more frequently. At this point, the actual problem finally revealed itself. The system would no longer power back on without flipping the power switch on the back of the case off, then back on again.

The verdict: a flaky power supply. The old supply was swapped for a newer unit, and the problem vanished. The system now operates reliably and has not suffered the problem in over a week.

Incident #2: a colleague reported a similar problem–a PC randomly dying for no reason at very inopportune times. In this case a Google search for his system, a 5-year old Dell desktop unit, revealed that many machines of the same vintage suffered from the same behavior.

The verdict: while no physical troubleshooting was conducted, various resources indicated the machine’s motherboard was probably dying. He was advised to reboot the machine cold (since the problem was thermally related) and immediately take a full backup of all critical files. The only cost effective option was to buy a new machine and transfer his files to it. Obviously if the machine dies before he’s able to take a backup, he can simply transfer the old drive to the new system and pull the files from it directly.

Troubleshooting a flaky machine can be difficult. Sometimes the problem is fairly obvious, sometimes it’s not. Here’s hoping all your problems are easy ones.