There always comes a day when something in your PC that was working fine last time you used it is now not working fine. Whether the device is just acting strange or has stopped working entirely, it can cause a lot of frustration for you as a PC user. The key to getting the problem fixed correctly and in the least amount of time possible is starting the troubleshooting process off on the

right foot. By answering a few simple questions for yourself, you can eliminate having to waste time by going down the wrong repair avenue and then having to back track. And the great thing about this is that you don't have to spend a ton of money getting an IT degree or dragging your computer down to the expensive local repair shop to do get it taken care of! You can be your own IT and solve your computer woes on your own.

To figure out how to fix a problem, you have to first figure out what the problem actually is. And to figure out what the problem actually is, you have to start at the beginning. When a hardware component or device on your PC suddenly stops working, answer the following questions for yourself to help you determine how to proceed from there.

1.)    Did you just install this device? If so, is this the first time this type of device has ever been installed in your computer?

2.)    Did you just install this device to replace an old device of the same make and model?

3.)    Did you make no changes to your computer at all?

If you can answer yes for either question 1 or question 2, then answer these questions:

1.)    Did you install the driver for this device? All new computer hardware components require a device driver to work. A driver is a little program that tells your operating system how to use the device.

2.)    Did you check for conflicts in Device Manager after you installed the device? Even though the device may have appeared to install fine, it could still be having issues getting along with the other devices already installed and working properly on your computer system.

Once you have answered these questions, you will have a better idea of how to proceed. To address and correct these issues, please see the subsequent articles in this series on Be Your Own IT for a thorough walk through for each!