Last updated: January 1, 2023
Is your PC starting to show signs of weakness? To avoid a breakdown, you will have to become a computer detective and go looking for clues.
The first diagnosis, external, is essential.
Power supply
You can see a “burning” diet, but you don’t necessarily feel it!
The computer no longer starts at all, almost as if it was no longer plugged in. If this is your case, replacinga diet will only cost you around thirty euros. It is the most frequent failure on a PC. The main culprit in this story is the fan being clogged, especially if you are a smoker.
A power supply releasing a lot of heat, clogging will have the effect of slowing down the rotation of the blades, the temperature increases and leads to the rupture of an internal component.
If your fan makes a particular noise, it means that it will soon give up the ghost: clean it urgently thanks to a can of dry air. If the noise persists, replace the power supply.
The other source of failure of an electrical unit is attributable to an overvoltage from the EDF network (lightning…).
The consequences are radical and result in the best case scenario in the “death” of the internal fuse of the power supply (when it is equipped with one): it is then enough to replace it by dismantling it, otherwise head to the trash. You can equip yourself with an inverter to compensate for the irregularity of the current.
Faults related to rear connectors
There are two kinds of connectors: those that are directly connected to the motherboard (USB, keyboard, etc.) and those of the PCI cards.
The failure of the first category comes from two sources. The most common is the breakage of a micro weld as a result of violent plugging and unplugging.
The repair is really not easy. Worst case scenario, try changing your keyboard and mouse to a USB model.
This change in standard will allow you to use other sockets that are not damaged because the breakage of a motherboard connector means replacing it.
A badly functioning card
The failure of a PCI card can have several sources before one of its components is incriminated.
After ensuring that it is correctly inserted and screwed into the “slot”, perform a restart. This device may conflict with another (two cards share the same interrupt requests).
In this case, try changing its location to another. The bios will reassign new addresses and you may have better luck. If not, remove all "bad" cards. If it is still not detected by windows, it's really broken down.
If the system sees it, reinstall your hardware one by one, turning off your PC between each operation. You will have a clean installation and you will have good IRQs.
Crashes, blue screens, restarts
All of these signs are quite often associated with overheating of the microprocessor. Just as with the power supply, the fan that covers it should be regularly cleaned.
You must also check that the fan heatsink (the metal used to dissipate heat) is pressed against the chip. An accidental kick to the computer could have moved this part and greatly reduced its effectiveness.
The consequence is that in the event of overheating, the system blocks, thescreen is blue or the PC restarts. Take the same care when attaching the memory modules, just next to it.
Squealing records
Another symptom of a near breakdown, the change in the noise emitted by the hard drive. The mechanical parts of this element wear out (the moving reading heads for example, or the platters). If you notice screeching, squealing, or an increase in sound level, the end is near.
Do not ask for it again, except to make a backup of your data. You will need to replace it because there are few ways to repair a faulty hard drive.
Display issues
Your monitor is also subject to wear and tear over time. It is therefore necessary to take some precautions. Most of the time it is not LCD panel stop working, but rather the electronics responsible for interpreting the electrical signals from the graphics card.
The electron gun's transformer may also be at fault. Therefore, avoid transporting your monitor hot so as not to damage it prematurely.
If you notice that your monitor is having difficulty waking up from sleep mode or is flickering abnormally, prepare for failure.