Hardware Troubleshooting

Diagnose computer, network and printer/scanner hardware failures and replace components as necessary.

Network and/or wireless adapter hardware failures.

Reset network devices.
- Unplug all network devices.
- Plug in your Internet Router/Modem first.
- Wait for the internet light to come on (2 - 5 minutes).
- Plug any extenders back in (wait 2 minutes).
- Try network again.
Reset network stack. Windows:

Delete all adapters in device manager.

From elevated command prompt.

netsh int ip reset
netsh int ipv6 reset
netsh winsock reset
ipconfig /flushdns
nbtstat -R

Reboot.

You could also run: netsh advfirewall reset, but any programs with special firewall settings will be broken...

or Mac:.

Close all programs and turn off WiFi.

Make sure you have a recent backup. You are about to delete system files.😀

In Finder, Go To: /Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/
Delete the following files:
com.apple.airport.preferences.plist
com.apple.network.eapolclient.configuration.plist
com.apple.wifi.message-tracer.plist
NetworkInterfaces.plist
preferences.plist

Reboot.

Turn WiFi back on and reconnect.
Check for driver and system updates.
If it's still not working, then replace the network adapter.

Data Recovery

The worst case scenario with a computer is the drive failing. Always have a backup.

If you need the data and your drive is clicking, hiccuping, contact CBLData. They should be able to recover your data, but it can be quite expensive, $800 - $1,800 is not unheard of.

As long as we can still see the drive, we can generally get the data off of it for considerably cheaper than that. Plus, you don't have to send the drive away.

If you have a large amount of data, or the drive is in bad condition, we will take it off-site for recovery. Depending on the condition of the drive, we will either try to get an image or copy the data off first. If we can get an image, this can be restored to another drive to bring the machine back up as if nothing happened.😀 Otherwise, data can be copied to whatever you desire.

Next to Drives, Power Supply Units (PSU) are the most likely thing to fail.

No lights at all? Most likely a failed PSU. We can generally replace these on site within the 1 hour minimum.

If the fan is constantly noisy, this can be easy to diagnose. If the noise is intermittent, we will sometimes need to take it off site to reproduce the problem. While the fans are inexpensive, diagnosing and replacing can end up being a couple of hours work (or more if we have to remove the motherboard to replace the fan).

If it's the Power Supply fan, we will typically replace the Power Supply.

If it's a case fan, as long as CPU and Graphics adapter temperatures are fine, we will just disable it. Can be easily replaced, but we don't carry these with us.

If it's the CPU fan, We will need to aquire a replacement and it may require pulling the motherboard. As all machines are different, this can require a few hours work and may not be cost feasible for older machines. Judged on a machine by machine basis.

Most audio problems end up being driver and configuration issues. While rare, hardware failures do occur with audio.

Speakers. Most likely cause after configuration issues.

Audio device. Most audio is built into the motherboard on modern machines. If the audio has failed, the motherboard is likely next. I have seen systems run for years after disabling onboard audio/network/display adapters and replacing with cards or USB devices. Next to data recovery, replacing the motherboard is one of the most expensive repairs and is usually not recommended.

Check connections.

Flickering, flashing, strange colors (quite often green) are symptoms of a loose connection.

Power off and on. If no logo, likely failed monitor.

If video card has failed, we quite often will connect to motherboard instead. This serves the needs of most people (not gamers or designers).

If onboard video (built into motherboard) has failed, it is likely time for a new machine. We can put a video card in and the machine may last for years....

Board level repairs and soldering costs more than replacement, you can try an electronics repair store if you like. They will most likely replace as well.
Cracked phone and tablet screens and batteries, there are lots of shops around town (too many parts to carry with us and some are glued together).