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When it comes to diagnosing the modem and any other computer problem,always start with the most obvious first.Modem problems may be repaired as fast as re-booting the computer or can be as complex as resolving hardware conflicts.

First remember to check for the most obvious signs of trouble,such as loose connections at the rear of the computer for external modems.

Internal modems may have their retaining screw at the expansion slot loose are missing.Phone line connections may simply be inserted in the wrong connector.

Nearly all internal modems are inserted into the PCI or Peripheral Component Interconnect slot in the system unit.

NO POWER AT THE MODEM

For Internal Modems,first try inserting the modem in a different PCI Slot.Reboot the computer and click on Start,Control Panel,and click the Phone And Modems icon if you have Windows XP as your operating system.

Then click on modems,properties,and look for the statement “This Device Is Working Properly”. You can click on Diagnostics and run a test to see if the modem has power as well.

External modems can be checked for power by inspecting the adapter plug to see if it is plugged in completely.Look to see if any indicator lights flashing and be certain you are using the adapter for your modem.

Be sure the surge protector or wall outlet is providing power by plugging in a lamp or a radio.If the radio works,the culprit may be the adapter or the external modem itself.

If you purchased the modem in your town,you may have the chance to return to the store and ask the technician to test it with a known good power adapter.You can been replace either the adapter or modem.

MODEM DISCONNECTS OFTEN

If your modem,whether internal or external,is working but disconnects from the Internet very often,without warning,check to be sure your call waiting option is not enabled.

Another culprit that cause this headache is line noise.This noise and interference can be caused by such things as loose wiring.

Poor waterproofing,old wiring,worn phone jacks are some causes that will result in line noise. Make sure no other equipment is using the same line that your modem is on.

Be sure other devices as your fax machine, answering machines or even security alarms are not sharing the same line as your modem.

Other PCI devices may be causing conflicts with your modem.Clicking the Control Panel ,and clicking the modem icon will show the message “This Device Has A Problem” or somthing similar if there is a conflict.

Windows will offer ways to resolve the conflict. Take the time to carefully follow instructions tocorrect any conflicts that may be present.

Loose data lines for Internal modems and loose or damaged connectors for External modems can cause data lost as well.Visual check and double check these connections.

MODEM IS PRESENT BUT WILL NOT WORK

The external and internal modem must have device drivers installed before they will work. Bad or incorrect drivers can cause the modem to disconnect as well as not work at all

If you noticed that the device driver was either missing or corrupt in the modem icon,follow the instructions to update the device driver.

If some cases,you may have to completely remove the old modem from thw Windows Device Manager.

Once it has been removed from Windows, reboot the computer and Windows will detect the modem and automatically re-installs the the device driver.

If your modem came with an installation cdrom or diskette,use the software the disk rather than the one in Windows.

Once you are up and running,the first thing you should do is to visit the modem’s support web site and search for any software patches or updated drivers to download.

COMMON BROADBAND PROBLEMS

The most common high speed internet problems whether its dsl or cable connections are not being able to log on and poor signal.

If the Cable modem often reboots,you should check to see if your signal indicator is strong.If the signal seems good,electronic signal from mobile phones and other devices nearby may be interfering with the signal.

Stop and look behind the cable or dsl modem to see if the connections have worked themselves loose or have come off completely.Be sure the connections have not be damaged in any way.

The modem is connected to an Ethernet card which will receive and send signals to the computer.Look at the rear of the card and see if the green indicator is on.If not,there is a problem with the card installation or the card may be faulty.

If the ehthernet card in the computer become loose, your high speed Internet reception will be interruppted. Place a finger on the ethernet card and try to move it. If you can,open the system unit case and tighten the card.

If the ethernet card has become loose,it may be a good idea to remove it and inspect the yellow contacts to be certain they are not dirty or damaged.Power will not transfer to the card should this be the case.

Other causes may be the main wiring to the modem may be faulty.The vacuum cleaner or the power tools your son is using in the garage may be causing the problem as well.And we cannot omit the idea that the cable or dsl modem themselves may be faulty.

While you’re learning about your computer,understand the modem at every level and do so now while it is still in good operating order.Print or write down modem and all troubleshooting tips.

Put these troubleshooting tips in a binder or at least in a safe place so you can refer to them should your PC fail to boot.Knowing about your computer takes time and effect but you be glad you took the time should your system goes on the blink.

Otis F. Cooper is solely dedicated to boosting the knowledge and confidence of every computer user. Use his informative articles and videos to understand all about the PC. Read more in depth articles for pc training and repair at http://www.repairarticles.com.

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A common problem with hard drives is the error message “MISSING OPERATING SYSTEM.”

Typically what this means is that critical data is missing or damaged in two possible locations. The first is the Master Boot Record (MBR). This data area contains error messages and pointer information that specifies the location of the second critical data area, the Volume Boot Record (VBR). The VBR contains the operating system specific data for the format of that particular partition on the drive. If either of these two critical data areas is damaged, by a virus, controller failure, etc., then the drive will not be accessible through the operating system.

The normal response to this error message is to boot to a floppy disk and to re-partition the drive (probably using FDISK) and thereby totally removing any possibility for recovery of the data on that drive, except by dedicated data recovery software or a data recovery facility. If applicable, the following technique will help save time, money, and frustration.

The first step to data recovery (covered in great detail in the first article of this series) is to verify the location of the existing partition information. For the purposes of this article, it will be assumed that the FAT structure and the root directory are intact, there is only one partition, and that only the MBR and the VBR were damaged. Using Micro-Scope, enter the Fixed Disk Editor menu and select the fixed disk that is being repaired. Using the Find menu option, locate all the sectors that contain the string “55 AA” (see Step Four of the first article in this series), and then verify that the FAT structures are intact (see Step Seven). Note on a scratch paper the values (in Cylinder, Head, Sector format) where this string appears. These values will be used later in the reconstruction process.

Rebuilding the MBR

Using the Fixed Disk Editor in Micro-Scope, locate and read Cylinder 0, Head 0, Sector 1. This should be the location of the corrupt Master Boot Record. Press “M” to modify the sector and enter 0’s for the entire sector, effectively wiping all the data from this sector. Press ESC, then “W” to write the data, and “Y” to confirm the write operation. Then exit the Fixed Disk Editor and select the Rebuild Master Boot Record menu option. Press “Y” to confirm this operation. The fixed drive now has a completely corruption-free MBR available for use during the reconstruction of the VBR.

Rebuilding the VBR

There is a simple method for rebuilding the VBR. Copy the data from a like fixed disk or a similar-sized fixed disk with the identical operating system (the versions must be the same.) There are two approaches for obtaining this data. The first is to install the second drive in the system, reboot Micro-Scope, and copy the sectors directly from the “healthy” drive to the drive being reconstructed. The second method is to copy the sectors from the “healthy” drive to a floppy diskette and transfer that diskette to the machine containing the drive being reconstructed. The data can be copied to any sector on the floppy disk. Just note where this data is stored on the floppy disk so that it may be easily retrieved when copying it back to the drive being reconstructed. In either case, the VBR is located at Cylinder 0, Head 1, Sector 1 on the “healthy” drive. Copy this data to the same location on the damaged drive. Exit the Fixed Disk Editor.

The drive now has a clean MBR and VBR, and with a few modifications to the values stored in these data areas, the drive will be fully reconstructed.

Access the VBR in the Partition Editor. Some of the values in this area will remain the same. These are: Bytes Per Sector, Reserved Sectors, Number of Copies of FAT, Max # of Root Dir. Entries, Media Description Byte, and Volume Boot Signature. Sectors Per Cluster may or may not need to be changed. Put the cursor over this value and press F1 for a formula that will help determine the proper value. Use this same F1 procedure for determining the Total Number of Sectors. This value should be the same as the value for Number of Sectors in the partition table.

The Sectors per FAT value equals the number of sectors from the beginning of the first FAT to the beginning of the second FAT (as described in the first article in this series.) The values for Sectors per Track and Number of Hidden Sectors should be identical to the values in the MBR. The Number of Heads is either the same as the value in the MBR or the same as the value of the Number of Heads in the partition table plus one (refer to the first article in the series for more information on this topic.) After completing this information, the drive should either be bootable or accessible via a bootable diskette. If this is not the case, e-mail the Technical Support department for further verification of the problem.

Reconstructing Multiple Partition Volumes

In some cases, the drive may have been partitioned into smaller, logical partitions. If this is the case, the chance of this data being corrupt is slim, and correct Head and Sector values are readily available from these areas. To find the second partition on the drive, use the Fixed Disk Editor in Micro-Scope to view the sector containing the “55 AA” string. This sector should appear after the first VBR, so don’t confuse the two. The second MBR should start on Head 0, Sector 1 of a given cylinder. Accordingly, the second VBR will appear on Head 1, Sector 1, and the FAT on Head 1, Sector 2, etc. By adjusting the first MBR in Micro-Scope so that the value for Starting Cylinder, Head and Sector is equal to the location of the second MBR, the VBR is now accessible through the Micro-Scope partition editor. Use these values to reconstruct the second MBR. The only value that will need recalculating is the Start Absolute Sector in the second MBR.

As outlined in the first article in the series, the Start Absolute Sector is the same as the value for Ending Sector. This is not the case with a second partition. The Start Absolute Sector is the number of sectors prior to the VBR. The formula for the Start Absolute Sector is as follows: (Number of Sectors) + (the Start Absolute Sector of the previous partition) + (Sectors per Track). This formula will work for any additional logical partitions.

If, during partition reconstruction, there is something not understood, e-mail the Micro 2000 Tech Support Dept. before making changes to the drive.

Disclaimer - The Micro 2000 Tech Tip is a free service providing information only. While we use reasonable care to see that this information is correct, we do not guarantee it for accuracy, completeness or fitness for a particular purpose. Micro 2000, Inc. shall not be liable for damages of any kind in connection with the use or misuse of this information.

Micro 2000 Inc has been helping to solve the day-to-day challenges that IT departments face in order to keep their businesses operational as well as profitable for over 14 years. The company’s primary goal is to put the customer first - through feature-rich, simple-to-use IT tools that can help IT administrators manage their jobs more effectively.

For more advice and free articles be sure to visit: http://www.micro2000.co.uk

Tags: computer maintenance, computer repair, hard drives, hardware, pc maintenance, pc repair, tech tipscomputer maintenance, computer repair, hard drives, hardware, pc maintenance, pc repair, tech tips

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