this post was submitted on 13 Jan 2024

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Any good beginner guides for identifying broken parts in a desktop computer ? (discuss.tchncs.de)

submitted 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

10 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I've recently bought a used computer, and it has a few problems. I'm looking for a guide to help me identify which parts are causing the problem.

I've tried to watch and read a few guides on how to build a pc, but they haven't given me any information on how to identify broken parts.

I'm interesting in a guide, but I'll also post my specific problems, if any of you know how I might fix them ^^

the problems I'm experiencing are the following:

the screen will sometimes glitch out with black areas when watching movies, but only when in fullscreen. The problem usually disappears for some time when exiting and re-entering fullscreen mode.

The computer won't run certain drivers and sometimes when powering off, the computer will use a long time closing certain applications, but will fail in the end and I have to power it off manually. Also, it will sometimes reset my settings. Back to factory wallpaper and factory everything. it remembers my users and my applications.

I've grouped them into two paragraphs, because I have an idea, that the graphical problem might be caused a bad GPU.

I have no idea, what's causing the stuff in the second paragraph 😅

also, I hope this is the right community for this question - I couldn't find any communities specifically for computers.

any help is welcomed ^^

//EDIT:

Thanks for the help :))

I removed the gpu and now only use the integrated graphics in the cpu, and the visual glitches are gone :))

I've run some tests on the computer (from the boot screen), and it seems the memory is fine. The only driver I know to be a problem is the driver for my WiFi usb. I'll try to work on that, or maybe I'll buy a WiFi card and pray that works better ^^

thanks for the help :))

//EDIT2:

All my problems are fixed now ^^

the wallpaper change was because I am a doofus and forgot that I had made a new user on the computer, which of course had the default wallpaper 😅

the driver problem was only with my WiFi adapter, and I fixed that by removing the current driver (rtl8812ub) and installing another driver (rtl8811au), which fixed the problem :))

thanks for the help :))

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Some good flowcharts here https://www.ifitjams.com/manual.htm

[–] str82L 4 points 10 months ago

I've wanted to find something like this for years. You're awesome!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

Your GPU might be having problems, but the other problems you list sound like either a bad hard drive or a virus / bad windows install.

There are several utility programs you can download that will check your hard drive for failures. I would back up any important files and then run those. If the hard drive is bad, replace it. Either way you will probably want to re-install windows from scratch.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

Unfortunately, the best method by far for identifying bad components is "have a spare you can try instead" or "take suspect parts and swap them into a known-good system."

I.E. test your parts.

Memory and hard drive tests are the first thing you should run, for almost any problem, just because they're so low-effort. Swap them into a separate system to test, if possible, and definitely make sure you're running tests from a USB stick or CD-ROM, to help eliminate as many variables as you can.

PSU is a good bet after those, for intermittent problems, since the ENTIRE rest of the computer relies on it, and unreliable power can cause really weird and unpredictable failures. But there really isn't much you can do to TEST a PSU without buying an electronic load tester that's gonna cost you more than a new PSU itself. If you don't have anyone to borrow from, a spare PSU is really a solid investment.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

The second issue could be a software issue and the first could be a driver issue, so I'd start by reinstalling Windows and installing the latest driver for your specific GPU

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Not an expert, but it wouldn't hurt checking if it's a bad RAM. If you have multiple sticks, you could try using your PC with just one at a time, to check if it's one of them dying.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago

You can run Memtest, just boot it and check the ram. Some Linux distros have memtest included in their bootable image (e.g. Ubuntu). Otherwise you can create a bootable stick with memtest by yourself.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

Does your CPU has integrated graphics? You can remove your GPU and then you test if the error still occurs to find out if your GPU has damage. You can also test a live system, to exclude issues in your OS or driver configuration

Which OS and GPU do you have in use?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

this worked, thank you :))

the problem seems to be with the gpu, and I think the integrated graphics in my CPU will be enough for my use (watching movies) ^^

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago

Could also be a bad PSU.