Diagnosis program
- Thread starter steeleb
- Start date
There aren't really any. If you think about it most of the problems you will have will be virus or malware, the computer not running at all in which case you couldn't run a diagnostics anyway. To be honest Windows has a load of diagnostics built in and there are other Microsoft toolsets such as the Technet toolset available from Microsoft. To be honest I have never used any diagnostic tools as such and I have been "fixing" computers for years. Anti-malware programs such as Malwarebytes and anti-virus programs such as Microsoft Security Essentials or AVG free etc. I do not see any advantage in paying for anti-malware or anti-virus, others will disagree. If none of those work then either a system restore or last resort full reinstallation.
Drivers can become corrupt resulting in no sound bad graphics and high temperatures can cause problems but all these can be diagnosed from within Windows.
best time saver I have found is a full reinstall. I have spent hours and hours and hours trying to clear a virus or malware and when you have done it, or you think you have done it, you do not really know what other damage that virus or malware may have done. Easiest solution is to reinstall. I always back up people's personal files if I can but for the programs they have put on then I rely on them having the disks. I always have a disclaimer that backing up their personal files and software is their responsibilty and that I will not be held responsible for loss of their data. I occasionally get the excuse that such and such worked before I got it. That is complete rubbish. They brought it to me because it was faulty therefore, potentially, nothing worked properly. I will always talk to the person first before i do anything like that and if they are not in agreement with me then I do not work on their computer.
Hope that helps a bit. Mostly computer stuff is down to experience. Get as much of that under your belt as you can and you wont go far wrong.
Drivers can become corrupt resulting in no sound bad graphics and high temperatures can cause problems but all these can be diagnosed from within Windows.
best time saver I have found is a full reinstall. I have spent hours and hours and hours trying to clear a virus or malware and when you have done it, or you think you have done it, you do not really know what other damage that virus or malware may have done. Easiest solution is to reinstall. I always back up people's personal files if I can but for the programs they have put on then I rely on them having the disks. I always have a disclaimer that backing up their personal files and software is their responsibilty and that I will not be held responsible for loss of their data. I occasionally get the excuse that such and such worked before I got it. That is complete rubbish. They brought it to me because it was faulty therefore, potentially, nothing worked properly. I will always talk to the person first before i do anything like that and if they are not in agreement with me then I do not work on their computer.
Hope that helps a bit. Mostly computer stuff is down to experience. Get as much of that under your belt as you can and you wont go far wrong.
I like your answers & the reason I was asking was because of the amount of time that it somtimes takes & I like to get everything right. I thought places like Staples had programs they ran to save money & time but I agree on the free "Microsoft Security Essentials or AVG free" I use both I have not used the Technet toolset If its not virus or malware and just a slow computer I open system Configuration dialog box Click services tab, check hide all Microsoft services and disable all but anti-virus program, install cCleaner , disable browser extensions & a few other tweaks but you are right using the a full reinstall is best
jarlmaster
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I've always wondered why computers can't just tell you what's wrong in a more obvious manner. They produce error codes, debug logs, etc. but you have to have a good amount of coding knowledge to make sense of them (debug logs in particular). Most of the time when you look up a blue screen error code online it doesn't even tell you anything useful.
Why can't there be a program that scans your computer and reports driver conflicts, runtime errors, OS errors, etc.? I understand that that may be very complicated but it seems within the realm of possibility. I also am aware that computers do debug themselves to a degree. I'm sure software engineers could develop self-correcting programs
Why can't there be a program that scans your computer and reports driver conflicts, runtime errors, OS errors, etc.? I understand that that may be very complicated but it seems within the realm of possibility. I also am aware that computers do debug themselves to a degree. I'm sure software engineers could develop self-correcting programs
I think it would be well within the realms of possibilty to do this. With any peice of electronic equipment, or vehicle and other commodities for that matter, it is perfectly possible to make an item that would last forever. But if that item does last forever when the manufacturer has sold his 10 billion items or whatever it is then he goes bust because nobody will buy a new one whilst the old one is performing so well. I could do what I do now on this all singing all modern up to date computer perfectly well on my old Amiga 500. I am not a gamer and I will concede that someone who plays high end games would need something a bit faster. Having said that I did play games on my Amiga and some of those games were quite graphically intensive for the time. I would think that 90% of computer users only write the odd email or letter or surf the net on their computers and my Amiga was perfectly capable of doing that and still would be if I still had it.
I do not find a need for diagnostic programs as such to be honest. I, generally, know what is causing a problem with the vast majority of computers that I get for repair. The blue screen of death is, in my opinion, an extremely good diagnostics aid. If I Google the error code it invariably comes up with, at least a pointer if not an answer. All of the major hard disk manufacturers have disk diagnostic programs although I find the quickest way to see if a HDD is playing up is to substitute it with a known good one. I have never ever found any need to use a debug program. If a program has become unuseable it is because either the program itself has become corrupted in which case I would repair or reinstall that program and that does include Windows, or the bit of the HDD that the program is on has become faulty. If I was writing programs then I would have to use a debugger but then I would have a full understanding of coding or I would have the relevant literature near at hand. I am not a programmer therefore I do not need any of those aids.
There is also the fact of "inbuilt obsolescence". This is not a myth. Manufacturers do build their products with the intention of them breaking down eventually. How many times have you had an item that has packed up just after the guarantee runs out. I am sure that manufacturers cannot build something that breaks down to order but they do design their products to last for the time of the guarantee at least and after that they do not care what happens and in fact hope that the item does break down and you or I will have to buy a new one.
So in summary (LOL) computers do tell you whats wrong providing Windows is still working. There are bootable diagnostic programs that you can use if the computer will not boot off the HDD such as Hiram's Boot Disk and Ultimate Boot Disk. These are somewhat usefull but mostly it is down to experience and using the diagnostics included in Windows and also having enough bits and pieces kicking around in your workshop to be able to substitute and temporarily bodge things to an extent.
jarlmaster
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I agree with all you've said and I understand planned obsolescence and the like. I used to work in IT repairing computers, so I understand the ways in which one goes about diagnosing and repairing computers.
My point is, despite those tools, sometimes there are minor issues with a computer that could be rectified without doing a reset, fresh install, etc. Like if there was a driver conflict that was draining your battery faster than normal on a laptop or something that was causing a ram leak. A program could detect that and correct it automatically. That would be really useful. I suppose that sort of program might make some tech repair work obsolete or at least lessen the need for it (might hurt Geek Squad, Staples, etc.) Or you could develop said program and then just have the tech repair people use it. Make it unavailable to the public. There's already something similar out that we used at Staples, but it wasn't all that great of a program. Could have been much more robust.
My point is, despite those tools, sometimes there are minor issues with a computer that could be rectified without doing a reset, fresh install, etc. Like if there was a driver conflict that was draining your battery faster than normal on a laptop or something that was causing a ram leak. A program could detect that and correct it automatically. That would be really useful. I suppose that sort of program might make some tech repair work obsolete or at least lessen the need for it (might hurt Geek Squad, Staples, etc.) Or you could develop said program and then just have the tech repair people use it. Make it unavailable to the public. There's already something similar out that we used at Staples, but it wasn't all that great of a program. Could have been much more robust.
