Common PC Problems and Solutions

No sound from speakers: Please check the back of the computer. Some computers may have speaker connections on both the soundcard and modem. You will need to plug the single stereo speaker plug into the socket on the soundcard usually marked Audio Out (or in some cases Speaker)

Computer seems to start up as normal but nothing appears on screen: As obvious as this may sound it is probably a cable not attached correctly, or the monitor power button being turned off. Please unplug all the cables and replace them carefully.

Sometimes my system just crashes for no explicable reason: Welcome to Windows. More help with crashing.

Fuzzy image on monitor: Monitors are sensitive to electro magnetic interference. Ensure that your speakers are not too close to the monitor and that there is no other source of interference, especially from TVs, radios, microwaves, dishwashers and washing machines. Mobile phones are frequently the cause of this problem.

Modem error message says, "No Dial Tone": Do not attempt to change any COM port or other modem settings. This problem is ALWAYS external to the computer. Not all modem cables are the same. Always use the one supplied with your modem. The telephone cable from your wall socket should go into the modem socket marked Line In. Consider that the telephone socket is faulty. It could also be a faulty telephone extension line (just because it works on a phone doesn't necessarily mean it will work on a modem - and don't ask me why), or some other external factor. We repeat: Please do not change any of the modem settings. "No-Dial Tone" is always an external problem. 

Modem cuts off frequently: Modems cannot handle the beep on BT's call waiting facility. If you have call waiting on your line you will need to disable it before using the modem.

Colour on screen is limited to 16 colours: The default setting for Windows is 16 colours. You can only get 256 or more colours if you have installed the video drivers correctly. Please see section on installation of video drivers in the hardware help page

CD keeps playing just the first few seconds of every song and then skips: If using the Windows 95 CD player go to Options on the tool bar and uncheck the setting Intro Play. If using some other CD player verify that your settings are for continuous play. 

I can't get the pound sign to work; other keys come up with the wrong symbols: When installing Windows 95 the default country is installed as America and the default language is American English. To change the Language and Regional Setting you will need to go into Control Panel. Double click on Keyboard, then Language, choose the Add button, scroll down to English British, click on it and then click on Set as Default. Click on OK to confirm. (You may need your Windows 95 CD/Floppy at this stage). You can similarly change the Regional Settings from the Control Panel. You will have to re-start the computer for the changes to take effect.


Some programs (like games) don't work on my computer: Setting up games and some other multimedia programs to work on a Windows based computer is sometimes a stressful experience. Games programmers try to design games to work on a variety of different computers with different makes of sound and video cards and different settings for these cards. Unfortunately, they don't always get it right. Games that work perfectly well on a lower spec computer may not work at all on this new 'state of the art' machine you've just bought. Occasionally fiddling around with settings in the Control Panel will rectify the problem. (Often fiddling around with settings will cause your computer to crash). If you are running Windows 98/ME on your computer consider buying only games that have the 'designed for Windows 98/ME' logo. Note: 'Compatible with Windows ME' is not the same thing.
Try visiting the web site for the program you are using. There may be some FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) or other general information that may be of help.

Computer completely dead - neither monitor nor base unit will come on: If you bought your computer from Best Price Computers Ltd it is more likely that you've had a power cut than a dead computer. Please check your electric socket, the plug and the fuse before calling us. Try using another cable. Very often cables used for kettles will fit your computer. Note that some computers have a power switch at the back of the unit as well as the front. If you do then that needs to be on before you try the switch at the front. 

The screen comes on OK when booting but gets unreadable when in Windows: This could be possibly because you've installed the wrong video drivers and/or have set the resolution/colours/refresh rate too high for your monitor to handle. Fortunately you'll find that you can still start the computer up in safe mode to correct this problem. Hold your "Control" key down and power your PC up. Keep holding the key down till you see the menu offering you the option of starting up in Safe Mode. Once you've started up in safe mode you'll be able to make changes to your video settings and restart the machine for the changes to be recognised. See hardware help page for guide to setting up video drivers. 

Error Messages on Start Up: Error messages like nwlink.vxd missing or damaged - press any key to continue may lead you through several messages before starting Windows. It is certainly an inconvenience to keep pressing 8 to 10 keys each time you want to start Windows. This is caused by the incorrect deletion of programs. When removing a program from a computer you need to use the Add/Remove Software in the Control Panel to actually un-install it rather than delete it. Just deleting a program is likely to give you these error messages. Solution: Just don't do it again. (The problem can be solved by editing the ini files and the registry but that as that is a risky proposition you may just want to put up with the inconvenience till you next format your hard disk and re-install Windows). Suggestion: Invest in a good uninstallation program like Cleansweep.

Computer keeps running scandisk on start-up: Windows runs scandisk on start-up when the computer hasn't been shut down properly. Please read your Windows manual for correct method of shutting Windows down before turning the power off. If the problem continues it is possible that your installation of Windows is damaged.

My computer says "press any key" to continue,but I don't have a key with that name: (OK, we didn't actually get that particular complaint :-) ).

RTFM problems: Probably the most common abbreviation used in technical support. It has come to be accepted in some places as Read The "Friendly" Manual. So, the manual is not always easy to understand, but it's there for your help. In fact, it's there to be your first port of call. :-)

I've reinstalled Windows and my sound/video/modem/printer is not working correctly: It is possible that you haven't correctly setup your device. Please click here for link to our hardware help page ........ or here for software help. 

Windows 98 SE does not shutdown correctly or it restarts when it should shutdown. Go to Run and type in "MSCONFIG" without the quotes. Click on "advanced" and tick/untick the Enable Fast Shutdown. Restart the computer and see if it shuts down? Still doesn't? Try the BIOS and disable ACPI. Also disable power saving. No joy? Try Microsoft's shutdown utility.