We will try to address some of the most common technical issues that a
customer may have and can resolve on their own. The follow list of area
that customer may have issues with:
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Motherboard |
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What is the CMOS checksum error? |
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This is typically caused by a bad or corrupted BIOS chip |
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Why is my computer shutting off repeatedly? |
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If you are getting video during start up and the computer restarts
by itself, then most likely it is the processor. The best thing to
do is to disconnect every thing from the back of the system and try
it without any peripherals. If the problem persists, leave only the
video card and monitor connected to see whether the computer will stay
on. If the problem is still present, try reseating the memory and disconnecting
the CD-ROM drives. If all fail, contact tech support to send in your
system for repair. |
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How do I flash the BIOS? |
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Flashing the BIOS is different for every motherboard. Please refer
to your motherboard manual and the manufacturer’s website for
more information. Once you have downloaded the bios revision, there
will detailed instructions on how to flash the bios, usually included
in a “readme” file. |
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How can I get the latest BIOS update for my Microdata USA? |
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You can find them by going to the manufacturer’s site to download
the latest BIOS. Please click here and choose the manufacture for the
Motherboard. If you don’t know your Motherboard manufactures
or if we assembled your computer please call us at 408-779-7622 X16 |
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Memory |
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It keeps beeping, when the system is booting up, there
no video display but it keeps beeping. |
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It is most likely a part that is damaged or loose. The
first thing to do is turn the power off on the system. Unplug the main
system power cord. Then open the case. You will need to reseat all
the cables and cards. Most likely, the beeps and then no video are
caused by either the memory or video card. Double-check these to make
sure that they are seated properly. If you have more than one stick
of memory, try only one stick. Continue to try all the sticks to rule
out just one or more being bad. Refer to the motherboard, or main board
manual to determine what the beep code is. Listen carefully to the
pattern. It clearly will tell what type of error message it is. |
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CD/DVD-ROM |
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How do I install a new CDRW? |
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Please follow the following steps:
- Open the computer case.
- Make sure your existing CD-ROM has a ribbon cable with two
connection spots. If not, you will have to purchase an IDE cable.
- Decide which optical drive will the “master” drive and which will
be the “slave” drive and set the jumpers on the drives appropriately.
- Install the drive into your case by either using the drive
rails or by mounting the drive with screws into the open drive
bay.
- Make sure your computer power cable is unplugged. Plug in
an available power cable coming from the power supply. The
power cable should have red, yellow, and black wires.
- Connect the thin IDE ribbon cable to the drive. If you are
using more than one drive, make sure the lower drive is connected
to the middle connector and the top drive is connected to the
end of the cable. The other end goes back into an available
IDE port on your motherboard.
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Why won’t my CD burner work? |
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There are many possibilities that play into why a CDRW will not burn. It could be related to Windows corruption, corrupted
burning software or a defective drive. Please follow the following
steps to diagnose your CD burner problems.
- Uninstall and then reinstall the burning software
that you use.
- Try different burning media. Make sure you check with the
burn software manufacturer to see if the type of media is compatible.
- Update the burn software by visiting the manufacturer’s
website. Simply reconnect the cables. The last step before
replacing the drive would be reinstalling your operating system.
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Hard Drive |
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How do I format my Hard Drive? |
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If you have a Windows startup disk or one of our emergency boot
diskettes, you can format your hard drive. Put in the floppy and restart
your system and follow the on screen prompts. For the Windows start
up disk, you will need to type in format c: and press y to confirm
when you are brought to the MS-DOS prompt. Warning: all information
on your hard drive will be lost after formatting. (DTTComputer is not
recommending this and will not be responsible for lost, damages or
corrupt data) |
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How big is my Hard Drive? |
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For single partitions: Double click on “My Computer”, right click
on Local disk C: and then left click on Properties. You will see how much free
space, how much used space, and total disk space.
For multiple partitions: Follow same steps for single partition with all Local
disks listed and then add up the total disk space from all drives to figure out
the size of your hard drive. |
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What causes non-system disk error? |
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If you have a non-bootable floppy disk in your floppy drive, you
will receive that message when booting up. All you need to do is take
out the floppy disk and strike any key to continue to boot from the
hard drive normally. |
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Why don’t windows recognize my 2nd hard
drive? |
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If your system or BIOS sees the additional hard drive but Windows
doesn’t, chances are that you haven’t partitioned the drive
yet. You can use the emergency boot disk to go into fdisk to partition
the drive. When you are in Fdisk, choose 5, and then enter. If there
isn’t a fifth choice, it indicates your system doesn’t
see the hard drive. You will want to check the cables or the drive.
After choosing 5, switch to the second drive listed. That will be your
2nd hard drive. Then press enter, press enters 2 more times, it will
start to verify the drive integrity. After it has reached 100%, if
will ask you if you would like to use maximum disk space, press y to
confirm. If not, select the size of the partition you prefer. When
it is completed, restart the system. Once in Windows, you should see
the additional drive. Then you can proceed to format that drive.
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O/S |
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I would like to perform a clean install of Windows XP. |
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Boot to the Windows XP setup by inserting the installation CD. Follow
the prompts to delete the partition and then format with NTFS quick.
After it is done, follow the Windows prompts to install Windows XP
to the hard drive. |
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How do I do a system restore with my operating system? |
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For Windows ME and XP, click on Start, click on Programs, click
on Accessories, click on System Tools, click on System Restore, follow
the prompts, and choose a bold date prior to the problem occurred.
For Window 98, click on Start, click on Shut down, click on Restart
in MS-DOS Mode. Once you have. C:\WINDOWS\>, then type in cd command
and press enter. You will see C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND>. Then type in "scanreg
/restore" and press enter. A list of backup dates will show on
screen. Choose a date before the problem happened and press enter.
After it has restored to that date, restart your system. |
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Viruses |
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My system is infected with a Virus. What should I do? |
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If you have found the virus from anti-virus software, and it is quarantined
or deleted, most often you do not have anything to worry about. If
you found a virus and could not remove it, there are only two solutions:
if you have a restore disk, you can use it to restore your system back
to the factory setting. However, all files will be deleted on your
hard drive. If you don’t have it, you will need to format your
hard drive, and then reinstall the operating system. It will take a
little longer to install Windows and all the drivers. In some cases,
the virus can be found in the boot sector and you will need to delete
the partitions on the hard drive, repartition the drive, and then format
it. |
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Spyware/Adware |
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Why my system constantly pop-up with Ad and my homepage have been
change? |
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Your system is infected with Spyware or adware. Spyware or adware
removal can be done by using specialty software to remove them. |
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Display/ Video Card |
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Why does my display only show 16 colors? |
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There is a problem with your video driver. Either your video card
is not working or the video driver is corrupt or missing. Go to Device
Manager, and then click on Display Adapters. If it says standard VGA
graphics adapter, then you don’t have a driver installed. Try
to install your video card driver first from the CD that came with
your computer. If you do not have the CD or would like to try an updated
driver, please check with the manufacturer’s website to get the
latest drivers. |
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There is a black and cloudy spot on the corner of my Monitor. |
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There is no problem at all. Most monitor need to be degaussed for
initial use. |
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Soundcards |
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Where can I get the latest drivers for a sound card? |
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Please check in the Vendor link for driver |
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Modem/Networking |
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My modem cannot connect to the Internet. It says that the port is
busy or opened. How do I fix the problem? |
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The easiest and quickest way to fix this is to do a system restore.
Please refer to the section on “System Restore".
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