Recently someone asked me about test utilities for Microsoft XP.
Remember the good old days when you could install a copy of Norton and it would fix everything and you’d be on your way again? Well since the advent of Windows XP that’s not the case. Norton is pesky and intrusive, more often than nought, it can’t even tell you what’s wrong anymore. It just keeps telling you to restore your system.
Well I’m of the type that wants an answer before I take it to the shop. That’s how I get things fixed quickly and cheaply. I just walk it in and tell them what’s broke.
If you’re blue screening under Windows XP I’ll put dollars to donuts (no idea what that means) that its heat, ram or the motherboard (in that order).
- Open the case and point a giant oscillating house fan at the motherboard from about three feet back. Money says if your married, you’ve got one of these lying around (probably on your wife’s nightside table, even though it’s the dead of winter). If it still “blue screens” move to step two.
- Run Microsoft’s new Ram tester. If it tells you your ram is good, move to step three.
- Reset your BIOS. This is a complicated and annoying thing to do, so thats why it is so far down the list. (Honestly though, if you use your system all the time, try this second, if its someone else’s system, keep it at step three)
- Flash your BIOS. Ok this is really, really, annoying. Download all the BIOSes your manufacturer has released since you bought your system. Chances are one of them will work. Usually I start with the newest and keep flashing backwards till I get one that works.
- Take machine to a repair shop, it’s Hooped!
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