How to Tell a PC Hardware Problem From a Software Problem
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- Опубликовано: 7 янв 2022
- How to Tell a PC Hardware Problem From a Software Problem
The easiest way to find out whether the pc problem is related to hardware or software is to do a clean install of windows 10/11 or Linux.
Key Components:
1. RAM
2. CPU
3. Motherboard
4. GPU
5. PSU
6. HDD/SSD
Other Components:
RGB Lights & Hub
CPU Cooler/Heatsink
CDROM/Drive
Fans
Cables
Expansion Cards
Peripherals
Software:
Windows
Reinstalling Windows means clean/fresh install Windows 10/11 or Linux. Always create a new bootable USB drive with the OS of your choice and do a clean install. (Backup data first)
A clean install of Windows 10/11 will delete personal files and settings. It will also delete all your programs and applications, including any apps you installed from the Microsoft Store.It will also undo recent system changes you've made.
You can use a spare hard drive or SSD to install windows to eliminate windows being the issue.
Unplug RGB Lights & Hub, CDROM/Drive, Unnecessary Extra Fans, Expansion Cards, PSU Extension Cables, Peripherals like USB Hubs or any other devices that can be removed to eliminate problems
If you don't have spare parts to swap out and test with, stop what your doing and take it to a pc repair shop. Stop trying to guess what the problem could be.
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Hope this video helps you troubleshoot pc problems. Drop us a LIKE 👍
Sometimes a reinstall won't help if the problem only shows up sometimes. For example my xmp profile was unstable after a bios update causing amd store mi from corrupting (no blue screen with it not running). A quick ram check using a usb and memtest86 saw the ram fail. Downclocked the ram, passed the ram test then no problems with store mi. 👍
Of course checking even viewer can help too. Kind of. If you know how to Google.
Great Chanel btw.
@@johnathanpearson3203 I was building a new PC around the 5700G and everything would work fine until I installed the Radeon drivers. The RAM, which was QVL and tested perfect in both Intel and AMD systems, wasn't compatible with the AMD graphics drivers, but only when installed in PAIRS. Lost an entire day on that.
This is only really for new windows installations.. 😅 If you have a client you can't simply put a new windows on their pc
Very well said. Straight forward and easy to understand. There are a lot of people that think they can always stay away from a reinstall. I am glad to hear you explain this about in troubleshooting
You're welcome and glad you enjoyed it
Always good to have two PCs. If the new PC is broken, you can still access the internet via the old one. It also helps to have two OS on the same hard drive. If the PC has problems and won't boot, you can try the other OS. Start the PC, and if there are no other problems, you know that it is not a hardware problem. From my own experiences, I have experienced that the video card and the monitor break first.
yes bro ik you probably not gon see this but i can’t get my daul monitors set up and idk if it’s bc my video card or my power supply faulty but my pc runs fine i don’t get it
Thanks for the info. Always appreciate your videos.
I'd recommend making a persistent linux bootable OS and just boot from this usb drive to test if it's a software problem. That way you can re-use it when needed plus you have a backup if Windows gets corrupted (which for me is rarely).
My PC stopped working and I pulled the HD then used a bootable Linux OS and it started working. BIOS setting was wrong. BIOS starting goes by so fast there was no way to get in.
Around a month ago my well-maintained PC started shutting off and restarting randomly. It was really worrying because nothing like that had ever happened previously. Google suggested it could be everything from dust, to dodgy RAM, to a PSU ready to explode, lol. After a heck of a lot of trial and error it turns out Avast had updated itself, and was messing with something or another in Windows. I uninstalled the trash immediately, downloaded some new anti-virus, and the PC's been in great form ever since. But those few weeks of frantic troubleshooting and backing up my files in-case something went very seriously wrong was so stressful.
Sometimes an anti-virus is worse than a virus lol
@@coffeecel I agree!
I got the blue screen after I installed Eset internet security.
This is the one thing I appreciated when using a console compared to a PC, little to no need for troubleshooting like this unless the console had issues out of the box already, or you neglected cleaning it after 4+ years.
I've already had a couple stressful moments with my custom pc and it's not even 2 years old... kinda stuff that made me want to pull hair, but the faster hardware is pretty nice when it works fine! lol
If you have a MB speaker you can go by the beep codes it gives you. Also boot into safe mode for loading limited drivers to see if the problem goes away. Usually corrupted drivers.
I always keep an Ubuntu Linux live USB around , that way you can boot from it and select Live CD mode (which runs the OS from RAM instead of installing it). You get to try out Linux and make sure your hardware is working. Works for me !
That is why I do full backups of my system. Even if I install a fresh copy and that does not fix the issue, I can always restore the backup and troubleshoot hardware issues. Either way I do not lose anything.
I'd use a spare drive to install temp windows with and if that works then it'll show which path to follow without destroying your original hard drive !
Using a spare drive is the way to go
or a partition
will i lose the stuff that i purchased?
Thank you, thats some great advice! Ill definitely consider a spare drive fresh windows install now. Could an outdated MB with old BIOS that doesnt officially support current versions of windows be an issue?
whats a few things to ck first if the computer wont start up/ make a sound? THANKS
Another great video. You are the most useful tech out there in RUclipsLand
Hello,
PC Intel Processor w/ graphics vs Discrete graphics card, if I wanted the later After inserted GPU on the motherboard needed activate this the GPU Card in BIOS/UEFI... otherwise, even is on the motherboard, I may still using processor graphics IN MY PC System...?
Straight to the point. Good video
Thanks
I have created a rebuild setup for my OS and do a fresh install with it at least once a year. At that point I also unmount the CPU fan, apply fresh thermal paste and do a general heavy cleaning of everything in the computer. This is how I can make any PC I build last for the better part of 7+ years and I have minimal issues. Aside from the hardware failure that is inevitable but still rare if you take care of your computer and dont buy on the cheap!
Very informative. Thanks, Brian.
My pleasure!
Question for you. Do you have a video on external speakers stopping to work with Windows 11? - Scenario. I had a RUclips video paused, but in the middle of the night - all by itself - the video started to play (Ghost, or WTH?). I thought it was the TV. When I figured out where the sound was coming from, I shut down the video by clicking the X in the right-hand corner of the video. In the morning I had zero sound from the external speakers or the laptop. After following a few videos for troubleshooting the sound issue, the internal speakers started to work. External speakers turned out to be a trojan horse puzzle. They are working now, but I'm not even sure how the problem was fixed. You do such a nice job on your videos, one on this topic would be great. Or do you already have one made? Thanks.
You can also use a Linux flash drive version to check if system works just unplug your other drives and set up bios to boot from USB
Thank you for sharing!
this just might be the best video on the internet
can u reainstall the programs almost all programs have email password right? will i keep the stuff that i purchased??
Good reason to have a spare drive on hand so you don't risk data loss and for using this approach
Wow this is very useful Brian, thanks
You're welcome
A good tip,always prove with a correct software,thanks
👍👍👍 I have an older Canon Multi Printer that was working just fine until recently when WIN10 was updated and the printer would not work/print. After several days of desperately trying to get it working, I was (convinced that the printer was not compatible and) about to go and buy a new printer.
Putting it all aside for a week and coming back to it, somehow for whatever reason(s), the printer settings had been altered and even though I repeatedly corrected them, they issue remained. Any how....Totally confused on what I finally did, the printer now seems to be functioning OK! >>>> Bloody Frustrating to say the least!
you might suggest if you have a spare hard drive, load Windows onto the spare hdd, with the suggestions you made (no extraneous hardware).
Nice video bro 👌👌👌
I was literally looking for this everywhere
Glad I could help
I remember years and years ago, I had a computer which kept messing up and performing very erratically. For a long time I thought it was just Windows being a dick. Turns out their was a stray hair in one of the RAM slots causing all those problems.
Yeah, ram can be a nightmare when pc is acting funny
Yeah I got a problem with my graphics card. It is an AMD R7 370 Strix edition.When I install the drivers I get a black screen and the pc freezes. So I tried everything from usin DDU in safe mode and installing a clean and new Windows on my PC ab it is still not working.I tried the GPU in my father pc and the same problem occured so I think that the GPU is toast.And it all started with the newest Windows 10 update.
thx for info!!
Yes Brian this is just what I would do as I have a few spare drives that I can use to reinstall Windows and other bits and pieces that I have lying around ie RAM that I can swap in the only thing I don't have is a spare GPU and as you know they are so expensive now. But mate a great video that should save a lot of wasted time.👍
For peple who don't like reinstalling windows get a cheap mechanical hard drive or SSD that way you don't have to worry about your data. Just disconnect your main drive and put that one in its place.
That is right
Great video mate. Question, my sons pc has started to lag when gaming and the fps drops, it starts of fine then at some point it drop down. What can I do to solve it? Tried to updating w10 to w11, remove temp files, Antivirus scan. Thinking it might be overheating but not sure.
It could be overheating. I'd blow out any dust first, and if that doesn't solve the issue I'd unseat the CPU and reaplay the thermal paste.
Like Oletta said, could be overheating, could be thermal throttling, could be bottle necking is its old hardware. Loads of reasons. Join my discord for help.
So my pc randomly shuts down and i get no error message or blue screen, i checked even viewer to see whats up and it says something about Kernel 61 , ik not sure whats causing it
Great points
Thanks for sharing your experiences with all of us :-)
My pleasure!
Thanks.
Thanks for this.
My pleasure!
My PC runs about two months and then starts freezing and BSOD. I've reinstalled Windows many times, and run memtest for days. I don't have a spare PSU or GPU. The system eats drives. They start losing sectors.. Is this a PSU problem?
Good video. That's how I look for problems too.
Thanks for watching!
I get BSOD when I update my windows... Haven't found out why it keeps happening.
We have to realize that some apps are not well coded; even games. Sometimes no matter what you do the PC crashes...drivers corrupt or get outdated and often the vendor walks away from the product. Cables are not created equal and they break or fail or connectors come apart. It's good to have spares but mostly don't overestimate what the unit can do.
I would boot to a live Linux iso from a usb Drive first, e.g. Ubuntu iso on an easy2boot usb drive first. This saves reinstalling windows. You can also install windows to a usb drive using wintousb and then boot to that which saves having to take apart the pc or notebook. The usb drive can then be kept for future testing purposes. Easy2boot can also boot to various winpe ISOs such as hirens winpe, strelec winpe, dlcboot, medicat, etc.
The problem with using a live Linux USB or WinPE is that you won't be about to emulate the problem if it crashes when gaming or video editing. Its certainly good for some things to troubleshoot.
@@Britec09 true, but if the problem is a windows driver, you will just install the same drivers again and get the same problems again with the fresh install. So it's best to try all options, various Linuxes, winpe, usb tests such as memtest86 and full windows without and then with drivers.
That is where the live cd is handy
Very good news...Thanks.
Many many thanks
Make a video please about BSOD with Registry Error fix love your videos
I got a computer one time that wouldn't work. It had been to a shop and a guy that built computers and still was not fixed. The owner said no one could figure out what was wrong. It was an old floppy drive. They weren't even using it but it had a problem that was effecting everything else. Removed it and everything went back to normal.
Nice one Brian 👍
Thanks 👍
i'm between motherboard and cpu, I tested with different psu, ram and ssd with fresh windows installed, my cpu temperature is always 45% idle, so it can't be temperature, I read that cpu rarely go bad, so I guess the motherboard?. My problem is that my computer randomly freeze, video goes off, everything stops working, fans continue spinning, all i can do is power off the pc and then on again, and it's very random, sometimes it just shut down completely, my pc doesnt have dedicated gpu and is just 2 years old, problems started since it was just 1 year
Was talking to a technician from where I got my PC custom built to my preferences, he was able to diagnose the problem; it’s my SSD. I got the BSOD out of nowhere but had not made much out of the symptoms of it failing earlier, I thought maybe my motherboard died. Not the case, Windows simply refuses to install and just takes me back to BIOS.
Going to put in a new SSD soon enough to see if that’ll do the trick
Some things I discovered: Wiggled a RAM card --problem corrected and another time wiggled a connector to the hard drive and seemingly problem went away (Slow action). Any connector can become "Corrupt" the way I see it.
I have seem RAM oxidation when just cleaning ram sick connector fixes issues
You are missing an important point sometimes it is not hardware or software but a firmware issue i had such a problem with a rog strix laptop with intel 660p nvme would random blue screen idling i backed up data did firmware update and the problem is gone.
I still have a Toshiba laptop with Windows 7 on it that stopped turning on. I just replaced it, having backed it up before it died. Now with Windows 10, for anti-virus software I use Windows Defender. It is maintained along with Windows 10 itself. In my experience it catches most problems, without throwing spanners into normal operation.
Windows event viewer can help a lot before you reinstall Windows.My last major problem i had began last year on a brand new pc the event viewer kept coming up with a processor error there were hundreds of them but it was the same three codes repeating and it was related to power it was baffling as it is rarely ever the processor and we had a few spare psu to test in the end we sourced it to a failing main pci express slot and this was an high end Aorus board which explained the cpu errors that is how deep down the rabbit hole you could go.
Sir thanks for the video
Most welcome
Here's an odd problem.
Zotac rtx3090 ,operated OK until one day the center fan ramps up to 100% when gaming and doesn't go back down until the pc is turned off(not restarted).
No fan control with any software.
Reinstall windows on spare ssd it clears up for a few days and starts again..repeated everything...back to OK until another fail.
It turned out to be one of the grouped fans had failed causing vram to have higher than usual temps and the only fan working in that group was compensating.
Hardware fault masquerading as a software issue!
I wish I could met you in person
If you really hate reinstalling Windows, don't forget the Windows Install media lets you start in Safe Mode, with or without networking, which can often help with troubleshooting.
What if windows are the fault how would you then figure out if it's a software or hardware issue ?
Obviously Brian doesn't have the 20 critical applications that I have. It would be at least a 10-15 hour project to reload them all, not counting the hours to backup and restore their settings. Before I did that, I would create a bootable Linux USB with a stress-test program and run that. If the hardware checked out, there are ways to clean the Windows configuration. Only after that failed, would I resort to a fresh install.
some bios/computers have a diag test... like dell Alienware hp
I have a HD and SSD on my pc so if I have problems I can disconnect the ssd and use HD to see it is Windows or hardware. The hard drive worked so just reinstalled Windows on ssd, it saved me a lot of headaches finding problem. I have spare rams, gpu, and psu.
is there any universal bootable diagnose tool for laptop and desktop
Don't need it
@@Britec09 i need it as in old time i used dr pc bootable cd on lenovo systems for diagnosis the issue but it is only for Lenovo
I had a mad one about 6 months ago when I upgraded to a 5900X. There was a graphical glitch that appeared just before Windows finished loading and I couldn't fathom what it was and neither could MSI. Even with a fresh install of Windows it was still there, so I thought my GPU was on its way out. Eventually I ran DDU in safe mode and removed all Intel, AMD & Nvidia GPU drivers ... Problem solved but I've never seen anything like that, especially on a fresh install of Windows.
Yeah, it can do your head in.
Not necessarily so. I’ve started from motherboard CPU memory keyboard and no video card if possible, no hard drive, v and let it boot if it boots and to CMOS then you know you start the next step which would be hard drive. If it does not boot the first thing is ram because that’s what CMOS looks at boom fixed you got to start from square one. Windows can be the root of the blue screen. Driver non compatibility being #1
I have a problem with my PC. During any time of medium - heavy load (idling and RUclips aside), the PC will make a buzzing noise through my headphones, freeze for a second and crash. No BSOD. I spent days troubleshooting the software I now know was a huge waste of time. Event Viewer says it's Kernel 41. I suspected it was a dying PSU, replaced it and I was wrong.
I spilled coffee into my PC like 4 years ago and it only got on the graphics card. It's been working like a champ since. Anyway, I IPA the stains away. I have a spare GPU lying around so I put that in there and the issue persists.
As a last resort, I backed up and did a reformat of the PC. Perhaps I'm wrong, but that leaves me with CPU, RAM or MOBO.
CPU fan was spinning very fast and loud even while I was idling on the desktop. I finally (I neglected this for awhile) took it apart and noticed the paste dried up so I reapplied and air dusted everything. It's humming along fine now. I also use CPUID HWMonitor and don't know what I'm looking at tbh. Temps are stable showing 16~47C.. I get a low of 0.4 V on the CPU and a max of 1.2 V.. is it toast? What can I use to know whether I have a CPU or RAM or MOBO issue?
This guy is putting my tech shop out of business ...lol .. Plot twist, my shop was already out of business from youtubers.
lol PC Repair Shops are dead in the UK
Hey bro I’ve been dealing with my issue for a while. I would love to pay you to help me
I helped an 11 year old build his first computer with all brand new parts. Everything went well except but when we tried to install WIN10, we got BSOD everytime on reboot. I ran MEMTEST86 and error messages came up quickly! I replaced the RAM with another brand and WIN10 installed with no issues.
Nice
I would suggest booting into Safe Mode first. If it boots in Safe Mode then it's probably a driver problem.
I have a HD and SSD on my pc so if I have problems I can disconnect the ssd and use HD to see it is Windows or hardware. The hard drive worked so just reinstalled Windows on ssd, it saved me a lot of headaches finding problem.
One of the ram sticks is not lighting up but loved the video.... :)
Its the software
When a PC is to old, that is time to replace it ?
Memory Test...Clear CMOS...clean install. It sucks but if your PC doesn't work after that, the problem is bigger than you can be able to fix
an old tongue-twister (suitable for grandkids?)
A skunk sat on a stump
the stump thought the skunk stunk
and the skunk thought that the stump stunk
who stunk?
the skunk or the stump?
when the blue screen did appear I thought it's from my pc
PC kept crashing randomly.. At 1st thought it was bad video driver. Discovered after DDU that memory combination combination was bad. Had to give up 32 gigs. hopefully hopefully stop crashing So from 64 to 32
Nice
I once had a pc that melted usb network adaptors. Never found a solution, or anyone who had a similar issue.
Just when you think you have seen it al with computers, something else happens to surprise you
Don't forget a no post may also be caused by corupt bios chip
Oh yes
The first thing the bios firmware does is output a post code. It is very rare for a bios chip to be so corrupt it won't even run the first op codes unless the whole chip is faulty. That is why a post code PCI board is so handy. No post code numbers means the CPU is not running 99pc of the time.
The radiator of your Arctic Freezer AIO is mounted in a suboptimal configuration. AIOs have a bit of air in them by design and that air will tend to travel to the highest spot in the loop. In your case, it wil accumulate up top in the radiator where the hoses connect to it. You may want try rotating the radiator so that the hoses are oriented towards the bottom rather than the top while making sure that the top of the radiator stays above the water block/pump housing. Always make sure that the pump is never at the top of your loop as that can lead to increased noise, reduced cooling capability and eventually pump failure (so never mount an AIO radiator at the bottom of your case if you case supports a bottom radiator). Oh, and it looks like the 4th RAM stick to the right didn't get the memo that LEDs make stuff go faster. Hope it's okay :)
Is that an Arctic Liquid Freezer 2 420?
ARCTIC LIQUID FREEZER II RGB HIGH PERFORMANCE CPU WATER COOLER - 360MM
My dad has the idea to reset the laptop although the build-in device diagnostic says that the problem come from hard drive. Every others part are fine, it could have a long life! For now one, my laptop only work in Safe Mode and one account doesn't work because the ntuser.dat file is corrupted. I have good time with it.
Unlike popular believe, resetting Windows deleted everything in the partition that the OS is in. If you have a second partition have personal data, it will be spared. (Source from Bhupinder Tube )
resize 60 gb partition and install there..
So, just rebuild the entire computer piece by piece until you find the broken thing, got it...m
Can virus damage any hardware?
No maybe if you install a bad bios that's a sure way of being infected in the hardware other than that you can't. So be careful how you are updating your bios cause if you get infected better throw the pc in the fire xD.
Going from Windows 7 or Windows 8 going to Windows 10 ( 22H2) can solve the issue
Software isn't just windows tho, it's drivers as well
Nice work ❤️🌟
Thanks 🔥
At least watch it completely, and drop your comment 🤦. Well britec does good always, but you have to judge after knowing completely about anything. With in 1 minute of upload you have commented.
@@kwondo_22_mars maybe the person did watch the video and just got to see it before you?
wou could start with turning your radiater the right war round lol
Unbelievable!
4:27
I am sorry I would not reinstall windows first, I would swap the HDD for a blank then reinstall, if it turns ot to be hardware you have your original data safe and sound. I would maybe use a USB boot able Linux disk min spec and see the result from that. I have always seen hardware issue are persistant, and info like beep codes are always best. I would also min spec the system and add one new item at a time A windows rebuild should be your last resort
Wow
I disagree with this one, as some of windows version can be buggy and problematic especially the latest ones!
Linux live disk!
hours or days are rookie numbers.
I seen people try for weeks lol
@@Britec09 Real troubleshooting is just slowly but eventually entirely replacing the pc until you stop having a bottleneck.
Don't be stupid, its always a hardware problem.
If you say so.
Who is this video for? 🤔 Beginners won't do a clean reinstall and advanced users will find the actual problem. 🤷♂️
The in betweeners.
*Gotta disagree on this one. "Windows" (the most prolific and will go down in history as the WORST MALWARE IN HISTORY) "infects" firmware. So doing a clean boot or install of the OS isn't going to do anything once the kernel is infected thanks to criminally negligent Microsoft is done with your hardware.*
So what do I do if I already have the kernal warning
My Problem is that i cannot get into Bios(Fast Boot is out) and the vga lamp on my motherboard is shining. My pc is running but i cannot make changes in Bios(enable secure boot)