Hardware help sites are in abundance on the Internet. And the most overlooked hardware help you can get is from the OEM sites available to all of us. OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer. These are the people who built the hardware, whether it be the computer manufacturer, i.e. Dell, Gateway, etc. OR the hardware itself like SoundBlaster, Asus, etc. This should be the first place that you look.

How do the pros find and fix hardware problems? Every technician has at least $100,000 worth of professional diagnostic hardware into which you just plug the computer and a report prints out telling you exactly what is wrong. I’M JUST JOKING, PEOPLE! I usually ask the person what is going on with the system, figure out which part it may be, replace the part and if it works, problem solved. But if you don’t have a bag of replacement parts, you’ll need to root around to determine the problem.

Here are some sites I would suggest you try:

Hardware Hell - This is a comprehensive site listing other Web sites that deal with specifics. The listing of problematic hardware is done in an orderly manner and includes manuals, drivers, schematics, and other recommendations.

Computer Hope - Another fine site with plenty of helpful information and links to assist you. Its forums may provide more information on your hardware problem.

DriverZone.com - If a hardware product is giving you fits, you may wish to try a driver update first. This site also has an archive of old drivers which is ideal for those with older systems. This site links you to manufacturers Web sites to locate the drivers you may need.

The PC Guide - Great Google search function and it’s easy to use to find what is ailing your PC.

Google - I use Google a lot to diagnose error messages, symptoms, locate part descriptions, or replacements. I just type in a symptom like “computer won’t boot.” You would be amazed at the information that comes back.

And another resource to try… family, friends, associates, neighbors, the mailman, whoever. You would be surprised how much help these folks can be. You may stumble on some information since they may have had a similar problem and know the fix.

Tags: hardware, help, drivers, support