When fixing computers, it is important to know if the problem you are having is a software problem or a hardware problem. The following definitions should help you figure this out. If you still don't know, read my other “fixing computer” articles or ask a computer professional.
Hardware: Hardware is anything you can touch in your computer. It is physical objects such as dedicated video cards, sound cards, hard drives, USB devices, CPU's, RAM, the motherboard, etc. (Refer to the Computer Parts article coming soon for an explanation of what each of these things is).
Software: Software is the "virtual" part of computers. You can't physically touch it, but it is there and controls the hardware in your computer. Some examples of software include: operating systems (such as Windows, Linux, and the Mac OS). Also, software includes things like drivers (which are software programs that control a computer's hardware components).
Before attempting to fix your computer with the aid of the articles on this website, try these things first:
-Try going to Start, Help and Support, and then search "troubleshoot" and other articles to solve your particular problem. You can also try searching for the problem yourself in the search box on the Help menu to see if there is a fix for it.
-If this doesn't work, try finding an answer in the Microsoft Knowledge Base by going to http://support.microsoft.com/ and searching for a solution to your particular problem.
-Try contacting tech support for your computer if you have recently purchased the computer.
-Try consulting a computer professional or search for your problem on the internet.
-Try using this website to solve your computer problems.