Crash course in emergency PC recovery

PC World - Sooner or later, a faltering hard disk, CPU, or other component will bring your PC to its knees. If a dead machine means you can't do your job, the failure may bring you to your knees as well, begging your boss or an angry client for mercy.
Waiting for the IT department or the local repair shop to fix your system, or arranging to use a loaner machine, can cost you hours of valuable work time. What you really need when disaster strikes is a way to get up and running fast.
First, find out what caused the problem: Wisps of acrid smoke wafting from your monitor's case, for example, send a very clear message. Unfortunately, the source of problems is rarely so obvious. Maybe a chip has failed, a Windows driver has been corrupted, or a cable has come loose. You can easily lose countless hours just trying to figure out what's wrong. Always remember the first rule of do-it-yourself PC repair: Know when to quit.
Or at least know when to ask, or pay, for expert help. Place a dollar value on an hour of your time and keep tabs on how much "money" you've invested as you go. It probably won't be too long before paying $35 to your PC maker's tech support line will seem like money well spent.
Save time by being prepared. When an airplane starts to sputter, the pilot pulls out a checklist and performs tasks that are known to work. Here's a troubleshooting checklist for your PC.

Check the obvious first: Make sure that all your power switches are turned on, and that your cables and cords are securely connected. Don't forget to check the fuse or reset switch on your surge protector.
Look in Device Manager: Windows' Device Manager will tell you if a component isn't working properly. To open Device Manager in Windows 98, Me, and 2000, right-click My Computer and select Properties (or press Windows- Break if you have a Windows keyboard) to open System Properties, and choose the Device Manager tab. In Windows XP, open System Properties as described above, select the Hardware tab, and click the Device Manager button.
A red X or a yellow circle with an exclamation point appearing next to the name of a device indicates a problem. Double-click the listing to display the device's Properties screen, and then look in the "Device status" box for more information.
Test your suspicions: If you think a sound card, network adapter, CD-RW drive, or other device