General PC Peripheral Troubleshooting Guide

This guide is to help those who are having problems with there computer peripherals purchased here on eBay or anywhere else.

• What's a Peripheral
• What to do if your device doesn't work.
• Power Problems
• Batteries
• Power Cable
• USB Power
• Software
• Wireless Devices
• Your User Manual
• What if I lost My User Manual
• What if nothing is working!

A computer device, such as a CD-ROM drive or printer, that is not part of the essential computer, i.e., the memory and CPU. Peripherial devices can be external -- such as a mouse, keyboard, monitor, printer, external zip drive or scanner -- or internal, such as a CD-ROM drive or internal modem. Internal peripheral devices are often referred to as Intergrated Peripherals.

Most of these devices are USB (universal serial bus) nowadays and some work without installing software or additional drivers (mainly Windows XP). Some devices work with Windows XP, but are not compatible with Windows Vista without updated drivers. Some older devices are not compatible with Vista at all. We will get into drivers later, but now lets get into why you are probably reading this in the first place.

The first thing ANY troubleshooter will ask you is, 'Did you plug in the power?'This is almost insulting to many of us! We are like, 'Why would I go through the trouble calling you if I didn't plug in the pow....oh...yeah. Now its working'. You would be surprised of how many problems this fixes. Even if you "know" you plugged in the power...check again anyway or change outlets or power strips. Some devices take batteries, some get their power from the USB cable and some have a power cord you need to plug in.

If your device takes batteries and its not working change them. Even if they are brand new batteries you just opened. Or try them in another device. If they power that device and not the one in question then you could have a bad device but there is some more things you try (see WinXP & USB below). Make sure you are using the correct batteries for your device. You can find this info in your manual or inside the battery compartment of the device.

If your device takes an external power cord make sure it is fully plugged into the wall or power strip. Some power cord have two cords with a box in the middle of them (sometimes called a Line Lump). Make sure both cords are fully plugged into this 'line lump'. There may also be a light on the 'lump' to indicate that it is getting power. Inspect the connector that plugs into your device and make sure there are no bent pins and that you are plugging it in correctly. If there are bent pins you can straighten them, BUT YOU MUST MAKE SURE THAT YOU UNPLUG THE POWER CORD FROM ANY POWER SOURCE BEFORE YOU DO. If all else fails see if one of your friends or family has the same device of the same brand and model number and try their power cord. If this still doesn't work then you may have a bad device but there is some more things you try (see WinXP & USB below).

For some odd reason Windows XP will turn off your USB ports to 'save power'. This doesn't effect USB devices so much anymore, but it is worth a try if all else fails. You can tell your Windows XP machine to leave your USB ports alone. It has fixed several problems I was helping people with. Here is how to do this. It takes a bit of time and effort, but here we go.

On your Windows XP machine:

Click Start, Control Panel, (switch to classic view in the upper left hand of the window) System.

Now a Window appears with tabs near the top. Click on the Hardware tab. Then Click the Device Manager Button.

Now another Window appears. Scroll to the bottom and click the little plus sign beside of Universal Serial Bus controllers. Now you must RIGHT click on USB Root Hub (There will be several USB Root Hubs, but just start with the top one) and go to properties.

A new window will appear with tabs near the top. Click on the Power Management tab and uncheck the box that reads 'Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power'. Then click OK.

You must do this to EVERY USB Root Hub. If this doesn't fix your problem then we move on to the next solution.

Sometimes USB ports just go bad. Try different ports on your computer to test this theory. Another thing you can do is test your device on a friends computer or several computers. If your device works on another computer and not yours then there is a problem with your computer not the device. This problem could be a bad USB port or a software problem.

Your device should have come with a CDROM or some sort of media with drivers and programs related to your device. If you didn't receive this software or you lost it you can usually download it from your devices manufacturers website. If your device isn't working properly install the software and drivers that came with it. If this doesn't work or if you have Windows Vista you may need to download updated drivers. Again these can be found in the support or drivers & downloads section on the manufacturers website. Make sure you are installing the correct driver for your device. There should be a model number or a name on the bottom of the device. Also make sure you are installing the drivers and software for your Operating system (windows 98, XP, Vista or whatever you have).

Some devices are wireless (mouse, keyboards and others). These usually consist of the device and a USB 'dongle' (I hate this word) or receiver. These things must be 'connected' to each other for the device to work properly. There are RF (radio frequency) and Bluetooth wireless devices.

The RF devices usually have a connect button on the receiver and the device. If your device isn't working try pressing these buttons while they are powered on (some have a power switch). It may take a few seconds for them to see each other.

The Bluetooth devices are similar to the RF devices in that they usually have 2 parts. The receiver and the device. Some PCs have Bluetooth receivers built in and you don't need the receiver that comes with the device. Bluetooth devices must be 'paired' together for them to connect to each other. Some devices have buttons you press to 'pair' them while others are software based. The best thing to do is to look at your manual for Bluetooth devices, because the 'pairing' process is usually different for different devices or brands.

In the back of most user manuals are troubleshooting guides related to your specific device. They address known and common problems with your device and different computers. Sometimes the answer to all your problems is right there in the back of the seldom read user manual.

Usually you can download your user manual for your device free of charge in the support section of your manufacturers website. If not then you may have to search the web for it. I can't give links outside of eBay here in this guide, but there are Forums and Support groups for just about everything out there on the internet. All you have to do is search for, 'your device problems' and you will most likely find other people with the same problems and how they fixed them.

If you have tried everything and nothing is working then I think it is time to think about returning the item or take advantage of its warranty if it has one. If you can't return it or there is no warranty then it is probably time for replacement.

I hope this guide helps some of you in getting your troubled devices to work. If not and you need to replace your item I sell Computer Peripherals in my eBay store. You can visit my store via the link below.

The Silly Pepper