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The first issue is simply that most businesses, particularly smaller ones, don’t fully appreciate the value of the information they have stored on their computers and believe that manually retrieving it (presumably by making a few phone calls and checking old paperwork) is a relatively trivial process.

Those that have recognized the need to protect their data are then faced with the challenge of knowing what the threats are and how to protect against them.

Data can vanished through hardware failure, software problems, malicious software such as viruses, theft of equipment, human error or major physical disasters such as fire and flood. Taking into consideration all these issues can be a major challenge in its own right.

The next issue is that backup solutions are notoriously tricky to run and manage dependably - no one wants to take day-to-day accountability for them and all too often they are left flawed for lingering periods.

Finally we have the old favorites: time and money. With all the other pressures placed on small businesses it is usual to put data backup on the “to do” list. Spending money on marketing and sales is seen as more important, so protecting the data will just have to wait… after all, it’s not likely to fail, is it?

Look for the video card and check if it hasn�t popped out of it�s slot (remember the monitor, the card to which it is connected to is the video card), if so re-seat and try booting up. If the video card is embedded (meaning it is part of the motherboard) it may have failed (sorry, replacement is the only option for this form of motherboard) or if you have a slot for third-party video cards you may purchase one and disable the one embedded within the system.

Note: It is normal for Video Cards to pop out of their slots (AGP or PCI) due to some manufacturers making them with teeny-tiny edges where the contacts are located that fail to seat firmly into the board. They tend to jump out by themselves especially if the PC is used heavily or there is a source of vibration nearby say in an office. The short edges, instead of being grabbed by the connector on the motherboard, sits just above the clamping part which acts as a spring hence the jumping part.

It is true that not many people know how to tinker with their computers which doesn�t mean that one cannot handle minor repairs. Repairs and preventive maintenance such as cleaning can be carried out by you and me with the most elementary of cleaning tools and a little elbow grease to go with them. First, to ensure you experience less problems try to get the computer CPU cleaned at least once a year. If you live in a dusty environment or if you have a Fido or Fifi in he house then this might become a regular routine. Before you take off the cover which is normally screwed down ( be sure to check for any warranty seals on the casing, breaking them would void the warranty terms) with four Phillips type screws be sure the power chord is removed and all devices are unplugged from the respective connections (tip: if you assume that you won�t be able to return all those wires to the proper places, get hold of your camera phone or digital camera and take a few shots as a visual record). Slide the cover off to get a glimpse of the innards of your personal computer.

Commercial polishing compounds in liquid form can be used to polish off lightly scratched disks but do it only in the affected area to see if it works. Use alcohol to remove the glare caused by the cleaner before sticking it into the drive. If that still doesn’t work, the scratch is so deep that there is no turning back and you’d have to go to a friend’s house or buy another copy for your purposes. Good luck and remember, keep all important disks stored in a safe place where they would be easily accessible for future use. If you need drivers, you could search for the in the manufacturer’s site or in the many driver sites such as driversguide.com and others.

Obtain some alcohol and wet a lint-free piece of cloth (special CD cleaning cloths are available that pick up dirt and cleans without solvents) try to polish the CD from the inner part towards the outer diameter. Scratches that are circular will diffuse further the laser as it tries to read the disk so do it slowly so no new ones are created. If you notice scratches from what you’re doing stop and replace the cloth (a fresh cotton ball would also do). Once all the grime and dirt is removed, try reading it on the PC if the cleaning will do. Commercial coatings that have a thin plastic layer applied to the data layer is available but they still sometimes fail.

There are a lot of instances when we find ourselves looking for a driver or software installation cd that is needed to restore some function you have accidentally removed or uninstalled. Sometimes, they just seem to be hidden so good they defy all searching efforts but sometimes they are right in front of you but with tons of scratches due to your daughter playing with it as you accidentally left in on the computer table. These colorful disks are quite attractive to kids and will be dealt with when seen. Unfortunately, scratches that are deep enough to bend the laser can render a disk useless but shallow ones can be polished off. A warning though, this should only be tried as a last resort for this may also crack the disk or ruin it further.

First, if you can get hold of nifty utilities from trusted sites of the internet, then that would be easier but it can sometimes corrupt the bios of the system as it forces a program to open the said part of your computer system so be cautious and read all recommendations and instructions in the readme file so you don’t cause further problems.
If you’re in a hurry and don’t have a second computer to do a search, you can always consult the motherboard’s manual or simply look at the board for any pins that are labeled BIOS reset/normal. This is a failsafe mechanism which is built in by manufacturers into their boards to allow use of a locked system as yours.

If you by chance got yourself a good deal on a second-hand computer that works just right and is affordable enough o allow you to upgrade some parts then you indeed got a good deal. As you get home, you setup your prize and power-up only to find that the system is locked down by a password. A boot password or worse a system password can prevent access to the contents of the hard drive or the system itself leaving you stranded in the boot-up menu. Don’t fret, for there are ways to get around the problem and these work almost all of the time in getting you up and running in no time at all.

Next, check if the power supply has a switch at the rear if it is on (older models) and see if it works. Check for any foreign metal objects that may be stuck between the board and the case which is shorting it out, again the protection circuit would prevent power up to avoid damage to the various sensitive electronics. A faulty motherboard fan can also be causing the problem so check the fan if it works. You might have also forgotten to connect the power button to the board (along with the reset button) so check that too. A shorted reset switch can also keep the board in a state of permanent off, unplug it to see if that works.

If you have just re-furbished your computer say replacing parts (memory, video cards, hard drive and other bare essentials) make sure all power connections are properly seated and connected then try to power-up. If that fails, try to un-plug and re-plug all cards and connections (IDE cables, SATA Connectors, power supply connections, etc.)
connections to ensure they seat properly (it would be nice to check for bent pins before you re-plug them in their proper sockets for that sometimes happen) and check for broken pins that may be preventing proper connections. Re-check what you have done by powering up and see if that works.