Take Micro-Scope for a test drive!

You can now try MicroScope completely risk free!

MicroScope Lite is the full working version which
you can download and test drive for 30 days to
make sure it's the right tool for you!

This is a great opportunity to get hands on
experience with the software.

Just CLICK HERE for more info.

Blue screen of death!

A little help on how to fix a Blue Screen of Death problem:

Anyone using Windows has likely experienced the infamous 'Blue Screen of Death', a.k.a. 'Windows Stop Error'. This is a common error that occurs whenever Windows senses a software, hardware, or driver error preventing it from operating properly. So basically, almost anything from a minor glitch to a major system malfunction can cause this error to appear.

Sometimes this problem will go away with a simple reboot and you may never see the blue screen again. But more typically, the Blue Screen of Death
(BSOD) is an indication of something serious and it will not simply go away.

In terms of how to fix the Blue Screen of Death, there is no simple answer to that. Fixing it means first diagnosing the problem to find out what is wrong with your PC.

First, a quick explanation of what the Blue Screen of Death is. This error occurs whenever Windows detects a serious problem from which it cannot recover. The operating system halts all operations and it displays diagnostic information on the blue screen. All Windows XP stop errors are numbered according to the circumstances that caused the error, these error codes can help in the diagnosis so it is a good idea to write down the error code whenever they show up.

If you are not one of the lucky ones who can fix the BSOD with a reboot, then you will need to do some diagnosis to resolve the problem. With all the possible reasons for the BSOD ranging from software to hardware, or hardware drivers, it is very difficult to list a precise set of instructions for every possibly BSOD. The first step is to narrow down the possible source of this problem.

There are several reasons for the Blue Screen to show up; the most common is the installation of a driver or other program onto the computer. Several times when Windows updates itself automatically it will download certain drivers, and that could be the culprit. Or say you just installed a camera or printer, the drivers on the disc that came with it might have done it. So if you have downloaded some piece of information that you know of, then either uninstall it, or do a system restore (I'll explain system restore in a later article). After that, if you still receive the Blue Screen, then the drivers might have corrupted the operating system itself.

That means one of two things. We either have to 'repair' windows, or completely reinstall it.

No matter which one, you should back up your information at this time.
Put any pictures or programs or any other information you want to keep onto a disc, or flash drive, or some other storage device.

If you are seeing the BSOD randomly, even when in safe mode, chances are it is a hardware issue. If you have recently installed new hardware, this may be the culprit. One solution may be to remove the new component to see if the problem goes away. If you have not installed anything new, then you will need to investigate further. If you are not comfortable unplugging and re-installing hardware in your PC, this may be a good time to have a technician look at it.

However, if you have ruled out a hardware issue, then you will need to start up your PC in safe mode. The first thing you should try in safe mode is a virus check and spyware scan of your entire system. If anything was found, eliminated the problem then try to restart Windows XP again in normal mode.

If nothing showed up on the scans, then boot up again in safe mode and use the built in system restore utility. When running your system in safe mode, you can still access all the recent restore points created by the system restore utility. Run your system from the last known 'good configuration'.

On the other hand, if you know a recent software installation is the cause, then restore to the point created at that date.

If none of these suggestions has fixed your problem, then you will need to delve even further into troubleshooting this error. If you were able to copy down the information from the blue screen error message, you can try searching online for some further advice or suggestions on how to fix it.

For any error that you encounter, there are probably many others who have experienced it before, so you may be able to get some answers with a little research. The bottom line with this error is that you will need to be patient as it may require a lot of trial and error.

I hope this information is helpful.

Regards,
Tech Support
Micro 2000 Inc.

Even Toshiba depends on MicroScope!

Here's a recent review we received that highlights the benefits of MicroScope:

"Our small team of engineers use MicroScope to 'sanity check' our findings on supposed, faulty goods returned from the field (including Retail Stores) during early life, as we will have had little or no fault finding experience on these new models.

Whilst, as a manufacturer, we have machine specific diagnostic software for all PC models, these tools often require adjustment as the standard hardware tests included may not have accounted for changes in hardware or design architecture.

This is when MicroScope comes into its own. We use it to compare results as it is one of the most reliable diagnostic suits we have found on the market and it often finds things that other diagnostics do not detect. Knowing results are accurate allows us to pass on 'likely fault' information to repair agents around the country with confidence."

- Andy Chapman, PC Repair Controller - Toshiba UK

Put PC Troubleshooting on Automatic!

Getting it Right the First Time:

How using a reputable diagnostic tool saves you time and money in the long run.
In these days of tight competition and narrow margins, of ‘need it now’ and ‘what’s your best price’, we are all having to learn to go that extra mile, but in so doing we also need to ensure that we can meet these demands while at the same time being profitable.

The world moves at a very fast pace and the average consumer is far more demanding and worldly wise than they were 10 or 20 years ago. The options are vast, the technology endlessly evolving and to keep up one has to be able to run faster and do a better job than the next guy.

Everybody wants everything done yesterday, and no one has the time, nor the room, for trial and error. We live in a world of ‘supply on demand’ and those who can, succeed, and generally, those who can’t, don’t.

Services are only worth what someone is willing to pay, and the average customer is understandably fickle, tending to go where they can get the best price. That said, usually, once they have found someone who gives them a good service and they feel they can trust, they are more likely to come back and even refer you to their family and friends.

The marketplace is crowded with so many different options and solutions - so, how do you stand out in the crowd? How do you put yourself in a position whereby you can afford to be competitive, while still making enough profit to stay viable, particularly in these times of economic stress?

The answer has got to be in how you do your business, and the tools you use to assist you.

Your time is your most valuable asset – spending it wisely so that you make the most from each hour invested in your work is of course the key. There are only so many hours in the day and only so many of those that you want to spend working.

Getting it right the first time is key.

Using reputable and time tested diagnostic tools offers you a way to do this and gives you a way to ‘make more time’ – by taking the guesswork, or the ‘double work’ out of faultfinding PCs, and making it possible to confirm suspected faults before even opening up the box!

As anyone in the business knows, the less time spent tracing down hardware issues the better, and the ability to get straight to the heart of the problem is the key to getting the PC up and running, and back to the customer so that you can get paid for your work and move on to the next job.

Clearly, the ideal scenario would be that you get a PC in for repair, definitively find the fault (or faults) quickly and easily, so that you can replace only the needed parts (without the need for swapping out), confirm that the PC is in a 100% working order before returning it to the customer promptly and with complete peace of mind that you’ve delivered a fully working PC.

After all, no one wants to have to, nor can afford to, do warranty repairs that could have been avoided.

But why choose the Micro 2000 Toolkit?

Micro 2000 has been developing and providing tools to technicians that enable them to take the guesswork out of faultfinding PCs for nearly 20 years, and while there are alternatives there are few that can offer the range of utilities and thoroughness you get with the Micro 2000 Universal Toolkit, making it, actually, far more than just a ‘diagnostic’ tool.

Additional utilities such as; system health checks for PC 'MOTs', system optimization, conflict identification, advanced memory testing, low level formatting and data erasure, and the ability to save and restore MBR and CMOS; real-time benchmarking and multi-cycle burn-in testing, data erasure, to name just a few.

Making the technician’s job quicker and easier is our goal, and with the Micro 2000 Universal Diagnostic Toolkit gives a complete ‘pre repair’ and ‘post repair’ solution for anyone building, repairing or maintaining PCs.

So, the upshot. Give yourself a break – take the time and effort out of PC maintenance by adding the Micro 2000 Universal Diagnostic Toolkit to your arsenal!

CLICK HERE for more info.

NEW VERSION RELEASE - MicroScope QUATTRO!

JUST RELEASED!

PUT PC TROUBLESHOOTING ON AUTO PILOT!

NEW UPDATED MicroScope QUATTRO is a 'Triple Boot' Software Suite and comes as a 2 CD package bursting with diagnostic routines and utilities to help make troubleshooting PCs as easy and automatic as possible.

MicroScope QUATTRO - has all the previous tests and utilities plus new and enhanced features including;

• Added multi-processor tests on Intel Quad Core processors
• Modified Processor Identification for an improved identification string
• Increased the number of HD sectors per Read, Write and Seek tests
• Increased support for Audio and NIC cards
• Tested chips include i3, i5, and i7 chips