Dryer problems
Dec 14, 2010 Home Improvement
Here is a little tip I just discovered while dealing with cloths dryer that would not dry cloths. I could run the same load of laundry through the dryer 4 times and the cloths would still be damp. When you would open the door you could smell a little bit of gas (it is a gas dryer not electric) which bothered me. After traveling around trying to find a good deal on a new dryer I got a tip from a sales rep as he was describing what happens to their refurbished dryers that they sell. He said my problem sounds like the vent is plugged not allowing the exhaust to escape to the outside. After a trip to Lowe’s to buy a new dryer vent tube which constantly ripped apart while trying to install it I attempted to clean the old vent out. Surprise surprise there was quite a bit of lint stuck in the old vent especially at the exit to the outside. A quick clean out later and the dryer is working like a champ again.
Always keep your dryer vent tube clean for optimum performance!
Printers and Faxes will not open, no printers available
Nov 29, 2010 Technology
Recently I had an issue with a laptop where any time you attempted to open up Printers and Faxes in Windows XP no printers would be listed. You could not select any printers from File > Print when in an application. After a bit of searching I found that it seems to be some corrupted files. To clear the issue follow the following instructions:
- Click Start and select Run. (Windows Key + R shortcut)
- Type services.msc in the Open field then hit Enter
- Stop/Disable the Print Spooler
- Navigate to c:\Windows\system32\spool\printers in Windows Explorer and delete all files in this folder
- Re-enable / Start Print Spooler, Make sure it is set back to Automatic startup
- Pull up Printers and Faxes and see what happens
This seems to take care of the issue. Once I deleted those files I was able to open Printers and Faxes and see all of my printers. Just for kicks I printed a test page and everything worked like it should.
Tags: Fix, Printer, Troubleshooting, Windows, XP
Adobe Reader closes unexpectidly when printing
Apr 8, 2010 Technology, Work
When there are a lot of employees working on the same computer something is always bound to break. Lately the item that is breaking is Adobe Reader when trying to print on our Terminal Server. It has happened frequently in the past but has started to happen again lately. The most interesting part about this problem is that it does not happen to everybody who is logged into the Terminal Server. If it was happening to everybody my phone would be ringing off the hook as a lot of our reports get exported to PDF and then printed. If an employee rarely prints any PDF files they may not even know that there is a problem as you can still open the documents to view without any problems. The problem only comes about when trying to print. In my circumstance we have found that it is a printer driver issue. Below is how to troubleshoot and fix the issue:
- Open a PDF file to print and select print. If Adobe Reader crashes we know we have a problem
- From the Windows Start menu select Printers and Faxes or Control Panel and then go to the printer section
- Right click on your default printer (Identified by check mark on printer) and navigate to Properties
- Once in the Properties section select the Advanced tab and find the Driver drop down menu. Change the driver to one driver below your current driver and then click apply. Once you have changed your printer driver change the driver back to the correct driver.
- Attempt to print PDF file again. If it works than that was all the problem was. If it does not print than you may need to re-install Adobe Reader.
Changing the printer driver to another driver and then back again seems to fix the issue. We use a combination of HP and Savin printers and it happens more with the Savin multifunction printers.
If you have any more information on this please leave a comment and I will attempt to get back with you.
Fix Dell laptop keyboard with Scotch tape
Jan 28, 2010 Technology, Work
Since I work with so many laptops on a daily basis something is always broken around my desk. Either re-loading the operating systems, software issues, screws loose or broken keyboards, it never ends! Many of our laptops are reaching the end of their warranty or we need to get the laptop back out into the field in a pinch so we get creative. One recent issue is that the laptop with a problem was out of warranty and the keyboard would just start typing random characters when you push down on the case between the touchpad and the keyboard. If the laptop was still under warranty I would call Dell and get a replacement keyboard and the problem would be solved. Below is a quick/dirty/temporary fix to this issue if you have no way to replace the keyboard entirely.
Step 1: Remove the keyboard from the computer. Usually there is a cover that goes over the top of the hinges and has the power button on it. You will need to remove the 2 screws that are under this cover along with removing the ribbon cable connecting the keyboard to the motherboard. (I am showing a Dell Latitude D520 below)
Step 2: Look at the ribbon cable on the keyboard and look for a small wear mark near the keys.
Step 3: Place a small piece of clear Scotch tape or other rather thin tape over this wear mark. This tape acts just like the plastic covering the wires on this inside of this cable and keeps the case from making contact to these wires.
Now just put the laptop back together and try it out. When placing your wrists on the palm rest while typing it should no longer randomly type characters until this tape gets a wear mark in and needs to be replaced.
Snowblower won’t start
Jan 9, 2010 Home Improvement
So living in Northern Indiana and being a new home owner I get to take part in snow removal in my driveway. I was given an older Craftsman snow blower from my Dad as he had several. The most recent time I went to start it the pull cord only came all the way out without trying to turn the motor over. After a quick phone call to my Dad to find out if he had ever experienced this (and he had not) then it was time to start taking things apart!
Tools:
- Socket set
- Socket extension bar to get better reach
I was able to remove the 4 nuts holding the pull cord mechanism on and find the problem easily. The ratchet that catches some stops to turn the motor over came out of place and was laying in the cylinder behind the pull cord. After putting this piece back in place everything worked well! Pictures are below of the process.
Tags: Craftsman, DIY, Fix, snow, snowblower
How To: Replace BlackBerry Screen Glass Protector
Dec 14, 2009 Cell Phones, Technology, Work
At my work we have many BlackBerry Curve 8330 phones. It is amazing what nurses and home health aids can do to their phones due to every day usage. One particular employee had fallen on her phone and scratched the screen and keyboard up really good. As a result of that unfortunate event I got the lucky job of replacing the clear plastic cover that protects the screen. Below I will outline what was done.
Tools:
- T5 Torques screwdriver
- Plastic pry tool – for opening the the case without leaving marks
- Knife
- Scissors
Tags: BlackBerry, Cell Phones, Fix, How To
Garage door only goes half way up
Dec 11, 2009 Home Improvement
This is the first year I have ever had a garage to park my truck in. Just as it started to get colder my garage door started not opening all the way. You could push the button to open the door and it would stop half way up, then when you put it down and then back up again it would open all the way. As it got colder the door just would not go any further than half way up no matter how many times you pushed the button. In one case just to make it to work on time I pulled the emergency release cord to let the door work without the opener. Once my truck was out I re-attached the opener and exited out another door once the garage door was all the way down. After taking the case of the opener apart to make sure none of the gears were stripped I had thought that the tracks should be lubricated. Not knowing how old the opener was (possibly original to the house 18 years ago) I picked up some lubrication from the local Sears store. After running the door up and down several times to lubricate the entire screw everything was working as expected. Even after a night of freezing temperatures the garage door opened smoothly without any problems the morning after the lubrication was applied.
When in doubt…. lubricate!
How To: Fixing an electric Swingline stapler cheaply
Nov 25, 2009 Work
At my job there are only 2 IT people. We get requests to fix just about anything that is an electronic device. Sometimes we can fix things and sometimes it is just a little out of our ability. We have several employees with electric Swingline staplers on their desks and several of them have broken over time. The usual cause is the staple tray release button. Below I will outline what I did to quickly fix 2 of these staplers so they did not have to order new. Read the rest of this entry »
