Most people do not realize that they have a problem with the operating system for a personal computer until they get an error message when the computer is turned on one day. Before the computer system reaches this stage, the computer user might notice that the system has slowed considerably over a period of weeks and that the keyboard or other input devices work incorrectly and gibberish is written across the computer screen.
The error message could come in a numeric form that lists an error code or it could come with a blue screen showing on the computer monitor that alerts the user to a fatal operating error that will prevent the computer operating system from loading. A computer user might try to reboot the operating system several times with the same result. Then they might consider using a recovery disk that contains diagnostic software on it that could identify the source of the problem.
Some computer operating systems require users to access diagnostics software by repetitively hitting the F8 key on the computer keyboard. This procedure will take the operating system into a safe mode that will allow the operator to perform several diagnostics on the...