Computers can be tricky things. Even if you're using Windows XP, which is a lot smarter at fixing itself than previous versions of Windows, things can still go wrong. When they do, it can be easy to give in to your first instinct and pick up the phone to call the PC manufacturer's technical support line.

Fortunately, there are a number of other options you can try first. The first thing you need to do when your PC starts playing up is to figure out exactly what's causing the problem. Sometimes an issue may only occur when you're running a specific program, such as Microsoft Word or Photoshop. If that's the case then your first port of call should be the Windows Task Manager.

You can call this up by simultaneously pressing the Control, Alt and Delete keys (abbreviated as Ctrl+Alt+Del) on your PC's keyboard. Task Manager can provide useful information about all the software running on your PC and will report on other aspects of how the system is running. We covered the Task Manager in depth in our Mastering Windows Task Manager feature, but it's worth recapping its main features once more.

The Task Manager's main screen shows you a list of all the programs that are currently running on your PC and indicates programs that may have crashed (marked as 'Not Responding'). You can use the End Task button to shut down any programs that have crashed and then try relaunching them.

If the problem keeps occurring and Task Manager repeatedly shows that the program in question is not responding then the problem clearly lies with that program.

Task Manager can help you track down other problems as well. The Performance tab displays a graph showing how hard your PC's processor, called the CPU in Task Manager, is working. Shut down all programs that are running and take a look at the Performance chart.

If there are no programs running, the processor usage will obviously be quite low. It won't be at zero, as the processor has to do some work just to keep things ticking over, but the graph should show processor usage at a fairly constant low level.

If there are any unexpected peaks on the CPU Usage graph then there may be something odd going on, such as a virus or some sort of spyware that's taken control of your PC. A small spike that subsides quickly may be an innocent background process, such as an anti-virus update, but if usage is consistently high while no applications are running, you probably have an unwanted guest.

Another way to check for spyware or internet-related problems is to shut down all the programs running and look at the Networking section of the Task Manager. This shows any internet activity, such as data travelling between the PC and the internet.

If you're not using a web browser or email program but the Networking indicator shows that there's still a lot of network activity taking place, then your PC may have been infiltrated by spyware. At this point you should run a full virus scan, and use an anti-spyware program, such as Spybot to track it down and get rid of it.

Looking through Windows
If Task Manager doesn't identify any problems with specific programs running on your PC, then the problem probably lies with the computer itself. After all, a PC is, as the saying goes, a game of two halves. The physical system itself consists of a series of hardware components (graphics card, sound card, and so on), all of which can develop physical faults from time to time.

Thankfully, most computer hardware is pretty sturdy and reliable, so physical faults don't occur all that often. However, by themselves, those hardware components are just lumps of silicon and plastic.

In order to use them properly you need to control those components with software. Most common PC problems tend to be software related. The most important piece of software running on the PC is, of course, Windows. This is the underlying operating system that controls all the basic functions of the computer.

In addition to the Windows operating system, your computer also includes a number of drivers, which are small pieces of software that allow Windows to communicate with the various bits of hardware in the computer or external peripherals.

Many of the day-to-day problems that affect PCs tend to be driver-related, and can often be solved simply by reinstalling a driver or getting a newer version of the driver from the manufacturer's website.

The tricky part, then, is figuring out exactly where the problem lies: with a hardware fault, a driver, or a more general problem with Windows itself. Fortunately, there are a number of features built into Windows that you can use to diagnose and solve all sorts of problems.

Take control
You can take a quick look at your basic PC setup by looking at the System Information program (select Programs from the Start menu, then Accessories and System Tools). This won't actually fix any problems for you but it can quickly list all the main hardware components found inside your PC.

This is information you will need when it comes to tracking down a solution to your problems, so it's always worth referring to System Information first.

The next step is to try to narrow things down a bit. Sometimes the fault is fairly obvious. If you're not getting any sound coming out of the PC then the fault probably lies with your sound card or speakers. In cases such as this your first port of call is the Windows Control Panel, which you can access by selecting Settings from the Start menu and then choosing Control Panel.

There's a long list of individual control panels that provide settings for different parts of the PC, but there's also a central control panel that's simply called System. Double-click on this to open it and then select the Device Manager option. The location of Device Manager varies in different versions of Windows, but in Windows XP it's in the Hardware section of the System control panel.

This will display a list of all the components within your PC, as well as any peripherals such as printers and other devices. Clicking on any item within this list will open up a secondary control panel that provides more detailed information about that particular component.

So, clicking on the Sound item in Device Manager will open the Sound control panel, which will tell you if the sound card is working properly and if there are any problems with the sound card's drivers.

If you still can't see what's causing the problem there's also a Troubleshoot button in most control panels that will open the Windows Help Centre. This will ask a series of questions, attempt to isolate the problem and, hopefully, provide a cure.

For Windows XP users, there's another important feature inside the System control panel that might come in handy. Sometimes faults occur after new hardware or software has been installed. The System control panel in Windows XP includes an option called System Restore, which allows your PC to revert back to the state it was in before you installed any new hardware or software. If that solves the problem, then you know that the fault lies with the item you just installed.

Direct action
Windows has one other important diagnostic tool that's worth knowing about. There's a part of Windows known as DirectX. This is a kind of umbrella term that covers a wide range of multimedia functions, such as audio, 3D graphics and even a bit of networking for playing online games.

If you have a problem that affects any of these areas, check for problems with DirectX by selecting the Run command from the Start menu. When the Run dialogue box appears, just type 'dxdiag' (without the quotes) into the space provided and Windows will automatically run a check on the DirectX installation.

You'll see a new dialogue box that is divided into several sections, labelled with names such as Display, Sound and Network. Clicking on any of these will provide you with information about that part of DirectX.

It will tell you if any problems have been detected and will also provide a number of tests that you can run to make sure everything's working properly. You can also go to the DirectX website to download the latest version of DirectX and get additional technical help.

Web wisdom
If you still can't sort things out then it's time to turn to the PC's manufacturer for help. But before you pick up the phone to pay for a premium rate call, you should first take a look at the manufacturer's website.

On most PC manufacturers' websites there will be a frequently asked questions section (listed in menus as FAQs), as well as hints and tips for solving common problems. If you still can't find an answer to your problem you'll be encouraged to send an email to the manufacturer's technical support staff.

Smaller manufacturers can take some time to reply to emails as they may not have very large teams of support staff, but there are others that take email technical support more seriously. Some manufacturers go even further by providing specialised diagnostic tools on their websites.

Get some answers
As well as checking the website of the PC manufacturer, there's also a lot of help to be found on the websites of individual PC component manufacturers.

So if you've been able to trace the fault to a particular component you should immediately head to the manufacturer's website to find the latest drivers.

As well as providing new drivers for their products, most component manufacturers will also provide some sort of selection of frequently asked questions that covers common problems.

Most software companies provide similar support options on their websites too, with regular updates that can fix problems with their programs, as well as frequently asked questions and forums where you can discuss problems with other users.

Unfortunately, there's one type of problem that you may not be able to turn to the internet to solve and that's problems with your internet service provider (ISP) or internet connection. If your internet connection isn't working, you'll probably have to bite the bullet and pick up the phone to your ISP's technical support department.

The cost of these calls will vary from one ISP to another, but AOL stands out here as it offers all its subscribers technical support via a free 0800 phone number.

There are other ISPs that offer free technical support but this generally depends on the type of subscription you have.

On the way to the forum
Sometimes your PC may suffer from some obscure fault that can't be solved just by looking through frequently asked questions or downloading a new driver.

When this happens its time to pay a visit to some of the technical support forums on the internet. The best place to start is our own Readers to the Rescue forum. One of the main benefits is that your fellow readers, many of whom have been reading Computeractive for many years, remember what it feels like to be a novice user and won't talk down to you.

We also like Help.com. This has hundreds of discussion forums covering general topics such as video and photography, as well as forums that concentrate on more specific hardware faults and problems with Windows itself.

We're also fans of a website called Tech Support Guy. This has hundreds of forums that cover problems with Windows, drivers and hardware, along with information for Mac users and owners of handheld computers.

A good site for beginners is the Ask Me Help Desk. This is a general information website that includes lots of non-technical discussion forums but also has a good section on computers for beginners, as well as topics such as setting up a wireless network at home.

More ambitious users could look at 5 Star Support. This website is essentially a vast collection of frequently asked questions, covering just about every subject you can think of. It can be a bit of a struggle to wade through the lists of topics on offer but your answer's probably in there somewhere.

The last resort
If you can't find an answer to your problems on the web, or by using Windows' own diagnostic tools, then you may just have to bite the bullet and phone the manufacturer of your PC for help. You're probably going to have to pay for a premium-rate call, but you can save time and money by making a note of the following details:

• The name or model of your PC and the date you bought it.
• The type of processor (Intel or AMD) and its speed.
• The version of Windows you are using.
• The amount of memory (RAM) and the size of the hard disk.
• The type of graphics card, and possibly the type of sound card.
• Your internet connection (broadband or dial-up?)