Software, Hardware or Firmware Glitch? Our Austin IT Support Experts Can Tell

When you're suffering from glitchy servers or workstations, you're probably also suffering from expensive downtime. But where is the glitch – in the software, in the hardware or in the firmware?

Here are some general pointers:

Software – Our Austin IT managed services techs see plenty of software glitches. Sometimes they're bugs in a new, untried application that needs to be uninstalled until the maker introduces the appropriate fix. Applications that won't install may be too large for the amount of free memory on the computer. Eccentric behavior such as the dreaded “Blue Screen of Death,” sometimes means a lost or damaged DLL file or other type of software file.

Firmware – Firmware is the set of operational instructions written on a device's ROM (read-only) memory. These instructions coordinate the interaction of various pieces of connected equipment such as drivers. This means that if you've recently plugged a new device into your system and things suddenly seem all fouled up, you've probably got a firmware conflict. Solutions may include updating a driver program or swapping out one model or brand of device for another.

Hardware – “Hardware” refers to the physical pieces of your IT system, the mechanical equipment that runs your firmware and software. When physical mechanisms go bad, they often produce physical symptoms such as heat (fan failure), odd noises (dying hard drive) or even smoke (electrical failure, overheating). If a Mac at your facility refuses to start up, it may have a dead PRAM (parameter RAM) battery. Less dramatic failures include ports that lose their connections to the motherboard, damage to control buttons and other hardware issues.

As you can see, these three elements of your IT system can cause plenty of trouble between them. Call Gravity Systems and let our trained Austin IT support team find and fix that glitch!
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