Is your PC the stable, error-free platform you need? We didn't think so. Leigh Dyer, David Kidd and Ty Pendlebury present the essential guide to fixing your PC.

If there's one thing you can count on with your PC it's that one day, without warning, it'll fall over. The effects can range from a nagging error message every now and then, to something as serious as lost files or destroyed hardware. Owning a PC, then, isn't just a matter of learning how to turn it on and click a mouse; it's about knowing how to fix it when it goes wrong.

Understanding how to troubleshoot your PC isn't just a handy little skill. As we, and those around us, depend more and more on PCs, any errors and downtime can cost money in repair costs or lost productivity -- money that could have been saved by knowing how to read the symptoms, treat the problem, and ultimately how to prevent the problems in the first place.

But where do you start? Experienced troubleshooters each have their own methods, but we've always found that a basic medical model is an ideal way to keep your PC healthy. Physical damage, viruses, and even age can apply just as easily to your PC and by following basic diagnosis guidelines you can treat most known conditions.

We've broken this feature up into the three basic steps to fixing ailments: diagnosis, treatment and prevention. As a special bonus, we've also looked at using Linux to pull you out of an emergency and you'll also find some real world examples from our Labs team.

So, grab your doctor's bag and the nearest nurse as we present our complete guide to fixing PC problems