How to Troubleshoot a TV Tuner Card for a Computer

With a TV card installed on your computer you can truly multi-task (if watching TV while working on your files is actually working.) Before you can actually watch, however, you need to get the signal. Here are a few troubleshooting tips.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Look for broadcast problems. Make sure your cables are connected properly at the wall and to the computer and that your cable or satellite is working. Double check to see if your tuner or cable offers the channel you want to watch. If the tuner card is networked, check to see if someone else is accessing the tuner.
2. Rule out application or system problems. Start with the simplest option; change the channel to see if the problem is with the broadcast. Restart the application, and if the problem continues try to watch through a different application such as Windows Media Center. Finally, restart your computer to see if that fixes the problem.
3. Check the card configuration in Windows Media Center. Scroll to "Tasks" on the Start screen. Click "Settings" then "TV" and choose "Set Up TV Signal."
4. Double check to make sure the card is properly installed. Check the developer's website to make sure you have the most current driver. If you have problems with the sound but not the video, check your audio card is installed and enabled in the Windows Device Manager.

Tips & Warnings

• You can remove channels you can't receive in Windows Media Center. This way you know that a channel you can't receive should be broadcasting. Under the TV settings options, click "Guide" and then "Edit Channels."

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