Objectives
• Learn about tools you’ll need as a PC support technician.
• Learn how to
develop a preventive maintenance plan and what to include in it.
• Learn how to work in
a computer case.
• Learn what happens
when you first turn on a PC before the OS is loaded.
• Learn how to
approach and solve a PC problem.
• Learn how to
troubleshoot a failed boot before the OS is loaded.
Introduction
• Basic repair skills
– Developing a maintenance plan – Implementing a maintenance plan – Working
inside a computer case – Following the sequence of events that occur at startup
• Advanced repair
skills – Using commonsense guidelines to solve problems – Interviewing a user –
Determining if a problem occurs before or after boot – Troubleshooting and
solving a problem of a failed boot 3
PC Support Technician
Tools
• Help you maintain a
computer
• Help you diagnose
and repaircomputer problems
• Criteria for
choosing tools: – Level of PC support you expect to provide – Amount of money
you can spend• Some essential tools: – Ground bracelet, ground mat, or groundgloves – Torx
screwdriver set – Recovery CD, DVD, or floppy disk for the target OS
• Store tools in
toolbox for PC troubleshooting 4
Recovery CDs
• Used to boot a
system
• Also used to repair
and reinstall Windows
• Primary recovery CD
sources – PC manufacturer (preferred) – Operating system distributor, such as
Microsoft
• Some hard drives
have a hidden recovery partition – A hidden partition can be used to reinstall
Windows – A utility for creating recovery CDs may be provided – Access hidden
utilities by pressing a Fn key at startup 6
Cleaning Pads and
Solutions
• Various types are
designed for specific uses
• Example: contact
cleaner – Cleans contacts on expansion cards
• Warning: solutions
may be flammable and/or toxic
• Sources of safety
and emergency instructions: – Side of the can of solution – Material safety
data sheet (MSDS)
• Adhere to safety
procedures of your employer – Example: fill out an accident report (if
required) 10
Post Diagnostic Cards
• Report computer
errors and conflicts .
• How to use a POST
diagnostic card: – Install card in an expansion slot on the motherboard –
Attempt to boot your system – Record any error codes appearing in LED panel –
Look up the entry associated with the error code.
• Examples of Post
diagnostic cards: – PCI Error Testing/Debug Card by Winic Corporation – POST
card V3 by Unicore Software, Inc. – Post Code Master by MSD, Inc. 12.
PC Preventive
Maintenance
• Preventive
maintenance reduces number of problems.
• Goals of preventive
maintenance plans: – Prevent failures – Reduce repair costs – Reduce downtimes•
Goal of disaster recovery plan: manage failures.
• Some causes of PC
failure: heat, dust, spills, viruses.
PC is your Permanent
Responsibility
• Tasks and
procedures to prepare for troubleshooting – Keep good backups of data and
system files – Document all setup changes, problems, and solutions – Protect
the system against viruses and other attacks
• Always use a
firewall (software or hardware barrier)
• Install and run antivirus software
• Keep Windows
Updates current – Physically protect your equipment.
Preventive
Maintenance Plan
• Plan based on
history or pattern of malfunctions – Example: PCs in dusty areas need more
maintenance.
• Goals common to
maintenance plans – Extend the working life of a PC – Anticipate problems that
could disrupt service – Ensure data is secure and backed up – Provide support
to PC users.
• Basic steps involved
in designing a plan – Define your overall goals – Incorporate procedures for
achieving goals • Dealing with Dust.
• Dust accumulates in
layers over components
• Two major problems
due to dust blankets – PC components directly over heat – Cooling fans jam,
also resulting in overheating.
• Maintenance task:
remove the layer of dust.
• Two tools used to
remove dust: – Antistatic vacuum – Compressed air .
Preparing a Computer
for Shipping
• Adverse factors to
consider: – Rough handling – Exposure to water, heat, and cold – Misplacement
or theft of a computer.
• Some shipping
guidelines to follow: – Backup the hard drive onto a backup medium – Remove
inserted disks, tape cartridges, or CDs – Coil and secure all external cords –
Separately wrap hardware components – Purchase insurance on the shipment.
Disposing of Used
Equipment
• Various guidelines
for disposing of equipment: – Manufacturer documentation – Local environmental
regulators.
• Danger posed by
monitors and power supplies – Residual charge in capacitors can cause shock –
Modern devices discharge if unplugged for 60 minutes – Older devices may
require discharge with a probe.
• Destroy secondary
storage devices with sensitive data.
How to Work Inside a
Computer
• Objective:
dismantle a computer, put it back together.
• Some safety
precautions to follow: – Make notes that will help you backtrack – Keep screws
and spacers orderly – Do not stack boards on top of each other – Do not touch the
chips on circuit boards – Do not use a graphite pencil to change DIP settings –
Turn off the power, unplug and ground the computer – Do not remove covers of
monitors or power supplies – Keep components away from hair and clothing .
Static Electricity
• Build-up of charge
due to absence of conductors.
• Electrostatic
discharge (ESD) – Due to dissimilar electrical surfaces making contact – Only
10 volts of ESD can damage PC components – Walking across carpet generates up
to 12,000 volts.
• Two types of
damage: catastrophic and upset failure.
• Tool and methods
for grounding yourself and the PC – Ground bracelet, ground mats, static
shielding bags, antistatic gloves.
• If working inside a
monitor, do not ground yourself.
A ground
bracelet, which protects computer components from ESD, can clip to the side of
the computer .
Steps to Take Apart a
Computer
• Essential tools: –
Ground bracelet – Phillips-head screwdriver – flathead screwdriver, paper, and
pen• Follow safety precautions at all times.
• Summary of Steps 1
- 4 – 1. Enter CMOS and write down customized settings – 2. Power down the
system, unplug all components – 3. Put the computer on a good-sized table – 4.
Remove the cover of the PC 25.
. Steps to Take Apart
a Computer
• Summary of steps 5
- 11 – 5. Diagram cable connections and switch settings – 6. Identify cables
connecting drives to motherboard – 7. Remove the cables to all drives – 8.
Remove the expansion cards – 9. Remove the motherboard (or drives) – 10. Remove
the power supply from the case – 11. Remove each drive (if not already removed)
Put a Computer Back
Together.
• 1. Install power
supply, drives, motherboard, cards.
• 2. Connect all data
and power cables.
• 3. Plug in the
keyboard, monitor, and mouse.
• 4. Ask an
instructor to check the work (if in a classroom).
• 5. Turn on the
power and check PC functions.
Understanding the
Boot Process
• Key learning
objectives – Know how to boot a PC – Understand what happens first when a PC is
turned on – Understand how an operating system is loaded.
Booting a
Computer
• Process that drives
a computer to a working state
• Hard (cold) boot:
turn the power switch on
• Soft (warm) boot:
allow the OS to reboot
• How to soft boot
Windows XP – Click Start – Click Turn Off Computer – Click Restart
Hard Boot and a Soft
Boot
• Hard boots are more
stressful on machines – Power surges through the system when the PC is turned
on.
• Reasons to choose a
soft boot over hard boot – Less stressful on the machine – Faster due to
skipping initial steps.
• Some computers have
a soft and hard power switch – Soft power switch shuts down and restarts
Windows – Hard power switch cuts power and restarts machine.
BIOS Controls
• Boot The startup
BIOS gets a system up and running.
• Four phases of the
boot process: – BIOS runs the POST and assigns system resources.
• POST: power-on self
test – BIOS searches for and loads an OS – OS configures system and completes
its own loading – Application software is loaded and executed.
Boot Step 1: The ROM
BIOS startup program surveys hardware resources and needs andassigns system
resources to satisfy those needs.
Changing the Boot
Sequence
• BIOS looks to CMOS
RAM to locate the OS.
• Boot sequence:
order of drives checked for an OS.
• Change boot
sequence using CMOS setup utilities.
• Access CMOS setup
utilities when PC is turned on – Example: press F8 before the Windows screen appears.
How to Troubleshoot a
PC Problem
• Assume the attitude
of an investigator.
• Do not compound the
problem by your own actions.
• Look at the problem
as a learning opportunity.
• Ask questions until
you understand the problem.
• Believe that you
can solve the problem.
Steps to Solving a PC
Problem
• Key advice: – Ask
good questions – Document the process.
• Four-step problem
solving process: – Step 1: Interview the user – Step 2: Back up data – Step 3:
Solve the problem – Step 4: Verify the fix and document the solution.
Troubleshooting a
Failed Boot
• It takes time to
acquire troubleshooting skills.
• Hands-on training:
troubleshooting a failed boot.
My Computer Won’t
Boot.
• First step:
maintain your calm.
• Second step:
develop a game plan.
• Plan is driven by a set of yes-no questions Example:
Does the PC boot properly?
• If no, troubleshooter is directed to another
question .
• If yes,
troubleshooter is directed to stop.
Major Subsystems Used
For Booting
• Categories of troubleshooting
steps– The electrical subsystem – Essential hardware devices.
• The motherboard,
memory, and the CPU – Video – Reading from the hard drive.
• Key aides: tables
identifying error codes.
Summary
• Some PC repair
tools: recovery CDs, screwdrivers, POST, cleaning pads and solutions,
diagnostic cards
• Preventive
maintenance plans extend the life of a PC
• Follow an
organization’s preventive maintenance plan, or develop one if it does not exist
• Computers present
chemical and electrical hazards
• Protect components in
case from ESD by grounding yourself and the PC
Assembling and
reassembling a PC prepares the technician for actual repair work
• Startup BIOS
controls when the boot process begins
• Four step boot
process: POST, loading the OS, OS initializing itself, loading and executing
applications
• Expert
troubleshooters ask good questions• Before tackling a problem, develop a game
plan.
