1
|
- Troubleshooting and Maintenance Fundamentals
|
2
|
- About your role as a PC technician in troubleshooting and maintenance,
and tools available to help you in those roles
- How to approach a troubleshooting problem
- How to develop a preventive maintenance plan and what to include in it
|
3
|
- PC support technician
- PC service technician
- Bench technician
- Help-desk technician
|
4
|
- Bootable rescue disk
- Can boot the PC even when hard drive fails
- Ensures cleanest boot possible
- Ground bracelet and/ground mat
- Screwdrivers (flat-head, Phillips-head or cross-head, Torx set,
particularly size T15)
- Tweezers, preferable insulated
- Chip extractor and extractor
|
5
|
- Multimeter
- Needle-nose pliers
- Flashlight
- AC outlet ground tester
- Small cups or bags
- Antistatic bags
- Pen and paper
- Diagnostic cards and software
- Utility software
- Virus detection software on disks
|
6
|
- POST diagnostic cards
- Diagnostic software
- General-purpose utility software
|
7
|
- Discover and report computer errors and conflicts at POST
- Examples:
- POSTcard V3 by Unicore Software, Inc.
- Post Code Master by MSD, Inc.
- POSTmortem Diagnostics Card by System Optimization
|
8
|
- Identifies hardware problems
- Examples:
- PC-Technician by Windsor Technologies, Inc.
- PC-Diagnosys by Windsor Technologies, Inc.
|
9
|
- Diagnoses problems
- Repairs and maintains software on a PC
- Recovers corrupted or deleted data on hard drive or floppy disks
- Provides security
- Monitors system performance
- Downloads software updates from Internet
|
10
|
|
11
|
- Make backups before making changes
- Approach the problem systematically
- Isolate the problem; eliminate unnecessary hardware and software
- Don’t overlook the obvious
- Check simple things first
- Make no assumptions
|
12
|
- Become a researcher
- Write things down
- Reboot and start over
- Establish priorities
- Keep your cool and don’t rush
- Don’t assume the worst
- Know your starting point
|
13
|
- Ask the user good questions with diplomacy
- Investigate the problem on the computer
- What OS is installed?
- What physical components are installed – processor, expansion cards,
drives, peripheral devices? PC connected to network?
- What is the nature of the problem – before or after boot, error
message, etc?
- Can you duplicate the problem?
|
14
|
- Isolate the source of the problem
- Consider the possibilities
- Eliminate simple things first
- Eliminate the unnecessary
- Trade good for suspected bad
- Trade suspected bad for good
- Intermittent problems – more challenging
- Look for patterns or clues
- Keep a log of when problems occur and exactly what error messages
appear
|
15
|
- Make and implement a preventive maintenance plan to help prevent
failures and reduce repair costs and downtime
- What can you do to prevent each cause of PC failure?
- If it does occur,how can you solve the problem?
- What can you do now to prepare for that event?
- Develop a disaster recovery plan to manage failures when they occur
|
16
|
- Reduce likelihood that events that cause PC failures will occur
- Lessen the damage if they do occur
|
17
|
- Organize hard drive boot directory
- Create rescue disks
- Document all setup changes, problems, and solutions
- Record setup data
- Take practical precautions to protect software and data
- Back up original software
- Back up data on the hard drive
|
18
|
|
19
|
|
20
|
|
21
|
- Back up hard drive
- Remove removable disks, tape cartridges, or CDs from drives
- Turn off power to PC and devices
- Disconnect power cords and external devices
- Label cable connections
- Coil all cords and secure them
- Pack in original shipping cartons
- Purchase insurance
|
22
|
|
23
|
|
24
|
- Mount a fire extinguisher for Class C fires (ignited and heated by
electricity) near your workbench, but not directly over it
|
25
|
- Common-sense guidelines to solving
computer problems
- Avoid making situation worse by damaging equipment, software, or data,
or by placing undue stress on users
- Follow safety precautions
|