Hardware Managing, Maintaining and Troubleshooting

Chapter 16: Troubleshooting and Maintenance Fundamentals

Objectives

In this chapter, you will learn:

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

Troubleshooting Perspectives and Tools

PC Support Technician
PC Service Technician Bench Technician Help-desk Technician

Troubleshooting Tools

Bootable rescue disks for any OS you might work on (you may need several different ones)
Ground bracelet and/or ground mat Flat-head screwdriver Phillips-head or cross-head screwdriver Torx screwdriver set, particularly size T15

Troubleshooting Tools (continued)

Tweezers, preferably insulated ones

Chip extractor to remove chips

Extractor
Multimeter to check the power supply output

Needle-nose pliers
Flashlight

AC outlet ground tester

Troubleshooting Tools (continued)

Bootable Rescue Disk

Boot PC when hard drive fails Provides cleanest boot possible

POST Diagnostic Cards Diagnostic Software

PC-Technician by Windsor Technologies, Inc. PC-Diagnosys by Windsor Technologies, Inc. Data Lifeguard Tools by Western Digital Programs that test memory

Troubleshooting Tools (continued)

General-Purpose Utility Software

Norton Utilities CheckIt Suite PartitionMagic SpinRight Administrators Pak SiSoftware Sandra 2004 SpyBot Search & Destroy

Your Approach to Troubleshooting

Fundamental Rules

Make backups before making changes Approach the problem systematically Divide and conquer Dont overlook the obvious Check the simple things first Make no assumptions

Your Approach to Troubleshooting (continued)

Become a researcher
Write things down

Reboot and start over

Establish your priorities

Keep your cool and dont rush

Dont assume the worst

Know your starting point

Gathering Information

Interact with the User

Dont talk down to or patronize the user Dont take over the mouse or keyboard from the user without permission Dont use the phone without permission Dont pile your belongings and tools on top of the users papers, books, etc Accept personal inconvenience to accommodate users urgent business needs

Gathering Information (continued)

Dont take drastic action such as formatting the hard drive without asking user about data back up
Provide users with alternatives where appropriate Protect the confidentiality of data on PC Dont disparage users choice of computer hardware or software If you make a mistake or must pass theproblem on to someone with more expertise, be honest

Investigating the Problem on the Computer

What operating system is installed?

What physical components are installed? What processor, expansion cards, drives, and peripheral devices are installed? Is the PC connected to a network? What is the nature of the problem? Does the problem occur before or after the boot? Does an error message appear?

Does the system hang at certain times?

Investigating the Problem on the Computer (continued)

Start from a cold boot, and do whatever youmust do to cause the problem to occur
What specific steps did you take to duplicate the problem? Can you duplicate the problem? Does the problem occur every time you do the above steps, or is the problem intermittent?

Isolate the Problem

Isolating the Problem

Consider the possibilities

Eliminate simple things first

Eliminate the unnecessary

Trade good for suspected bad Trade suspected bad for good Intermittent problems

Print screens

Preventive Maintenance

When a PC Is Your Permanent Responsibility

Organize the hard drive root directory Create rescue disks Document all setup changes, problems and solutions Record setup data

Preventive Maintenance (continued)

Take practical precautions to protect software and data Back up original software
Back up data on the hard drive

A Preventative Maintenance Plan

A Preventative Maintenance Plan (continued)

A Preventative Maintenance Plan (continued)

A Preventative Maintenance Plan (continued)

Moving Equipment

Back up the hard drive onto backup medium separate from computer
Do not ship PC with the only copy of important data on the hard drive Remove any removable disks, tape cartridges, or CDs from the drives Make sure that tapes or disks holding the backup data are secured and protected during transit or ship separately

Moving Equipment (continued)

Turn off power to the PC and all other devices

Disconnect power cords from electrical outlet and the devices

Disconnect all external devices from the computer

Label cable connections with white tape or white labels, if necessary Coil all external cords and secure them with plastic ties or rubber bands

Moving Equipment (continued)

Pack the computer, monitor, and all devices in their original shipping cartons or similar boxes with enough packing material to protect them
Purchase insurance on the shipment.

Postal insurance

Not expensive Can save a lot of money if materials are damaged in transit

Disposing of Used Equipment

Disposing of Used Equipment (continued)

Fire Extinguishers

Class A: A fire that is fueled by ordinary combustible materials such as wood, trash, or clothes Class B: A fire that is fueled by flammable liquids such as oil, gasoline, kerosene, propane gas, and some plastics Class C: A fire that is ignited and heated by electricity

Summary

The role as a PC technician in troubleshooting and maintenance The 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