Computer Maintenance CompTIA A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC By: JEAN ANDREW Chapter 8: PC Support Technician.

Computer Maintenance

CompTIA A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC By: JEAN ANDREW

Chapter 8: PC Support Technician

Copyright © 2007 - CIST 2

Objectives

After you have completed this lesson, you will be able to:

• Identify tools you’ll need as a PC support technician

• Identify and apply a preventive maintenance plan

• Identify and apply basic diagnostic procedures and troubleshooting techniques

• Describe the boot processes

• Describe job role and responsibilities of professional PC support technician


Scenario

In this chapter, you will learn:– PC support technician tools

– How to develop a preventive maintenance plan

– How to work inside a computer

– Understanding boot process

– How to troubleshoot a PC problem

– The professional PC technician

– About some job roles and responsibilities of PC technician

– Supporting calls: providing good service


PC support technician tools

• Ground bracelet, ground mat, or ground glove

• Flat-head screwdriver

• Phillips-head or cross-head screw driver

• Torx screwdriver set, particularly size T15

• Tweezers for picking pieces of paper out of printers or dropped screws out of tight place

• Extractor, three prongs come out that you can used to pick up a screw that fallen to a tight place

• Recovery CD, DVD, or floppy disk for any OS you might work on



The following tools might not be essential:

• Cans of compressed air or anti-static vacuum cleaner to clean dust from inside a computer

• Cleaning solutions and pad

• Multimeter to check the power supply output

• Needle-nose pliers for removing jumper and or holding object in place while you screw them in

• Cable ties to tie cable up

• Flashlight to see inside the PC case

• AC outlet ground tester



• Network cable tester

• Loop-back plugs to test ports

• Small cups or bags to help keep screws organized as you work

• Antistatic bags to store unused parts

• Chip extractor to remove chips

• Pen and paper for taking notes

• Diagnostic cards

• Utilities software, virus detection software, and diagnostic software on floppy disk or CD






Scenario










When A Pc Is Your Permanent Responsibility

• Keep good backups of data and system files

• Document all setup changes, problems, and solutions

• Protects the system against viruses and other attacks Always use a firewall

Install and run anti-virus software

Keep Windows updates current

• Physically protect your equipment

Personal Computer Preventive Maintenance





Physically Protect Your Equipment:

• Don’t move or jar your computer when it’s turned on

• Don’t smoke around your computer

• Don’t leave the PC turned off for weeks or months at a time

• Don’t block air vents on the front and rear of the computer case or on the monitor

• Use keyboards covers for dirty environments

• High humidity can be dangerous for hard drives


Physically Protect Your Equipment:

• In CMOS setup, disable the ability to write to the

boot sector of the hard drive

• If your data is really private, keep it under lock and

key

• Protect your CDs, DVDs, and other storage media

• Keep magnets away from your computer

• Don’t unpack and turn on a computer that has just

come in from the cold


Creating A Preventive Maintenance Plan

• It is important to develop an overall PMP

• If you company has established written guideline for PMP, read and follow procedures

• If no established your own

• The general idea of preventive maintenance is to do what you can make a PC last longer and cause as little trouble as possible

• When designing your PMP, first define your overall goals, then design plan accordingly

Table 3-1 list some guideline for PMP


• DEALING WITH DUST– Insulate PC parts like a

blanket, can cause them to overheat

– Dust inside fans can jam fans

– Dust is an important part of preventive maintenance

– So clean it out




PREPARING A COMPUTER FOR SHIPPING

• Back up your hard drive to separate medium

• Remove any removable disks, tap cartridge, or CDs from the drives, ship them separately

• Disconnect power cords from outlet and computers, for notebook remove batteries

• Identify which cord or cable belongs

• Pack the computer, monitor, and all devices in their original shipping cartons

• Purchase insurance on the shipment



DISPOSING OF USED EQUIPMENT

• TABLE 3-2


Scenario










Learn How To Take A Computer Apart And Put It Back:

• Make notes as you work so you can back later

• To stays organized and not lost small parts

• Don’t stack board on top of each other

• When handling motherboards and expansion cards, don’t touch the chip on the board

• Don’t touch it with the magnetized screwdriver

• Don’t use graphite pencil to change DIP switch

• To protect both yourself and the equipment when working inside a computer, turn off and unplug power, and use ground bracelet


How to Work Inside a Computer Case

Learn how to take a computer apart and put it back:

• Never ever touch the inside of a computer that is turned on

• The power supply and monitor contain enough power to kill you even when they are unplugged, so be careful when you touch inside

• To protect against static electricity, keep components away from your hair and clothing

• When unpack hardware, remove the packing tape and cellophane from the work are as soon as possible



STATIC ELECTRICITY

To protect computer against ESD, always ground yourself before touching electronic component:

• Ground bracelet

• Ground mat

• Static shielding bags

• Antistatic gloves

Figure 3-16







STEP TO TAKE APART OF A COMPUTER

1. If you are starting with a working computer, enter CMOS setup and write down any customize settings

2. Power down the system and unplug it

3. Put a computer on the table, have a plastic bags or cup handy to hold screws

4. Opening the case maybe the most difficult part

• Many newer case require you to remove the faceplate on the front of the case first

• If you can find screws on the rear of case, remove it

• For desktop case or tower case, locate and remove the screws on the back of the case




4. Opening the case maybe the most difficult part

• After remove the cover screws, slide the cover forward and up to remove it from the case

• Some tower cases have panels on either side of the case, held in place with screws on the back, remove the screws and slide each panel toward the rear then lift it off the case

• Newer case require you to pop the front panel off the case before removing the side panels










5. If you’re working on a tow case, lay it on its side so the motherboard is on the bottom. If you plan to remove several components, draw a diagram off all cable connection, DIP switches, jumper settings.

6. Before removing any ribbon cables, look for a red color or stripe down one side of each cable

7. A system might have up to three types of ribbon cables




8. Do the following to remove the expansion cards:

• Remove any wire or cable connected to the card

• Remove the screw holding the card to the case

• Grasp the card with both hands and remove it by lifting straight up

• As you remove the card don’t put your figures on the edge connectors or touch a chip

9. Depending on the system, you might need to remove the motherboard next or remove the drives next

• Ro remove the motherboard, unplug the cable to the motherboard and other cable





STEP TO TAKE APART OF A COMPUTER• Disconnect wires leading from the front panel. If you

don’t have manual write the diagram of this

• You’re now ready to remove the screws that hold the motherboard to the case

• The motherboard should now be free and you can carefully remove it from the case

10. To remove the power supply, look for the screw that attach the power supply to the case

11. Remove each drive next, handling the drives with care

• Some drives attach with screws on each side

• Some drives, there is a catch underneath the drive










Understanding the Boot Process

BOOTING A COMPUTER

• Booting refer to the computer bringing itself up to a working state without the user have to do anything but press the one button.

• A hard boot or cold boot

• A soft boot or warm boot



SETPS TO PUT A COMPUTER BACK TOGETHER

To reassemble a computer, reverse the processes of disassembling. Do the following:

1. Install the power supply, drives, motherboard, and card in the case

2. Connect all data and power cables. Before replace the cover take a few minutes to double-check each connection

3. Plug in the keyboard, monitor, and mouse

4. Turn on the power and check that the PC is working properly. If it doesn’t work, most likely the problem is a loose connection


Scenario











THE START UP BIOS CONTROL THE BEGINNING OF THE BOOT

Startup BIOS is programming contained on the firmware chip on the motherboard that is responsible for getting a system up and going and finding an OS to load.

1. The startup BIOS runs the POST(power-on self test) and assigns system resources.

2. The startup BIOS program searches for and load an OS.

3. The OS configures the system and completes its own loading.

4. Application software is loaded and executed.







Understanding the Boot ProcessChange the boot sequence





Scenario










Step To Solving A Pc Problem

1. Interview the user. You need to know what happened when the problem occurred, it valuable data is not backed up, and what you must do to reproduce the problem.

2. Take appropriate action to protect any valuable data on the computer that is not back up

3. Analyze the problem, make an initial determination of the problem, and begin testing, evaluating, and researching until problem is solved.

4. If you think the problem is fixed, test the fix and the system. Make sure all is working before you stop. Then document activities, outcomes, and what you have learned.



Step 1: Interview the User

Begin by asking the user questions about the problem:

Please describe the problem. What error message, unusual displays, or failure did you see?

When did the problem start?



STEP 1: INTERVIEW THE USER

What was the situation when the problem occurred?

What program or software are you using?

Did you move your computer system recently?

Has there been a recent thunderstorm or electrical problem?

Have you made any hardware, software, or configuration changes?

Has someone else used computer recently?

Is there some valuable data on your system that is not backed up that I should know about before I start working on the problems?

Can you me how to reproduce the problem?



STEP 2: BACK UP DATA

STEP 3: SOLVE THE PROBLEM

Here are several troubleshooting principles:

Establish your priorities

Know your starting point

- What operating system is installed?

- What physical component are installed?

- What is the nature of the problem

- Can you duplicate the problem?

Approach the problem systematically



MAKE NO ASSUMPTIONS

Analyze the problem and make an initial determination

Check simple things first

Beware of user error

Divide an conquer

- In windows, stop all non-essential services running in the background to eliminate the problem

- Boot from a bootable CD or floppy disk to eliminate the OS and startup files on the hard drive as the problem

- Remove any unnecessary hardware devices, exchange component for the good one with one you suspect are bad

Trade known god for suspected bad



MAKE NO ASSUMPTIONS

Trade suspected bad for known good

Become a researcher

- Read, make phone calls, ask questions, then read more, make more calls, and ask more questions

Write things down

Keep your cool and don’t rush

Don’t assume the worst

Reboot and start over

STEP 4: VERIFY THE FIX AND DOCUMENT THE SOLUTION

Write down the initial symptoms, the source of problem and what did you fix it.

My Computer Won’t Boot



Troubleshooting A Failed Boot

TROUBLESHOOTING MAJOR SUBSYSTEMS USED FOR BOOTING

Troubleshooting The Electrical System- Are there any burnt part or odors?

- Is the power cord plugged in?

- Is the power outlet controlled by a wall switch? If so, it the switch turned on?

- Is the circuit breaker blown? Is the house circuit overload?

- Are all switches on the system turn on? Computer? Monitor?

- Is there the possibility the system has overheated? If so, wait a while and try again. If it work, so you might need additional fans.


Troubleshooting Post Before Video Is Active

- If the electrical system is working, one of the first things startup BIOS does is check the essential hardware

- If it sees a problem before it has access to video, BIOS communicates that problem as a beep code

- Here is a list of web site for the most common BIOS manufacturers:

- AMI BIOS: www.ami.com

- Award BIOS and Phoenix BIOS: www.phoenix.com

- Compaq or HP: thenew.hp.com

- Dell: www.dell.com

- IBM: www.ibm.com

- Gateway: www.gateway.com

How to Troubleshoot a PC Problem



Troubleshooting Video

If you hear one beep during the boot and you see a blank screen, mean BIOS has successfully complete the POST, which include a test of a video card. You can assume that the problem is the monitor or cable. Try these things:

1. Is the monitor electrical cable plugged in?

2. Is the monitor turned on?

3. Is the monitor cable plugged into the video port at the back of the PC and connector on the rear of the monitor?

4. Try a different monitor and a different monitor cable.


Troubleshooting Error Message During The Boot

If video and the electrical systems are working, then most boot problems show up as error message displayed onscreen. These message can have several sources:

1. After video is active, a hardware device such as keyboard, hard drive, or CD drive failed POST

2. After POST, when startup BIOS turned to the hard drive to fin an OS, it could not read from the drive. Recall that is must be able to read the MBR, the OS boot record, and the first OS boot program (NTLDR or IO.sys)

3. After the Ntldr or Io.sys are in control, they could not found the OS files they use to load the OS.

Now let’s look at some possible error message in Table 3-5.


Scenario









Job Roles And Responsibilities

As a PC technician, you might fulfill four different job functions:

• PC support technician: work on-site closely interacting with users, and is responsible for ongoing PC maintenance.

• PC service technician: goes to a customer site in response to a service call and if possible, repairs a PC on-site, but not responsible for ongoing PC maintenance.

• Bench technician: works in a lab, might not interact with users of the PCs being repaired and not permanently responsible for them.

• Help-desk technician: provide telephone or online support


Certification And Professional Organizations

• The most significant certifying organization for PC technician is Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA, pronounced “comp-TEE-a”)

• http://certification.comptia.org/a if you want to download exam objectives

• A+ Essential exam cover content on hardware, operating systems, security, and soft skills skill involving relationships with people)

• A+ 220-602, which grants you the IT Technician designation

• A+ 220-603, which grants you the Remote Support Technician designation

• A+ 220-604, which grants you the Depot Technician designation


Recordkeeping And Information Tools

You may need forms, online recordkeeping, procedures, and manuals

Specific software or hardware must be available to you to test, observe, and study

A copy of the same document the user sees and you should be familiar with that document

Technical documentation for hardware or software

Online help targeted to field technician

Export system software is designed and written to help solve problems

Call tracking can be done online or on paper


What Customer Want: Beyond Technical Know-how

The following traits distinguish one competent technician from another in the eyes of the customer:

Have a positive and helpful attitude

Own the problem

Be dependable

Be customer-focused

Be credible

Maintain integrity and honesty

Know the law with respect to your work

Act professionally

Perform your work in a professional manner


Scenario









Support Calls: Providing Good Service

Following characteristics constitute good service in eyes of most customers:

The technician response and completes the work within a reasonable time

For on-site visits, the technician is prepared for the service call.

The work is done right the first time.

The price for the work is reasonable and competitive.

The technician exhibits good interpersonal skills.

If the work extends beyond a brief on-site visit or phone call, the technician keeps the customer informed about the progress of the work.


Planning For Good Service

Follow company policies to obtain the specific information you should take when answering an initial call

Ask questions to identify the problem and asked the caller to check and try simple things while on phone

Be familiar with your company’s customer service policies

Begin troubleshooting. Take notes, and then interview the customer about the problem

Search for answer

Use your troubleshooting skills

Ask for help if you, if you have given your best

Allow the customer to decide when to finish the service

After the call, create a written record to build your own knowledge base


Interacting With The Customer

When working at a user’s desk, consider yourself a guest and follow these general guidelines:

Don’t take over the mouse or keyboard from the user without permission

Ask permission again before you use the printer or other equipment

Don’t use the phone without permission

Don’t pile your belongings and tools on the top of the user’s paper, books, and so forth.

Accept personal inconvenience to accommodate the user’s urgent business needs.



Whether or not you are at the user’s desk, you should follow these guidelines for good communication with the customer

When you ask user to describe the problem, be a good listener. Don’t interrupt.

When talking, use clear, concise, and direct statements.

Don’t talk down to or patronize the user.

Don’t use techie language or acronyms

Don’t take drastic action, like formatting hard drive without permission

Provide uses with alternatives where appropriate before making a decision for them

Protect the confidentiality of data on the PC



Whether or not you are at the user’s desk, you should follow these guidelines for good communication with the customer

Don’t disparage the user’s choice of computer hardware or software

Don’t be rude and answer your cell phone while the customer is speaking with you.

If you make a mistake or must pass the problem on to someone with more expertise, be honest.


After The Problem Is Solved

Allow the customer enough time to be fully satisfied that all

is working before you close the call

If you backed up data before working on the problem and

then restored the data from backups

If you changed anything on the PC after you booted it,

reboot one more time to make sure there is no problem

Review the service call with the customer.

Explain preventive maintenance plan to the customer


Phone Support

Follow these steps at the beginning of the service call:

Identify yourself and your organization.

Ask for and write down the name and phone number of the caller. Ask for spelling if necessary.

Your company might require that you obtain a licensing or warranty number

Open up the caller the conservation for the caller to describe the problem


When The Customer Is Not Knowledgeable

Don’t use computer jargon while talking

Don’t ask the customer to do something that might destroy settings or files without first having backup

Frequently ask customer what the screen displays to help you track the keystrokes and action

Follow along at your own PC. It’s easier to direct the customer, keystroke by keystroke, if you do same things

Give the customer plenty of opportunity to ask questions

Compliment the customer whenever you can to help customer gain confidence

If the customer can’t help you to solve the problem without a lot of coaching, request caller have someone with more experience call you.


When The Customer Is Overly Confident

If you can, compliment the customer’s knowledge

Show respect for the customer’s knowledge. For example, you can ask the customer’s advice. “What do you think the problem is?” but don’t ask the question of the customer who are not confident.

Be careful not to accuse the customer of making a mistake

Slow the conversation down. You can say, “please slow down. You’re moving too fast for me to follow. Help me understand.”

Don’t back off from using problem-soling skills. You must still have he customer check the simple things, but direct the conversation with tact.

Use technical language in a way that conveys that you expect the customer to understand you.


When The Customer Complains

Be an active listener, and let customer knows they are not being ignored. Don’t take the complaint to anger personally.

Give the customer a little time to vent, and apologize when you can. Then start the conversation from the beginning, ask questions, take notes, and solve problems.

Don’t be defensive

Know how your employer wants you to handle a situation where you are verbally abused. Say something like this in a very calm of voice: “I’m sorry, but my employer does not require me to accept this kind of talk”


When The Customer Complains

If the complaint is against you or your product, identify the underlying problem if you can. Ask question and take notes. Then pass these notes on to whoever in your organization needs to know.

Point out ways that you think communication could be improved.

Sometimes simply making progress or reducing the problem to a manageable state reduces the customer’s anxiety.

If the customer is complaining about a product or service that is not from your company, don’t start off by saying “That is not our problem.” instead, listen to the complain. Don’t appear as though you don’t care.


When The Customer Don’t Want To End A Phone Call

Ask if there is anything that needs more explanation

Briefly summaries the main points of the call, and then say something like “That about does it. Call if you need more help.”

Be silent about new issues. Answer only with “Yes” or “No” Don’t take the bait by engaging in a new topic.

Don’t get frustrated. As a last resort, you can say, “I’m sorry, but I must go now.”


When You Can’t Solve The Problem

Before you escalate, first ask knowledgeable coworkers for suggestion for solving the problem. It might save time.

Know your company policy of escalation

Document the escalation

Pass the problem on according to the proper channels of your organization. This might mean a phone call, an online entry in a database, or an email message.

Tell the customer that you are passing the problem on to someone who is more experienced and has access to more extensive resource.

Don’t lay the blame or point fingers, if other support person has not called or followed through the customer’s satisfaction.


Protecting Software Copyright

License is the right to use the software

Copyright is the right to copy the software

FEDERAL COPYRIGHT ACT OF 1976 Was designed in part to protect software copyrights by requiring

that only legally obtained copies of software be used.

Making unauthorized copies of original software violates the Federal Copyright Act of 1976 and is called software piracy, more officially, software copyright infringement.

INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS Site license a company can obtain the right to use multiple

copies of software

Vocabulary

boot record hard boot partition table

booting Io.sys POST (power-on self test)

cold boot loop-back plug program file

diagnostic card soft boot

DIP(dual inline package) switch

Master Boot Record(MBR)

startup BIOS

electrostatic discharge (ESD)

msdos.sys static electricity

ground bracelet Ntldr warm boot

A+ certificate escalate license

call tracking expert systems site license

copyright hard-disk loading technical documentation



Summary

• Tools used by a PC support technician might include screwdriver, tweezers, recovery CDs, cans of compressed air, cleaning solutions, needle-nose pliers, multimeter, cable ties, flashlight, AC outlet tester, loop-back plug, POST diagnostic cards, and utility software.

• To protect against ESD, a support technician can use a ground bracelet, ground mat, anti-static bags, and anti-static gloves.

• The goals of preventive maintenance are to make PCs last longer and work better, protect data and software, and reduce repair costs.

• When a PC is your permanent responsibility, keep good backups of data and system files, document all setup changes, problems, ad solutions, and take precautions to protect the system against viruses and other attacks.


Summary

• The boot process can be divided into four parts: POST, loading the OS, the OS initializing itself, and loading and executing an application.

• When troubleshooting a failed boot, the subsystems to check are the electrical system, the major components on the motherboard and other hardware required to boot, the video subsystem, and errors that occur when BIOS tries to read from the hard drive.

• Four key job roles of a PC repair technician include PC support technician, PC service technician, bench technician, and help-desk technician.

• Customer want more than just technical know-how. They want a positive and helpful attitude, respect, good communication, ownership of their problem, dependability, credibility, and professionalism.


QUIZ – choose the correct answer

• Error message code in the 100 range, check with?- floppy drive error - hard drive error- Parallel port error - RAM error

• To protect computer against attack, use:- keep windows up to date - firewall- install and run antivirus software

• How many steps are there of the boot process?- 4 - 2- 3 - 5

• When booting your computer and you see a blank screen, but hear a single beep, what component should you check first?

- monitor - RAM- video card - CPU


PC Support TechnicianQuestion

Questions?

Video of chapter 3/4/20 (reference on the guide ‘Managing & maintaining your PC’)

- Video ‘chapter 3/Beep codes’- Video ‘chapter 4/Using a multi-meter’-Video ‘chapter 20/Boot problem 2’

and now it’s time to practice

Computer Maintenance CompTIA A+ Guide to Managing & Maintaining Your PC By: JEAN ANDREW Chapter 8: PC Support Technician.

Documents

professional pc technician

pc parts

pc problem

pmp slide

cd slide

computer dont

shipment slide

cold slide