PowerPoint for Computer Service and Repair

1. PowerPoint for Computer Service and Repair by JoAnne Keltner Goodheart-Willcox Publisher 18604 West Creek Drive Tinley Park, IL 60477 www.g-w.com Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational purposes only.

2. Chapter 15PC Troubleshooting

3. Troubleshooting • Troubleshooting a PC requires a combination of the technician’s knowledge, intuition, and experience.

4. Importance to the PC Technician • When troubleshooting a PC, “time is money.” • Therefore, it is important that you hone your knowledge and experience of common PC problems. • Doing so will strengthen your intuition and help you to make repairs more quickly.

5. Objectives • State commonly practiced troubleshooting steps. • Identify the three stages of computer operation. • Recognize common startup problems and understand their causes. • Restart a PC in a variety of troubleshooting modes.

6. Objectives • Identify the appropriate diagnostics utility to use given a specific problem. • Step through a PC’s boot sequence. • Explain basic data recovery methods.

7. Presentation Outline 1 Troubleshooting Procedures 2 Common Problems 3 Troubleshooting and Repair Tools 4 Data Recovery Techniques 5 System Maintenance

8. 1 Troubleshooting Procedures

9. Common Sense Practices • Determine the major area at fault. • Determine what action occurred just prior to failure or problem. • Write down settings before you change them. • Work slowly. • Think! Click each link for details.

10. Isolating the Problem • Determine at what stage the problem is occurring.

11. Review • What are the three major fault areas? • Hardware failure • Software failure • User-generated problems

12. Review • What two lists should you make when troubleshooting a problem? • What you know is not the problem. • Possible problems.

13. Review • What are some resources you can check to troubleshoot a problem you have never encountered before? • Web site of the BIOS, PC, and operating system manufacturer. • Fellow technicians.

14. Review • A computer tries to boot. There are two or more beeps and no video. At what stage of operation is the problem occurring? • First stage

15. Review • After a user logs in, a blue screen error occurs. At what stage of operation is the problem occurring? • Third stage

16. Review • The operating system progress bar appears at the bottom of the screen; however, the system never boots to the desktop, but rather stalls. At what stage of operation is the problem occurring? • Second stage

17. 2 Common Problems

18. Blue screen error. Startup problems. PC is dead. Power light on, but no activity. No video. System crashes or reboots. Setup error displays. Mechanical hard drive failure. MBR failure. Problems after a hardware upgrade. Dust accumulation. Most Common Problems Click each link for details.

19. Boot Sequence Review • Windows 95/98/Me. • Windows 2000/XP. • Windows Vista. • Linux. Click each link for details.

20. Review • What are some causes of blue screen errors? • Defective hardware. • Corrupt files. • System BIOS settings beyond the capability of the hardware. • Third-party software containing bad code. • Bad code in the Windows operating system.

21. Review • What are some things to check and do if the PC appears dead? • Check that the PC is plugged into a power source. • Check the power source for power. • Swap out the power supply and test the PC.

22. Review • Reseat the _____ if the power light on the PC is on but there is no activity. • CPU

23. Review • If a computer shows normal activity but no video, reseat the _____ card or change it. • video adapter

24. 3 Troubleshooting and Repair Tools

25. Microsoft System Information. Dr. Watson. System Configuration Utility. DirectX Diagnostic Tool. System File Checker. Windows Report Tool. Event Viewer. Registry Editor. Remote Assistance. Problem Reports and Solutions. Reliability and Performance. Memory Diagnostics Tool. Windows Troubleshooting Tools Click each link for details.

26. Windows Boot Options • When to use boot options. • Windows 98 Boot options. • Windows XP Boot options. • Windows Vista Boot options. Click each link for details.

27. Repair Utilities • System Restore. • Recovery Console. • Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE). • Automated System Recovery. Click each link for details.

28. Reinstalling the Operating System • Reinstall OS if you cannot fix the problem with troubleshooting utilities. • First, try fixing the problem with an upgrade. • If upgrade does not fix the problem, completely reinstall the operating system.

29. Review • Which of the following utilities is available only in Windows Vista and allows you to view a history of problems? • Event Viewer • Microsoft System Information • Reliability and Performance • Problem Reports and Solutions 

30. Review • Which of the following is a text-based utility used as a last resort? • Automated System Recovery • Recovery Console • System Restore • Registry Editor 

31. Review • Which of the following automatically restores critical files that were backed up by the Windows Backup utility?  • Automated System Recovery • Recovery Console • System Restore • Windows Recovery Environment

32. Review • Which of the following creates backups of system settings and configurations? • Automated System Recovery • Recovery Console • System Restore • Windows Recovery Environment 

33. Review • When may it be appropriate to use a boot option? • System boot stalls for an unusually long time. • Printer problems (as a last resort only). • Video display problem. • Computer shuts down or locks up for no apparent reason. • Intermittent error condition.

34. 4 Data Recovery Techniques

35. Data Recovery with Software • Some third-party programs, such as Norton Disk Editor, can be used to recover data. Fig. 15-17

36. Data Recovery from a Failed Hard Drive • Hard drive can be sent to a business that specializes in data recovery. • Electronic circuit board can be replaced or platters can be removed and installed in another drive. • Platter removal and installation must be done in a clean room.

37. Review • To recover data from a failed hard drive, the _____ can be replaced or the _____ can be removed and installed in another drive. • electronic circuit board, platters

38. Review • Platter removal and installation must be done in a _____. • clean room

39. 5 System Maintenance

40. Purpose • Can help prevent future problems and improve system performance. • Some maintenance tasks can be scheduled to perform automatically.

41. Common Maintenance • System backups. • Disk cleanup. • Disk defragmentation. • Scandisk and Chkdsk. • Installing patches. • Installing virus protection updates. • Cleaning the physical system. Click each link for details.

42. Review • What is the purpose of PC maintenance? • It can help prevent future problems and improve system performance.

43. Review • Which of the following can be used to regain hard drive space? • Chkdsk • Disk Cleanup • ScanDisk • Disk Defragmenter 

44. Review • Which of the following can be used to rearrange files on your hard drive into a continuous series of clusters? • Chkdsk • Disk Cleanup • ScanDisk • Disk Defragmenter 

45. Review • Always _____ your system files before installing a patch.  • back up • clean up • defrag • ScanDisk