Chapter 24 Troubleshooting and Maintenance Fundamentals

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  PC support technician  PC service technician  Bench technician  Help-desk technician

Essential Troubleshooting Tools  Bootable rescue disk for any OS you might work on (may need several)  Ground bracelet and/or ground mat  Screwdrivers (flat-head, Phillips-head or cross- head, Torx set, particularly size T15)  Tweezers, preferable insulated  Chip extractor and a spring-loaded extractor

Useful Troubleshooting Tools  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

Bootable Rescue Disk  Can boot the PC even when the hard drive fails  Ensures cleanest boot possible

Diagnostic Cards and Software  POST diagnostic cards  Diagnostic software  General-purpose utility software

POST Diagnostic Cards  Discover and report computer errors and conflicts at POST  Examples: Amber Debug Card (Phoenix Technologies) PCI Error Testing/Debug Card (Trigen Industries) POSTcard V3 (Unicore Software, Inc.) Post Code Master (MSD, Inc.) POSTmortem Diagnostics Card (System Optimization, Inc.)

Diagnostic Software  Identifies hardware problems  Examples: PC-Technician (Windsor Technologies, Inc.) PC-Diagnosys (Windsor Technologies, Inc.)

General-Purpose Utility Software  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

General-Purpose Utility Software

Fundamental Rules for Troubleshooting  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 continued…

Fundamental Rules for Troubleshooting  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

Gathering Information  Interacting with the user  Investigating the problem on the computer  Isolating the problem  Intermittent problems

Interacting with the User  Ask questions with diplomacy  Find out exactly what happened when the computer stopped working  Consider yourself a guest when working at the user’s desk

Guidelines for Working with a User  Don’t take drastic action before asking the user about data that may not be backed up  Provide alternatives before making decisions for the user  Protect confidentiality of data on the PC  Don’t disparage user’s choice of hardware or software  If you make a mistake or must pass the problem on to someone with more expertise, be honest

Investigating 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 – occur before or after boot? Any error messages? Does the system hang?  Can you duplicate 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  More challenging  Look for patterns or clues  Keep a log of when problems occur and exactly what error messages appear

Preventive Maintenance  Goals Reduce likelihood that events that cause PC failures will occur Lessen the damage if they do occur  Make and implement a preventive maintenance plan to help prevent failures and reduce repair costs and downtime  Develop a disaster recovery plan to manage failures when they occur

When a PC Is Your Permanent Responsibility  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

A Preventive Maintenance Plan continued…

A Preventive Maintenance Plan

Moving Equipment  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

Disposing of Used Equipment

Fire Extinguishers  Mount a fire extinguisher for Class C fires (ignited and heated by electricity) near your workbench, but not directly over it  Know how to use the fire extinguisher

Chapter Summary  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