1. Chapter 4: Overview of Preventive Maintenance
Cisco Networking Academy program
IT Essentials: PC Hardware and Software v4.0
Chapter 4: Basics of Preventive Maintenance and Troubleshooting
IT Essentials 5.0

2. The Purpose of Preventive Maintenance
Reduce the likelihood of hardware or software problems by systematically and periodically checking hardware and software to ensure proper operation.
Reduce computer down time and repair costs.
Slide 5 – The Purpose of Preventive Maintenance
4.1 Explain the purpose of preventive maintenance
Preventive maintenance is used to reduce the likelihood of hardware or software problems by systematically and periodically checking hardware and software to ensure proper operation.
Teaching Strategy: The purpose of preventive maintenance is to prevent problems pro-actively. A regular schedule of preventive maintenance allows you to perform many actions that will keep problems from developing. It also allows you to choose the time and place of equipment servicing rather than the occurrence of failures dictating when these activities are performed.
To protect the computer, extend the life of the components, and protect the data, proper preventive maintenance is required. Performance issues may arise without regular maintenance and cleaning. Reliable and stable equipment is a result of good preventive maintenance procedures.
The purpose of this chapter is to introduce you to the troubleshooting process and to describe preventive maintenance. Not all troubleshooting processes are the same. In time, you will develop your own troubleshooting style based on your personal experiences and the nature of your workplace.
After completing this section, the student will meet the following objective:
Explain what preventive maintenance is and why it is needed.

3. Hardware Maintenance
Make sure that the hardware is operating properly.
Check the condition of parts.
Repair or replace worn parts.
Keep components clean.
Create a hardware maintenance program.
Slide 6 – Hardware Maintenance
Make sure that the hardware is operating properly.
Check the condition of cables, components, and peripherals.
Repair or replace any components that show signs of abuse or excess wear.
Keep components clean in order to reduce the likelihood of overheating.
Use the tasks listed on the slide as a guide to create a hardware maintenance program that fits the needs of your computer equipment.
Remove the dust from fan intakes.
Remove dust from power supply.
Remove dust from components inside the computer.
Clean mouse and keyboard.
Check and secure any loose cables.
For example, some environments, such as construction sites, may require computer equipment to be cleaned more often than other environments.
What additional hardware maintenance tasks can you add to the list?

4. Software Maintenance Review updates.
Follow policies of your organization.
Create a schedule.
Slide 7 - Software Maintenance
Verify that the installed software is current. Follow the policies of the organization when installing security updates, operating system updates, and program updates. Many organizations do not allow updates until extensive testing has been completed. This testing is done to confirm that the update will not cause problems with the operating system and software.
Use the tasks listed on the slide as a guide to create a software maintenance schedule that fits the needs of your computer equipment.
Review security updates.
Review software updates.
Review driver updates.
Update virus definition files.
Scan for viruses and spyware.
Remove unwanted programs.
Scan hard drives for errors.
Defragment hard drives.
For example, high-traffic networks, such as a school network, may require additional scanning and removal of malicious software or unwanted files.
What other software maintenance tasks can you add to the list?

5. Preventive Maintenance Benefits
Reduce computer down time.
Reduce repair costs.
Reduce loss of worker productivity.
Slide 8 - Preventive Maintenance Benefits
Be proactive in computer equipment maintenance and data protection. By performing regular maintenance routines, you can reduce potential hardware and software problems. This will reduce computer down time and repair costs.
A preventive maintenance plan is developed based on the needs of the equipment. A computer exposed to a dusty environment, such as a construction site, will need more attention than equipment in an office environment. High-traffic networks, such as a school network, may require additional scanning and removal of malicious software or unwanted files. Document the routine maintenance tasks that must be performed on the computer equipment and the frequency of each task. This list of tasks can then be used to create a maintenance program.
Increases data protection
Extends the life of the components
Increases equipment stability
Reduces repair costs
Reduces the number of equipment failures
Can you think of any other benefits that preventive maintenance provides?
Teaching Strategy: To protect the computer, extend the life of the components, and protect the data, proper preventive maintenance is required. Performance issues may arise without regular maintenance and cleaning. Reliable and stable equipment is a result of good preventive maintenance procedures.

6. Temperature and Humidity
Preventive Maintenance
PC Preventive Maintenance Overview
An optimal operating environment for a computer is clean, free of potential contaminants, and within the temperature and humidity range specified by the manufacturer. With most desktop computers, the operating environment can be controlled. However, due to the portable nature of laptops, it is not always possible to control the temperature, humidity, and working conditions. Computers are built to resist adverse environments, but technicians should always take precautions to protect the computer from damage and loss of data.
Follow these guidelines to help ensure optimal computer operating performance:
Do not obstruct vents or airflow to the internal components. A computer can overheat if air circulation is obstructed.
Keep the room temperature between 45 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit (7 to 32 degrees Celsius).
Keep the humidity level between 10 to 80 percent.
Temperature and humidity recommendations vary by computer manufacturer. You should research these recommended values, especially if you plan to use the computer in extreme conditions. Refer to the figure for humidity and temperature examples.
CAUTION: To avoid damaging computer surfaces, use a soft, lint-free cloth with an approved cleaning solution. Apply the cleaning solution to the lint-free cloth, not directly to the computer.

7. Troubleshooting Process

8. Data Protection Check with customer
for date of the last backup
as to the contents of the backup
in order to verify the integrity of the backup
as to availability of media for data restore
If no backup can be created, ask customer to sign a release form.
Slide 10 – Data Protection
4.2.1 Explain the purpose of data protection
Before troubleshooting problems, always follow the necessary precautions to protect data on a computer. Some repairs, such as replacing a hard drive or reinstalling an operating system, may put the data on the computer at risk. Make sure that you do everything possible to prevent data loss while attempting repairs.
Some data is irreplaceable. Before you attempt any type of repair or modification to a computer, make sure that the data has been properly backed up.
CAUTION: Although data protection is not one of the six troubleshooting steps, you must protect data before beginning any work on a customer's computer. If your work results in data loss for the customer, you or your company could be held liable.
If you are unsure that a backup has been done, do not attempt any troubleshooting activities until you check with the customer.
Here is a list of items to verify with the customer about data backups:
Date of the last backup
Contents of the backup
Data integrity of the backup
Availability of all backup media for data restore
If the customer does not have a current backup and you are not able to create one on the computer that has the problem, you should ask the customer to sign a liability release form.
A liability release form should contain at least the following information:
Permission to work on the computer without a current backup available
Release from liability if data is lost or corrupted
Description of the work to be performed
Teaching Strategy: A technician should take precautions before starting the troubleshooting process. For liability reasons, either perform a backup or have access to a backup.
Often, your best troubleshooting resource will be the owner or operator of the equipment which you are working on. Use software and hardware tools to make backups of the customer's data. Bring with you hardware and software that will allow you to change out suspect hardware with known good hardware and boot an operating system that is not booting properly. If you need to make repairs on a system that the customer has not backed-up and if the problem prevents you from making a backup, then obtain written permission from your customer to proceed without the backup. The customer must understand that there is an inherent risk to the data that is stored on the hard drive in many situations.

9. 1. Identify the Problem Slide 9 – The Troubleshooting Process
4.2 Identify the steps of the troubleshooting process
Troubleshooting requires an organized and logical approach to problems with computers and other components. A logical approach to troubleshooting allows you to eliminate variables in a systematic order. Asking the right questions, testing the right hardware, and examining the right data helps you understand the problem. This helps you form a proposed solution to try.
Troubleshooting is a skill that is refined over time. As you deal with more problems, you will increase your troubleshooting skills by gaining more experience. You will learn how to combine and skip steps to reach a solution quickly. The troubleshooting process is a guideline that can be modified to fit your needs.
NOTE: The term customer, as used in this course, is any user that requires technical computer assistance.
Teaching Strategy: There is a basic troubleshooting process that includes the elimination of variables one at a time in a logical progression. When following a structured approach to troubleshooting, you will avoid following unnecessary leads, which will waste time and cause frustration. A newly employed technician would benefit from following a senior technician on a repair job. Communication skills (soft skills) are very important to the success of a career as a repair technician.
After completing this section, the student will meet the following objective:
Explain the purpose of data protection
Gather data from the customer
Verify the obvious issues
Try quick solutions first
Gather data from the computer
Evaluate the problem and determine the solution
Close with the customer.

10. Gather Data from the Computer
When system, user, or software errors occur on a computer, the Event Viewer is updated with information about the errors:
what problem occurred
the date and time of the problem
the severity of the problem
the source of the problem
Event ID number
which user was logged in when the problem occurred
Although this utility lists details about the error, you may still need to research the solution.
Slide 14 – Gather Data from the Computer
4.2.5 Gather data from the computer
The next step in the troubleshooting process is to gather data from the computer. You have tried all of the quick solutions, but the problem is still not resolved. It is now time to verify the customer's description of the problem by gathering data from the computer. When system, user, or software errors occur on a computer, the Event Viewer is updated with information about the errors. The Event Viewer application records the following information about the problem:
What problem occurred
The date and time of the problem
The severity of the problem
The source of the problem
Event ID number
Which user was logged in when the problem occurred
Although this utility lists details about the error, you may still need to research the solution.
Teaching Strategy: After you have determined the problem from the customer’s perspective, verified the obvious issues, and tried quick solutions, then it is time to gather data from the computer. Clues that the computer provides you can be found in the event logs, error codes, device manager, and the condition of the computer, peripherals, and other devices. Comparing information that the customer provided with information that you can get from the computer will narrow down the possible problems.

11. Gather Data from the Computer
Device Manager
A flag of ! indicates the device is acting incorrectly.
A flag of indicates the device is disabled.
A ? indicates unknown device or missing driver.
Slide 15 – Gather Data from the Computer
The Device Manager displays all of the devices that are configured on a computer. Any device that the operating system determines to be acting incorrectly will be flagged with an error icon. This type of error is denoted as a yellow circle with an exclamation point ("!"). If a device is disabled, it will be flagged with a red circle and an "X".

12. Gather Data from the Computer
When troubleshooting, power on the computer and listen to the beep code sequence. Document the beep code sequence and research the code to determine the specific hardware failure.
If the computer boots and stops after the POST, investigate the BIOS settings to determine where to find the problem. Refer to the motherboard manual to make sure that the BIOS settings are accurate.
Conduct research to find software to use to diagnose and solve problems. Often manufacturers of system hardware provide diagnostic tools of their own.
What third-party tools are you aware of to use in computer troubleshooting?
Slide 16 – Gather Data from the Computer
Each BIOS manufacturer has a unique beep sequence for hardware failures. When troubleshooting, power on the computer and listen. As the system proceeds through the POST, most computers will emit one beep to indicate that the system is booting properly. If there is an error, you may hear multiple beeps. Document the beep code sequence and research the code to determine the specific hardware failure.
If the computer boots and stops after the POST, you should investigate the BIOS settings to determine where to find the problem. A device may not be detected or configured properly. Refer to the motherboard manual to make sure that the BIOS settings are accurate.
Conduct research to determine what software is available to help diagnose and solve problems. There are many programs available that can help you troubleshoot hardware. Often, manufacturers of system hardware provide diagnostic tools of their own. A hard drive manufacturer, for instance, may provide a tool that can be used to boot the computer and diagnose problems with the hard drive when it will not boot Windows.
Do you know of any third-party tools that you can use to troubleshoot computers?
Teaching Strategy: Be prepared with information of various third-party tools to share with students. Discuss keywords to use when searching for these tools on the Internet.

13. 2. Establish a Theory of Probable Causes

14. 3. Determine an Exact Cause

15. 4. Implement a Solution

16. 5. Verify Solution and Full System Functionality

17. 6. Document Findings

18. Common Problems and Solutions for Storage Devices

19. Common Problems and Solutions for Storage Devices

20. Common Problems and Solutions for Storage Devices

21. Common Problems and Solutions for Motherboards and Internal Components

22. Common Problems and Solutions for Motherboards and Internal Components

23. Common Problems and Solutions for Motherboards and Internal Components

24. Common Problems and Solutions for Power Supplies

25. Common Problems and Solutions for CPUs and Memory

26. Common Problems and Solutions for CPUs and Memory

27. Chapter 4 Summary
Regular preventive maintenance reduces hardware and software problems.
Before beginning any repair, back up the data on a computer.
The troubleshooting process is a guideline to help you solve computer problems in an efficient manner.
Document everything that you try, even if it fails. The documentation that you create will become a useful resource for you and other technicians.
Slide 20 - Chapter 4 Summary
This chapter discussed the concepts of preventive maintenance and the troubleshooting process.
Regular preventive maintenance reduces hardware and software problems.
Before beginning any repair, back up the data on a computer.
The troubleshooting process is a guideline to help you solve computer problems in an efficient manner.
Document everything that you try, even if it fails. The documentation that you create will become a useful resource for you and other technicians.