1. © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition The Complete PC Tech Chapter 27

2. © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Overview In this chapter, you will learn how to –Describe how computers work –Implement a troubleshooting methodology –Describe a technician’s toolkit

3. © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition How Computers Work Somewhat redundant at this point but recapped here –Three key components when you run an application Input Processing Output (Storage also needed as source for files)

4. © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Computing Process— Game Example Same process in a game –Input with keyboard or mouse –Processed by OS, CPU, and servers –Output by sound and video cards

5. © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Computing Process— Game Example (continued) Communicating with servers

6. © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Troubleshooting Theory A set of mental steps combined with computing knowledge to diagnose and fix a computer –Identify the problem –Establish a theory of probable cause (question the obvious) –Test the theory –Establish plan and implement solution –Verify system works and preventive measures –Document findings, actions, and outcomes

7. © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Identify the Problem Ask the user about recent changes and perform backups before “fixing” anything –Don’t be accusatory –Offer to perform a backup of all critical information

8. © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Establish a Theory of Probable Cause Don’t overlook obvious solutions in favor of serious troubleshooting –Take a look outside the case Damaged or mangled connectors Broken/disconnected cables or wires Is the system running hot? Strange sounds or vibrations Smell anything odd? –Now look inside the case Physical damage Bulging or ruptured capacitors Fans running Strange smells, sounds, or vibrations

9. © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Test the Theory Usually means verifying something is broken –If confirmed, develop the next steps to resolve the problem –If not confirmed, develop a new theory

10. © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Establish Plan and Implement Solution Once you’ve identified the cause, determine how you can implement the corrective actions If it’s beyond your skills, escalate the problem –Don’t be afraid to ask for help

11. © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Verify and Prevent Verifying makes sure the customer is happy –Watch the customer use the system for a few minutes If applicable, educate the customer on how to avoid this problem again

12. © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Document Findings, Actions, and Outcomes Documenting problems allows you to track a machine’s history, enabling long-term decisions Also helps fellow technicians if they have to follow up

13. © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Tech Toolkit Be prepared with the tools for the job –Tech Toolkit (discussed in Chapter 2) –Also bring FRUs (spare parts) Backup –Ensure the user’s data is backed up before taking action that could compromise the data

14. © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Utilities Many times, Windows utilities are not enough –Third-party vendors can supply outstanding tools for the most common issues Malware cleaners (on a bootable optical disk/thumb drive) Anti-malware programs Boot tools Password clearer Zip file tool Backup –Don’t forget your FRUs (spare parts) RAM, video cards, NICs, power supplies, etc.

15. © 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition