Virtual Desktop

Today we went onto the internet and we viewed a virtual desktop PC. It gave us all the information about the different internal and external components of the computer and it let us put these components into their places again by showing us. we then got the optional way of doing a test on all of the components and when we did this we were not given any help and we had to put the parts back into their places ourselves. i found this quite interesting because not only did it give us the information but we were also tested on our own knowledge of the components. the only downside to this virtual dasktop is the fact that it had alot of information at once and it was slightly difficult to memorise all of this informtaion.

HSE Safety

HSE Safety

This document is about advice on how to avoid injury while fixing and repairing appliances within the home such as, fridges, freezers, kettles, toasters, microwaves, etc.

1. The most considerable danger to people carrying out electrical work is that they might get an electric shock. There is also a danger of burn injuries which happen when conductors are accidentally short-circuited.

2. In some common cases some work may need to be carried out at the customers home and this can be potentially dangerous because the worker fixing the problem is in danger, and also any small children that may live in the house are also at risk.

In the customer’s home

1. When working in a customers home, the person carrying out the testing should carry out a site risk assessment to establish the steps required to create a safe working atmosphere.

2. Make sure everyone in the home is aware of the dangers arising from the testing work, and that they follow any precautions that are necessary. Ask for children and pets to be kept from the area

In the workshop

1. Access to the area in where the appliance is being tested should be restricted as far as possible to the experienced employee carrying out the testing. Suitable barriers may be provided to help prevent unauthorised entry. Experienced employees must have sufficient knowledge of the electrical dangers connected with the appliances and the precautions necessary to reduce the risk of electric shock.

What precautions do I need to take?

Anywhere possible, the work should be done with the equipment dead, if not, adequate precautions, which should be acknowledged in your risk assessment, must be taken to certify safety.

What are the legal requirements?

The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 is the principal legislation relating to electrical testing activities and regulation 14 is particularly relevant to live testing activities. In addition, employers are required under regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at

Work Regulations 19997 to assess the risks to the health and safety of their employees while they are at work, in order to identify and implement the necessary precautions to ensure safety.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/eis35.pdf

Laptop Repair

In this practical we looked t a laptop which had a laptop brought in which had too much space of the hard drive used. We had to research on the internet to find out if we could restore all of the factory settings back onto the laptop without using CD's. Before this could be done all of the settings and files had to be backed up onto an external hard drive. After this was done the factory settings could be restored and the hard drive memory could be freed up.

New Ransomware Virus Threat

Ransomware is designed to block the targeted computer from any internet access unless they pay a fee through SMS. Once a machine is infected, a message is posted in Russian (see image above) demanding a ransom under the guise of activating the uFast Download Manager application. Below is an example of the ransomware virus:



Internet access is blocked due to violation of the

license agreement schedules of uFast Download Manager

You must activate your copy

Get a registration code by sending an SMS with the following

code fw0004199 to number 7122

In response you will receive an activation message



http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=4996

Backing Up & Installing An Operating System

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j59T09UQ9uc

This link shows how to install windows 7 onto your PC


http://www.pcguide.com/byop/byop_BackingUpWindowsXP.htm

This link shows users how to backup windows xp

Common Computer Faults

Monitors

I can’t see anything on my computer screen

Is the computer turned on? There is a light on the CPU. If the computer is on, it will be lit.

Is the computer plugged in? Check to see if ALL plugs are secure.

· Power cord from the computer to the power strip.

· Power strip to the wall socket.

Is the Power Strip turned on? There is a light on the strip. If the strip is on, the indictor light will be on.

Is the Monitor on? There is a light on the monitor. If the monitor is on, it will be lit. If it is turned on, check the contrast and brightness buttons to see if they have been tampered with.

Is the computer in Power Save or Sleep mode? Move the mouse or press any key on the keyboard to see if the computer will "wake-up."

http://thebeisemanncompany.com/images/FrustratedUser2.jpg

Here are some basic trouble shooting tips for new monitors:

1. The picture does not appear
• Check to make sure the signal cable is firmly connected in the socket.
• Check to see if the computer system's power is ON.
• Check that the Brightness Control is at the appropriate position, not at the minimum.
2. The Screen is not synchronized
• Check to make sure the signal cable is firmly connected in the socket.
• Check that the output level matches the input level of your computer.
• Make sure the signal timing of the computer system is within the specification of the monitor.
3. The position of the screen is not in the center
• Adjust the H-Size, H-Phase or V-Size, V-Center controls.
• Check if the signal timing of the computer system is within the specification of the monitor.
4. The screen is too bright or too dark
• Check if the Brightness or contrast control is at the appropriate position, not at the maximum or minimum.
• Check if the specified voltage is applied
• Check if the signal timing of the computer system is within the specification of the monitor.
• Especially, check the horizontal frequency.
5. The screen is shaking
• Move all objects that emit a magnetic field, such as a motor or transformer, away from the monitor.
• Check if the specified voltage is applied.
• Check if the signal timing of the computer system is within the specification of the monitor.

Hard Drive

My computer is on, but it is frozen. My cursor is stuck on the hourglass and won’t let me do anything.

Here are some things you can do that may fix the problem you are having with your computer.

Open Task Manager

1. Simultaneously press [Ctrl] [Alt] [Delete]. You will see a list of all tasks (programs) currently running. You may notice one program has "Not Responding" instead of "Running" listed next to it. Select this task and click the End Task button.
2. Another dialog box will open stating that the program is not responding. Choose End Now to close the program.

Reboot your computer (Warm Boot).
Resetting a computer that is already turned on

1. Press [Ctrl] [Alt] [Delete] once to open the Task Manager.
2. Press [Ctrl] [Alt] [Delete] again to restart the computer.

Shut down your computer (Cold Boot). Start-up of a computer from a powered-down state.

If you restart your computer and the problem isn’t resolved, make an attempt to completely shut down the computer by pressing the power button. Let it set for 15-30 seconds then restart the computer.

You have run out of disk space on your computer. Music files, movies, digital pictures, and other big data files can fill up your hard drive. To check for disk space:

1. Open My Computer. Right click on the C: drive and select Properties from the shortcut menu. A pie chart will appear telling you the used and free space.
2. Try running the Disk Cleanup Wizard. This utility can tell you whether you are running out of room and help you clear away some space. Click the Start button and choose Programs Accessories System Tools Disk Cleanup. Choose the disk to clean up (C :) and let the wizard do the work.

Empty the Recycle Bin
Right click on the recycle bin on your Center to and select "Empty Recycle Bin".

Delete all files with .tmp extension
These files are temporary files that are not needed. You may do a search for all .tmp files and delete them all.

The temporary Internet files folder stores the link to the images and the pages you have seen (unlike Netscape that saves the image itself to it’s cache folder). The folder is located in c:\windows\temporaryinternetfiles.

Clean Temp Directory

1. Right click START button on start bar. Slide up and click EXPLORE once.
2. In Explore scroll down and highlight the TEMP folder.
3. Click EDIT at top once; get a drop down menu.
4. Slide down to SELECT ALL; click once.
5. Click FILE at top and get drop down menu.
6. Slide down to DELETE and click once.
7. SAY YES and/or YES TO ALL. DELETE ALL FILES IN TEMP FOLDER

Delete old .zip files

If you have received zip files and unzipped them, the original .zip file may be deleted.

When did your computer last work properly? If your computer was working satisfactory yesterday or the last time you were logged on but are now having trouble, try to identify everything that has changed recently.

Did the trouble begin shortly after you installed a:

New program?
New piece of hardware or updated a device driver?

Do you receive a consistent error message? If so, write down the precise error message that has appeared on your screen, either write it down verbatim or leave the message when you call a technician. If you know the precise working, it makes finding the trouble much easier for the Technical Support Specialist.

Can you reproduce the trouble with specific steps? If you can identify a specific set of actions that consistently cause the trouble to occur, the Technical Support Specialist and outline your steps to determine the problem. Write down the precise sequence of actions.

Does the problem only occur after you have been using your computer for a while? If your computer runs fine first thing in the morning but crashes after several hours it could be heat related problems.

Computer Won't Start. Check the following:

· Check All Connections!

· Is the computer plugged in?

· Is there a Surge Protector switch to turn on?

· Is there a Master Wall Switch that controls the outlet?

http://www.world-education.info/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/hard-drive-flames1.jpg

Keyboard

Keyboard doesn't respond

If your machine, when booting, gives off a constant beeping noise, it is telling you that your keyboard is not connected or not working.

Check the plug to make sure it's connected securely. Try unplugging it and re-plugging it again.

If there is no response, check the indicator light on the keyboard. Is it on? Do the lights respond when you press the caps lock or the num lock key? If not, maybe your keyboard is broken.

Is there a key stuck? Gently pry off the cover and clean it with alcohol. Make sure it is not connected to your machine when you are cleaning it. The space bar frequently comes off track. Gently pry it off, noting which way the bar lies in your particular keyboard so you can replace it properly.

Mouse

· If your mouse starts acting erratic, it could be an insufficient memory problem. Reboot and see if that corrects the problem.

· If your mouse will only move one way, either vertically or horizontally, your mouse may need cleaning.

Shut down your machine and unplug your mouse from the computer. Open the underside of the mouse and remove the ball. If the ball is a rubber ball, do not clean it with alcohol. Clean it with a soft cloth. There should be no lubricant placed on a mouse ball. Clean the roller in the body of the mouse with a cotton swab that is slightly damp with alcohol. Replace the ball when the rollers are dry and replace the bottom portion.

An Unresponsive PC

· First check the cable. Unplug it from the computer and the outlet. Replug in both sides and try booting it again.

· Check the wall outlet. Plug something else into the outlet and see if it works.

· Turn the system off and wait 30 seconds and then try again.

· Reach behind the machine and see if you feel air blowing out of the power supply. If you do, then you know the machine is getting some power.

· Look at the keyboard for the indicator lights being lit up as the machine boots.

· Sometimes the monitor has something to do with the system acting up. Unplug the power cord from the monitor and the wall and replug it. Unplug the cable from the computer to the monitor and replug it into the monitor. Try rebooting.

· Listen to identify a beeping series if there is one to report it to the technical help.

· Turn in all comments to a computer technician.

http://i.ehow.com/images/GlobalPhoto/Articles/4745600/untitled-main_Full.jpg

Networking

Computer will not connect to the Internet

· First check to see if the cable connecting the network card into the network drop is connected to the drop and to the computer.

· Check the back of the computer to see if the network card light is on.

· Check to see if the site you are trying to pull up is at fault by typing in a common URL to see if it will make it out to that site.

· Check to see if anyone else's machine is having problems. If everyone is, then it could be the network is having difficulties.

· If the Internet connection is off on a particular hallway only, a hub connection could be down or bad.

· If there is only one machine having problems and the light on the network card is not on, try plugging another machine that works into that drop. It could be that particular drop is bad, or plug the machine that doesn't seem to work into a different drop to see if it would work there.

· Record all the data and call the Senior Learning Center and ask for a technician.

· Only send a call in one way either by email, in person or by Phone. Sending it in more then one way can cause multiple trouble tickets and will slow down the time it takes to get the machine repaired.

http://www.edgarcaycehouston.org/HALPC-SLC/Troubleshooting/Troubleshooting.htm

Practical 2

In this practical we took the hardware components out of a computer tower and then put them back in again. I will describe what we did in the order of whichever parts we took out first.

• Firstly we slid open the casing of the tower and looked at the components.
• The we took of the back panel plate
• Next we took out the floppy drive
• Then we took out the hard-drive
• Then we took out the DVD drive
• Next we took out the RAM which were two slots of 256MB
• Next we took out the clips (holding the fan in place) and then took out the fan
• Lastly we took out the CPU chip
• We then put all of these parts back into the correct places and turned on the computer to see if we had successfully rebuilt it and f it worked.
• It was built back up agan correctly and the computer worked!

Assignment URL

http://sites.google.com/site/maintainingcomputer/home

Practical 1

For this practical we had a computer that had a busted power supply. So we got another computer to try and switch the power supply over to the computer with the busted power supply, but before we attempted this we had to hook up a static mat into the socket, this helped static our body to stop any electrical charge damaging the components of the computer. So when we attempted to switch the power supply to see if would fit, we found out that it was a different size and that it was no good to us. So because of this our practical has grinded to a halt for now...


This is a static mat that is very
similar to the one we used


pcvalet.co.uk/Default.aspx?go=ProductDisplay...

Planning & Performing Computer Maintenance

Maintenance

http://www.brighthub.com/computing/windows-platform/articles/13603.aspx


I have posted a link above which demonstrates the importance of computer routine maintenance. If computer routine maintenance is not carried out on a regular basis, then this is not a good idea. There are many problems which can occur if routine maintenance is not performed correctly or at all. Some of the problems that may occur are:

• Computer proccessing speed will dramatically decrease.



• Will take longer to find and load up any documents or other files on the hard disk if defragmentation is not performed.



• If software such as anti-virus software, or spyware/adware software is not updated then this leaves your computer extremely vulnerable to viruses and this could eventually lead to the shutdown of your computer, and possibly time to get a new computer.

Planning

Planning maintenance is a very effective way to help organise the task at hand. I will give a few examples which are relevent to how important that planning is; one example would be sat nav's, you type in your destination from your home or wherever you may be, the sat nav will plan the best route for your journey. Another example would be gantt charts. These charts are created for the purpose of showing the user intended start and stop dates for computer elements of the project at hand.

A Simple Gantt Chart

www.fao.org/docrep/007/y5471e/y5471e06.htm

A Top-Of-The-Range Sat Nav

http://www.techfresh.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/tom-tom-sat-nav.jpg

Computer Maintenance Essentials

Seven Computer Maintenance Essentials:


• Establish a relationship with a supplier you trust
• Regular backups
• Firewall and virus protection
• Different email addresses and backup websites in case of emergencies or disasters
• Keep records of your installed applications

Policies & Procedures

There are many policies and procedures that are put into place within Omagh College to help attain computer maintenance. Some of these policies would include:

• Acceptable Use Policy - This is put into action as soon as any student tries to log into a computer, it is in place to make sure that the student does not do anything unacceptable or illegal, such as downloading illegal software or files, or looking at anythiing that is not relevant to the task they are working on. And when the student clicks the 'ok' button they are agreeing to the terms of this policy before they can log on.
  

• Vision client - This is a program(or piece of software) that is installed onto all members' of staff computers' and they then have the choice to run this program during class. this program is designed to monitor all of the students in the class' computers and the member of staff can then look at any of their students' computers to see what they are doing and can also block them out of their computer if they are doing something they aren't supposed to be doing.

• Desktop Authority - This allows IT Technicians to secure, manage and support desktops from the technician room . Desktop Authority also offers Remote Management, and optional Spyware Removal and Patch Management features. This allows the technician interactive management and remote control of student or teacher computers, anytime and from anywhere, and the ability to secure and patch desktops to protect against a wide range of threats like spyware, adware or any other types of viruses.

Health & Safety When At A Computer

Health & Safety

Eye Strain

• Position the computer at right angles to a window if the computer is near a window. Avoid facing directly into bright light that may be shining in from behind the computer.


• If it strains your eyes to look at the monitor, you may have to purchase an anti-glare screen.


• Or you could adjust the brightness controls on the montor until they are comfortable to your eyes.

Neck & Back Strain

• Sit up straight.

• The monitor screen should be a compfortable distance away from your body.

• You should try to purchase a computer chair that has wheels at the bottom, and a backrest adjustment in order to be completly comfortable.

• Be sure you have enough desktop space for maybe a printer or other equipment you may need.

Itchy & Bloodshot Eyes

• Be sure the screen doesn't flicker or wave as this could mean that adjustment is needed.
  
• Look away from the screen after a certain length of time.
  

ttp:https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDAU_gEkQoRDl65tf9joIWDdHhFfwYcJz3LEHlZy7no_LNka4p567YNG2wZNISg7oeyhjWpvX_Wytik5i3IQrul0It2X3Q8WgNFUJGrQAqCgi19J03Ux6_bdo1h6gmuMPsyJGr3O0J_ZQ/s400/how_to_sit_at_a_computer.JPG

Computer Maintainence Tips

www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxMDJjR4eQo&feature=PlayList&p=F5FDC3AA64FF75B2&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=22

Preventative Maintenance

www.barebones-computer-guide.com/computerpreventivemaintenance.html

Computer Maintenance

Most people do one of the following when their computer begins to slow down. They:

1. Improve their computer by buying more memory.

2. Decide to try and fix their computer's settings.

3. Figure that their computer is old and that it's time to buy a new computer.

All these solutions will improve a computer's performance. But, even a new top-of-the-range computer can also have problems and could even break down after a few months. a hard drive that is not defragmented regularly will also damages a newly bought computer. To be prepared for this all users can create a preventive maintenance plan. One that's easy to set up and execute so you you can always use it if needed

Creating A Computer Maintenance Plan

When people notice their computer's performance degrading, the most common reason is the hard drive. Your computer's hard disk is a non-removable area that holds all the information available from your computer. Over time, hard drives lose their ability to store data in an efficient way.