Task3 (P3) Plan An Upgrade And Installation

1. Select Install Ubuntu and press Enter. The Welcome window appears.
2. From the taskbar, choose your preferred language. Click Forward. The Prepare disk space window appears.
3. If you want to install Ubuntu over your entire hard drive, and then Select Guided – use entire disk and select the hard drive that you want to install Ubuntu. Click Forward.

4. In the what is your name field, enter your name.

5. In the ‘what name do you want to use to log in’ field, enter a login name.

6. In the Choose a password to keep your account safe field, enter a password in both text boxes.

7. In the ‘what is the name of your computer’ field, enter a name to identify your computer.

8. If you are the only user and wish to avoid the login screen, check Log in automatically (optional).

9. Click Forward. The Ready to install window appears.

10. Verify that the language, layout, location, and personal information are correct and click Install. The installation wizard begins.

11. When the installation wizard finishes, the installation complete window appears.

Click Restart now to restart your computer. Ubuntu is now installed.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/GraphicalInstall

Assignment

Assignment

Task1 P1
There are many different reasons for people wanting to upgrade their system. I will now give a few reasons to why someone may want to upgrade or install an existing or new system:

• People could be having problems with their current systems so may want an upgrade. This could be the OS is starting to respond slowly or might not have some of the functions that newer systems have and the user may want this.


• Users may want new functions on some packages like excel or word so therefore this will push them to upgrade. One of these functions they may want is; they might want to see two programs side by side and this can only be done on windows 7 so any other OS will need to be upgraded to be able to this.


• Some users may have purchased new hardware that may require an upgraded OS. Some users may have purchased a new computer or latop which is top-of-the-range and thhey may have xp but the user may want the latest OS as they have the latest computer/laptop and this is why they may require the upgrade.

Why does software need installed or upgraded?

Users may want to upgrade their system or install a new system because there may be problems with their current system such as;

The users could just have limited functions on their current system and they may need or want new additional functions and that may require a system upgrade or installing a new system. due to the lack of functionality of the current system.

Another reason may be that if a user purchases some new hardware for their computer but it is not compatible with the existing software that is currently on their system and they may need to upgrade their software package or maybe even have to install new software for the new hardware to work correctly without any bugs or problems.

Task2

Potential risks when installing or upgrading software

A big risk of installing or upgrading software, in a business, would be the loss of service during the period that the users take to upgrade or install the new software. Depending on the business it could prove extremely costly or it could be very frustrating. Another risk when users decide to install or upgrade their software would be incompatibility issues. This can be very frustrating especially if the new software is expensive. If a user buys software and tries to install it or upgrade it may not work, depending on the type of software, or even the user’s computer.

Preparing for a software installation or upgrade

To prepare for an installation or an upgrade all users must plan ahead to make sure that their installation or upgrade can go ahead as planned without any interruptions or hiccups along the way while it is in the middle of installing or upgrading. To plan the best possible way users should get the materials needed such as software disk, back up everything on the computer to be on the safe side.

Task6 describe product registration procedures

When a piece of software is bought by users, they all have to enter a product registration key before they can use the software. This is a security measure to make sure that no copies of the software can be made as this would lose the company business and money. Open source software, which is free to download and distribute, does not have a product registration key as it is free software, but there has been a few incidents by where ‘hackers’ download illegal versions of original software products sold by genuine manufacturers, and they then run a product key generator and they then gain a registration key that works but this comes at a cost. The cost is that if an innocent user goes into a shop to purchase the same piece of software that the ‘hacker’ downloaded, when the user then goes to enter the product registration key it does not allow them to install the piece of software as ‘it has already been used’ even though the user has just purchased the piece of software brand new not opened or installed. This is a big problem but the product registration key now must be registered and when it is registered the company who made it knows that it is genuine or fake and they can then take the appropriate level of action.

Chrome O/S & Ubuntu

Chrome O/S

 

Google have recently released their own operating system called Chrome O/S. it was based and designed on the linux system and it was mainly created for people who spend most or all of their time on the internet on their computer and don't need or useany programs. Design goals for Google Chrome OS's user interface include using minimal screen space by combining applications and standard Web pages into a single tab strip, rather than separating the two. Designers are considering a reduced window management scheme that would operate only in full-screen mode. Secondary tasks would be handled with "panels": floating windows that dock to the bottom of the screen for tasks like chat and music players. Split screens are also under consideration for viewing two pieces of content side-by-side. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Chrome_OS

Ubuntu

 

This is a operating system based on the Debian GNU/Linux distribution. It is distributed as free and open source software with additional proprietary software available. Ubuntu provides an up-to-date, stable operating system for users, with a strong focus on usability and ease of installation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_(operating_system)

O/S For South West College & My Recommendations

O/S For South West College & My Recommendations


What is An O/S???(Operating System)

An operating system is basically a large program to run applications/programs on a computer. An operating system is the most important piece of software in a computer.
It runs software and hardware. Operating systems are designed to deal with almost anything and everything like displaying the keys from a keyboard when they are hit, onto the computer screen.
They also manage files on computer hard drives and control hardware from printers, scanners and the clicks from the mouse.

Windows 7

With Windows 7 uers can see all of the windows that they have open by viewing them in thumbnail pictures. Windows have also added an extra feature
which is very helpful, and it is called 'snap'. This allows users to put two windows side by side and can view both of them while working on one of the windows
without it disappearing/minimizing. Windows 7 also has a new and improved security protection which is the safest one that they have developed yet.

Ubuntu

Ubuntu is open source software. this means that it is absolutely free. It is almost identical to Microsoft Office, but it has the joy of being free.
It also updates itself automatically even when we forget to update or while working it will update itself so maintenance for it almost doesn't exist as it basically maintains itself.

Chorme O/S

Google have launched their very own Operating System. This OS has been specially designed for people who do not use program like word or excel.
Instead, it is soley built fo people who spend all of their time, on the computer, on the internet browsing on things like youtube, facebook, bbay, etc.
When the computer is switched on, the chrome OS boots up almost instantly, so there is o waiting around for boot sequences to commence and then load up all of the computer settings and data. But it is not advisable to get this OS if yo want it to do work on the computer and use Microsoft Office or Open Office.


Recommendation

I would recommend that the SouthWest College should get the Windows 7 OS as it is the most suited to the needs of The College. it is basically a huge upgrade to the current XP OS which they have installed and if they upgraded to Windows 7 then it would take less training for users to get used to it and it also has the almost the exact same programs (obviously with new and improved programs and functions added) as the XP OS

Ubuntu & Dban

Ubuntu & Dban

 

Ubuntu

This is an operating system built by a worldwide team of expert developers. It contains all the applications you need: a web browser, office suite, media apps, instant messaging and much more. Ubuntu is an open-source alternative to Windows and Office.

• Ubuntu will always be free of charge, along with its regular enterprise releases and security updates
• Ubuntu comes with full commercial support from Canonical and hundreds of companies from across the world
• Ubuntu provides the best translations and accessibility features that the free software community has to offer
• Ubuntu core applications are all free and open source. We want you to use free and open source software, improve it and pass it on.

http://www.ubuntu.com/

 

 

Dban

Darik's Boot and Nuke ("DBAN") is a self-contained boot disk that securely wipes the hard disks of most computers. DBAN will automatically and completely delete the contents of any hard disk that it can detect, which makes it an appropriate utility for bulk or emergency data destruction.

http://www.dban.org/

Ubuntu User Guide

Ubuntu User Guide

 

Ubuntu offers a range of free software and one of the pieces of software that we had to look at was the music player. The default music player for Ubuntu is Sound Juicer. This application allows the user to play music and rip CD's, but it requires an application called Serpentine to burn CD's. But there is a solution to this, I have researched on the internet and I found that there is a great application that does all of the above in this one application which is called Banshee. This allows users to play your music and videos, access podcasts and video podcasts. Sync your iPod, and other devices. So it is almost an exact replica of iTunes for Ubuntu. Below is a screenshot of the Banshee Music Player

Setting Up Surround Sound

Question

You have set up a Dolby surround sound and the speakers are not working correctly



Solution

Go into your Sound manager to ensure that you have selected the Dolby 5.1 as audio output



Ensure that all of the Dolby leads are inserted in the correct input onto the back of the PC, or just enable EAX in the audio settings and select stereo



Get correct Drivers for the motherboard on the machine or soundcard

Building My Own PC

The PC that I am buiding is going to mainly used for gaming, so therefore I need to find out what specifications I need in order to create a good gaming PC. below is a link to the PC that I have chosen the specifications I wanted to make it the way I would like it.

http://www.pugetsystems.com/?u=15259

Intel ATOM Versus the ARM Cortex-A9

Below is a link to a website which compares these two processors and there is also a video showing both processors working beside eachother to view the performance differences

http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=222200621

Creating An Image Of Your Hard Drive

If you accidentally destroy your RAID driver (which will lock you out of Windows, and your computer) you are almost forced to find a solution to stop this before you do it. Windows doesn’t provide any applications for this solution. They may have a system restore function but it’s no good if your restore driver has been destroyed. But there is a solution to this, what is needed is a free application that creates an image of a Windows installation, and after some research i found that Drive Image XML is the perfect solution for this as it’s free and can duplicate your hard drive. All you need to do is to download the application run it and choose the Backup Option.

How To Restore My PC Factory Settings

My Packard Bell PC does not have the SmartRestore function that most of the newer models have so i can't use that as it is not installed. So i have to start-up my computer and then i have to press the F10 key when the Packard Bell logo appears and this will give me the step-by-step guide on how to restore the computer back to its factory settings.

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...