IT Essentials Update session - SCHOOLinSITES



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|[pic] |Cisco Networking Academy program |

|Title Slide |IT Essentials: PC Hardware and Software v4.0 |

| |Chapter 4: Basics of Preventive Maintenance and Troubleshooting |

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|[pic] |Slide 2 – Purpose of this Presentation |

|Slide 2 |The purpose of this PowerPoint is to provide to instructors an overview of ITE PC v4.0 Chapter 4, including|

| |the following: |

| |List of chapter objectives |

| |Overview of the chapter contents, including student activities included in the course content and some |

| |potential student misconceptions |

| |Reflection/Activities for instructors to complete to prepare to teach |

| |Additional resources |

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|[pic] |Slide 3 – Chapter 4 Objectives |

|Slide 3 |The purpose of this chapter is to introduce preventive maintenance and the troubleshooting process. Upon |

| |completion of this Chapter, students will be able to perform tasks related to: |

| |4.1 Explain the purpose of preventive maintenance |

| |4.2 Identify the steps of the troubleshooting process |

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|[pic] |Slide 4 – Chapter 4 Worksheets, Labs, and Activities |

|Slide 4 |There are no labs or worksheets in this chapter. |

| |4.2.7 Activity: Troubleshooting Process (Put into sequence the steps of the troubleshooting process.) |

| |Slide 5 – The Purpose of Preventive Maintenance |

|[pic] |4.1 Explain the purpose of preventive maintenance |

|Slide 5 |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. |

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| |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. |

| |Slide 6 – Hardware Maintenance |

|[pic] |Make sure that the hardware is operating properly. |

|Slide 6 |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? |

| |Slide 7 - Software Maintenance |

|[pic] |Verify that the installed software is current. Follow the policies of the organization when installing |

|Slide 7 |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? |

| | Slide 8 - Preventive Maintenance Benefits |

|[pic] |Be proactive in computer equipment maintenance and data protection. By performing regular maintenance |

|Slide 8 |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. |

| |Slide 9 – The Troubleshooting Process |

|[pic] |4.2 Identify the steps of the troubleshooting process |

|Slide 9 |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. |

| |Slide 10 – Data Protection |

|[pic] |4.2.1 List precautions a technician should take before starting the troubleshooting process |

|Slide 10 |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. |

| |Slide 11 – Gather Data from the Customer |

|[pic] |4.2.2 Gather data from the customer |

|Slide 11 |The customer will provide you with the basic facts about the problem. |

| |When you are talking to the customer, you should follow these guidelines: |

| |Ask direct questions to gather information. |

| |Do not use industry jargon when talking to customers. |

| |Do not talk down to the customer. |

| |Do not insult the customer. |

| |Do not accuse the customer of causing the problem. |

| | |

| |By communicating effectively, you will be able to elicit the most relevant information about the problem |

| |from the customer. |

| |You should start the data-gathering process by asking general, open-ended questions. Open-ended questions |

| |are used to obtain general information and to allow the customer to explain the details of the problem in |

| |their own words. |

| |Use the information that you collect from open-ended questions to narrow down the problem with closed-ended|

| |questions. Closed-ended questions generally require a "yes" or "no" answer. These questions are intended to|

| |get the most relevant information in the shortest time possible. |

| |The information obtained from the customer should be documented in the work order and in the repair |

| |journal. Write down anything that you think may be important for you or another technician. Often, the |

| |small details can lead to the solution of a difficult or complicated problem. |

| |Teaching Strategy: Examples of the questions a technician might ask: |

| |When was the last time the computer worked properly? |

| |Was anything new added to the system (equipment or software, downloads, updates, auto-updates [live |

| |update], etc), power outages or lightning? |

| |Has there been any construction nearby? |

| |Is air-conditioning working properly? |

| |Has a circuit breaker tripped? |

| |Are there any utility trucks in the area? |

| |Slide 12 - Verify Obvious Issues |

|[pic] |4.2.3 Verify the obvious issues |

|Slide 12 |The second step in the troubleshooting process is to check the simple or obvious issues first. Even though |

| |the customer may think that there is a major problem, start with the obvious issues before moving to more |

| |complex diagnoses. |

| |Here is a list of obvious issues to check: |

| |Loose external cable connections |

| |Incorrect boot order in BIOS |

| |Non-bootable disk in floppy drive |

| |Power switch for an outlet is turned off |

| |Surge protector is turned off |

| |Device is powered off |

| |If the problem is not resolved when you verify the obvious issues, you will need to continue with the |

| |troubleshooting process. If you find an obvious issue that fixes the problem, you can go to the last step |

| |and close with the customer. These steps are simply a guideline to help you solve problems in an efficient |

| |manner. |

| | |

| |Teaching Strategy: The customer may say that a device is broken, but the problem may be a connection issue|

| |or some other simple issue. Even if the customer is in a panicked state, start with the basics before |

| |moving to more difficult troubleshooting techniques. This could save you and the customer time. |

| | |

| |Based upon the problem that the user is experiencing, make sure that simple, basic problems that can be |

| |easily seen and corrected are covered. Very often, obvious issues can be overlooked by the customer. |

| |The list of suggested obvious issues is not an exhaustive list. The more experience you gain with |

| |troubleshooting, the larger this list will become and the easier these problems will be to identify. |

| |Slide 13 – Try Quick Solutions |

|[pic] |4.2.4 Try quick solutions first |

|Slide 13 |The next step in the troubleshooting process is to try quick solutions first. Obvious issues and quick |

| |solutions sometimes overlap each other and can be used together to repair the problem. Document each |

| |solution that you try. Information about the solutions that you have tried is vital if the problem needs to|

| |be escalated to another technician. |

| | |

| |If a quick solution does not resolve the problem, document your results and try the next most likely |

| |solution. Continue this process until you have solved the problem or tried all of the quick solutions. |

| |Slide 14 – Gather Data from the Computer |

|[pic] |4.2.5 Gather data from the computer |

|Slide 14 |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. |

| | |

|[pic] |Slide 15 – Gather Data from the Computer |

|Slide 15 |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". |

| |Slide 16 – Gather Data from the Computer |

|[pic] |Each BIOS manufacturer has a unique beep sequence for hardware failures. When troubleshooting, power on the|

|Slide 16 |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. |

| | |

|[pic] |Slide 17 – Evaluate the Problem, Implement the Solution |

|Slide 17 |4.2.6 Evaluate the problem and implement the solution |

| |The next step in the troubleshooting process is to evaluate the problem and implement the solution. Divide |

| |larger problems into smaller problems that can be analyzed and solved individually. Solutions should be |

| |prioritized, starting with the easiest and fastest to implement. |

| |Create a list of possible solutions and implement them one at a time. If you implement a possible solution |

| |and it does not work, reverse the solution and try another. |

| |Slide 18 – Close with the Customer |

|[pic] |4.2.7 Close with the customer |

|Slide 18 |After the repairs to the computer have been completed, you should finish the troubleshooting process by |

| |closing with the customer. Communicate the problem and the solution to the customer verbally and in all |

| |documentation. The steps involved in closing with the customer include: |

| |Discuss the solution implemented with the customer. If the customer is available, demonstrate how the |

| |solution has corrected the computer problem. |

| |Have the customer test the solution and try to reproduce the problem. |

| |Slide 19 – Completed Work Order |

|[pic] |4.2.7 Close with the customer |

|Slide 19 |Document the repair in the work order and in your journal. The documentation should include the following |

| |information: |

| |The description of the problem |

| |The steps to resolve the problem |

| |The components used in the repair |

| |The amount of time spent to resolve the problem |

| |Finalizing a work order is the goal of any technician solving a problem. |

| |Student Activity: Troubleshooting Process (The student course content includes a sequencing activity in |

| |4.2.7. To complete this activity, students will put into sequence the steps of the troubleshooting |

| |process.) |

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|[pic] |Slide 20 - Chapter 4 Summary |

|Slide 20 |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. |

| | |

|[pic] |Slide 21 – Instructor Training Activities |

|Slide 21 | |

| |Slide 22 – Activities for Instructor Training |

|[pic] |These activities are suggested for use in instructor training. |

|Slide 22 |Take the Quiz provided in Chapter 4 course content. |

| |In 4.1, there are 3 questions posed to the students. Generate lists of additional tasks and benefits to |

| |refer to when teaching this course. |

| |What additional hardware maintenance tasks can you add to the list? |

| |What other software maintenance tasks can you add to the list? |

| |Can you think of any other benefits that preventive maintenance provides? |

| |Conduct research to collect samples of work order forms and liability release forms. Your own organization |

| |may have these available. |

| |In 4.2.5, software diagnostic tools are presented. List any third-party tools that you are familiar with |

| |that can be used to troubleshoot computers. If you don’t know of any, then conduct Internet research to |

| |identify a few. |

| |Slide 23 – Instructor Training Discussion |

|[pic] |Discuss questions. Participate in discussion or journal your answers to discussion questions. |

|Slide 23 |Share with the other instructors, your lists of additional hardware and software maintenance tasks and |

| |additional benefits of preventive maintenance. These lists will be useful to use in a discussion with a |

| |student class. |

| |Share the samples of work order forms and liability release forms you have collected. |

| |Share your list of third-party software diagnostic tools that can be used to troubleshoot computers. |

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|[pic] |Slide 24 – Q and A |

|Slide 24 | |

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|[pic] | |

|Slide 25 | |

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