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Essential Troubleshooting Tools and Techniques for PC Technicians

Learn about your role as a PC technician in troubleshooting and maintenance, essential tools and techniques, preventive maintenance plans, and common-sense guidelines to solve computer problems. Understand how to approach troubleshooting issues systematically, develop a disaster recovery plan, and gather information effectively.

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Essential Troubleshooting Tools and Techniques for PC Technicians

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  1. Chapter 13 Troubleshooting and Maintenance Fundamentals

  2. You Will Learn… • About your role as a PC technician in troubleshooting and maintenance, and tools available to help you in those roles • How to approach a troubleshooting problem • How to develop a preventive maintenance plan and what to include in it

  3. Troubleshooting Perspectives • PC support technician • PC service technician • Bench technician • Help-desk technician

  4. Essential Troubleshooting Tools • Bootable rescue disk • Can boot the PC even when hard drive fails • Ensures cleanest boot possible • Ground bracelet and/ground mat • Screwdrivers (flat-head, Phillips-head or cross-head, Torx set, particularly size T15) • Tweezers, preferable insulated • Chip extractor and extractor

  5. Multimeter Needle-nose pliers Flashlight AC outlet ground tester Small cups or bags Antistatic bags Pen and paper Diagnostic cards and software Utility software Virus detection software on disks Useful Troubleshooting Tools

  6. Diagnostic Hardware and Software • POST diagnostic cards • Diagnostic software • General-purpose utility software

  7. POST Diagnostic Cards • Discover and report computer errors and conflicts at POST • Examples: • POSTcard V3 by Unicore Software, Inc. • Post Code Master by MSD, Inc. • POSTmortem Diagnostics Card by System Optimization

  8. Diagnostic Software • Identifies hardware problems • Examples: • PC-Technician by Windsor Technologies, Inc. • PC-Diagnosys by Windsor Technologies, Inc.

  9. General-Purpose Utility Software • Diagnoses problems • Repairs and maintains software on a PC • Recovers corrupted or deleted data on hard drive or floppy disks • Provides security • Monitors system performance • Downloads software updates from Internet

  10. Fundamental Rules of Troubleshooting • Make backups before making changes • Approach the problem systematically • Isolate the problem; eliminate unnecessary hardware and software • Don’t overlook the obvious • Check simple things first • Make no assumptions continued…

  11. Fundamental Rules of Troubleshooting • Become a researcher • Write things down • Reboot and start over • Establish priorities • Keep your cool and don’t rush • Don’t assume the worst • Know your starting point

  12. Gathering Information • Ask the user good questions with diplomacy • Investigate the problem on the computer • What OS is installed? • What physical components are installed – processor, expansion cards, drives, peripheral devices? PC connected to network? • What is the nature of the problem – before or after boot, error message, etc? • Can you duplicate the problem? continued…

  13. Gathering Information • Isolate the source of the problem • Consider the possibilities • Eliminate simple things first • Eliminate the unnecessary • Trade good for suspected bad • Trade suspected bad for good • Intermittent problems – more challenging • Look for patterns or clues • Keep a log of when problems occur and exactly what error messages appear

  14. Preventive Maintenance • Make and implement a preventive maintenance plan to help prevent failures and reduce repair costs and downtime • What can you do to prevent each cause of PC failure? • If it does occur,how can you solve the problem? • What can you do now to prepare for that event? • Develop a disaster recovery plan to manage failures when they occur

  15. Goals of Preventive Maintenance • Reduce likelihood that events that cause PC failures will occur • Lessen the damage if they do occur

  16. When a PC Is Your Permanent Responsibility • Organize hard drive boot directory • Create rescue disks • Document all setup changes, problems, and solutions • Record setup data • Take practical precautions to protect software and data • Back up original software • Back up data on the hard drive

  17. Preventive Maintenance Plan continued…

  18. Preventive Maintenance Plan continued…

  19. Preventive Maintenance Plan

  20. When Moving or Shipping Equipment • Back up hard drive • Remove removable disks, tape cartridges, or CDs from drives • Turn off power to PC and devices • Disconnect power cords and external devices • Label cable connections • Coil all cords and secure them • Pack in original shipping cartons • Purchase insurance

  21. Disposing of Used Equipment

  22. Disposing of Used Equipment

  23. Fire Extinguishers • Mount a fire extinguisher for Class C fires (ignited and heated by electricity) near your workbench, but not directly over it

  24. Chapter Summary • Common-sense guidelines to solving computer problems • Avoid making situation worse by damaging equipment, software, or data, or by placing undue stress on users • Follow safety precautions

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