A technician should know based on their imputer knowledge certain types of problems are typically caused by certain components or software in the system. This knowledge will allow the technician to identify the issues the customer is having. Scenario 1: You have begun a new technical support role in the IT department of a major manufacturing organization. Your first support call is from a client who is using Windows and has encountered stability problems. Discuss the process you would undertake to identify his or her problem and the operating system tools you would use to do so.
The first step would be to determine the nature of the instability. There are many things that can lead to instability issues. But it’s a good thing that Microsoft has made this issue pretty simple to solve. There are plenty of steps you can take to avoid system instability. There are some simple steps we can take to troubleshoot and correct these issues. Keep Windows Updated Microsoft is constantly coming out with software updates for its operating systems, supporting programs, and various hardware drivers.
Whether you run Windows XP or Windows 7, the one thing you can count on is Microsoft sending updates down the line on a regular basis ? at least until the SO falls out of purport. Keeping your operating system updated is paramount to long and healthy system operation. Windows is impacted by a nearly infinite number of possible issues that spring up as software and hardware engineers continue to refine their products. Each revision adds to the potential of a domino effect that may result in system failure.
Keep Drivers Updated Keeping your hardware drivers updated means doing more than just running Windows Update now and then. Sometimes, you need to get the update directly from the manufacturers website. It’s usually a good deal to make a list of the arioso hardware inside of your computer, and make check for new drivers on a monthly basis. Perform Regular Maintenance In order to keep your system running like a champ, it’s a good idea to take a moment to perform regular maintenance beyond system and driver updates.
Defragmenters your hard drive, cleaning unnecessary files out of temporary folders, and even cleaning the inside of your computer can make a big difference in performance and stability. Only Use Software You Trust Downloading programs off the Web because they promise to optimize your egoists or free your system of spy ware that mean it harm can be a bad idea. The same can be said for pirated software, the best rule to abide by when considering downloading software is to only do so if you either recognize the brand, or the source.
Limit the Amount of Things You’re Running Having too much going on at once can cause traffic jam as information races back and forth between your hard drive(s) and your processor(s). If your CPU is running close to capacity, you’ll probably find things a little less reliable than they would be if you just had one or two programs running. Stick to Tasks Your Hardware Can Handle Perhaps one of the most obvious (yet often overlooked) causes of Windows failure is attempting to run programs that your system just can’t handle.
Notebooks might be able to run Windows 7 just fine, but if you try to edit HAD video or play a high-end first-person shooter, you’ll probably experience some system instability. (Pierson, R. (2012). How to improve windows 7 stability. Locker’s, Inc. ) Scenario 2: Your next call is from a user whose Windows machine will not boot. Outline the steps you would complete to identify the source of the seers problem and list the tools provided in Windows 7@ that might be useful in your analysis. When faced with a computer that won’t start most people tend to panic, worried that all the data on their PC is gone forever.
It’s true that the most common reason a computer won’t start is because a piece of hardware has failed or is causing a problem but that hardware isn’t usually a hard drive, the part of your computer that stores all of your files. In other words, your music, documents, emails, and videos are probably safe – just not accessible at the moment. Try these steps if your computer will not turn on and is showing no sign at all of receiving power – no fans running and no lights on the computer case.
Important: You may or may not see a light on the back of your PC depending on the kind of power supply you have and the exact cause of the problem. Note: Don’t worry about the monitor yet. If the computer is not turning on because of a power issue then the monitor certainly can’t display anything from the computer. Your monitor light will likely be amber/yellow if your computer has stopped sending information to it. Among the many ways that a computer not turn on, a complete loss of power is rarely the worst-case scenario.
There is the chance that your PC isn’t receiving power because of a serious issue but it’s unlikely. There are several reasons that your computer won’t power on so it’s very important that you step through a complete troubleshooting procedure like the one I’ve outlined below. 1. Before starting a sometimes time consuming troubleshooting process, make sure you’ve turned on every power switch and power button on your computer: Power button/switch on the front of the computer Power switch on the back of the computer Power switch on the power strip, surge protector, or UPS (if you have one) 2.
Verify that the power supply voltage switch is set correctly. If the input voltage for the power supply does not match the correct setting for your country, your computer may not power on at all. 3. Check for disconnected computer power cable connections. A loose or unplugged power cable is one of the top reasons why a computer doesn’t turn on. 4 Replace the computer’s power cable. This is the power cable that runs between the computer case and the power source. These simple steps should eave your PC powering up correctly in no time.
Scenario 3: The organization has clearly not adopted an operating system standard; as a result, numerous products and versions are in use throughout the company. Consider the operating systems, and discuss which of these you would recommend and why. Which of them would you recommend replacing if they were in use in your organization? A standard operating system on all company PC’s provides a standard that is useful to any organization. First the cost savings associated with supporting only a single operating system is a huge plus for the organization.
With only one SO the helpless can specialize in the problems specific to only one SO. When a customer calls there’s not even a need to ask which SO is used as the standard is always in place. Based on estimates provided by Microsoft Windows 7 is still the most commonly installed operating system on business PC’s. This is likely due to its stability and ease of configuration. Other versions such as Windows Vista were not met with great fanfare from the consumer community and the same soon followed from the business community.
Vista proved to not be as stable as XP so corporations chose not to implement it. Now that Windows 7 is in full force the operating system has sold 240 million copies. (Consumers Driving Business Windows 7 Adoption, 2010) 1 00 million of those copies went to business users. (Consumers Driving Business Windows 7 Adoption, 2010) While a consumer typically uses the SO that comes with a PC a corporate organization may install everything and install the standard image used by all PC’s within the organization.
As with other things consumer demand for Windows 7 is driving demand for the business user. As consumers buy new PC’s and start to like the ewe Windows 7 they want the same functionality on their business desktop or laptop. Windows 7 has proven to be stable. In fact, only one service pack exist which was released in June of 2010. (Consumers Driving Business Windows 7 Adoption, 2010) The service pack does have several fixes but very few major issues as has been the case with previous rollover.
Another advantage of rolling out Windows 7 is that is supports advanced fertilization, which allows a corporation to buy a low or underpowered PC and provide the necessary mechanisms for the PC to use fertilization in order to run applications. Also according to Microsoft is that Windows 7 saves $140 in total cost of ownership per year per PC within the organization. (Consumers Driving Business Windows 7 Adoption, 2010) While this appears to only be substantiated by Microsoft it must be working as many businesses are continuing to rollover and standardize on Windows 7.
