DISTANCE LEARNING COURSE IN INTERMEDIATE COMPUTER SERVICING
Improve your skills to do routine maintenance and troubleshoot personal computers on your own.
This course delves deeper into hardware diagnostics and fault investigation. It also covers software troubleshooting, among other things. This course builds on and develops on the fundamentals presented in Computer Servicing 1.
Is this the correct course for me?
If you want to broaden your knowledge of troubleshooting and hardware diagnostics, this course is for you.
- Create protocols for a computer system’s regular hardware maintenance.
- Create processes for a computer system’s routine software maintenance.
- Analyze whether various computer systems are suitable for a range of applications.
- Identify the various causes of problematic hardware operation in a PC computer system.
- Find many PC computer system sources of improper programme functioning.
Pre-requisites: Computer Servicing I (or equivalent).
Lesson Structure
There are 10 lessons in this course:
- Introduction to hardware components
- Introduction
- Random Access Memory (RAM)
- Types of RAM
- Dynamic RAM
- Tips for buying RAM
- How to add memory to a computer
- Problems when installing memory
- Central Processing Unit (CPU)
- Considerations when buying a new CPU
- Graphic card
- How to install a graphics card
- Installing a CD or DVD burner
- Jumper switch settings
- Hard disk upgrade
- Installing a back up drive
- Basic Diagnostic Equipment
- Introduction
- Software diagnosis
- Temperature monitor
- Registry cleaner, virus scanner and spyware detector
- USB port tester
- Power supply tester
- CPU meter
- Hard disk tester
- Electric Circuits and Components
- Understanding electricity
- Circuits
- Measuring electricity
- Ohm’s law
- Power
- Problem Solving and Fault Analysis
- Introduction
- Problem solving
- Request response, result strategy
- The circle back model
- Pitfalls in problem solving
- How to troubleshoot and isolate computer problems
- Hardware failures
- Software failures
- Recreating a problem; reproducing the error
- Diagnostic Testing [A] (Self Tests and Diagnostic Cards)
- Power up
- Boot drive
- Errant keyboard
- Mouse problems
- Slow computer performance
- Computer freezes and displays BSOD (Blue screen of death)
- No display on monitor
- No sound
- Computer rebooting or turning itself off
- How to troubleshoot a computer that does not boot
- Diagnostic Testing [B] (System Board and Memory Tests)
- Components overview
- Operating system diagnostics
- Software maintenance and troubleshooting
- Software and hardware
- Operating systems
- Command prompts
- SOS, DIR command
- Formatting
- File types
- Back up (all types)
- Copy
- Erasing files
- Autoexec.bat and Config.sys
- History of windows
- Viruses
- Data corruption
- Disk drives and CD-ROM
- Servicing CD Rom drive
- RAM servicing
- Video and Audio Systems
- Video cards
- Troubleshooting a graphics card
- Sound cards and troubleshooting
- Developing a Maintenance Program
- Work scheduling
- Project component estimate form
- Performing routine computer maintenance
Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school’s tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.
Aims
- Name and describe a range of essential computer system components, as well as how they can be swapped out and updated in a personal computer.
- Describe the equipment used to monitor the status of electrical and software systems.
- Acquire a better understanding of basic electronics, as a backdrop to comprehending various components of a computer system
- Create a systematic method to solving problems with computers.
- With self-tests and diagnostic cards, you can gain a fundamental understanding of diagnostic testing.
- Improve your diagnostic testing understanding and skills.
- Learn the fundamentals of system software maintenance methods for use in computer servicing.
- Improve your grasp of memory storage devices and their maintenance.
- Improve your grasp of video and audio equipment, as well as their maintenance.
How You Plan to Act
- Explain how to disassemble a computer.
- Describe how to reassemble a disassembled personal computer.
- Analyze probable hardware flaws that could occur in various computer systems.
- Identify the most likely causes of potential hardware defects, such as malfunctioning equipment or equipment damage.
- Analyze probable software flaws that could occur in various computer systems.
- Identify the most likely causes of potential software defects, such as malfunctioning equipment or power surges.
- Describe causes of data corruption
- Explain methods for dealing with software issues, such as data corruption.
- Create a procedure for performing routine maintenance on a specific computer system.
- Show a fundamental understanding of three different operating systems.
- Explain the function of the ROM BIOS.
- Describe a variety of common computer hardware defects that a professional may simply remedy.
- Check cables for problems.
- Describe the faults that can occur with a VDU.
- Teach how to use various hardware diagnostic tools.
- Establish measures to reduce the risk of computer difficulties, such as equipment breakdowns and data loss.
- Describe a range of common computer software errors which are easily rectified by a technician.
- Examine various software for errors.
- Teach how to use various software diagnostic tools.
Repairing computers involves fixing issues
Computer issues cannot be resolved solely by technical understanding. Yet, in today’s society, anyone can easily get factual information with an internet search if they know where to seek and how to understand what they find. You do need a certain amount of technological knowledge.
Finding out what went wrong and then deciding how to respond requires a good and organised method, which is another essential part of issue solving.
There are numerous approaches to decision-making. But good decisions are usually carefully thought out. Many supervision courses and manuals provide a formal approach to problem solving. This can be time-consuming to consider, and there isn’t always time to use this method with every choice. When faced with challenging or complex decisions, this problem-solving method should be used. A good selection may take some time, but if the consequences of a poor choice are considerable, it may ultimately save a lot of time.
Before making any decisions, we must first take the time to carefully analyse the Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why. Once you have the information, it can be helpful to list it in two columns, one for each side of the argument (for example, pros and downsides). The fact that one typically outweighs the other can influence your decision. An experiment using coin flips is not a bad idea if the positive and negative factors are equal.
Typically, the supervisor who makes hasty decisions does not consider all the information. Their primary focus is making a snap judgement, which they frequently have to do repeatedly because many of the judgements are incorrect. The supervisor at the other end of the spectrum takes weeks to decide something that should be decided in a matter of hours. The supervisor who is in the middle and aims to please everyone sits between these two extremes. People may be forced into making a decision, sometimes for improper political motives. A good manager should be willing to try new things and keep an open mind while making judgements. Naturally, there are some issues that can be resolved based on prior knowledge.
Always plan, communicate, follow-up, and evaluate before making a choice.
