Run standard diagnostic tests include a range of basic skills that are required to troubleshoot computer problems. With these skills you will be able to identify which components of a computer system are working correctly and which are not. This information will help you determine the nature of the problem.
To do these tasks you’ll need to be able to:
- Operate system diagnostics.
- Scan a system for viruses.
Use system diagnostic tools practice
Activity 1: Determine problems and make recommendations
Q1: You have been called to a PC system that will not load the operating system. What diagnostic tool will you examine to help determine the problem?
A: A POST tool to look for errors in the booting process
Q2: You have been called to a PC system that will not load the operating system. When you turn it on the screen remains blank and you hear a series of beeps. You know the system has a gigabyte motherboard. What do you do?
A: In this case, I can start with turn the computer off and ensure all device cables are seated correctly, or check for the documentation that accompanied the system and visit the manufacturer’s website and look for supporting documentation.
Q3: You have determined that the system has suffered from a user accidentally entering the CMOS setup tool and modifying settings. What would you recommend?
A: First of all, I will enter the CMOS tool and select ‘Restore Factory Settings’.
Secondly, recommend protecting the CMOS with a password.
The last one, educate the user about the computer’s booting sequence.
Activity 2: Understand diagnostic tools
Answering true or false for follows statement.
Q1: The purpose of booting in ‘Safe’ mode is to minimise the chances of the operating system failing through only loading core services.
A: True because In ‘Safe’ mode the operating system loads a minimum set of services to allow the user to try and identify and solve whatever the fault is.
Q2: The system log will record information about which system services have started and which have failed.
A: True because the system log is all about system services and their loading. Other tools handle virus or drive checking.
Detect and remove viruses practice
Activity 1: Prepare a new computer for the workplace
Q: You have been provided with a new computer for your business. Try this interactive sequencing activity that will help you prepare it for the workplace.
A: The steps to prepare a new computer for the workplace are:
Partition and format the hard disk drive.
Install and configure the operating system.
Install the company’s preferred anti-virus software.
Update the anti-virus software with the latest virus identification files.
Install application software.
Test the system.
Backup the system.
Install the computer into the office environment.
Activity 2: Detect a virus
You have been called to a computer that has recently shown symptoms of a possible virus infection. However, the anti-virus software does not detect any viruses on the computer. The main screen of the installed anti-virus software is shown below:
Norton AntiVirus software
Q: The items following are problems with the anti-virus software installation as shown above. Which of the following is most likely to have led to an infection occurring?
A: The date of the virus definition file is crucial. It is old and out of date, allowing newer viruses to infect the computer.
Key terms
Booting: comes from the ‘Boot Strap Code’ that referred to a small piece of programming code built into computers that instructed the machine on what to do when turned on; booting now generally refers to the processes automatically attempted when power is provided to a computer
CMOS: Metal Oxide Semi-Conductor, the chip device that retains the computer’s set up configuration when it is turned off
DMA channel: Direct Memory Access channel, a system resource used by some devices that are able to transfer data directly into or out of the system RAM
IDE: Integrated Drive Electronics, the most common, but not the only, way of attaching a hard disk to your system; the default drive interface on most PC systems; other interfaces for drives include SCSI and USB
Surge protector: a device that is designed to protect a device from peaks of over-voltage; normally plugged into a power point and then the device is plugged into it; the surge protector is often damaged in the process of protecting the device from a power surge
Worm: a program that replicates from machine to machine across network connections often clogging networks and information systems as it spreads
Antivirus software: software used to detect and eliminate computer viruses
Boot sector: a sector of a hard disk that contains a loader program for starting an operating system
Backup: a copy of a computer program or file stored separately from the original
Background scanning: automatic scanning of files and documents as they are created, opened, closed, or executed
Data file: a file consisting of data in the form of text, numbers, or graphics, as distinct from a program file containing commands and instructions
Executable (EXE) file: programs or self-extracting files with an.exe filename extension. Clicking on an
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