This document discusses troubleshooting and maintenance fundamentals for PC technicians. It covers tools for troubleshooting, diagnostic cards and software, fundamental rules for troubleshooting like isolating problems and gathering information from users. It also discusses developing a preventive maintenance plan to reduce failures and downtime, including organizing hard drives, creating rescue disks, and safety procedures like fire extinguishers and moving equipment.

1. Module 4 / unit 1
Troubleshooting and Maintenance
Fundamentals
By kenneth Ayebazibwe
kynaye@gmail.com
256774185458 / 256702555890

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 for any OS you might
work on (may need several)
• Ground bracelet and/or ground mat
• Screwdrivers (flat-head, Phillips-head or cross-
head, Torx set, particularly size T15)
• Tweezers, preferable insulated
• Chip extractor and a spring-loaded extractor

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

6. Bootable Rescue Disk
• Can boot the PC even when the hard drive
fails
• Ensures cleanest boot possible

7. Diagnostic Cards and Software
• POST diagnostic cards
• Diagnostic software
• General-purpose utility software

8. POST Diagnostic Cards
• Discover and report computer errors and conflicts at
POST
• Examples:
– Amber Debug Card (Phoenix Technologies)
– PCI Error Testing/Debug Card (Trigen Industries)
– POSTcard V3 (Unicore Software, Inc.)
– Post Code Master (MSD, Inc.)
– POSTmortem Diagnostics Card (System Optimization, Inc.)

9. Diagnostic Software
• Identifies hardware problems
• Examples:
– PC-Technician (Windsor Technologies, Inc.)
– PC-Diagnosys (Windsor Technologies, Inc.)

10. 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

11. General-Purpose Utility Software

12. Fundamental Rules for
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…

13. Fundamental Rules for
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

14. Gathering Information
• Interacting with the user
• Investigating the problem on the computer
• Isolating the problem
• Intermittent problems

15. Interacting with the User
• Ask questions with diplomacy
• Find out exactly what happened when the
computer stopped working
• Consider yourself a guest when working at the
user’s desk

16. Guidelines for Working
with a User
• Don’t take drastic action before asking the user
about data that may not be backed up
• Provide alternatives before making decisions for the
user
• Protect confidentiality of data on the PC
• Don’t disparage user’s choice of hardware or
software
• If you make a mistake or must pass the problem on
to someone with more expertise, be honest

17. Investigating 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 – occur
before or after boot? Any error messages?
Does the system hang?
• Can you duplicate the problem?

18. Isolating the Problem
• Consider the possibilities
• Eliminate simple things first
• Eliminate the unnecessary
• Trade good for suspected bad
• Trade suspected bad for good

19. Intermittent Problems
• More challenging
• Look for patterns or clues
• Keep a log of when problems occur and
exactly what error messages appear

20. Preventive Maintenance
• Goals
– Reduce likelihood that events that cause PC failures will
occur
– Lessen the damage if they do occur
• Make and implement a preventive maintenance plan
to help prevent failures and reduce repair costs and
downtime
• Develop a disaster recovery plan to manage failures
when they occur

21. 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

22. A Preventive Maintenance Plan
continued…

23. A Preventive Maintenance Plan

24. Moving 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

25. Disposing of Used Equipment

26. Disposing of Used Equipment

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

28. 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