Transcript How to service your computer Increase its efficiency and lifespan

How to service your computer
Increase its efficiency and lifespan!
You can download this from
http://www.totnesit.com/free-help/
Mark Cross
07855 129142
[email protected]
Prerequisites
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You know how to download a file
You know how to run or execute a file you have
downloaded from the Internet
You know how to copy a file from your hard
drive to a USB stick
Why service your computer at all?
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Up until Windows 7 computers got
progressively slower over time and this took as
little as 12-18 months for many people
80% probably just bought a new computer
Leaving 20% keeping your computer for many
years
Why keep your computer?
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It does everything you really want it to do
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Manufacturing takes energy, precious metals
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And even common metals whose production
comes at a high cost to the environment like
aluminium
If serviced it will run faster than when you first
bought it
How difficult is it?
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It is not like servicing a car
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Trivial if you know what to do
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Because there are very few variations
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Lots of brands – but they all work the same
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But it does take time because planning is
required
Planning – Part I
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Backup the information you want to keep
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My Documents
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My Pictures
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My Music
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Microsoft Outlook / Express / Windows Live Mail
If you do not back up your computer data on a
regular basis – consider going back to
notebooks
Every 7-10 days someone will call me with a
broken hard drive
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Half are recoverable by me
Planning – Part II
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What machine do I have?
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Use the Belarc Advisor if PC still working
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Look on the side / open it up
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Look at the Dell service TAG
Software required
Operating System
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You need a copy of the operating system disk
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This must match the license key underneath
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If the Microsoft sticker says XP Home your need a
copy of the XP Home CD
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The license key for XP Home will not activate XP
Professional
This disk should have come with your computer
or it has been misplaced
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Obtaining copies of these is legal
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But with Windows 7 onwards this is a lot harder
Software called “drivers”
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All computers have a large electronics circuit
board called a motherboard
From identifying the machine model 99% of the
time this also tells us the motherboard identity
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Brand
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Unique description
For example
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Dell
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Studio 1737
Where do I get drivers?
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You probably received a set of the original
drivers with the computer on a disk
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These can work fine
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Or they can be extremely out of date
On the manufacturer's web site
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Look for a support area, download drivers etc
Download them and pop them on a USB stick
Ready to go?
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Backed up everything you might need
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Got the operating system disk
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Got the “drivers”
Starting...
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Running the Operating System creation disk
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XP Home
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XP Professional
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Vista
This CD needs to be the first drive the computer
accesses just after the PC is switched on
If it is not, we need to alter a setting on the
computer itself
Booting off the CD
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If the computer does not start the Operating
System re-installation process when the PC is
started (after we've put the disk in!)
We will need to change the computer's setup
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When the computer starts with a black screen
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They often prompt F2 for setup or DEL for setup
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Press one of these options suggested by the PC
Changing the boot order
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Looking for a menu header called “Boot”
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Select it, you will see the first boot item is the hard
drive inside the PC
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Now use the arrow keys and select the CD/DVD
ROM drive
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We need to make this appear over the hard drive
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This is often done with the F5/F6 keys
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Or the +/- keys
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Having done this press the ESC key (top left)
Call me if you get stuck here!
The steps
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Planning
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Source the Operating System Disk (OS Disk)
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Downloading all drivers required
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Adjust the PC to start from the OS Disk
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Install the Operating System 30m-1hour
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Install the “drivers” saved to USB 30m-1hour