Course Title: Basic Computer Troubleshooting

Trade Description: leading to unit core competency of CSS NC II

SECTOR: Electronics

Course Objectives:

 To developed the skill and knowledge in the terms of Computer Hardware,

Software, Troubleshooting and Computer Networking.
 As they finished the trade course, they must able to familiarize all computer
hardware parts, install computer software’s and configure basic networking.

Course Contents:
Upon successful completion of training,;
The student will be able to familiarize computer parts, and demonstrate how to:

a. Disassemble / assemble computer units.

b. Create bootable Flash Drive for Operating System installation
c. Install operating system, component driver, application software and other utility
programs.
d. Diagnose and troubleshoot computer system and networking problems, both
hardware and software.
e. Upgrade and maintain computer hardware and software entity
f. Create network cable
g. Understand flow of Computer Networks
h. Install and configure computer Networks
i. Facilitate file and printer sharing.
j. Connecting Ethernet devices to Internet sources

Prepared By: Mr. Jerome Paul G. Reyes

Trade Area: Information & Communication Technology; Electronics
Technical Support Expert

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I ntroduction:

This section will show you which parts and programs the computer needs in
order to function. In addition, you will learn the basics of managing files and
directories, you will know the most common applications, Diagnosing and
troubleshooting of different computer hardware and software is also under of
this textbook and you will be able to solve some of the most common
problems that occur when using a computer. When you have acquainted
yourself with this section, you will also understand the basic structure of the
internet, know the different kinds of services on the internet, and understand
e.g. ‘netiquette’. You will also know how to utilize the various kinds of sound
and video connections and materials available on the Internet in your studies.

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 Basic parts and functionality of the computer
Whether it is a telephone with a touch screen, a laptop, a tablet or a desktop, all computers consist
of certain basic elements. This basic assembly is formed usually of a motherboard, a processor,
central memory, hard disc drive, connections, the monitor as well as the keyboard, mouse or some
kind of a touch pad.. The majority of the listed parts are inside the cabinet, but knowing them is
important in order to manage different problem situations.
Remember what the reading instructions for this material told you: you don’t have to read everything
from start to finish! If you are familiar with a particular subject, just skim through it and skip any
content which you already know thoroughly.

The display and display adapter

Most computer displays are so-called LCD displays (Liquid Crystal

Display), where the image display is produced by liquid crystals
between two transparent sheets. Display sizes range between only a
few inches in handheld apparatuses to large 24 inch desktop displays.
One of the most important features of the display is itsresolution, i.e.
how many pixels (picture elements) the image consists of.  A normal 22
to 24-inch widescreen display usually has 1920 pixels horizontally and
1200 pixels vertically (1920×1200). These displays can
reproduce FullHD (full high definition) image.
No matter what the type of display is, the computer must contain a so-called display adapter that
allows you to attach the display to the computer and controls the display image. Practically all
motherboards come equipped with a display adapter, so you do not need to buy one separately,
unless you want to enhance the capabilities of your desktop computer e.g. for gaming, video editing,
or 3D imaging purporses.

Keyboard

A standard keyboard has 102 keys. The keys are divided into
alphabetical (a-z), numerical (1-0) and special (Function, Ctrl, Alt
etc keys).
In addition to the usual alphabetical and numerical keys, you
should know at least the following special keys that are located
among the alphabetical ones.

Below are shown some typical keys on a PC keyboard. The keyboard mapping on Mac computers is
almost identical to PC keyboards, but the special keys Ctrl and Alt work slightly differently. In
addition, the Mac keyboard has Fn and Cmd keys instead of the Windows key.
Ctrl: (Control) is used in combination with other keys for different actions. The
combination Ctrl+C, for example, copies the chosen data to the memory.
Alt: (Alternative) is used like the Ctrl key. Sometimes both these keys are used in
combination: Ctrl+Alt+Del, for example, brings up the task manager(in Windows
XP).
Alt Gr: (Alternative Graphics) produces the ‘third character’ of the keys, e.g. @, $, £
and }. With this key, you can also create the ~ character (important for the
internet). Create the  ~ character as follows: press ALT-GR and the ~ key at the
same time, and finish with the space bar.

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 You can make so-called ascii characters with combinations of the Alt key and
numerals, e.g. Alt+0176 makes the character for temperature °. You can choose to
either add special characters in this way or through an application. Most text
processing programs have their own menu for special characters.

Shift: capitalizes letters and the special characters on the numerical keys, among
others.

Caps Lock: locks the capitalization of letters. This function is connected with an A
or Caps lock pilot light on the keyboard. It turns on the light when the function is in
use.

Tab: the tabulator is mainly used in word processing: each time you press the tab
button, the cursor moves to the next tab stop on the same row. The key can also be
used for alternating between window displays.

Backspace: removes the characters to the left of the cursor, i.e. what you just
wrote. This key can also be used to remove a larger portion of text.

Enter: by pressing this key you can change paragraphs or e.g. accept a function.

There are more special keys above the alphabetical keys; of these the function keys(please see
next image) are used for different functions, depending on situation and the program currently
being used. The manual for these functions is usually available in the manual for the program.

To the left and right of the function keys, you will find the following additional keys:
Esc (Escape): mostly used to cancel a function, or e.g. to close a menu
window.

Home and End: these keys bring the cursor to the top or the bottom of
the line.
Page Up and Page Down: move the page up or down.
Insert: starts the insert function, where the text you are writing replaces
the text to the right of the cursor.
Delete: deletes the character to the right of the cursor.

Arrow keys: move the cursor in the direction shown by the arrows.

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 The number pad is activated with the Num Lock key: when it is
activated, the pilot light with the symbol 1 or the text Num Lock lights up.
Usually the Num Lock function has been set to be turned on when starting
up the computer. If the pilot light is not turned on, the keys function in the
way indicated by the symbols on the keys (8 up, 4 left, 6 right, 2 down).

The keyboard also has the rarely used keys Print Screen, Scroll Lock and Pause. The Print Screen
key lets you take a picture of the display (Alt+PrintScreen takes a picture of the currently activated
window) and send it to your clipboard, Scroll Lock locks the scrolling of the display and the Pause
key can be used e.g. for stopping the loading of the system during start-up.
For more information on hotkeys and key combinations, see the additional reading material.

Pointing devices
Traditionally, most programs have been designed to be used with a mouse. The mouse cursor seen
on the screen of the computer moves along with the mouse.  The cursor can be used to select menu
commands and areas, as well as activating different objects by clicking the mouse keys.

   
 optical mouse | pointing stick and touchpad | touchscreen

Mouse
You can attach a traditional mouse with or without a cord to any computer. Cordless mice use radio
waves to relay movement from the mouse to the computer (for this mouse, a small radio receiver is
attached to the computer).

Touchpad
Almost all laptop computers have a touchpad which is used to move the cursor. Some models also
have a so-called pointing stick. In addition, portable computers have keys with the clicking
function of mouses. The  touchpad is a pad where you can control the cursor by moving your finger
along the pad. Tapping the pad serves the same function as clicking a mouse.

Pointing stick
The pointing stick is a ‘nub’ located in the middle of the keyboard, and controls the cursor. The
pointing stick can be ‘clicked’ by tapping the stick or using the separate buttons in the keyboard. In
the right-hand image above, you can see a portable computer with both a pointing stick (blue) and a
touchpad (the large, dark grey area in front of the keyboard).

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 Touchscreen
Devices that are smaller than a laptop, such as phones and tablets, usually do not have a separate
keyboard or pointer device. In these devices, the entire screen of the device works as an input
device. A touchscreen is used like the track pad on a laptop, and when typing is required, a
keyboard appears on the screen.

When using a mouse, keyboard and similar devices, please consider your ergonomics. Among other
things, make sure that your wrists are resting squarely on the worktop or on a separate wrist rest, and
that your work position does not strain your shoulders.

The computer case

The computer case contains the most important components of the computer: the motherboard, the
processor, random access memory modules, the hard drive etc. It may not be possible to exchange
the components in a laptop computer, but in a desktop computer you have much more influence on
the parts inside the case

The motherboard

The motherboard is the part of the computer where such things

as the processor, memory modules, expansion cards and external
devices are attached. This means that the motherboard controls
the functions of different components. The number of connection
slots for peripheral devices and the number and type of memory
slots are important properties of the motherboard.
In addition to the various connections, the motherboard also has
a small battery ensuring that settings made on the board are
retained even when the computer is switched off.

The processor

The processor can be considered to be the ‘engine’ of the

computer because it executes the lion’s share of the information
processing; the processor fetches commands and necessary
information from the RAM, carries out the tasks specified by the
commands, and returns the processed information to the RAM.
The speed of a computer depends largely on the speed of the
processor. The processor’s speed, in turn, is affected by various
factors, such as the so-called clock frequency (usually expressed as gigahertz, GHz), the amount of
cores and of the so-called cache memory inside the processor.

Random access memory

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 The RAM (Random Access Memory) is a memory storage that functions during computer use and is
especially utilised by the processor. In modern computers, the amount of RAM is around 4 – 16 GB
depending on the type and purpose of the computer (please seedata entry units for more
information). The RAM consists of one or more memory modules (see image above).
When the computer is started, the operating system is loaded into the RAM (an operating system is
a program that controls the devices and programs in a computer – please seeoperating systems for
more information). The computer also loads the files being processed – music, assignments, videos
etc – to the RAM.
If there is enough RAM, the computer executes requested tasks quickly. This is why it is a good idea
to add to the memory by buying more memory modules as the need arises.

How do I find out the amount of RAM on my computer?You can check the amount of memory on your
computer in the following manner in Windows: Open the Control Panel from the Start menu, and
click System and Security and thenSystem. You will see the amount of memory on your computer on
the screen.If you are using a Mac computer, you can see its memory by clicking the Mac button in the
top left corner of the screen, and clicking About this Mac in the opening menu.

Hard drive

The hard drive is the permanent memory of the

computer where saved files remain even when the
computer is turned off. This is why the hard drive is
used for saving files.
The capacity of hard drives varies; currently the typical
capacity is 500-1000 GB, but hard drives of over 1500
GB, i.e. 1,5 terabit, are also available. However, the
capacity of the internal hard drives in laptop
computers is often less than that.You can add to the capacity of your computer by attaching an
additional hard drive, either internally or externally. More information about storage sizes can be
found here.
The hard disk is used for the storage of the computer’s operating system and all important files. It is
therefore packed in a fixed protective housing. The disks may become damaged in spite of this
protection, so you should absolutely make backup copies of files on the hard drive from time to
time (please see backup copies for more information)!

DVD and Blu-ray drives with writing capabilities

Most computers these days come with a  Blu-raydrive or a DVD

(Digital Versatile Disk) drive with writing capabilities, with which
you can burn such things as backup copies of important files to
DVDs. CD drives are older and have mostly been replaced with DVD
drives. CD drives can only burn data on CDs, which have a
substantially smaller storage capacity, while DVD drives can burn
data to both CDs and DVDs with more capacity (please see recording
media for more information).

The main connection ports

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Regardless of computer type, the main connection port types in modern computers are all nearly
the same. Granted, there are some differences between desktop and portable computers, but both
types generally have at least the following ports (the letters refer to the images below. The top
image shows the ports of a portable computer and the bottom image those of a desktop computer).
It will be useful for you to recognize these and other ports presented on this page, so that you can
use different devices and programs without difficulties.  In addition, it is very important that you
know that all the necessary ports are available when you buy a new computer.

 power connection port (A)

 display connection port (B)
 LAN port (Local Area Network) (C)
 USB ports (Universal Serial Bus) (D)
 audio ports (E)
 WLAN port (Wireless Local Area Network) (not shown)

Please note that the above images only show some of the most common ports; there are often more
ports in the side and front panels of the computer etc….

Power connector
The power connector is generally in the back panel of the computer. The power source of a portable
computer is generally in an external AC adapter, so the power connector of a portable computer
(below left) is smaller than that of a desktop computer (below right).

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Please note that the computer should be plugged into a grounded socket and that you should
unplug it from both power and network sources during a thunderstorm.

Display port
The display port is usually in the back panel of the computer. The following double image shows an
older VGA port and a newer so-called DVI port . These most computers use a DVI connector for
relaying the image to an external display (the upper connector and the white cable in the image
below).

Local area network port

In order to use various internet services, you have to connect

your computer to a LAN (Local Area Network); this is
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usually done through a LAN port. The LAN socket and cable are easy to recognize due to their
special appearance.

USB port
Some devices that can be connected to the USB port are
mouses, keyboards, digital cameras, USB memory sticks
and scanners. The following image shows two USB ports
and a USB cable.

Audio ports

Some headphones designed for computer use are

connected using a USB connector (see above). You might,
however, need separate audio connectors when, for
example, connecting speakers, a microphone or regular
headphones to your computer. These separate audio
connectors are quite often color coded on the computer,
and marked with the symbols in the next picture.

If you want to attach e.g.headphones or loudspeakers to your computer, plug them into the green
sound-out port.
Other ports

Many new computers have an HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) port (see the
port to the left on the image below) where you can connect e.g. a DVD or Blueray player, stereo
speaker or flat-screen TV. HDMI enables excellent image and sound reproduction over the
connected hardware.
Some computers have a competitor to HMDI, a Displayport connection (see the middle port in the
image below), where you can also connect e.g. the computer screen or a stereo speaker.

Some newer computers also have a eSata port (see port on the right in the image above). Typically,
an external hard drive can be connected to this port, and you can store information through it much
faster than with the older FireWire connection.

Modern laptop computers have several card slots. The image below shows anExpressCard
(EC) slot where you can connect many kinds of hardware, and a Secure digital (SD) slot, where you
can insert e.g. a camera memory card for fast transferral of digital images. In addition to these very
common card slots, there are many others.

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Wireless network ports
New computers often support different kinds of wireless networks. Some ways to connect a
wireless network are:
 WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network): with WLAN you can connect your computer at
home or at the university to a wireless network such as the university’s guest network
HupNET (more on the HupNET network). Please note that in order to use the WLAN you
need a wireless network adapter, and that the area that a WLAN network covers only ranges
from some tens of metres to some hundreds of metres.
 Bluetooth networks: using Bluetooth, you can create a short-range network between, e.g.,
a laptop computer and a mobile phone. This way you can transfer data from the phone to the
laptop or vice versa. In order to use a Bluetooth network both the devices need to support
Bluetooth, and its range does not exceed some tens of metres.
Please note that when you are using a WLAN or Bluetooth network, small icons indicating this are
usually found in the bottom right corner of you display:

Windows 7:

Note: that when you are using a WLAN or Bluetooth network, there are usually small icons
indicating this at the bottom right of you display (on the Windows Vista operating system).
If you are having trouble connecting to a LAN or WLAN on your computer, you can check their
status as follows:
 Windows 7: Click the network connections icon down to the right on the task bar (see
image). This will show you the network connections available to your computer and their
current status. If you cannot find the icon, press the triangle-shaped Show hidden
icons button in the task bar.

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 Storage and peripheral devices
This page discusses the following topics:
 Data storage methods and different storage media
 Other peripheral IT devices: Printers and scanners

Storage
Online storage is often the best option if you want to back up your files or access them at another
location. However, an online location is not always the best or most convenient storage place: a
network connection is not necessarily available at all times and in all places. The storage and
retrieval of large amounts of data to and from an online location may take a lot of time, whereas
storing to and downloading from a removable USB memory stick, for example, can often be done in
an instant.

Online storage
SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE UNIVERSITY
As a student of the University of Helsinki, the UH home directory (the Z: drive on UH computers)
available to you is the most advisable online storage location as there your data is safe from
unauthorised used and is backed up automatically every night. You can access your home directory
not only at the University of Helsinki but also anywhere in the world.
Apart from the home directory, you may come across other online storage locations or group
directories used in group work at the University of Helsinki during your studies.
Smaller individual files can be transferred quickly by sending them to yourself as e-
mailattachments.

OTHER SERVICES
In addition to the services provided by the University, the Internet is full of storage services
available to you. Various online storage services are usually referred to using the general
term cloud services. Different operating system manufacturers have their own services: OneDrive
is available for Windows devices, whereas Apple offers iCloud. Furthermore, there are several
independent (such as Funet Filesender) and commercial (e.g. DropBox) storage services.

Cloud services should be used with discretion as their information security may be rather weak. They
are not necessarily permanent so in the worst case, the files you have stored there may disappear
without separate notification. You should also keep in mind that you cannot access the data in the
cloud services without a network connection. The use of some services may even be expressly
prohibited at the university or workplaces. For further information on the information security of
various cloud services, see the instructions provided by Aalto University, for example.

Storage media
When using removable storage media (such as USB memory sticks, certain DVDs, external hard
drives, etc.), saving to the memory can be done the same way as saving to the computer’s own hard
drive. However, the use and application of different media vary, so it is important for you to be
aware of which media are suited for which kind of storage, e.g. backing up files and moving them
from one location to another.
USB MEMORY STICKS
USB memory sticks (USB, Universal Serial Bus) are connected to
the USB port of a computer or another device. USB memory
sticks can be used to transfer data between different devices
(such as laptops, desktop computers and modern televisions)

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and operating systems (Windows, Mac OS, Linux, etc.) as long as the files to be transferred are
compatible.

Because of their small size and usability, USB sticks are well suited for your file storage and transfer
needs as a student. There are USB sticks with different capacities, but once you are buying one, buy
one with a high enough capacity (e.g. 16 GB). More information on file size measurement units may
be found here.

B L U - R A Y, D V D A N D CD
If your computer has a DVD-RW drive (Digital Versatile Disk Re-Writeable), you can use it to write
both to DVDs and CDs. A DVD will usually take 4.7 GB of data, while a CD will only take around 700
MB (=0.7 GB) of data.
However, if you have a writing, i.e. burning, Blu-ray drive on your computer, you can use it to store
information not only on CDs and DVDs but also on Blu-ray discs, which have a capacity that is vastly
superior to the above mentioned disc types. One Blu-ray disc can hold 25–100 GB of data,
depending on its model.
In order to write or “burn” to discs, you will usually need a separate burner program. Most
operating systems come with such a program by default, but often more versatile programs are
used (please see the Helpdesk site for more information on different burner programs).

EXTERNAL HARD DRIVES

External hard drives are popular devices, especially for storing
large amounts of data (such as photos and video clips) and
transferring them from one place to another. You can fit
exponentially more data on external hard drives than on e.g. a
DVD or a USB memory stick.
Even though external hard drives are packed into sturdy
protective casings, they are easily damaged. Most external hard
drives are connected to the computer’s USB port, after which you
can store data on them in the same way as with a USB memory stick.

Usage of different recording media

Since the prices, quality and usability vary for different storage media, you should be able to
choose the right media for the type of recording you need to make. The following table shows
examples of the general features and application fields of different media.
Medium Price Application Usability Reliability

USB stick EUR 5- Moving and saving files Very quick, easy Not 100%
25 reliable!

DVD EUR 1-2 Moving, saving and back-up Fairly quick, fairly Not 100%
copying of files. easy reliable!

Blu-ray disc EUR 2-5 Moving, saving and back-up Fairly quick, fairly Not 100%
copying of files. easy reliable!

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External EUR 50- Moving, saving and back-up Used like a USB Not 100%
hard drive 100 copying large amounts of data. memory stick reliable!

Safe use of storage media

Usually removable media are automatically displayed as a disk drive when you plug the
medium into the computer’s USB or other port. The removable medium you have plugged in will
usually appear under the name  Removable Disk  – or if you have renamed the medium, it will
appear under that name.

USB sticks and external hard drives are used in the same way as the computer’s own hard drive,
while writing to CDs and DVDs is usually done with the help of a separate ‘burner’ program.
Whichever medium you choose, you should consider the following facts:
 Different storage media may contain ‘duds.’ You may receive the announcement “Not
formatted,” for example, which in the worst case may mean that the files in the memory have
been destroyed. In such a case, please stay calm and try reading the memory on another
computer, for example. This means that it is a good idea to make backup copies of the
files on removable media every now and then!
 Sometimes it takes a while for the removable medium to appear in the operating system. Do
not panic, but wait calmly for the medium to appear.
 When unplugging the removable medium from your computer, make sure you have
closed all files on the storage medium (removing the medium may damage the open file).
 Remember to remove storage media safely with the help of the so-called Safely Remove
Hardware function: this is done by clicking the green icon in the image (A) below with your
primary mouse button, and choosing the media you want in the menu that opens up (B).

Whatever storage method or media you use, please do not forget to make backup copies of your
files regularly. None of the storage media (USB sticks, DVDs, CDs etc) are 100% safe! More
information on backup copying.Peripheral devices

Printers
The most common types of printers are laser printers and inkjet printers. Standard desktop
printers are usually used at home (see picture below). Some desktop printers can also be used for
scanning and copying. Such printers are also called multi-function printers.
The kinds of bigger printers found e.g. at the university (see picture below) are often multi-function
printers. In addition to network printing, they can be used for copying, scanning images as image
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files and reading books directly into text files, for example, thanks to the optical character
recognition properties offered (OCR, see below for more information). If the printer is connected to
the network, you can order it to send the scanned files to an e-mail address.

Further general information on printing can be found at the end of this chapter. Printing in the HY
environment is discussed in chapter two of the materials.

Image scanners

With a scanner, you can “read” or scan a printed document into digital form. With a flatbed scanner,
you can scan e.g. photos and text.
Flatbed scanners are used as follows:
1. place the image or document on the glass bed of the scanner
2. start a scanning program on your computer
3. with the scanning program, outline the area to be scanned
4. specify the resolution you want (please see more information)
5. scan the area you have chosen, either directly into the program you want or save the image
as a separate file.
You can scan text with the scanner and convert the text directly into a format that can be modified
in a word processor. For this, you will need an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) program,
which is usually provided with the scanner.

Softwares:
Operating system and user interface
As already mentioned, in addition to the hardware, a computer also needs a program to control the
devices. This program is called an operating system, OS. This page will discuss the following:
 There are different kinds of operating systems: such as Windows, Linux and Mac OS
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  There are also different versions of these operating systems, e.g. Windows 7, 8 and 10
 Operating systems can be used with different user interfaces (UI): text user interfaces
(TUI) and graphical user interfaces (GUI) as examples
 Graphical user interfaces have many similarities in different operating systems: such
as the start menu, desktop etc.

When you can recognize the typical parts of each operating system’s user interface, you will mostly
be able to use both Windows and Linux as well as e.g. Mac OS.
Why an OS is important for the computer
An OS (operating system) is a set of programs which ensure that the computer and its programs
(the hardware and the software) are working together. Among other things, the OS enables the
following:

 Using devices connected to the computer: the OS recognizes peripheral devices and

enables their use through different application programs.
 Installing and using application programs: the application programs that you use
function ‘on top’ of the OS, as it were.
 File management: when you give an application programthe command to save or open a
file, for example, the application program will send the command to the OS, and it will relay
the command to the devices connected to the computer.

In addition to the hardware (devices) and software (applications), the OS especiallymanages

files. Since the files contain digital data (e.g. photos, text, etc) that is important to you, it is essential
that the OS operates reliably!  This is why you should always make sure that the security
updates for your OS are always up to date (read more about security updates).

What happens when I turn on the computer?

– The computer starts to check the functionality of its parts and any devices connected to it, and
starts to look for the OS on its storage devices (hard drives or memories).
– If the OS is discovered, BIOS starts to load the OS into the RAM (Random Access Memory).
– When the OS has loaded, the computer waits for commands from you.
Different operating systems
Over the years, several different operating systems have been developed for different purposes.
The most typical OSs in ordinary desktop computers and laptops are Windows, Linux and Mac OS.

Windows
Windows is a commercial OS that uses windows to execute programs: each program has its own
window, and you can have several programs open at the same time. Windows is the most popular
OS for home PCs, and there are several versions of it. The newest version is Windows 10.

Linux and Unix

Linux is an open-source OS, which means that its program code is freely available to program
developers. This is why thousands of programmers around the world have developed Linux, and it
is considered the most tested OS in the world. Linux has been largely influenced by the commercial
Unix OS.

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In addition to servers, Linux is widely used in home PCs, since there are a great number of free
programs (freeware) (for text and image processing, spreadsheets, publishing, etc.). Over the years,
many different versions of Linux have become available for distribution, most of which are free for
the user (such as Ubuntu, Fedora and Mint). Please see theadditional reading material for more
information on Linux.

Mac OS X
Apple’s Mac computers have their own operating system, OS X. Most of the same programs are
available for computers that use OS X as for PCs, but the exact same programs cannot be used in
these two types of computers: the Mac version of the Microsoft Office suite cannot be installed on a
Windows computer, for example. You can install other operating systems on Mac computers, but
the OS X operating system is only available for computers made by Apple. Apple’s lighter portable
devices (iPads, iPhones) use a light version of the same operating system, iOS.
Mac computers are popular because OS X is considered fast, easy to learn and very stable and
Apple’s devices are considered well-designed – although rather expensive. Please see the additional
reading material for more information on OS X.

Android
Android is an operating system designed for phones and other mobile devices. Android is not
available for desktop computers, but in mobile devices, it is an extremely popular operating system:
more than a half of all mobile devices in the world run on Android.

User interfaces
A user interface (UI) is the part of an operating system, program or device that the user uses to
input and receive data. A text user interface (TUI, see the image to the left below) shows text, and
its commands are usually written from the keyboard to the command line. The functions
of graphical user interfaces (GUI, right-hand image below) are carried out by clicking and moving
buttons, icons and menus with the mouse.

  
text UI | graphical UI
If you look closer at the above images, you will see that they contain the same information: the
directory list of one of the computer’s directories, so note that you can often carry out the same
tasks with a computer regardless of which kind of UI you are using.

Text user interface (TUI)

If you wish, you can use most operating systems with a text user interface. In this case, you will give
the commands as text (e.g. “cat tale.txt”), or by controlling the UI menus, scroll bars, and other
structures with the arrow keys and other keys.

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This demonstration will show you how to rename a file in a TUI: the example will show both
the ren (rename) and the dir (directory listing) commands.The use of a TUI does not differ very much
from a GUI (Graphical User Interface) controlled with e.g. a mouse (many TUIs mirror GUIs).

In Windows 7, you can access a command prompt by following this procedure: open theStart
menu and type cmd in its search field. Then press Enter on the keyboard to launch the command
prompt in a separate window. With the command prompt, you can type your commands from the
keyboard rather than using the mouse.

Graphical user interface (GUI)

Most operating systems have a graphical user interface, i.e. instead of writing commands  their use
is based on managing graphical objects (such as icons) with the help of e.g. a mouse. The basic
principle of GUIs is generally the same overall, so by knowing how to use a Windows UI, you will
most likely be able to use Linux, as well.
Most GUIs have the following basic components:
 a start menu with all the program groups
 a task bar showing the programs currently in use
 a desktop
 various icons and quick-launch icons.

Operating system management

The following issues are discussed on this page:
 Powering on and shutting down the computer
 Start menu, task bar and desktop
 Icons and Buttons
 Help and support functions

Powering on and off

The operating system (OS) should be turned on and off with care, so that no important information
is lost. Turning it on is simple in itself, but  if there are power-saving and other similar
functions in use, it is important that you know the basics of those functions. The following features
are available in most modern personal and laptop computers.
 Hibernation: A power saving mode developed especially for laptops. When the computer is
restarted after hibernation, all the programs will return to the state they were in when the
hibernation started. This means that the current record of the operating system is saved to
the hard drive when you set the computer to hibernate, so the computer can be restarted
quickly without reloading (rebooting) the whole operating system. Hibernation preserves as
much power as turning off the computer, so it does not drain the computer’s battery (in case
you are using a laptop computer). You can usually enter hibernation from the Start
menu and restart by pressing the power button of the computer.

 Standby, Sleep, Suspend: sets the computer in a state from which you can quickly return
to using open programs and files. Some power is expended in the standby state, but it is less
than with normal computer usage. The advantage of standby over hibernation is that it is
quicker to return to using the computer. Starting and ending the standby state is also done
through the Start menu.

For periods longer than a few hours (e.g. over night), it is recommendable to shut down the
computer entirely via the Shut down function. Accordingly, if the computer ‘freezes,’ it is always

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better to try and use the Restart function (from the Start menu) (please seesolutions to problem
situations for more information).

The start menu and the program groups

With the start menu (see image below), you can manage most of the computer’s functions, including
the following (items in brackets refer specifically to Windows 7):
 Start your favourite programs from the left-hand paragraph of the menu
 Start all programs installed on your computer from the program menu (All Programs)
 Go to your home directory (Documents), your image directory (Pictures) or your music
directory (Music)
 Go to different storage media on your computer (Computer)
 Change your computer settings through the control panel (Control Panel) (more
information about the operating system)
 Find and use different devices and resources in your network (Network)
 Administer available printers and devices (Devices and Printers)
 Select the default programs for music, e-mail, video and other files (Default programs)
 Read the manual and receive support for the operating system (Help and Support)
 Find files or folders on your computer (Search programs and files)
 Shut down the computer (Shut Down)
 Restart or  log off the computer (the functions are found behind the triangle-shaped icon
next to the Shut down icon.)

If you want to change which features and programs you can see in the start menu, click on Start
with your secondary mouse button, then select Properties from the menu that opens. Open the Start
menu tab and click on Customize. You can select the features you want to see in your start menu
from the window that opens. When you have finished, click on OK to continue.
The task bar

Among other things, the task bar shows which programs are currently running. You can alternate
between programs by clicking the button of the program you want. In the following image, the
programs running are the Mozilla Firefox browser and the graphics programPaint Shop Pro.

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You can permanently attach programs to the task bar by right-clicking it and choosing Pin this
program to taskbar from the opening menu.
At the right of the task bar – beside the clock – you will see the Notification Area, where, in
addition to the clock, you will see icons that tell you about the current state of some programs and
services. The example above, going left from the clock, shows the icon for the loudspeakers. By
double-clicking that, you can start the Volume Control program.

Desktop
When your computer operating system has loaded, you will see the Desktop on the screen. On the
desktop, you will usually find various icons for managing and starting different programs. The
desktops of different operating systems are usually slightly different graphically; below left shows a
Windows 7 desktop, below right shows a Linux (UHL RedHat) desktop.

  
 Windows desktop | Linux desktop

Depending on the settings and instalment, the desktop usually contains the following icons:
 a link to the storage folder for your own files (My Documents, Home etc): please note that
the folder itself may be located on the net rather than on the computer.
 the recycle bin: storage for discarded data.
 start icons for different programs: you can open programs from these icons. Please note
that you can add your own icons to the desktop. These icons, also known as shortcuts, can be
added in Windows 7 by “dragging” the icon you want with the mouse from the source
location (e.g. the Start menu) to the desktop.

Icons and shortcuts

In GUIs, icons are used to refer to files, folders, and other items. Icons are usually managed with the
mouse, and the appearance of the icon tells us what kind of icon it is; files and folders, for example,
have different dedicated icons (the icons presented here are from Windows 7).
Below, you will see the icons of two Folders; the left-hand one is a local folder, the right-hand one is
located on the server. By double-clicking the folder icon, the contents of the folder will open in a
new window.

Projects that you have saved (e.g. a set of slides) are saved as files on your computer. The file
content is shown by its icon and name. The following icons show some of the most common file
types and their icons. By double clicking a file icon, you will start the program that has been used to
create the contents of the file (please see file types for more information). This will open the file in
the program automatically.
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Programs – or rather, program files – also have their own icons, which are usually individually
dedicated. You can start the program by double clicking the program icon. You can see some
program icons below.

Programs installed on the computer often create a shortcut icon on the desktop, making it easier to
start and find the program.
The shortcut is not the original file, nor a copy of it, but rather a link to a program file located
elsewhere. If you remove the shortcut, nothing will happen to the program it is linked to.

You will recognize a shortcut from the arrow symbol in the bottom left corner of the icon (see
above). By double-clicking the shortcut, the item linked to it will open up.

Buttons
When using different programs, you will often be required to confirm the choices you have made.
For this end, the dialog boxes of the programs contain buttons with which to confirm your choice.
The buttons OK and Cancel come up for most actions, but the dialog box also often shows an Apply
button as shown below. By clicking this button, you will see what clicking OK would result in, so
you could say Apply is a sort of preview function.

The button alternatives of different dialog boxes often vary a bit. Below is an example of a dialog
box without the Apply function mentioned above. Instead, the program offers the user a Help
function.

Help and Support in Windows

You can open the support function in Windows by clicking Help and Support in the Startmenu.
Alternatively, you can press the F1 key while you are on the desktop. A window like the one shown
in the image below will open up. If you click on the headers in the window, the program will open
more detailed headers on the subject you have chosen. Click on the subject you want to know more
about. You can also search for a topic by writing a search term into the Search Help window and
clicking on the button with a magnifying glass on the right.

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Another way to search for instructions is to use the directory feature; click on the Browse Help
Topics button (see image below). Now you can browse various instructions that are ordered
according to topic. The sub-titles of the instructions will be shown along the left-hand side of the
window, where you can select the topic you are interested in.

Operating system settings

Generally, computers work like you want them to, but with multi-user ‘public computers,’ you may
find that the computer settings are ‘messed up’ after another user has been using it. In this
situation, if you do not know how to change the settings the way you want them, it is possible that
you cannot use the computer at all! This is why it is important to know how to change the most
basic settings. This section will discuss the following settings:
 Date and time
 Regional and language options
 Display settings
 Volume control

Managing operating-system settings

Most computer settings are made through the control panel of the operating system. The following
examples are from the control panel of the Windows OS. You can open it by selecting Control Panel
from the Start menu. This will open up the control panel on the display, and you can select the
setting (e.g. date, display, language etc.) you want to change from this panel.
The image below pictures how the functions are listed according to topic in the operating system
Windows 7’s Control Panel, and each topic’s most common functions are found under the front
page’s headers. By clicking each header row, more functions and settings are shown.
 network connection (wireless and local area network and other networks)
 programs (you can add and remove programs, for example)
 security and software updates
 computer user accounts

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Date and time
The correct date and time settings are important in order for the computer to work correctly. If the
settings are wrong, you can run into the following problems, for example:
 the computer’s virus protection program does not work as it should
 you may replace a file with its older version with the same name by mistake
 searching for files according to the date they were created does not work
 you cannot be sure which of several files is the latest (e.g. in case you have named your pro-
seminar essays ‘prose.doc,’ ‘pros.doc,’ and ‘semi.doc.’
When you change the date and time settings on your computer, you will also automatically affect
the settings of programs on your computer.
You can access the date settings by clicking the Date and Time icon on the
task bar down to the right. Click the text Change date and time settings in
the opening window in order to receive a menu where you can change the
OS’s time and date settings.

Regional and language settings

You can also change the regional settings for the operating system and applications. This will
change e.g. numerical and money units, as well as how date and time are displayed.
In Windows 7, you can change these settings by clicking Clock, Language
and region in the control panel.  Select Change the date, time, or number
format. This will open the menu window seen to the left. The numerical
units affect how numbers are written in spreadsheets, for example.
Sometimes the settings specify that decimals are separated by a point. You
can change that to a comma by clicking the Additional settings button.

Display settings
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The appearance of your operating system depends on its settings. The image may be e.g. very good
or extremely poor. Since the previous user may have set the display settings incorrectly (e.g. the
picture resolution may be incorrect, in which case the picture looks fuzzy), it will be useful for you
to know how to set the display according to your needs.
By changing your operating system settings, you can affect e.g. the resolution, font size and power-
management settings of the display. The following images (you can enlarge the images by clicking
them) show the most important display settings in Windows 7. You can access them by clicking on
the Appearance and Personalization icon in the control panel:
By selecting Change Screen Saver, you can specify screen-saver and power-
management settings. You can improve the battery life of a portable
computer, for example, by specifying it to use power-saving settings with
the Power feature.

If you select Windows Color and Appearance, you can change the

appearance (fonts, colours and size) of window elements. You can select the
style among ready-made themes in the Color scheme list. To modify
appearances one element at a time, click on Advanced. This will open a
window where you can change the appearance of the windows to your
liking, one part at a time.

Under the header Display you will find the most important settings of the
display. This view contains specification of e.g. the display resolution
(Adjust resolution), which is measured in vertical and horizontal pixels. The
display resolution may be e.g. 1920×1080; this means that the image
consists of 1920 pixels horizontally and 1080 pixels vertically.

All displays have a so-called native resolution, i.e. a certain pre-set resolution that gives the best,
sharpest image in that display. The typical resolution in modern desktop displays is 1920×1080,
or Full HD. Laptop  displays may have smaller resolutions. You can find the native resolution of
your display by referring to its user manual.
You can change the resolution by moving the Resolution slider to the setting you want. The larger
the number you choose, the more well-defined but smaller will the elements on the screen be
(please also note that different programs have their own zoom features that are separate from this
setting). You can also change the number of colours your display uses: depending on computer,
display and operating system, the number of colours can vary from a few hundred up to several
million.

Volume control
In order to listen to web files and other material e.g. in connection with your studies, your
computer needs to be connected with loudspeakers or headphones.  Most loudspeakers have their
own button for volume control and power, so before adjusting the volume settings of your
operating system, you had better check those of the loudspeakers.
The following example shows the volume control window of Windows 7, which allows you to
change the settings for volume and sound. The easiest way to open this window is to click on the
loudspeaker icon on the right in the taskbar and select Mixer from the window that opens. You can
also often control the sound settings from your keyboard.

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 It usually makes more sense to set the volume at the positions shown in the
picture, rather than at the extremes, so that the sound can be heard on the
headphones, but it does not ‘break’ because it is too loud. Please also note
theMute icons; if you select one of them, the computer will mute that sound
source completely.

Installing and removing programs

An enormous amount of software is available online. Some of this software is completely free of
charge (also known as freeware), while others are offered free of charge for a specifictrial period.
After the trial period, you have to pay to use the software. A third model, especially popular in
mobile games, is the so-called freemium model in which you can pay to get access to useful
additional functions.
Free software and commercial software are available from the University of Helsinki download
centre and from various download services, such as download.cnet.com. In addition, there are a
great deal of commercial programs that you can buy either directly from the developers or from
shops that specialize in this kind of merchandise.
Please note that program files downloaded from the internet may contain various malware
(malicious programs), so only load programs from sites you trust (like the university’s program
distribution) and always check the files you have loaded with a virus-checker before opening them
(please see anti-virus for more information).
Installing a program
Programs are usually installed from a disk or by downloading from the internet. When installing
from a DVD, the install program usually starts automatically when the disk is inserted into the
computer’s DVD drive. In that case, follow the instructions the program gives you. If you are
downloading a program from the internet, save it to a temporary folder first. When the file is
downloaded, you can start the installation by double-clicking the installation file in the folder you
have saved it. When you have installed the main program, the install program is usually
unnecessary, so you can delete the install program after successfully installing the main program.
Usually, the install programs of different programs will guide you through the install procedure, so
installing a program is really quite easy. Please note, though, that before installing a new program,
you should make sure that there is enough space left on your hard drive. If there is enough free
space, you should not have any problems installing the program.

In Windows 7, you can check how much free space there is on your hard drive as follows: double-click
on Computer in the Start menu. The opening window shows your the disk space available on the
storage devices in your computer both in numbers and as a horizontal bar: the blue part shows the
space in use and the white part free space left (see the example image below).

Removing a program

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You should always remove installed programs in a controlled manner. In Windows 7, for example, it
is usually done in one of the two following ways:
 The program’s own uninstall function: you will typically find this function in the program’s
own folder under the Start menu.
 The Uninstall a program function in the control panel: this function will show you most of
the programs installed on your computer.
If you use one of the above methods, you will mostly be able to control the removal of programs. Do
not remove programs by deleting the program folder from the hard drive by hand; this method
does not usually remove the program completely, but leaves traces of it in the operating system and
can often impede the use of your computer. Please also remember that removing shortcuts from
your desktop or program icons from the start menu will not remove the program itself, only its
icon. Removing a shortcut will leave the program intact on your computer.

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 NETWORKING
What is a Network

The word network can be used to describe a very large and complicated set of equipment. In its
most accurate and simplest definition a network refers to the cables and electronic components
that amplify the signals going through the cables. The amplifying equipment is necessary to ensure
accurate communication and make the signal stronger if it needs to go long distances.
In a network, computers and other (optional) devices are connected to share resources. When a
computer or device A is requesting a resource from another computer or device B, the item A is
referred to as a client. Because all or most items that are part of a network live in association or
cooperation, almost any one of them can be referred to as a client. Based on this, there can be
different types of clients.

A workstation is a computer on which a person performs everyday regular assignments. A

workstation is primarily a personal computer (PC). It can also be a laptop.   Almost any modern
PC can be used as a workstation and participate to a network.

Before building a computer network, you should plan it. In some cases, you may want to use one
or more computers you already have, or you are can purchase new computers.

Introduction to the Computers of a Network

If you already have one or more computers that you plan to use as workstations, you can start by
checking the hardware parts installed in the computer. As mentioned already, you can use use
existing computers or purchase new ones.
The computers used in a network must meet some requirements. The system requirements
depend on the (type of) operating system (we will come back to operating systems in another
section). For our network, we will use computers that run Microsoft Windows 7.  At the time of
this writing, the system requirements for Microsoft Windows 7 can be found
at http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/system-requirements.

Using Barebone Computers

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 A computer is referred to as "barebone" if it is built almost from scratch by assembling its parts.
You can build your own computer or you can purchase one. Before starting, get a list of the
hardware requirements the computer should have.
You can purchase or acquire a computer with all parts or only some parts. To get this type of
computers:
 You can purchase parts separately and assemble them
 You can shop in a web store that sells "barebone" kits (Tiger Direct and Amazon have them)
After getting the parts, you must assembly them appropriately and make sure the computer can
boot and present you with a BIOS screen. After assembling the computer, you will have to install
the operating system, which you will have to acquire separately.

Computer Accessories and Peripherals

 
Keyboard and Mouse
When using a computer, there are different ways you can control it. The primary accessories
used to perform routine operations are the keyboard and the mouse. If you are using an existing
computers for your network and if either the mouse, the keyboard, or both of these items are
missing or not functioning, you should get or replace the failing one(s).
If you are building your own computer or are acquiring a barebone, make sure you purchase a
keyboard and a mouse for the computer.
There are also wireless keyboards and mice. If you purchase them, they come with easy-to-follow
instructions to install and configure them. Our advice is that you still should always have a PS/2
keyboard and mouse with you.

Monitors
A monitor is a display that a user looks at when performing daily assignments:

To use a monitor, a computer must have an appropriate port in the

back. Most computers have a blue port that has 15 small holes:

A cable is used to connect the monitor to the computer:

You can buy a monitor from a computer store or from a web store.
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 When purchasing a monitor, keep in mind that users may stare at it
all day long. You should put as much care as possible when acquiring
one.

If you are using an existing computer, it may have a monitor attached

to it already. You can still replace it if you want.
If you are using a barebone computer, make sure you separately purchase a monitor and attach it
to it. It is usually easy to connect a monitor to a computer. It uses a unique connector usually in
the back of the computer.
While most people use only one monitor, many other people need at least two monitors attached
to the computer. In this case, the computer can two ports built-in. In most cases, you have to
purchase a video card that has the number of ports you want. Here is an example:

After getting the card, you must install it by shutting down the computer, opening the computer,
and inserting the card in an appropriate slot. In most cases, the installation is very easy because,
after inserting the car and turning on the computer, the machine should recognize the card. You
have the choice of replicating the same view on both monitors or showing a different view on
each monitor.
Printers
If you want you (or your users) want to be able to print, you can use an existing printer or
purchase a new one. The simplest printers will be attached to one computer and "shared" to
allow other computers to access it. Many printers used nowadays in a home or small network are
wireless, which means they don't use cable to connect to the network. If you want to use such a
printer, first purchase and the installation is usually easy.

Broader Definition:

When many people talk about a network, they are talking about a network using a very broad
concept. For instance if someone cannot get to their email, they may say "the network is down".
Likewise they may say this if they cannot surf the internet or get to their files. They may not stop to
think that in each specific instance there is a single piece of equipment that may provide the
capability which they are trying to use.

Most people who work on a corporate or organizational network think about the network in
component parts. The three main parts are:

 The cabling and amplifiers mentioned in the first paragraph.

 The workstations which most members of the organization use to access resources.
 Higher powered computers called servers - These are the machines that provide what

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 network administrators call services. Services include the functions that most people try to
use such as email, reading and writing files, printing, and getting to the internet. Whenever
a user is trying to do something on the network, there is a service or machine providing the
capability to do so. This even includes times when someone is trying to get to network
resources from their home.

Services

Services include:

 Email service
 File service - Allows users to use and share file space on a computer with a lot of file space.
 Print service - Allows printing to printers connected on the network.
 Web surfing - Allowing someone to open web pages and see web sites on the internet.
 Filtering out undesired sites on the internet.
 Allowing someone to access the network from the outside (from home).
 Updating virus definitions on workstations.
 Allowing someone to log onto the network.
 Even giving a workstation an address on the network is a service. If your computer does not
have an address, it cannot access the internet or any other resource on the network.

A Typical Network

A typical corporate or organizational network is shown below:

Of
course there are variations on this network layout and some details have been left out for the sake
of simplicity but this drawing should give you some idea about what goes on behind the scene on

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The firewall is the device that protects all computers in the network from many attacks. It allows
some types of network traffic into the network from the outside, but usually only for mail or web
services. Usually the internet traffic that that is allowed to come into the network is routed to the
part of the network labeled "DMZ" on the right side of the diagram. DMZ stands for demilitarized
zone and is also called a semi-private network. In this DMZ is a web server which is used to allow
people surfing on the internet to see web pages posted by the organization. A mail server is also
shown in the DMZ but this could be replaced by a mail relay server while the mail server is placed
inside the private network. The mail relay server would forward mail traffic from the outside to the
mail server. This would increase the security of the network since a direct connection from the
internet to the mail server would not be allowed.

The private network is of course the most secure part of the network. There are several servers on
this network including:

 A login server (called a domain controller) which controls everyones permissions and
access to the network resources such as files. Without this server, they cannot login to the
network.
 An address server (called a DHCP server) which provides addresses to computers on the
network so they can communicate as discussed earlier.
 A file server which provides common files and a private folder for users.
 A remote access server which allows users to connect to the network by telephone from the
outside.

Also the workstations are part of this network.

Conclusion

Knowing the above information, if someone cannot get their mail, they may think the network is
down. This is not likely to be the case. The mail server may be down but the network is not likely to
be down. The same goes for when someone can't surf the web. There may be a problem with the
firewall or the line connecting to the internet, but it is unlikely that the whold netwlrk is down.
When problems are noticed it is best for the user to describe what they were trying to do and what
happened

Network Distribution
 
Introduction

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 Building a network consists partly of connecting the computers:

Besides the computers, you will use other objects.

Network Cables
Cable is used to connect computers. Although we may use wireless
networking, you should always have cables with you. The most
commonly used cable is referred to as Category 5 cable RJ-45. The
ends of the cable appear as follows:

They can be in different colors:

You can purchase this cable from a general store, a computer

store, or web store on the Internet. When purchasing it, get one
with at least 6ft.

Introduction to Network Distributors

We mentioned that you could connect one computer to another. This can be done using their
serial ports:

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 This is possible because almost every computer has a serial port. If you have to connect many
computers to produce a network, this serial connection would not be practical. The solution is to
use a central object that the computers and other resources can connect to, and then this object
becomes responsible to “distribute” or manage network traffic:

The most regularly used types of network

distributors are the hub, the router, and the
switch.

A hub is rectangular box that is used as the central object on which computers and other devices
are connected. To make this possible, a hub is equipped with small holes called ports. Here is an
example of a hub:

Although this appears with 4 ports, depending on its type,

a hub can be equipped with 4, 5, 12, or more ports. Here is
an example of a hub with 8 ports:

When configuring it, you connect an RJ-45 cable from the network card of a computer to one port
of the hub.
In most cases for a home-based or a small business network, you may not need (or shouldn't use)
a hub.
Routers: Wired or Wireless
Like a hub, a router is another type of device that acts as the central point among computers and
other devices that are part of a network. Here is an example of a wired router:

A router functions a little differently than a hub. In fact, a

router can be considered a little "intelligent" than the hub.

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 Like a hub, the computers and other devices are connected to a router using network cables. To
make this possible, a router is equipped with holes, called ports, in the back. Here is an example:

Based on advances in the previous years from IEEE and other

organizations or research companies, there are wireless
routers. With this type, the computers and devices connect to
the router using microwaves (no physical cable).

Wired Network Cards: Internal

In order to connect to a network, a computer must be equipped with a device called a network
card. A network card, or a network adapter, also called a network interface card, or NIC, allows a
computer to connect to the exterior. If you buy a computer from one of those popular stores or
big companies on the Internet, most of their computers have a network card tested and ready.
You can reliably use it. If you go to a store that sells or manufactures computers, you can ask them
to install or make sure that the computer has a network card.
If you have a computer that doesn’t have a network card, you can install one. If you have a
computer that already has a network card, you can still replace it.
When it comes to their installation, there are roughly two categories of network cards: internal
and external. An internal network card looks like a printed circuit board with some objects
"attached" or "glued" to it and it appears as follows:

What this card looks like may not be particularly important and
it may depend on the manufacturer but some of its aspects are
particularly important. To start, there are two types of cards and
you should know which one is suited (or which one you want to
use) for your computer. One type of NICs uses a peripheral
component interconnect (PCI) connection. Another type uses
industry standard architecture (ISA).
There are two primary ways you replace an internal network card. In most cases, you will remove
the card your computer already has and install a new one. In some other cases, you will only add
a new card but you cannot replace the existing one because it is part of the motherboard. The
area where you add a network card is called a slot.
To proceed, you must find out what your computer has to offer when it comes to network cards.
To do this, you have three main alternatives.  You can open the computer and examine the
available slots of your computer. They are usually located inside of what would be considered as
the back wall of the computer. If you know where you connect the monitor, you should be able to
locate the area that has the slots. Unfortunately, unless you have experience with this, simply
looking at the slots will not tell you what type of connection you are dealing with.
The second alternative is to open the manual that came with your computer (provided you
haven’t thrown it away). The manual usually lists the (types of) slots that your computer
provides and where they are located.

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 The last alternative to knowing the types of slots that your computer provides is to contact the
company that sold you the computer. They usually know, as long as you give them the model of
the computer.
Once you know the type of slot available to you, you can go on the Internet or to a computer store
and buy an appropriate network card. One of the most important characteristics of a network
card is the speed it can use to carry information (data). The speeds are either 10 or 100Mbps
(megabits per second). When buying a network card, you should pay attention to this.
Your computer manufacturer also may sell network cards intended for your computer.
After buying a network card intended for internal installation, you can/must install it. The
network card should come with a manual and all (easy to follow) instructions. You can also install
the network card after setting up the computer, which we will cover in another section.

Wired Network Cards: External

We mentioned that a network card could also be used or installed externally. This can be done
using USB. Before using it, you can purchase it from a computer store or a web store. The device
may look like this:

Wireless Network Cards

Depending on your network budget or your customer's, instead of using wired network cards,
you can use wireless ones. Most laptops already have a wireless card built-in so you may not have
to acquire one. Many new desktop computers (from HP) now have built-in wireless capability.
A wireless NIC appears as its wired counterpart. Here are two examples:
Overall, the physical installation of a wireless network card follows the same rules as that of a
wired NIC. They normally come with easy to follow instructions but it may be a good idea to
install the wireless network adapters after installing the wireless router. Also, it may be a good
idea to purchase the network cards and the wireless router from the same manufacturer.
Most desktop computers (workstations) come without a wireless network card. If you purchase a
computer from one of the big companies on the Internet, you can choose to have it shipped with a
wireless NIC. Some companies may propose to install it before shipping the computer. If you buy
a computer from a store and if you want to use wireless networking, you can buy a wireless
network card separately. As stated already, a wireless network card is not particularly difficult to
install.
Besides the wireless network cards that can be installed inside the computer, you can use
external cards. These are installed using a USB port. Here is an example of a USB adapter:

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 These adapters, like most USB objects, are
easy to connect and use. Like the other
hardware parts, when you connect these, the
computer detects them and helps you get
them ready for use.
Unlike desktop computers, most laptops
nowadays come equipped with a wireless network card (in
fact most laptops today ship with both a wired and a
wireless adapters). This means that, after purchasing or
acquiring a laptop, you should simply check whether it has a
wireless adapter. The way you check this depends on the
laptop. Therefore, check its documentation.

Configure TCP/IP Settings

 
You are a network technician for a small corporate network. You need to re-configure the
local area connection for an employee's computer.  It is currently set to obtain
automatically and you need to set a static address. 
 
Equipment:
        Windows 7 Workstation
Your task in this lab is to do the following:
        Open the command prompt by typing in cmd in the Run box.
        Type ipconfig /all 
        Record the IP Address, Subnet Mask, Default Gateway, and DNS Server.
        Configure the Local Area Connection's TCP/IP version 4 properties.
o  Set the IP Address.
o  Set the Subnet Mask.
o  Set the Default Gateway.
o  Set the DNS Server.
        Click OK and then show your Instructor.

Install a Cable in the Patch Panel

 

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You are a network technician for a small corporate network. You recently had a new office setup and you
need to run a cable to that office.  You will need to make a patch panel cable running to that location and also
make a patch cable to connect that cable to the switch.  
 
Equipment:
 Cable Rack
 Cat 5e Cable
 Punch down block
 Two RJ-45 Connectors
Your task in this lab is to:
 Install a cable in the next available patch panel.
o Punch down the cable into the patch panel using the T568A color code.
o Run the cable over half the rack and let it hang 2 feet down.
o Punch down the punch down block using the T568A color code.
 Make a patch cable no longer than 15 inches to connect the patch panel to the switch.
 Show your Instructor when finished.

Setup a SOHO Network

 
You are a network technician for a small corporate network.  You are required to get some
information off of an employee’s older computer and copy it to new computer.  You are
located at a remote site without access to the internet or any USB devices. Your goal is to
connect the two computers together with a switch and set them on the same network to
move the files.
 
Equipment:
        Two Windows 7 Workstations
        Switch
        Network Cable
        RJ-45 Connectors
        Cable Tester
Your task in this lab is to:
        Create two 6ft Straight-through cables.
        Connect the two computers to the switch with the straight-through cables.
        Setup both computers on the same network by configuring their IP Addresses.
o  Set them both on the 192.168.105.0 Network with a default Class C Subnet
Mask.
        Create a folder called "Share" on the C drive of the one computer.
        Right Click on the folder and go to Properties.
        Click on the Share tab and share the folder.
        Go to Start > Computer and then click on Network.
        Locate both computers in the Network folder and find the one with the shared
folder.
        Show your Instructor. 

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 Setup Network Closet
 
You are a network technician for a small corporate network.  You are required to setup a
small network closet for a new business.  The network closet will require a router, switch,
and a wireless access point.  It will also contain the company’s server and network printer.
 
Equipment:
 Network Rack
 Server
 Monitor
 Network Printer
 Mouse
 Keyboard
 Rack Mountable UPS
 Router
 Switch
 Wireless Access Point
 VGA Cable
 6 Power Cords  
 Cisco Console Cable
 Network Cable Making Supplies
Your task in this lab is to:
 Install the Rack Mountable UPS below the fans in the Network Rack.
o Run the power cable out of the top of the Network Rack.
 Install the Router below the UPS.
o Install the Cisco Console Cable in to the Console port on the router.
o Install the other end in the serial port on the server.
o Plug the power cord into the UPS.
 Install the Wireless Access Point on top of the Network Rack.
o Plug the power cord into the UPS.
 Install the Switch below the Router.
o Make a straight through cable that connects to the Router and Port 1.
o Make a straight through cable that connects to the Server and Port 2.
o Make a straight through cable that connects to the WAP and Port 3.
o Make a straight through cable that connects to the Printer and Port 4.
o Plug the power cord into the UPS.
 Setup the Server.
o Install the Monitor with the VGA cable.
o Plug the Monitor into the UPS.
o Install the Mouse.
o Install the Keyboard.
o Plug the power cord into the UPS.
 Install the Printer.
o Plug the power cord into the UPS.

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 Install Windows Server 2008
 
You are a network technician for a small corporate network.  You have just setup the
network closet. You are required to install Windows Server 2008 on the server in your
network closet.  You have been tasked to run the initial install of Windows Sever 2008 and
configure the server.
 
Equipment:
 Network Closet
 Windows Server 2008 DVD
Your task in this lab is to:
 Install Windows Server 2008
o Press F12 for Boot Menu and Select the DVD drive.
o Press any key to boot from the DVD.
o Select the English language and click next.
o Click Install Now.
o Select Windows Server 2008 Standard (full edition) and click next.
o Accept the license and terms.
o Click Custom Install.
o Use the drive options to delete all the partitions on the Server and click next.
o Set Administrator password to F@1c0n$.
o Set to correct Time Zone.
o Set the computer name to YourName-Server.
 Set the IP address of the Server to 192.168.0.10.
 Set to the correct Subnet Mask.
 Set the Default Gateway to 192.168.0.5.
 Show your Instructor when finished.

Connect Two PCs with a Cross-over Cable

 
You are a network technician for a small corporate network.  You are required to get some
information off of an employee’s older computer and copy it to new computer.  You are
located at a remote site without access to the internet or any USB devices.  Your goal is to
connect the two computers together with a crossover cable and set them on the same
network to move the files.
 
Equipment:
         Two Windows 7 Workstations
         Network Cable
         RJ-45 Connectors
Your task in this lab is to:
         Create a 5ft Cross-over cable.
         Connect the two computers together with the cable.
         Setup both computers on the same network by configuring their IP Addresses.
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 o   Set them both on the 192.168.105.0 Network with a default Class C Subnet
Mask.
        Create a folder called "Share" on the C drive of the one computer.
        Right Click on the folder and go to Properties.
        Click on the Share tab and share the folder.
        Go to Start > Computer and then click on Network.
        Locate both computers in the Network folder and find the one with the shared
folder.
        Show your Instructor.

IP Addressing Overview
Introduction
This lab will help you develop an understanding of IP addresses and how TCP/IP networks
operate. IP addresses are used to uniquely identify individual TCP/IP networks and hosts
(computers and printers) on those network in order for devices to communicate. Workstations
and servers on a TCP/IP network are called "HOSTS" and each will have a unique IP address
which is referred to as its "HOST" address. TCP/IP is the most widely used protocol in the
world. The Internet or World Wide Web uses only IP addressing. In order for a host to access
the Internet, it must have an IP address.
In its basic form, the IP address has two parts; a Network Address and a Host Address. The
network portion of the IP address is assigned to a company or organization by the Internet
Network Information Center (InterNIC). Routers use the IP address to move data packets
between networks. IP Addresses are 32 bits long (with current version IPv4) and are divided
into 4 octets of 8 bits each. They operate at the network layer, Layer 3 of the OSI model, (the
Internetwork Layer of the TCP/IP model) and are assigned statically (manually) by a network
administrator or dynamically (automatically) by a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
(DHCP) Server. The IP address of a workstation (host) is a "logical address" meaning it can be
changed. The MAC address of the workstation is a 48-bit "physical address" which is burned
into the NIC and cannot change unless the NIC is replaced. The combination of the logical IP
address and the physical MAC address help route packets to their proper destination.
There are 5 different classes of IP addresses and depending on the class, the network and
host part of the address will use a different number of bits. In this lab you will work with the
different classes of IP addresses and become familiar with the characteristics of each. The
understanding of IP addresses is critical to your understanding of TCP/IP and Internetworks in
general.
 
Review IP Address Classes and Their Characteristics
There are 5 classes of IP addresses (A thru E). Only the first 3 classes are used commercially.
We will discuss a class A network address in the table to get started. The first column is the
class of IP address. The second column is the first octet which must fall within the range shown
for a given class of address. The class A address must start with a number between 1 and 126.
The first bit of a class "A" address is always a zero meaning the High Order Bit (HOB) or the 128
bit cannot be used. 127 is reserved for loop back testing. The first octet alone defines the
network ID for a class A network address. The default subnet mask uses all binary ones
(decimal 255) to mask the first 8 bits of the class A address. The default subnet mask helps
routers and hosts determine if the destination host is on this network or another one. Since
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there are only 126 class A networks, the remaining 24 bits (3 octets) can be used for hosts. Each
class A network can have 2^24 power (2 to the 24th power) or over 16 million hosts.
The network or host or host portion of the address can not be all ones or all zeros. As an
example, the class A address of 118.0.0.5 is a valid IP address since the network portion (first
eight bits equal to 118) is not all zeros and the host portion (the last 24 bits) is not all zeros or
all ones. If the host portion were all zeros it would be the network address itself. If the host
portion were all 1's it would be a broadcast for the network address. The value of any octet can
never be greater than decimal 255 or binary 11111111.
Cls 1st 1st Network / Default Number of Hosts per
Octet Octet Host ID Subnet Mask Networks Network(usable
Decima High (N=Network addresses)
l Range Order , H=Host)
Bits
A 1 – 126* 0 N.H.H.H 255.0.0.0 126 (27 – 2) 16,777,214 (2 24 – 2)
14
B 128 – 10 N.N.H.H 255.255.0.0 16,382 (2  - 2) 65,534 (2 16 – 2)
191
C 192 – 110 N.N.N.H 255.255.255.0 2,097,150 (221 – 2) 254 (2 8 – 2)
223
D 224 – 1 1 1 0 Reserved for Multicasting
239
E 240 – 1 1 1 1 0 Experimental, used for research
254
* Class A address 127 cannot be used and is reserved for loopback and diagnostic functions
 
 
Equipment:
         Windows 7 Workstation
Your task in this lab is to:
         Print out the attached PDF file.  --->  IP Addressing Overview
         Answer all of the questions on the PDF file.
         Turn in the completed PDF file to your instructor. 

Setup and Install a Network Printer

 
You are a network technician for a small corporate network.  You have just setup the
network closet. You now need to install a Network printer to the existing network
closet.  The printer should already be physically installed. You just need to set it up on the
network for other users to print to it.
 
Equipment:
 Network Closet
Your task in this lab is to:
 Navigate through the screen on the printer to the TCP/IP Network settings.
o Set the IP address of the Printer to 192.168.0.15.
o Set the correct Subnet Mask for the network.
o Set the Default Gateway to 192.168.0.5.

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 o Activate the Printer's TCP/IP Settings.
 Press the power button on the back of the printer to power it off and back on.
 Ping the new IP Address o f the printer when it is ready.
 Click Start, Control Panel, then Devices and Printers.
 Click Add a Printer at the top. This will open the Add a Printer wizard.
o Select Add a Local Printer
o Select the Create a New Port option for connecting the new printer.
o Select the Standard TCP/IP Port option in the drop down Box.
o Click Next.
o Type in the printer’s IP address and click Next.
o Select the manufacture and correct model from the menu.
o Give the printer a unique name.
o Do not share the printer and Finish the installation.
o

Setup a DHCP Server

 
You are a network technician for a small corporate network. You want to use DHCP to
provide TCP/IP address information to the workstations in the network. Because you
already have a Windows Server 2008 R2 server installed and running in the Network
Closet rack, you decide to use it as the DHCP server.
 
Equipment:
        Network Wiring Closet
        Laptop
        Network Cable
Your task in this lab is to do the following:
 Add the DHCP Role
o Go to the Start Menu and click on Server Manager.
o In Server Manager click on Roles.
o Then click Add Roles.
o Read the Before you begin, click check box next to Skip this page by default, and
click Next.
o Check DHCP and click Next.
 Read the Introduction to DHCP Server and click Next.
 Set the Parent Domain to CompNet.
 Set Preferred DNS Server IPv4 Address to 192.168.0.10 and click Next.
 Check WINS is not required for applications on this network and click Next.
 Click Add to add a new DHCP Scope.
o Scope Name: Subnet
o Starting IP Address: 192.168.0.20
o Ending IP Address: 192.168.0.50
o Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0
o Default Gateway: 192.168.0.5
o Click OK.
 Click Enable DHCPv6 stateless mode for this server and click Next.

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  Click Next on the IPv6 DNS Settings.
 Click Install.
 On a laptop, confirm the DHCP scope settings by configuring the local area connection to
obtain its IP and DNS addresses automatically from the DHCP server.
 Plug the laptop into the Switch in the Network Closet
 Verify the laptop has a valid IP Address in the scope of the DHCP Server by using ipconfig.

Setup a DNS Server

 
You are a network technician for a small corporate network. You want to use setup DNS on
your network. Because you already have a Windows Server 2008 R2 server installed and
running in the Network Closet rack, you decide to use it as the DNS server.
 
Equipment:
        Network Wiring Closet
Your task in this lab is to do the following:
        Add the DNS Server role.
        Open the DNS Management tool
        Setup a Forward Lookup Zone
o  Right click on Forward Lookup Zone and select New Zone…
o  Select Primary zone.
o  Give the zone a name. Use Yourname.com for the name.
o  Use the Default file name for the zone.
o  Choose Do not allow dynamic updates.
o  Click Finish.
        Setup a Reverse Lookup Zone
o  Right click on Reverse Lookup Zone and select New Zone…
o  Select Primary zone.
o  Select IPv4 Reverse Lookup Zone.
o  Set the zone name under the Network ID to 192.168.0.
o  Use the Default file name for the zone.
o  Choose Do not allow dynamic updates.
o  Click Finish.

Configure a Router’s IP Address

 
You are a network technician for a small corporate network. You want to use setup the
Router’s IP Address on your network. You will need to use a terminal program to
communicate with the router to type in route configurations.  Your goal will be to set the
Router’s IP address on the FastEthernet 0/0 interface to 192.168.0.5 and activate the
interface.
 
Equipment:
 Network Wiring Closet
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Your task in this lab:
 Make sure the Cisco Console Cable is correctly connected in the wiring closet.
 Install Putty from the software USB.
o Locate the software USB.
o Drag the Putty program to the desktop.
 Open the Putty program.
o Under Connection Type select Serial.
o Make sure the Serial line says COM1 and the Speed is set to 9600.
o Click Open.
 The Terminal window will open up
o Press Enter to get started.
o Type enable.
o Type configure terminal to enter into the router configuration.
o Type interface FastEthernet 0/0 to configure that interface.
o Type ip address 192.168.0.5 255.255.255.0 to set the address.
o Type no shutdown to bring the interface up.
o Type end.
o Type show run interface FastEthernet 0/0 to verify your configuration.
 Show your instructor.
 Type exit and shutdown the workstation.  

Share an Internet Connection

 
You are helping a friend in college with his network connection. The dormitory where he
lives has a 1000BaseT Ethernet network connection to the Internet. He would like to share
his internet connection with his roommate. He doesn't want to purchase a hub or router
right now. He has a computer which has two network adapters. One of the adapters is
currently connected to the Internet.
 
Equipment:
         Windows 7 Workstation with 2 network adapters
         Windows 7 Workstation
         Network Cable
Your task in this lab is to:
         Connect the computers together using the appropriate cable for a network
connection.
         Share the Internet connection to the other workstation.
         Verify the 192.168.137 address on the second computer and show your instructor.

Setup a Wireless Router

 
You are a network technician for a small corporate network. Several employees need to use
authorized laptops while they are in the office. To permit a connection between the laptops
and the wired network and the Internet, you need to create a wireless network.
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Equipment:
        Windows 7 Workstation
        Laptop
        Wireless Router
        Network Cable
Complete the following tasks:
        Install the Wireless Router to the network and the workstation.
        Locate the Default Gateway to connect to the Wireless Router.
        Change the SSID to name of your choice.
        Setup Encryption on the Wireless Network.
        Change the Router’s Administrator password.
        To Verify the Wireless has been setup correctly, connect a laptop to the wireless
network.

Setup a Wireless Access Point

 
You are a network technician for a small corporate network and you want to setup a
Wireless Access Point to your existing network. You choose to add it to the Network Wiring
Closet because it is in the center of the office.
 
Equipment:
        Network Wiring Closet
        Wireless Access Point
       Laptop
Your task in this lab is to do the following:
        Setup the Access Point to connect to your current Network.
o  Connect the Access Point to another PC and set the PC to 192.168.1.# network.
o  Type 192.168.1.245 into a web browser to configure the access point.
 Username: admin
 Password: admin
o  Change the IP address to 192.168.0.245 and the Default Gateway to your
networks address.
o  Save and exit.
        Install the Wireless Access Point on top of the Network Wiring Closet.
        Connect the Wireless Access Point to the Switch.
        Type 192.168.0.245 into a web browser to configure the access point.
o  Name the Access Point Device Name “Your Name”.
o  Name the SSID “Your Name”.
o  Setup encrytption to WPA “0123456789”
o  Set administrator password to “falcon”.
        Use a laptop to verify you can connect to the access point.

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 Configure a Remote Access Server
 
You are a network technician for a small corporate network and you want to setup Remote
Access. Because you already have a Windows Server 2008 R2 server installed and running
in the Network Closet rack, you decide to use it as the Remote Access server to allow users
to connect remotely.
 
Equipment:
        Network Wiring Closet
Your task in this lab is to do the following:
        Add Network Policy and Access Services role.
        Select Routing and Remote Access Services and check both Remote Access
Service andRouting.
        After Installation open the Routing and Remote Access Console.
o  Choose Configure and Enable Routing and Remote Access to enable the service.
o  Choose Remote Access (dial-up or VPN) to allow dial-up connections.
o  Choose Dial-up
o  Choose Automatically to have IP Addresses assigned by DHCP.
o  Choose No when asked to use this server with a RADIUS Server.
o  Click Finish.
        Right Click the Service and select Properties.
o  Enable the Computer as an IPv4 Router
o  Click OK.
        Right Click on Remote Access Logging & Policies and select Launch NPS.
        Right click on Network Polices and select New.
        Set the Policy Name to “Remote Access Clients”and choose Remote Access Server(VPN-
Dial up).
o  Under Specify Conditions Choose Add.
o  Select Day and Time Restrictions.
o  Permit users to Access from 6:00am to 6:00pm, Monday through Friday.
o  Select Access Granted.
o  Allow only MS-CHAP-v2 for authentication method.
o  Under Configure Setting, disallow No encryption.
o  Click Finish.
        Move the new policy to the top by right clickingit and select Move up.
        The Remote Access Server is now setup.

Configure Windows 7 Firewall

 
In this lab you will explore the Windows 7 Firewall and configure some advanced settings.
 
Equipment:
         Two Windows 7 Workstations
         Switch

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          Network Cables
Your task in this lab is to:
         Setup both computers on the same network by configuring their IP Addresses.
         On Computer 1
o   Create a folder on the Desktop called “Share” and share the folder using the
default name.
         On Computer 2
o   Click Start > Network and connect to computer 1.
o   Can you see the shared folder Share?
o   Note: If you answered no, ask the instructor for help.
o   Close Network.
         On Computer 1
         Navigate to the Windows 7 Firewall:
o   Click Start > Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Firewall.
o   The Firewall indicator shows the status of the firewall. The normal setting is
On.
o   Click Allow a program or feature through Windows Firewall.
         Programs and services that Windows Firewall is not blocking will be listed with a
check mark.
         You can add applications to this list. This may be necessary if your customer has an
application that requires outside communications but for some reason the Windows
Firewall cannot perform the configuration automatically. You must be logged on to
this computer as an administrator to complete this procedure.
         Click What are the risks of allowing a program to communicate? and review the
information.
         On Computer 1:
         Turn off an exception by removing the check mark from File and Printer Sharing,
click OK.
         On Computer 2:
o   Click Start > Network and connect to computer 1.
o   Can you connect to computer 1?
o   Show your Instructor.
         On Computer 1:
         Turn on an exception by adding a check mark to File and Printer Sharing, click
OK.
         On Computer 2:
o   Click Start > Network and connect to computer 1.
o   Can you connect to computer 1?
o   Show your Instructor.
o   Log off computer 2.
 
         On Computer 1:
o   Click Start > Control Panel > System and Security > Administrative
Tools > Windows Firewall with Advanced Security > Inbound Rules.
o   Expand the window so you can see the full name of the Inbound rules.

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 o   Locate Files and Printer Sharing (Echo Request  ICMPv4-In).
o   Right-click on the rule and select Properties > Advanced tab > Customize.
The Advance tab displays the profiles used by the computer and the
Customize Interface Types window displays the different connections
configured for your computer.
o   Click OK.
o   Click Programs and Services tab.
o   Review the services available.
o   Click Cancel.
o   There are many applications that users do not normally see that also need to
get through the Windows Firewall to access your computer. These are the
network level commands that direct traffic on the network and the Internet.
o   Click Protocols and Ports tab. For the ICMP settings, click
the Customize button. You will see the menu where ICMP exceptions are
configured.
o   Review the settings and show your instructor.
o   Close all windows.

“Reviewer”
This provides examples, hint and basic outline of the examination of TESDA in Computer Hardware
and Servicing NC II

1. LIST OF TOOLS AND MATERIALS / INVENTORY (Written)

- Following are examples

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 2. OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY PROCEDURE (Written)
- Always ground or discharge yourself before touching any part of the computer
- Do not work alone so that there’s someone who can take care of you in case of accident
or emergency.
- Be careful with the tools that may cause short circuit
- Always full the cable connector on the handle and not on the cable itself
- Use only rubber shoes when standing on the ground or in a concrete floor
- Make sure that the pins are properly aligned when connecting a cable connector.
- Always power off and unplug the computer before working on it.
- Take away any liquid such as mineral water or soft drinks near your working area or
near computers.

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 - Contingency measures during workplace accidents, fire and other emergencies are
recognized.
- Personal protective equipment is correctly used in accordance with organization OHS
procedures and practice.
- Hazard/risks in the workplace and their corresponding indicators are identified to
minimize or eliminate risk to co-workers, workplace and environment.
- Take necessary precautions to protect the component of the computer from damaged
cause by Electrostatic Discharge (ESD).
- Hold the components by edges and do not touch the IC’s.
- Read and follow instruction on the manual carefully.
- Do not use excessive force if things don’t quite slip into place.

3. ASEMBLE SYSTEM UNIT (Actual)

Proper assembling procedure:

- Prepare the computer case (Install power supply, I/O shield and spacers)
- Install drives (DVD, Floppy and HDD)
- Install the CPU, fan, heat sink and memory module on the motherboard
- Install the motherboard into the casing and expansion cards
- Install the cablings (Power connectors, FDD Connector, IDE/SATA Connector, USB
headers and system panel header).
- Attach the monitor, keyboard, mouse and plug into a power source.
- Troubleshoot if necessary
- Assemble and install network connection

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 4. INSTALL OPERATING SYSTEMS (OS – XP/2000/98, Dual Boot), DEVICE DRIVERS, LAN
CABLE (Actual)

The type of operating system to be installed might change overtime. For LAN cable colour
coding memorize the pairings below.

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 5. CONFIGURE AND PRINT (Actual)

- Click on the start menu and click Control Panel

- When the control panel window opens you will see items in either Category View
(Continue with step #3) or Classic View (Skip to item #4)
- Find and double click on the Network and Internet Connection icon.
- Next, find and double click on the Network and Internet Connection icons. A window
will open with all network connections available on the computed (wired and wireless)
- Find the network connection you want to manually configure, right click on it and select
Properties from the pop-up menu
- In the connection properties window, under the section labelled “This connection used
the following items:” find the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) item and double click it.
- A new window will open; select the second radio button which is labelled “Use the
following IP Address”.
- Enter the appropriate IP Address (192.168.0.1); subnet mask usually 255.255.255.0 and
the gateway (the router or the proxy server address).
- The next part of the windows will now have a radio button selected which is labelled
“Use the following DNS server addresses”
- If you need to access the internet, enter the address provided by your ISP; if you do not
have that information you can use the Open DNS server IP (208.67.222.222 and
208.67.220.220).

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 - After entering the required information, click the OK button twice and close the control
panel window.

CHANGING WORKGROUP AND COMPUTER NAME:

- Start > Settings > Control Panel > System > Computer Name tab >
Change Tab > Type new Computer Name and Workgroup > OK, OK, OK,
restart

INSTALLING NETWORK PRINTER

- Start > Settings > Control Panel > Printer and Faxes > Add Printer
(Printer Tasks) > Add Printer Wizard >Next > Select “A network printer,
or …. “ > Next > Browse Printer > Next > Select Installed Network Printer
> Next > Yes > Finish!

Note: Turn of your firewall before installing printer

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 FILE/FOLDER SHARING

- Right click folder to share > Properties > Sharing Tab > Network Sharing
and Security(Click “If you understand the Security Risk…”) > Just Enable
Sharing > OK > Select share this folder on the network > OK

SHARING PRINTER

- Start > Settings > Control Panel > Printer and Faxes > Right Click
Installed Printer > Sharing > Share this printer > OK

6. QUESTIONING/INTERVIEW (Oral)

- Most of the questions will be on troubleshooting but anything around the subject matter
can be asked. You also need to master the parts of the computer particularly of the Main
Circuit Board or the Mother Board and their specific functions and cable colour-coding.

AGP Slot CPU socket

P/S2 port
RAM Slot
PCI Slot
Serial port

Parallel port
VGA port
FDDcontroller

IDE controller USB port

North Bridge (co-processor LAN port
ISA Slot
CMOS SOCKET Mic Port In-line jack port

South Bridge (chipset) BIOS

Speaker port

Occupational Health and Safety

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(OH&S) Policies & Procedures:

1. Use power strips

2. No foods and drinks in work area
3. Make work area clean and order
4. Make sure all power is off
5. Unplug all power connector before disassemble/assembly computer system
6. Always ground yourself
7. Touch any metal parts to avoid static
8. Remove jewelries, watches, and other accessories
9. Use proper tools for a proper jobs
10. Wear protective gear

Front Panel Controllers:

Other useful information:

Central Processing Unit (CPU) – Interpret and carries out basic instructions that operate a
computer

Heat Sink – Components with fins that cools processor used by thermal paste.

Random Access Memory (RAM) – Memory chips that can be read from and written to by
processor. Also called main memory or primary storage, most RAM is volatile; information inside
it is lost when computer’s power is turned off.
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Read Only Memory (ROM) – Memory chips that store permanent data and instructions. Non
volatile memory, information in ROM is not lost when the computer power is off.

Basic Input Output System (BIOS) – The first program to run when you turn on your
computer. It is stored in ROM chip on the motherboard.

Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor ‐ Stores date, time and computer start up
information. Maintain by a small battery after you turn the computer off.

Adapter Card – Enhances system unit or provides connections to external devices called
peripherals; also called expansion card.

Expansion Slot – An opening or socket on the motherboard that can hold adapter card.

Port – Connects external devices to system unit

Connector – Joins cable to peripheral

Acronyms:

Ø ATX – Advance Technology Extended

Ø SDRAM – Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory
Ø DRAM – Dynamic Random Access Memory
Ø EDO RAM – Extended Data Output Random Access Memory
Ø SIMM – Single Inline Memory Module
Ø DIMM – Double Inline Memory Module
Ø RIMM – Ram bus Inline Memory Module
Ø USB – Universal Serial Bus
Ø ISA – Industry Standard Architecture
Ø PCI – Peripheral Component Interconnect
Ø ISA –Industry Standard Architecture
Ø IDE – Integrated Drive Electronics
Ø DDR – Double Data Rate

BASIC TROUBLESHOOTING

 Beep code trouble shooting

 Component Isolation
 RAM Isolation
 Equipment Isolation

- 5’S
 Sort – Clearly distinguish needed items from unneeded and eliminate the latter.
 Straighten – Keep needed items in the correct place to allow for easy and
immediate retrieval
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  Shine – Keep the workplace neat and clean
 Standardize – The method by which sort, straighten, shine are made habitual.
 Sustain – Maintain established procedures

POSIBLE ORAL QUESTIONS

Q – You have just installed Windows 98. During the testing, it fails to start after the “Starting
Windows 98” message appears. What should you do to troubleshoot this problem? Name at least
two ways.

A – Type Win /d:m at the command prompt to start windows, or press F8 when windows restarting
and select safe mode.

Q – You have configured a dual boot system consisting Windows 98 in FAT 32 partition and
Windows 2000 using NTFS partition. You check your Windows 2000 installation and it looked
good. However, when you boot to Windows 98 you can’t see the files in the NTFS partition. What
might be the source of the problem?

A – Windows 98 is not compatible with NTFS

Q – You successfully install Windows 2000 Professional and you want to check your drives for
errors. Name one way of checking for errors

A – Open control panel, click administer tool, click computer management and within the storage
tab click disk defragmenter

Q – You want to setup a dual boot scenario between Windows 98 and Windows 2000. How would
you do this?

A – Partition your hard drive. Install Windows 98 first and then install Windows 2000 to the second
partition.

Q – A customer complains that his hard disk is making lots of noise. After examining the computer
and hearing the noise for yourself, you notice that high pitch noise seems to be coming from the fan
in the power supply. Which component should be replaced?

A – Power Supply

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Q- What part of HP Laser printer is malfunction if you receive a “50 service error”?

A – FUSER

Q – A customer complains that he can’t get his computer to work. When he turn it on, there is no
video and hears a series of beeps. The beeps are in the sequence of one long beep, then two short
beeps. You tell the customer to bring the machine in. Upon further examination you are able to
identify the problem. What should be your next step? What is the error?

A – Replace the video card and make sure it is tighten.

Q – What is indicated by a “201” error at system start up?

A – Bad memory. Most of the error begins with 2 indicate memory error of some sort.

Q – What two command files are used by DOS to configure the computer?

A – Autoexec.bat and Config.sys

Q – You install a newly purchase sound card into your computer, but upon rebooting you find that
the new device is not recognized by the system. Moreover, your modem, which has always worked
perfectly, has stopped functioning. What is probably the problem?

A – The sound card is using the same IRQ as the modem.

Q – What is the correct way to use the protocol utility IPCONFIG in a Windows 2000 environment?

A – Choose start, click run and type cmd then press enter key. At the command prompt type
IPCONFIG

Q – Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is a collection of protocols that help

manage the internet communication. Each computer running TCP/IP must have a unique IP
address assigned to it. What is an IP address? Describe the format?

A – An IP address is set of four numbers, each of which must be from 0 to 255.

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Q – What is the correct sequence to start Windows 2000 backup program?

A – Choose start > Programs > Then Accessories > Then System Tools > Then Backup.

Q – You’ve setup a network whereby each computer act as a client and a server and in which each
user shares each other’s resources, including printers. What is the correct term for such
arrangement?

A – Peer to peer networking

Q – Sending and receiving electronic mail (e-mail) is a common benefit of the internet. Assuming a
user has access to the internet on a properly configure PC. What is needed before a user can begin
using e-mail?

A – E-mail account and e-mail client such as Microsoft Outlook

Q – What is the name of the executable file for Microsoft Backup FOR dos? For Windows 3.x?

A – MSBACKUP.EXE

Q – What would you type at a DOS command line to start the Microsoft Anti-Virus?

A – Type MSAV at the command prompt.

Q – What program in the control panel can be used to create a start-up disk?

A – Add / Remove Programs

Q – What is the final option in the Configure Screen menu?

A – Compatibility test

Q – The MSBACKUP Program in DOS receives its settings from what file?

A – SET file

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Q – Which Windows NT 4.0 utility should you use after installing a new hard drive to make usable?

A – Disk Administrator

Q – Which is the proper command to install Windows 2000 recovery console as a start-up option in
the CD Rom in drive E?

A – E:\i386\winnt32.exe /cmdcons

Q – During the Windows 2000 setup, you are asked to choose between NTFS file system and the
FAT file system. Can you site disadvantage on NTFS?

A – NTFS is more sophisticated file system however it is not compatible with DOS.

Q – After the successful upgrading to Windows 2000, what should you do with the temporary files
generated during the setup process?

A – Nothing. Because all generated temporary files are automatically remove during the process.

Q – You are preparing the computer for dual booting between Windows 98 and 2000. Your drive is
partitioned, and Windows 98 is already installed. What should be your next step?

A – You must choose FAT for Windows 2000 partition

Q – Which of the following is not the Windows 2000 key Boot file? Why?

A – Autoexec.bat – This is the key boot for Windows 3.1 and 9x are not necessary for Windows
2000

Q – What is the most likely cause of a paper jam on a dot matrix printer?

A – Obstructed paper path

Q – HP printer laser jet III printer is not printing at all. The computer indicates that the “device on
LPT1 is not ready”. You perform a service self test to the printer and it prints on the page of vertical

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lines with no problem. The front panel self test does not work, however which component do you
suspect is giving you the problem?

A – The Formatter

Q – A computer is experiencing random reboots and phantom problems that disappear after reboot.
What should you do?

A – Open the cover and reset all cards and chips

Q – Using either a Windows 9X or Windows 2000 workstation, what components do you need to
connect to a Microsoft network server?

A – Protocol, client and adapter

Q – You are enable file and printer sharing on your Windows 9X system. You must now specify how
security will be handled. What could be the options?

A – Share level Access Control and User level control

Q – A Windows 9x workstation includes default support for what network OS/client types?

A – MS Windows Networking and Novell’s Netware within a Windows 9x workstation, clients are
provided for Microsoft and Novell Network

Q – What is the third element required to configure a Windows 2000 system as a network client? A
client, an adapter, and ___?

A – Protocol

Q – What would you need to do to create a new dial-up networking (DUN) connection within a
Windows 9x system?

A – Choose Start > Programs > Accessories , then choose and click Dial up networking then double
click “Make new connection” or double click “My computer” icon on the desktop then click dial up
networking

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