Replacing Damaged Components

In this final blog post I shall be telling you how to replace damaged computer components:

Step 1

This first stage is to work out which piece of hardware is damaged. In this case the top hard drive in the picture below is faulty. The first step is to unplug the wires from the faulty hard drive but not the motherboard as you will be inserting a new hard drive into the wires.

Step 2

To take the hard drive out pinch the metal bars on each side of the hard drive where it is inserted. If the hard drive is secured by screws just unscrew them and take the hard drive out but make sure not to lose the screws as you will need to screw them back in when you have fitted the replacement hard drive.

Step 3

After 'Step 2' the hard drive will be out meaning all you need to do is unscrew the hard drive from the case and insert a new working hard drive, then screw the screws back into place.

Step 4

Once 'Step 3' is completed you simply need to insert the hard drive and the case back into the place where you took it from ensuring all wires are inserted correctly and you hear a click when you put the hard drive back into its rightful place. You will know if this replacement has worked if the hard drive is running when you turn your computer back on.

Replacing Printer Paper

In this blog post I will be showing you with the use of images:

Step 1

The first step is to locate where the paper is suppose to be inserted.

Step 2

Once you have located where the paper needs to be inserted you then need to ensure you are inserting the correct sized paper, in this case the correct size paper is A4. Once the paper has been inserted a flashing light will tell you that there is paper inserted correctly.

Cleaning Hardware

In this blog post I will be showing you how to clean computer hardware in a way that you do not damage it:

Step 1

In order to clean hardware correctly you need the correct equipment, this includes; dry wipes, wet wipes, compressed air can (picture is in step 2) and monitor cleaning fluid. As seen below.

Step 2

To clean internal components all you need is a can of compressed air, the air will not damage any of the components. You shouldn't use any product that is wet due to the risk of damaging the internal components.

Step 3

Now I will tell / show you how to clean the outside of your components. To clean your keyboard simple wipe it with a wet wipe and then dry it with a dry wipe. If certain keys are not working you can take them off with minimal force and clean underneath them and then place them back in there rightful place.

Step 4

To clean your computer monitor simply use the monitor cleaning fluid and spray it on the monitor. Then use a dry wipe to dry the monitor. The same process can be done when cleaning your computer mouse.

Deleting Temporary Files

In this blog post I will be showing you how to delete temporary files in Windows 8:

Step 1

First open your 'control panel' and select 'system and security'.

Step 2

You then need to select 'Free up Disk Space'.

Step 3

You will then be asked which drive you would like to free up space from, if you want to do this with multiple drives you will have to repeat the process over again.

Step 4

The fourth stage will find out how much free space there could be by checking the temporary files it has within the drive as well as other files and folder that have been active for a long time and that might not be needed.

Step 5

Once the system has scanned to see how much space can be freed it will be give you a pop-up box giving you options on what you can delete which includes data in the recycling bin, temporary files and inactive files. Simply select which files you would like to delete.

Step 6

Once you have selected the files you'd like to delete you will then be given a conformation box asking you if you're sure you would like to delete all selected files. If you are sure select 'Yes'.

Defragmentation

In this post I will show you how to defrag your computer.

Step 1

You first of all need to access your control panel and select 'information system and security'. You then need to select 'Defragment and optimize your drives'.

Step 2

After step 1 a list of drives will appear that are on your computer, you then have options to defragment and analyse your drives. To do this you need to select the drive you want to analyse for errors and choose the option that says 'Analyse'. You can also optimize the drive with the same process of selecting the drive you would like to optimize and select the option that states 'Optimize'.

Step 3

After the completion of 'Step 2' the system will begin to defragment and optimize your drive which will repair anything that's wrong with the drive and also make the hard drive perform more efficiently.

Step 4

Once the system has finished the defragment or optimizing process a pop-up box will appear telling you that everything went ok and it states that it has been zero days since the last time you've ran a defragmentation of optimization.

Automatic Scheduling and Deletion of Data

In this blog I will be showing you how to set up anti-virus to automatically schedule a scan throughout the computer and how to edit the settings to delete unwanted data:

Step 1

Open your anti-virus software and select the option to 'scan'.

Step 2

Once 'scan' is selected you need to choose the button which says 'settings'.

Step 3

On the third screen you then need to look for a button that say's 'scheduling' and select it.

Step 4

Once you have selected 'scheduling' you can then set how often and what type of scan you would like to commence. You can also give the anti-virus software permission to delete data that you are not using which will help keep your computer free from unused files, data or applications.

Back-Up Procedures

In this blog post I shall being explaining how you can back-up your folders and files with the use of offline and online tools.

Step 1 

You first of all need to select control panel which can be located on the start menu. Once in control panel choose the option which says 'Save back-up copies of files with file history'

Step 2

After the completion of step 1 you will then see a screen similar to the one below. You then need to select 'System image back-up' which is located in the bottom left of the pop-up box.

Step 3

The third stage is selecting where you would like to save the files, in this case I have saved it to a different hard drive on the computer however to make sure you have properly backed-up files I would recommend saving them to an external drive such as a flash drive or CD.

Step 4

Once a location has been chosen to save the files you need to select what folders or files you want to back-up, in this case I have chosen my C:/ Drive.

Step 5

You will then be shown what and where you are backing files up to, if you are happy with the files/folders you are backing up as well as where they are being backed-up to then select 'start backup'.

Step 6

After stage 5 the back-up will commence, once completed it will state the back-up is completed.

Organisation and Naming of Files

In this blog post I shall explain a way to organize your files and folders as well as how to name them and order them.

Step 1

As you can see when I select 'My documents' I have a number of folders. All files and folders are named with clear titles so I know what files will be in them for example 'My Pictures' will have the pictures I have saved from my computer on them. I will be concentrating on the folder named 'ICT' throughout this blog post.

Step 2

After I have clicked on the 'ICT' folder there are a number of other folders which are the various Unit's of ICT that I need to complete. This is a good way of keeping track of what unit's you have in a course as well as being a good overview of how many unit's you are involved in.

Step 3

After step 2 I have then went into a further folder named 'Unit 3' which as you can see below has the various assignments within that particular unit. This is a very good way of organizing as you now know the various sections to the overall unit and what you will need to complete to complete the whole unit.

Step 4

After step 3 I have then decided to click into one of the 'Assignment' folders which has then led me to files that I will need in order for me to complete that assignment or the files are completed work. You can rename a file or folder by simply right clicking the selected folder or file you want to rename and select 'Rename' which will then allow you to type a new name for the file or folder which could help you better understand what is within the file or folder.

How to Test Functionality

In this blog post I shall be showing you a variety of ways on how to test your computers functionality including how to check if the correct device drivers are installed, checking and change default folder settings, correct data and time is set and numerous other functionality tests.

That Software applications open and work as Intended (Test 1) 
& Desktop shortcuts go the correct places (Test 2)

Step 1 - Test 1

The first step I took was to open and create the following table in Microsoft Office Word to ensure that this software program works correctly. I also opened all other Microsoft Office programs to ensure they all opened correctly.

Test number	What is being tested	How I've tested it	Result
1	Microsoft Office opens and works as intended	By creating this table within Microsoft Office Word	Works correctly.
2	Shortcuts take me to the correct place and show the correct files	By opening shortcuts	Works correctly.

Here is Microsoft Office Word open with the table I created to show that this software is working as intended:

The second part of this heading involves making sure the desktop shortcuts I have work properly, I shall show you how to check this with the help of images.

Step 1 - Test 2

Here you can see two desktop shortcuts on my desktop, one is Microsoft office word file and the other is a file saved in my drop-box.

Step 2

In the image below you can see me right clicking the shortcut icon and then selecting 'open'. I carried out the same process for the other desktop shortcut beside it.

Step 3

As you can see the shortcut worked and the file has opened correctly.

Ensuring Correct Date and Time - Test 3

Within this section of my blog post I shall be showing you how to ensure that you have set the correct data and time and that the correct data and time is showing on your computer.

Step 1

You need to first right click on the Date and Time in the bottom right hand side of your computer monitor. When you do this the image below should appear (or something similar). Select the 'Adjust data/time' action.

Step 2

Once you have completed 'Step 1' you should receive a pop-up box with three tabs along the top of it. You need to select the tab that says 'Internet Time'. You then need to select 'Change data and time'.

Step 3

After the completion of step 2 you will then receive a pop-up box similar to the one below, you need to left click on the 'Change Settings' option

Step 4

In this final step you can the change the data and time, you can change the server that the computer needs to be synchronized to although it is usually on the correct one. Once you are happy with the server the computer is synchronized to you can click 'Update now' and the data and time will be updated or changed if needed.

Ensuring Default Folder Settings are Correct - Test 4

In this test I shall be ensuring and checking that the default folder settings are correct on a Microsoft Office Word file and if they are not how I will be changing them.

Step 1

You first need to open a word document, then click on 'File' at the top left of your computer monitor which will give you various options to choose from. You need to select the button called 'Option'.

Step 2

After you have selected 'Option' in the file tab of Microsoft Office Word you be given a pop-up box with other options to select. You need to select 'Save' which is located on the left hand side of the pop-up box.

Step 3

Once you are in the 'Save' options you can change the settings of where and how to save the file. In this case we need to ensure that the default folder settings are correct. As you can see from the above image I have not selected a default folder. To choose a default folder I need to click on the 'Browse' button next the text that says 'Default file location'. This will leave you with a screen like the below image. You can then select the default folder you would like.

Step 4

As you can see I have selected my default folder to be 'ICT'. I then saved this file of which saved into the correct folder.

Ensuring Correct Device Drivers are Installed - Test 5

In this final test of functionality I shall be ensuring that the correct device drivers installed.

Step 1

You need to first access 'Control Panel' and select 'Hardware and Sound' and the finally select 'Device manager'. You should see an image similar to the one below this step and text.

Step 2

To check if you have the most up to date device driver you simply need to choose a device that you want to update or see if it needs updates. In the image below it is my 'Network Adapter' I simply need to right click the icon/text where it says 'Network Adapter' and select 'Update Driver software' from the drop down menu after you have right clicked it.

Step 3

You will then get a pop-up box, if you have a physical update on a USB stick or CD then select the bottom option which is 'Browse' and select the update, this will then update and install automatically. If you do not have an update on a USB / CD then select 'search automatically.

Step 4

If you select 'Search automatically' the computer will search the internet for updates and if there are updates it will automatically start to update the driver and install the update.

Step 5

If you have the latest driver you will see something similar to the image below. You can update each device driver in the same way if you need to.

Test table

Test number	What is being tested	How I’ve tested it	Result
1	Microsoft Office opens and works as intended	By creating this table within Microsoft Office Word	Works correctly.
2	Shortcuts take me to the correct place and show the correct files	By opening shortcuts	Works correctly.
3	Ensuring correct Date and Time	By synchronizing the date and time with the internet	Works correctly.
4	Ensuring Default folder settings are correct	By looking into what the default folder settings are and changing them if necessary	Works correctly.
5	Ensuring correct device drivers are installed	Checking ‘Device Manager’ for any updates	Works correctly.