Computer hardware is relatively straightforward and easier to learn. The real area of study for computers comes more with OS’s, software, and how the hardware interacts with the OS through device drivers and such. Depending on what OS you wish to be strong in, Microsoft has some pretty decent books for prepping to be an MCDST, (Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician). If it’s more a Linux variant, there’s generally tons of resources on the web for each distro.
A big portion of troubleshooting is looking at the evidence you’re presented when working on things. It amazes me when I’ve heard experienced techs say “I got an error message when I tried that.” and yet did not record the error message verbatim for further research.
If you’re into the Windows side of things, studying up on security and vulnerabilities can be very rewarding, though many problems could be prevented through keeping system software updated, configuring things to close unnecessary holes, and using a good script blocker in Firefox when web surfing.
I do have a question already. My manual says that the power supply comes with a 12 volt power cable that connects for the processor. Try as I might I can’t see this. Can it be apart from where the main power supply is connected to the motherboard?
Thanks HorseLoverFat- this machine is about 1999 from what I understand- it has had a few upgrades from non qualified people. It is a Pandora’s Box.
Okay- so the motherboard gets replaced- I like this already
Strangely also, the computer doesn’t have a fan (it i strange to me anyway). It has a small fan attached to the motherboard. Is this unusual (it may have been removed).
Small fans attached to the motherboard were generally placed there by the motherboard manufacturer, and are there to cool some motherboard component, possibly the northbridge. Newer/better motherboards tend to eschew the fan in favor of a heatsink to keep noise down. Take a look at a picture of my motherboard model; this particular motherboard has an abnormally complex cooling system for the chipset, but it’s a good illustration. The big copper heatsink with the fins to the right is the voltage regulators, the smaller one in the center is the northbridge, and the one to the left that says “ALife” is the southbridge.
You have a rather grandiose image of how the average small business handles their computer issues.
Sometimes I have trouble selling a mozy account to some of these people because avoiding losing every scrap of data in their system isn’t worth $100 or so a year.
And I looked up the specs of the HDD today. The manufacturers site tells me:
The very latest in desktop storage providing an incredible 15.3GB formatted storage capacity.
Whoopee. A whole 15.3 GB. So far I have decided the power supply, mother board and processor and HDD have to go.
Anyway, on a more professional note. I have the computer with Millenium Edition up and running. I think for the first time since 2002.
However, I have difficulty trying to connect to the Internet through a Dlink wireless application. The computer seems to load the software but will not do anything further (the software is for Vista but does work on XP).
I was wondering if it may be due to the receiver being a USB 2 connection whereas the computer has (I think ) a USB 1 connection. Any ideas?
(I would add that the software never asks me to insert the D-link connection so it may not be even getting that far).
Go to the Dlink website and enter the model number of your wireless adapter (Product Support & Downloads) to download an XP compatible driver. That may allow your adapter to connect wirelessly.
If it is an old adapter, there probably is an ME driver. You do need another computer with internet access to get the software (load it on a flash drive) though. You adapter is probably useless without it.
I was going to mention this, as well. Despite the usual manufacturer proclamations that there are no user-serviceable parts inside your CRT monitor, this isn’t really true. There are little potentiometers inside that you can turn with a screwdriver to adjust the image sharpness, etc. This can be useful to get some more life out of an old CRT that’s starting to get a little blurry. But should you decide to try this, be very cautious. Touching a charged CRT probably wouldn’t kill you (very high voltage, but fairly low current), but it could. Regardless, it would be very unpleasant.
The same thing goes for the large capacitors inside of your PSU. Unlike CRT monitors, there’s genuinely nothing user-serviceable in there unless you happen to be an EE geek. Well…maybe the cooling fan(s). If you ever do need to work on one, leave it unplugged for a good while before you start touching anything.
Otherwise, ATX power supplies and all the related power connectors are pretty idiot-proof, especially now that SATA drives are forcing those god-awful 4-pin molex connectors to go the way of the dinosaur. I’ve seen a few of those that didn’t object to a backwards connector any more than they did to a correctly-oriented connector.
For AT power supplies, this is still mostly true. The notable exception would be the leads for the AT power switch. It is quite possible to electrocute yourself badly with those things, should you grab hold of the wrong pair while the PSU was plugged in (even if turned off). The terminals at the switch are also interchangeable and (usually) unlabeled, so you can easily miswire the switch with a dead short. I speak from personal experience on that one :eek:.
But in any case, the smart thing to do is to disconnect the PSU from the AC before screwing around with a computer’s innards. The risk of electrocution is almost negligible as long as you don’t try to do something really stupid, like brute forcing a connector that’s turned the wrong way. And even the risk of electrical damage to the more sensitive electronic elements is pretty low with modern ATX systems. But even so, two simple facts remain:
Even with a split-rail design, a modern PSU is capable of delivering more than enough current to kill you and/or damage computer parts.
