Computer Troubleshooting class - ideas?
EDTECH Editor-Eiffert
I have been asked to teach a class the last of June to help teachers
"troubleshoot" they own computer. So far I have come up with 4 "tips" to
help them. 1) Keep Anti-virus software up-to-date (and of course use
it!!!) 2) When computers - "freeze" the Cntrl + Alt + Delete key trick
3) Deleting unused programs to free up space on the hard drive 4) Defrag
the hard drive and delete the temp files.
I am hoping someone has some ideas that I can add to this. I have 3 hours
to fill and need some interesting things that teachers can do themselves
before they call for tech support. I have the district person in charge
of "fixing" computers who is going to be standing by in the class in case
someone asks a question I can't handle but I would appreciate any ideas
from the group. Thanks so much for your help in advance.
Beria Dyson
District Technology Integration Specialist
Florida
E-mail: dys...@hdsb.org
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SIGNOFF EDTECH
EDTECH Editor-Eiffert
Some thoughts on you existing list first, then some additions.
1. Any good Anti-Virus should be updating itself automatically, if it
must be done manually it will often be forgotten. It should also be
running all the time to prevent infections.
2. Once they press CTRL-ALT-DEL what will they do? This is a very
broad trick, simply closing a program listed as Not Responding is often
not the best course of action.
3. This is only necessary if the machine is running out of space,
unless it is a program that automatically runs removing it won't help
machine. Conversely removing something that may be needed could have a
huge impact.
4. Depending on age of machine and how long it has been running without
being re-imaged defragging may do little to nothing. A machine that has
been running for over a year without defragging may see some
improvement, but anything more often then every few months may be just a
waste of time.
Some ideas.
1. Windows / Microsoft Update -
http://update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate/ Show them the site and how
to turn on automatic updates.
2. Go into some detail on what you see when you hit CTRL-ALT-DEL.
Explain what things are good and what things are bad. If you don't know
what something is use Google, more often than not it will be apparent if
it is something you don't want.
3. Anti-Spyware - in today's world this seems as important if not more
so than Anti-Virus. If they don't have one installed get one installed.
Microsoft's is pretty good and free for now and other alternatives for
free are Ad-Aware and Spybot S&D.
4. To go along with Anti-Spyware explain about downloading things from
Internet that may include spyware. Things like free screensavers,
icons, cursors, toolbars.
5. Show them how to remove things like Google toolbar, yahoo toolbar,
aol toolbar. That way they won't have 3-4 running all the time.
6. Beyond this is hardware or network problems, but those will be
specific to your models and network setup.
The biggest thing is to help them determine what is happening. That way
they can better communicate it and then learn to troubleshoot
themselves. Is Internet Explorer not working, email, is an error
message on screen and other similar things.
EDTECH Editor-Eiffert
Something as simple as restarting the machine and being able to give
precise details in regard to the problem when they do call tech
support. 99% of the problems i've run into were solved by a cold
boot. Also, if your faculty refer to the computer case as the "Hard
Drive", "CD Player", or "the big box", it might be wise to give a
quick overview of the different components and what their real name is.
Michael DePalma
Born Digital
x- From: Beria Dyson <dys...@hdsb.org>
>
> I have been asked to teach a class the last of June to help teachers
> "troubleshoot" they own computer. So far I have come up with 4
> "tips" to
> help them. 1) Keep Anti-virus software up-to-date (and of course use
> it!!!) 2) When computers - "freeze" the Cntrl + Alt + Delete key
> trick
> 3) Deleting unused programs to free up space on the hard drive 4)
> Defrag
> the hard drive and delete the temp files.
>
> I am hoping someone has some ideas that I can add to this. I have
> 3 hours
> to fill and need some interesting things that teachers can do
> themselves
> before they call for tech support. I have the district person in
> charge
> of "fixing" computers who is going to be standing by in the class
> in case
> someone asks a question I can't handle but I would appreciate any
> ideas
> from the group. Thanks so much for your help in advance.
---
EDTECH Editor-Eiffert
I STRONGLY suggest you explain the concepts behind spyware
and install one of the good (free) anti-spyware services.
Options such as Lavasoft's Ad-Aware
http://www.lavasoft.de/software/adaware/ or SpyBot Search &
Destroy. http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html I
have to help people with their systems more from
spyware/malware problems than with virus caused failures.
Take a look
at:http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,1880480,00.asp
You might also want to direct them to
http://www.pcmag.com/print_article2/0,1217,a=164145,00.asp
This is an article titled: "Maximum Security: 94 Essential
Tips for Staying Safe." It was originally published in
11.02.05, but the basics are still appropriate.
You might also want to consider a discussion of software
firewalls. The free ones are ok, but the subscription ones
are much more comprehensive and powerful. PC Mag had a
discussion: "Firewalls" 09.28.05
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1864603,00.asp Do a
quick search and you can pull out lots of other articles and
reviews.
.02 worth....
Tim O'Shaughnessy
Library / Media Center
Moline High School
Moline, IL.
toshaugh_AT_molineschools_DOT_org
EDTECH Editor-Eiffert
Good morning
What a fun class -- will you be nearby SoCal??? <grins>
First and foremost, I would teach them how to check cables and change ink.
At least at my school, those are the first and foremost problems.
If they use the internet in their class, I would suggest that you teach them
to be able to view their cache to see what sites are being visited. Also,
to clear their cache and cookies once the data has been checked.
I would alert them to the simple things that people seem not to know -- like
a computer having a calculator in accessories, how to check/change date and
time, how to change the wallpaper (if your school allows that), and BIG ONE
-- how to make a new folder.
If your teachers like fonts -- you might like to demonstrate how to install
fonts.
Do they have cd-burners??? If so -- do they know how to use them??
Also -- you might wish to direct them to some sites on the internet that
give advice on not only troubleshooting but also tech ideas to use the the
classroom.
Hope some of these are usable.
Enjoy your day
Jennifer
x- From: Beria Dyson <dys...@hdsb.org>
>
> I have been asked to teach a class the last of June to help teachers
> "troubleshoot" they own computer. So far I have come up with 4 "tips" to
> help them. 1) Keep Anti-virus software up-to-date (and of course use
> it!!!) 2) When computers - "freeze" the Cntrl + Alt + Delete key trick
> 3) Deleting unused programs to free up space on the hard drive 4) Defrag
> the hard drive and delete the temp files.
>
> I am hoping someone has some ideas that I can add to this. I have 3 hours
> to fill and need some interesting things that teachers can do themselves
> before they call for tech support. I have the district person in charge
> of "fixing" computers who is going to be standing by in the class in case
> someone asks a question I can't handle but I would appreciate any ideas
> from the group. Thanks so much for your help in advance.
---
EDTECH Editor-Eiffert
Beria,
Here are a few more ideas...
- Restart if computer is not working as it should.
- Check for updates if an application is peristently misbehaving (most
apps now days seem to have a menu link to do that)
- Check all the cables and plugs, especially if working with a data
projector. Truly 9 times out of 10, I find the cable isn't in far enough at
one end and that's why it isn't working.
- I can't speak for the Windows system, but Macs have a very useful
help system built in. I've found that it can be of great use for people who
can follow step-by-step directions.
- You might want to work with one of Marc Prensky's Digital Natives
vs. Digital Imigrants articles. I read a two part one as part of my
computer specialist licensure. It was easy to read and it does a good job
of emphasing the different learning styles of Natives vs. Immigrants.
Working with that information with my staff seemed to lower anxiety.
Immigrants knew they approached computer learning differently that the
Natives. This helped them better identify what might help them be
successful.
- Along with that, can you give them a 3-ring binder with dividers
already in it and full of notebook paper. Have all your handouts
hole-punched and encourage them to take notes (either typed on the computer
if you are in a lab) or in the binder. Encourage them to keep the binder
keep by their computer. Some people aren't note takers, but when I was a
tech specialist, I finally had to lean on people to make them take notes
when they would come to me for assistance. That allowed them to do the task
on their own the next time the need arose.
- Teach people how to make a screen capture. It doesn't sound like a
troubleshooting tip, but it sure comes in handy, even if they are just
capturing pictures of error messages.
Susan Sedro
Grade 5
White Bear Lake Area Schools
Minnesota, USA
>
>
> I am hoping someone has some ideas that I can add to this. I have 3 hours
> to fill and need some interesting things that teachers can do themselves
> before they call for tech support.
>
---
EDTECH Editor-Eiffert
Beria,
I just finished doing an assignment for my graduate class where we came up with some troubleshooting and common problems. I hope these will be helpful. Some of these sound really easy, but someone just may not think to check these items.
Check for wires that may be loose. Sometimes the connecting wires may have been disconnected.
Make sure that your drivers are updated. Driver updates can often be downloaded from the Internet.
Sometimes network cards malfunction and need to be replaced.
Make sure your computer or device are shut down before you plug into the network. If you forget, try restarting your computer.
After downloading new software/hardware you need to restart you computer.
Make sure your assigned IP address is correctly typed into your computer when getting ready for Internet connections.
Emma Crain
emc...@mail.ecu.edu
EDTECH Editor-Eiffert
I don't know if these will end up in any particular order, other than as I
think of them...
Teach them about html e-mail. Why? Because it is a large source of phishing
scams and other spam. I regularly receive messages purporting to be from
Ebay or some bank, complete with links. However, the links do not actually
go where they look like they'll go. In an email program like Outlook, you
hover over the link and the url is shown. Teach them how to identify this
junk.
Teach them about the spread of malware (spyware, adware, etc.) and how to
avoid contracting the stuff. (closing pop-ups properly, etc) I have
colleagues who just can't seem to keep their computers free from
malware...drives us crazy. Part two of this is peeking in the Startup folder
and the Run key of the registry (System Info can show what's loading, but
you can't kill off stuff from there.) to see what's really being loaded up.
Important: Anti-virus software is not the same as spyware protection.
Naturally the big guys can do both, but they are separate things that
shouldn't be lumped into the same discussion.
Teach them how to test their lan connection. If you can get to the web,
chances are certain parts of the lan are OK. But if you can't get at your
files on the server, that's a different deal. If you can't do anything, then
try pinging the server, or use ipconfig to see if the server gave you an IP
address. Both ping and ipconfig are easy to use at this level.
Step two: check the lights on the NIC. What do they mean...
Teach how to classify those lockups...OSX and WinXP never lock because of an
application problem. They lock up to the point where the mouse does not
respond because of hardware trouble. Crashing, where the computer reboots or
gives a BSOD, is different. That's always hardware or a bad driver.
Search for really big files. The file search tool can list all the files on
the system bigger than whatever you choose, as well as the little zero-byte
files that do in fact use space.
Teach how to turn off unnecessary programs that load if they are using
memory-hog applications. If you're burning DVDs or converting big movies,
you need all the RAM you can get. At the same time, you probably don't need
the PDA hotsync running at that moment, nor iTunes. (This is the temporary
version of the registry thing above)
I hope some of these are useful!
John Oliphant
Program Manager
Heathkit Educational Systems
EDTECH Editor-Eiffert
Beria,
What a great opportunity! I have a few suggestions to offer. Some of
these ideas are a little beyond just the troubleshooting aspect of
computers.
1) Give everyone a step-by-step checklist for diagnosing typical
computer problems. It's the "do this before you call tech support"
list. I have found these on the web.
2) I don't know if you are offering this training in a computer lab, but
teach people how to plug in all the cables into the correct ports! This
can be a group activity and game. Teams of 3-4 people have to plug
everything back in and boot up the computer and print something. The
first group to print something wins!
3) Give people a graphic handout of the various ports and what they
power. I have a handout called "Know Your Ports and Connections." It
has pictures and descriptions. Most people are intimidated by all the
ports and connectors. It's really a game of "match the shape to the
hole."
4) How Safe is Your Password Lesson: If you are working in a lab where
people can go online, Microsoft has a website where one can type in a
password and have its security potential judged. It's pretty cool and
gives people a quick visual check on their password.
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/privacy/password_checker.mspx
5) Ask your tech support person for a short list of the most common
tech help calls they get and then focus on supplying answers,
suggestions and self-help tips for your training.
In my district, I think the most common and simple tech support calls we
get are:
Can't get onto the network
Can't get the printer to work
Can't remember a password
Can't find a valuable lost document
Good luck with your training. It's a wonderful opportunity to empower
your teachers and cut down on some of the mundane tech support calls.
-Alix
Alix E. Peshette
Technology Training Specialist
Technological Support
Davis Joint Unified School District
526 B Street
Davis, CA 95616
530-757-5300 ext. 160
fax: 530-757-5303
apes...@djusd.k12.ca.us
EDTECH Editor-Eiffert
Hi, Beria, I held a class like that a long time ago. I put up a website
for them to refer to. It's old, but you may be able to get some concepts
out of it.
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/support.htm
During break time, I *fixed* up a few machines and they had to
troubleshoot them.. The comments after class was that they had the
most fun in any workshop and are now not afraid of the machines. :)
One thing I would suggest doing is unplugging every cord and letting
them replug everything in. You would be surprised at the number of
people that have no idea how to put in a plug on a computer!
Hope this helps!
Susan
Internet4classrooms.com
su...@internet4classrooms.com
x- From: Beria Dyson <dys...@hdsb.org>
>
> I have been asked to teach a class the last of June to help teachers
> "troubleshoot" they own computer. So far I have come up with 4
> "tips" to
---
EDTECH Editor-Eiffert
1. Show them how to get to Device manager to see if there is a driver/hardware problem.
2. Show them how to take the side off the computer to check for loose cables - good to know if you get and error - "operating system not found".
3. Show them how to reseat the memory as this will sometimes cause a problem.
4. If they have a machine that is acting erratic or booting, cutting off and rebooting (possible overheating), show them how to check the fan on the processor and make sure it is running and check for lint and dust caked in the heat sink as a possible cause.
5. If they are having a video issue, show them how to use the monitor next to this computer, by unplugging it monitor cable from the other machine and attaching it to the machine with the problem to see if it is monitor issue.
^. Teach them when they have an issue, to take notes! (just like they tell the students) Write down all error messages. Can the problem be replicated? If so, what are the steps to replicate the problem? This way if they can not solve it, they can give precise details to the tech and what they were doing when the problem came up.
Hope this helps
Fran Bott
Computer Instruction
http://www.gammawgeek.us
http://www.tutorials.gammawgeek.us
>>
>> I have been asked to teach a class the last of June to help
>> teachers "troubleshoot" they own computer. So far I have come
>> up with 4 "tips" to
>> help them. 1) Keep Anti-virus software up-to-date (and of course
>> use it!!!) 2) When computers - "freeze" the Cntrl + Alt +
>> Delete key trick
>> 3) Deleting unused programs to free up space on the hard drive
>> 4) Defrag the hard drive and delete the temp files.
>>
>> I am hoping someone has some ideas that I can add to this. I
>> have 3 hours
>> to fill and need some interesting things that teachers can do
>> themselves
>> before they call for tech support. I have the district person in
>> charge
>> of "fixing" computers who is going to be standing by in the class
>> in case
>> someone asks a question I can't handle but I would appreciate any
>> ideas
>> from the group. Thanks so much for your help in advance.
---
EDTECH Editor-Eiffert
I'm enjoying all the great ideas from folks like Alix (see below) in
response to Beria's request for ideas. Can you compile everyone's
postings into a single handout to share with us all, Beria? I think this
would be very useful indeed :)
Bernie :)
x- From: Alix E. Peshette <apes...@djusd.k12.ca.us>
---
EDTECH Editor-Eiffert
Bernie has asked me to post the responses I've received about
Troubleshooting Computers. I will be more than happy to do this! Please
be patient with me, as I am also in the process of moving. I will get the
responses together and post just as quickly as possible. There have been
lots of terrific ideas. Now my problem is how many can I use in the 3
hours of time I have available. This group is wonderful!!!
Beria Dyson
District Technology Integration Specialist
FL
E-mail: dys...@hdsb.org
EDTECH Editor-Eiffert
Here is my troubleshooting primer, which I always preface with a statement
about not being a technician:
Check the cables and connections
Turned on?
Logged in?
Ctrl-Alt-Del
Hard restart
Swap stuff
Do you have an alibi?
For grins, the second slide of my ppt presentation on the subject is a full
screen of the black screen Windows advanced options (with the option to boot
in safe mode) and I pretend not to notice that my computer has "crashed".
When someone points it out, I ask for suggestions as to how to proceed. I
admit that all I know to do is boot into safe mode, then reboot and hope
everything is okay. I tell them that it was a setup and we go on. Of course,
I have just admitted to all of you folks that I really don't know what to do
in safe mode other than reboot!
David Morrow
Mobile, Alabama
EDTECH Editor-Eiffert
David-
Safe mode starts without most drivers/services started as well as much of
the startup list not processed. When you have a driver issue, safe mode is
the place to go to disable the device and reboot. If you have a service or
application hanging on startup, safe mode is the place to go to disable it
and reboot in normal mode. There are other uses, those are two common
ones. On a domain controller, Directory Services Restore Mode is a special
version of safe mode.
Thanks,
Brian Desmond
BLACKWELL CONSULTING SERVICES
desk - 773.553.3582
cell - 312.731.3132
email - brian....@bcsinc.com
pager - bdes...@airmessage.net
EDTECH Editor-Eiffert <edad...@MAIL.H-NET.MSU.EDU>
Sent by: EDTECH - Educational Technology <EDT...@H-NET.MSU.EDU>
06/19/2006 10:35 PM
Please respond to
EDTECH - Educational Technology <EDT...@H-NET.MSU.EDU>
Subject
Re: Computer Troubleshooting class - ideas?
x-From: David Morrow <dgmo...@gmail.com>
>Here is my troubleshooting primer, which I always preface with a
>statement about not being a technician:
>Check the cables and connections
>Turned on?
>Logged in?
>Ctrl-Alt-Del
>Hard restart
>Swap stuff
>Do you have an alibi?
>For grins, the second slide of my ppt presentation on the subject is a
>full
>screen of the black screen Windows advanced options (with the option to
>boot in safe mode) and I pretend not to notice that my computer has
>"crashed". When someone points it out, I ask for suggestions as to how to
>proceed. I admit that all I know to do is boot into safe mode, then
>reboot and hope everything is okay. I tell them that it was a setup and
>we go on. Of course, I have just admitted to all of you folks that I>
really don't know what to do in safe mode other than reboot!
---
EDTECH Editor-Eiffert
> From: Beria Dyson <dys...@hdsb.org>
>
> Bernie has asked me to post the responses I've received about
> Troubleshooting Computers. I will be more than happy to do this! Please
> be patient with me, as I am also in the process of moving. I will get the
> responses together and post just as quickly as possible. There have been
> lots of terrific ideas. Now my problem is how many can I use in the 3
> hours of time I have available. This group is wonderful!!!
You can use all the ideas, Beria, especially if you prepare a collated
digest of all our ideas into a Word doc which you can give everyone in
your seminar to take away with them. Then, in your PowerPoint you can
just focus on the ones you think will be most useful to the folks you're
working with. They're going to love you for this--just as we do, too :)
Bernie :)
EDTECH Editor-Eiffert
(This didn't seem to go through the first time so I'm resending it. My
appolgies if it gets posted twice.)
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