By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology1 Troubleshooting Computer Problems.
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology1 Common End User Problems.
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Transcript of By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology1 Common End User Problems.
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 1
Common End User ProblemsCommon End User Problems
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 2
Common End User ProblemsCommon End User ProblemsHardware problemsSoftware problemsUser problemsDocumentation problemsVendor problemsFacilities problems
Note: your text concentrates on PC problems - your problems may have a greater range depending on your environment
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 3
Hardware ProblemsHardware Problems
Installation and compatibilityConfigurationMalfunctions
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 4
Hardware Installation and Compatibility Problems
Hardware Installation and Compatibility Problems
Hardware problems are common upon first attempt to use a new hardware product or upgrade an old oneIncompatibility: Inability of computer components to operate together in the same systemMay be due to incorrect installation
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 5
Hardware Configuration ProblemsHardware Configuration Problems
Caused when hardware component settings are wrong for the computer environmentWere more common before Plug and Play standards
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 6
Plug and Play StandardsPlug and Play Standards
A computer industry agreement between hardware and operating system vendorsSpecify the communication methods an operating system uses to recognize and incorporate hardware components into an operational systemCan help load appropriate drivers, but do not always automatically adjust software settings to take maximum advantage of new hardware’s capabilities
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 7
Hardware MalfunctionsHardware Malfunctions
Small percentage of hardware problemsCan be avoided by a burn-in period– A 48- to 72-hour period during which a new
computer is operated nonstop– Can discover obvious problems and identify any
marginal or temperature-sensitive components
continued
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 8
Hardware MalfunctionsHardware Malfunctions
Electromechanical devices that have moving parts are more likely to develop problems than electronic componentsHardware diagnostic tools can help with system burn-in and common hardware malfunctions
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 9
To Solve Hardware ProblemsTo Solve Hardware Problems
Look for possible interaction problems between hardware and softwareExamine any applicable README files for updated compatibility informationCheck vendor Web sites for updated drivers and software patches
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 10
Software ProblemsSoftware Problems
Installation and compatibilityConfigurationBugsPerformance
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 11
Software Installation and Compatibility
Software Installation and Compatibility
Not all software installs automaticallyShareware software downloaded from the Internet may produce conflicts with other software– Conflict: Two computer components use systems
resources (CPU, memory, peripheral devices) in different and incompatible ways
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 12
Installation SoftwareInstallation Software
Automatically creates subdirectories with correct path namesExamines hardware configuration to determine whether hardware and software are compatibleAutomatically sets configuration options in software to match hardware
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 13
Software Configuration ProblemsSoftware Configuration Problems
Result when software options are not set for the specific operating environment or hardwareMay occur when users:– Install or upgrade new hardware or software– Attempt to use a software feature for the first time
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 14
Software BugsSoftware Bugs
Major errors in a software program due to coding mistakesOccur more often in custom-written programs and programs written for a limited market segmentOccur most often in infrequently used features of a programAre often eliminated during testing
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 15
How Software Vendors Fix Bugs and Provide New Features
How Software Vendors Fix Bugs and Provide New Features
New version– Contains significant new features– Usually the result of a substantially rewritten program
Upgrade– A new version of an existing program that is sold at a
lower cost to owners of previous version of the program
continued
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 16
How Software Vendors Fix Bugs and Provide New Features
How Software Vendors Fix Bugs and Provide New Features
New release– An updated version of a software program that
contains some new features the original did not have
Update– A bug fix release that repairs known bugs in a
previous version
continued
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 17
How Software Vendors Fix Bugs and Provide New Features
How Software Vendors Fix Bugs and Provide New Features
Patch– A replacement for one or a few small modules in a
software package that fixes known bugs– Usually designated by adding a digit or letter to a
version number
continued
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 18
How Software Vendors Fix Bugs and Provide New Features
How Software Vendors Fix Bugs and Provide New Features
Service release– A replacement for a small section of a program that
repairs a specific bug
Workaround– A procedure or feature that accomplishes the same
result as another feature that does not work due to a bug
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 19
Example of Software Release Numbering
Example of Software Release Numbering
2.0: First release of a new version2.1: An update with new features2.11: Bug-fix release
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 20
Software Performance ProblemsSoftware Performance Problems
System is operational but does not operate as efficiently as it can or shouldOften involve the interaction of hardware and software
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 21
Sample Software Performance Problem
Sample Software Performance Problem
Problem– System seems sluggish
Possible causes– Hard disk drive may be almost full– Hard disk may be fragmented– Hard drive may have wasted space because links to
free space are lost– Insufficient RAM to run the software
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 22
User ProblemsUser Problems
MistakesMisunderstandingsWrong productsPoor trainingForgotten information
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 23
MistakesMistakes
Account for significant percentage of common problemsExample: Inadvertent key sequence errorsWell-designed computer systems:– Anticipate potential user mistakes– Alert the user– Provide corrective action
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 24
MisunderstandingsMisunderstandings
About product features or limitationsExample: User may expect a product to be able to perform tasks for which it was not intended
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 25
Wrong ProductsWrong Products
Users may purchase the wrong product to accomplish a taskExamples– Purchase of software package or hardware
peripheral that is incompatible with existing system– Purchase of software without under-standing its
capabilities and limitations or without knowledge of alternatives
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 26
Poor TrainingPoor Training
Quick start behaviour: A tendency among computer users to forego reading installation manual and get a new hardware or software component installed and operational as soon as possibleTranslates into waste and lost user productivity
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 27
Forgotten InformationForgotten Information
Cheat sheets are an effective aid
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 28
Documentation ProblemsDocumentation Problems
Poor organizationIncorrect or incomplete information
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 29
Components of Good User Documentation
Components of Good User Documentation
Quick start guideTutorial guideReference manualTroubleshooting guideOnline help
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 30
Vendor ProblemsVendor Problems
Tendency to oversell products (promise nonexistent features)Misrepresentation of product featuresDelivery of software with known bugsLate delivery of productsVapourware: Hardware or software products that are described in ads or press releases but that don’t really exist
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 31
Facilities ProblemsFacilities Problems
VirusesBackup mediaSecurityErgonomic issues
By Anthony W. Hill & Course Technology 32
Examples of End User Problems
1. Sounds like trouble2. The problem with modems3. Give credit where credit is due4. Non responsive network