Multimedia and Mass Storage Installation Essay Example

Multimedia and Mass Storage Installation Essay Example Multimedia and Mass Storage Installation Essay Multimedia and Mass Storage Installation Essay How can the computers we use every day affect the environment and the people that use them? There are both positive and negative repercussions from using computers in our everyday lives. The computers that we rely on in our daily lives can be dangerous. We nave to De cutlass AT now computers are supposes AT when teen have reached the end of their life cycles. Some of the positive effects of computers on the environment are that we as a society are using less paper and killing fewer trees. We are saving gas by not having to run to the store to purchase items since people can order things online. This is done on the computer from the privacy of your own home. With computers we are able to measure the changes in the atmosphere and the effects of global warming. Negatively, computers that have been disposed of improperly can lead to harm. Computers have lead in the solder that holds the components in place. This solder can break down over time and seep into the earth and water systems. Lead is poisonous, toxic, and can harm all things that come in contact with it, including plants, animals, and humans. Other elements that are found in computers are mercury, chromium, and nickel. Computers and their components are not biodegradable so they will remain forever as a pollutant to society. Computers continue to be replaced because people want newer and faster. They will continue to fill out landfills and cause harm to everything until we realize that these systems can be recycled and dispose of properly. Obsolete computers can be recycled at electronic stores that accept them. Consumers are able to send unwanted computers back to the manufacturer to have them refurbished and sold again as such. Computes can be donated to organizations that will provide them to families who cannot afford one on their own. There are stores like Busty who offer a computer buyback option when you purchase a new computer from them. Within two years of the original purchase of a new computer Busty will purchase your old computer in exchange for a purchase of a new computer. Busty will the properly recycle your old computer in a manner that will not pose any environmental concerns. By doing this there is no longer a threat of the toxins getting into our earth or water systems. Power Supply Protection Computers cannot handle the constant power changes. It will ultimately lead to failure in your computers power supply. There are a few way to protect your computer so this does not happen to you. A computer power supply has to make up for several things when it comes to the computer power. This includes blackouts, brownouts, surges, sags, and spikes. A blackout is when the power goes out completely and does not turn back on. This is the worst thing that can happen to an individuals power at home. An uninterruptible power supply or UPS is an online device that is constantly providing battery power to the computer and being recharged by the wall outlet, Peach. Com. Since blackouts do not occur all that often, there are other devices to protect your imputer from power surges and spikes. These devices are in the form of surge protectors. Common surge protectors can protect your computer from the fore mentioned power related issues. A surge protector can protect multiple devices at the same time from the increase of power that enters your house by regulating the power that goes to your computer. If the power is too much the surge protector shuts off the power to the devices and protects them from harm. To protect your computer from under power situations a line conditioner would be recommended. I Nils would De good Tort noses Tanat nave older willing or noses Tanat eave a lot of devices on and the power fluctuates and the lights tend to dim. The line conditioner will help reduce and remove interference from the electrical lines. This will help to make sure that the computer receives the right amount of power at all times. Computers have to have a certain amount of power in order to operate them correctly. You have to protect that power supply from outside influences that can harm the computers power supply. In doing so, you can save a lot of money and headache in the future by not having to replace the power supply. Investing in protection for your computer is a wise choice. Downloading Unauthorized Software At one point or another in our lives, we have all downloaded software or files for free from the internet. There are many risks that you are taking in doing this. There are so many ways that a persons computer malfunctions and downloading software can only be one of them. One of the first risks that I am going to discuss is the possibility of introducing viruses into your computer. A virus can be made to delete files, share information when you are online, and destroy computer parts. Viruses hidden in software will do whatever they were built to do. They can easily harm the computer and make it impossible to use. Downloading programs can cause other issues beside the viruses. Installing programs for the internet that you have downloaded can slow the computer and the program that down you are trying to run. This means that the program does not respond right when trying to execute commands. Slow running programs can cause the computer to crash or freeze up, making the user have to force a reboot. Installing this program can help resolve this issue. It is illegal to download software that you do not have a license to download. If a person is caught they could be facing fines, penalties, and possible Jail time. This charge would include software piracy. Not everyone is caught and the consequences could result harmful to yourself financially, and harmful to your computer. If you are downloading unauthorized software at work on a work computer you could face being removed from you Job. You are opening up the business to potential threats from outside the company. Secrets that are contained on computers are now vulnerable. If this information gets out you could destroy the company. Most companies have policies in place and administrative restrictions that prevent this from happening but they are not completely secure. While there is all sorts of software available for download on the internet, it would be ill advised to download it. You never know what you are going to get besides the software. Some of these programs can hide viruses so well that your anti-virus software cannot detect them until it is too late. The easiest way to prevent these issues is to not download anything that you do not know where it came from. Section Two Tower Dust, Heat, and Static There are a few natural things that can harm the computer and these include dust, heat, and static. These are all things that happen inside you desktop computer. Cleaning ten Insole AT your computer Is Just as Important as cleaning ten outside your computer. You will have to open the case by removing the screws that hold it in place in order to do this. Locate the two or four screws on the back of your computer that hold the case on. You need to shut the power off and unplug the power supply to the computer before you begin removing screws. Once the screws have been removed slide the case off of the computer. You need to use your anti-static bracelet so you do not harm your computer while it is open. You r computer could look like this inside of it. Figure 1 Inside a dirty computer. If the inside of your computer looks like this you need to spend some time and clean it out. All of the dust on the fans and parts will not allow the computer to cool properly. This will lead to the computer overheating. This will kill the computer and you will have to replace it or a lot of the components because of the overheating ruining the computer parts. The easiest way to clean the inside of your computer is with a can of compressed air that can be purchased at many superstores. With this method of cleaning the inside of the computer the purpose is to touch the parts of the computer as little as Seibel. You will have a mess to clean up after you are done blowing the computer out. Another method used to clean the inside of the computer is with a cloth designed for cleaning the computer. Micro-fiber and cotton cloths would be anti-static and not harm you r computer. You would simply then wipe down all of the surfaces inside the computer removing all of the dust. This method requires less clean up from around the computer after you are done cleaning the inside of the computer. Keyboard Cleaning Keeping your keyboard clean will help so that your keys function properly and do tot stick down. This is very aggravating when you are trying to type something and you have hard to push keys or keys the do not come back up after you press them. This is why the keyboard needs to be cleaned from time to time. One of the first things you need to do is to unhook you keyboard from the computer, if it is a wired keyboard. You will then turn the keyboard upside down and shake it to remove any loose particles from inside the keyboard. While holding the keyboard upside down you can also use a can of compressed air to spray between the keys and remove particles from there. To clean the around the keys, you can use rubbing alcohol and a q-tip or cotton swab to dissolve any liquids that have been spilt inside your keyboard. Use caution with this though, it could discord your keyboard if it is too strong. Test the strength of the alcohol on the back of the computer keyboard or another place where it will not be noticed easily. After you have tested the alcohol for disconsolation, you can use a cloth or cotton swabs to wipe the keys of the keyboard. You really want to focus on frequently used keys like the shift key, enter key, and the space bar to get them clean. Once you have he keys cleaned to satisfaction you can wipe down the rest of the keyboard. If you are using a wired keyboard you will need to plug it back in to the computer tower. Your Karaoke wall stay Tunneling properly IT you take ten relent steps to Keep it clean. It will also have less germs and appear brand new for years to come. When you own or work on a computer you know the frustration that you experience when it does not work properly. Imagine if it is caused by something getting spilled in the keyboard. A general rule to follow is to not eat or drink while using your computer. Mouse Cleaning The first thing that you need to do when it comes to cleaning you mouse it to unplug it from the computer. If you are using a wireless mouse, you want to remove the devices batteries before proceeding with the cleaning. This will prevent any static electricity from traveling into the computer tower and damaging the computer. The mouse is what we use to navigate the computer. Without the mouse working with a computer is hard to do. You can start by wiping your mouse surfaces off with disinfecting wipes. You have to make sure they are not overly wet because any moisture that enters the inside of he mouse can damage it and make it not work when you plug it back in. You never want to spray any fluids directly on the mouse for the same reason. Clean the top of your mouse focusing on cleaning the cracks and slots on the top. Make sure that you clean the space between the mouse wheel and the buttons of the mouse. If there is debris in the spaces between the wheel and the mouse buttons, turn the mouse upside down and roll the mouse wheel to try to dislodge it. You might have to shake the mouse to get the debris to fall out. While the mouse is upside down you can clean the bottom of the mouse. Use a q- IP to clean out the area where the optical eye (red light) is at on the mouse. Ensure that this area is clean so that the mouse can track the motions properly. If you have an older mouse that has a ball in the bottom of it you will have to remove the ring around the ball. There are arrows on the bottom of the mouse so you know which way to turn the disk. Once you have the disk out of the bottom you can remove the ball from the mouse. You will see a couple of rollers inside of it. Clean these rollers off with a q-tip so that there is nothing left on them. You will then want to clean the ball itself off with a rag of some sort. Once you have done this you can drop the ball back into the bottom of the mouse. You will then replace the retaining ring to hold the ball in place. You can then plug the mouse back in to the computer or put the batteries back in it and turn it on. The mouse is then clean and ready to use again. Cleaning Your Monitor If you need to clean your dirty monitor or display you have to take care if it is a LED or LCD screen. The older CRT screens are glass and can be cleaned in the same manner you would clean any other glass around your house. The LCD and LED screens are more sensitive and can be easily damaged if you do not take some precautions. If this is done correctly, it can be done in less than five minutes. You need to start first by shutting the monitor off. This allows you to see the dirt easier, especially if the screen is dark in color. You will need a soft cloth like a microfiche cloth or something you would use to clean eye glasses. You ay not want to puss Nora on ten moonlit Decease tens can damage ten pixels and cause them to burn out. This is not an issue with the CRT monitors or screens that are designed to be touched. You still have to press with caution on these devices though. If the simple cloth is not cutting the oil and dirt on the monitor you can dampen he cloth with a distilled water and white vinegar mix. This mix should be equal amounts of water and vinegar to prevent streaks. The vinegar will help cut the tough oil spots on most of your devices. Companies have made special cleaner that are for use with LCD and LED screens. If you do not want to go out and buy this special cleaner the water vinegar mix works just as well. Do not use products that contain ammonia in them because this can damage your screen. Ammonia can discord the screen and cause permanent damage. Do not use toilet paper or paper towels on you monitor. This can scratch the trials that are on the monitor that give it the anti-glare feature. Once this special coating is gone it cannot be replace. Your monitors picture will also look different if this coating is scratched. It could even be distorted looking if you Just scratch areas of the screen. Section Three Hardware Replacement First Step: The first thing that you want to do is unplug the power supply and all of the cords connected to the back of your computer. Then you will need to have enough space on a desk of table to set the computer tower. You will then remove the access panel to access the inside of your computer. Once this is done you will need a camera. This is so that you can take photos of the inside of your computer. You will also need sticky notes or masking tape so you can label the wires inside the computer and what they are connected to. According to B. Rankin 2005-2012, Label everything as you unplug it so you know where things are to be plugged back in later. Take photos of this as well. These photos will serve as a visual reference when you get to reassembling your computer. Second Step: You want to ground yourself so that you do not cause any static charge to affect the components of the computer. You can do this with an antistatic wrist strap of by touching the metal case. A static discharge can make components not work any longer. Third Step: You now have to remove all of the components inside of your computer tower. Get a little container you can put all of the screws you remove from the components in so you do not lose them. Start by removing all of the cards that are attached to the mother board. This could include a sound card, video card, and memory cards. Place these parts on a clean static free surface. Fourth step: Detach all of the cables and ribbons that are attached to the motherboard and the there devices in the computer. There are usually tabs on the sides of these cords, when squeezed they will be released from where they are plugged in at. There should not be much resistance from the cords and unplugging them. Step Five: Remove the hard drive, optical drives, and anything else that will interfere with the removal of the motherboard. Set these components off to the side on a static free area as well. You will then have the motherboard completely exposed for removal. Step Six: Find the six or nine screws that attach the motherboard to the case. You will need to remove these screws and put them up for safe keeping. Place the old motherboard in the antistatic bag that the new motherboard came in for safe keeping. Install the new 1/0 panel in the case. According to bankbooks. Com, New motherboards should always ship with their own 1/0 shield, but with a second-hand replacement like were using here, you have to make due. Step Seven: Prior to installing the new motherboard in the case, install the processor, cooling fan, and memory in the new motherboard. Once you have done this, install the motherboard back into the case and secure it with the screws that you saved from the old motherboard. You are now ready to reassemble the other components of the imputer in the case. Refer back to the photos that you took in step one for proper location of the components. Power Supply Replacement When replacing a computers power supply you have to insure that you are getting the right one for you system. You have to select the right form factor or style of your computers motherboard. You also have to ensure that the new power supply has all of the plugs that you need to power your computer. You have determined that you have a power supply and it meets your systems requirements, now it is time to start replacing the US. The first thing that you want to do is unplug it from the power source. Once you have completed this you will need to open the side of the computer case to expose the internal components. The US is located to the back top of the case. You will need to label all of the wires that are coming off of the US so that you have them for reference later. Take photos of the wiring before you begin. This will save you some frustration in the end. Once this is done unplug all of the wires that are leading out of the power supply into the main board. You will then locate the mounting screws on the outside back of the case. You will remove all of the screws that hold it in place and carefully remove the US from the case. Make sure that you do not hit any of the other components inside the case while removing it. Once you have the old US out of the case you can mount the new US in the case. You will then hook up all of the new wires referring back to your photos for reference if you need to. Close your case up and you are done. Plug ten computer Dick In to ten outlet Ana turn It on. IT ten computer powers up Ana comes on you have completed the upgrade correctly. If it does not come on you will need to unplug it and open the case again to make sure that everything is plugged in correctly. Without power going to your computer you do not have a computer Just a rage paper weight. Processor Replacement When replacing a processor for any computer you need to do it with caution. There are several steps that you should follow in order to replace it successfully. If you do something wrong you could destroy your new processor and render it useless. You will then have to purchase another processor and start over again. To begin, you will prepare your computer tower for the upgrade. Shut off the computer until all of the lights shut off and all of the fans have stopped running inside the computer tower. Once you have it shut down you need to unplug the computer from the power source. Then according to Andrews, J, 2009, press the power button to drain the system of power. Once this is done, you can proceed with removing the case of the computer. Read and follow all of the manufactures directions for installing the processor. Finally, use a grounding bracelet to protect your computer and components from and static charges. Figure 1 Intel Core 17 Processor 920 and socket LEGALLY Courtesy: Course Technology/Coinage Learning Figure 1 Intel Core 17 Processor 920 and socket LEGALLY Locate the processor in the computer tower and release the socket lever by pushing it down to release it and lift it away from the processor. You will then remove the Processor cover plate by lifting it off of the old processor. You now can see the processor. With you thumb and index finger grab aloud of both sides of the processor and carefully lift it out of the computer. You should place this in the anti- static bag that your new processor came in. Pick up the new processor using the thumb and index fingers on the side of it. Position it over the processor socket. Line up the pins of the socket with the notches on the processor. Figure 2 Corner with fewer pins. Figure 2 Corner with fewer pins. There is one corner that has fewer pins. Use this as a guide for your processor position. Keep the new processor level and lower it into place on the socket on the motherboard. Be careful not to touch the pins of the processor or the socket as you could inadvertently damage them. You would then not be able to use them. The next thing you will do is apply thermal grease evenly to the raised square in the center of the processor, Hewlett Packard, 2012. You will then replace the processor cover and secure it in place with the socket lever. If you have purchased the processor fan to cool it you will locate the four holes in the motherboard around the processor. You will push the fan mounting pins through the holes in the mother board and turn them a quarter turn clockwise to lock the fan in place. Tort remove it in the future you will simply turn the pins counter clockwise. Plug the fan in to your motherboard. You can then replace the case of your computer and plug it in to the power supply. Turn your computer on and if everything went well, your computer will boot up to the bios screen. Here you can verify the processor setting and adjust them if needed. Figure 3 Verify the CPU is recognized correctly by BIOS setup Courtesy: Course Technology/ Coinage Learning Memory Upgrade To upgrade memory means to add more RAM to a computer, Andrews, J, 2009. A person would do this to help the computer open programs faster or to help to make an unstable system more stable. You will not be able to install more memory than what the motherboard allows. This being said you will need to know your systems limits. You will need to shut down your computer and unplug it from the power source. Next, you should hold down the poser key to drain the system of all power. You can then open the computer case and locate you DIM slots and existing memory cards. Use a grounding bracelet to prevent a static discharge that could hurt the computer system. Next you need to release the clips that hold the memory in the DIM slots on the motherboard. You will remove the memory stick and look at it to determine what speed and what type of memory it is that is installed in your computer. You will then have to buy compatible memory to complete the upgrade if you dont already have it. Once you have it, you can proceed with installing the memory in your computer. When installing the new RAM use your thumbs to seat it in the motherboard. Pushing down with your thumb instead of other fingers to revert the stick going down at an angle is also a good rule of thumb, Steers, K. 2007. The memory stick will click in to place and be secured in the DIM slots. Make sure they are secured on both sides of the slots. You will then be able to close your computer case up. Plug your computer back in to the power source and turn the computer on. If done correctly your computer will open programs faster and be more stable. You can go to the task manager on the computer to check and see if the new RAM is all identified by the computer. If the computer is not recognizing the ram, follow the steps for removing the RAM. Instead of removing the RAM from the computer, look to see if it is all properly in place. Make sure that it is all properly seated and locked in place. Put the case back on and repeat the power up process to check it again. Figure 1 Comatose/Comatose/Getty Images Ensure youre using a hard drive compatible with your computer. Your computer hard drive is failing and making noises when you use your computer and you feel it is time for an upgrade. You ask yourself, how hard is it to change your hard drive in your desktop computer? It is a pretty easy task providing you have taken some time to prepare for the task at hand. One of the first things you want to do is to create an image of your current hard drive or save all of the files that you cannot afford to lose on an external storage device like a flash drive or CD room. This way when you have gotten your computer back up and running you have all of your information to put back on the new hard drive. Make sure that you have everything though because you might lose the information otherwise. Power off your computer, then locate the power switch on the back of your computer and flip it to Off, Hoffman, C. 2012. Unplug the unit from its power source and depress the power key for a few seconds o rural all AT ten power Trot ten system. You wall teen open your computer case Ana locate the hard drive to the front of the case. Figure 2 A PCs hard drive subsystem using parallel ATA Figure 2 A PCs hard drive subsystem using parallel ATA Unplug the cables that are attached to your hard drive. Next you will remove the two to four screws that are holding your hard drive in place in the tower. Remove the hard drive from its location and set it out of the way. You will then get your new hard drive out and slide it into the same location you Just removed your old one from. Secure it with the screws that you removed. According to Andrews 2010, muff must be able to securely mount the drive in the bay; the drive should not move when it is screwed down. Plug the cables back in to the back of the hard drive, close the case and proceed with normal power up procedures after plugging the system back in to the power source. Reinstall the operating system from the restore Cads that came with your computer. Section Five Installing 1/0 devices is a pretty common and easy task to do now days. All of the newly manufactured computers are color coded on the back of the computer. Figure 1 Back of computer Shut the power to the computer off. Then all you have to do is match the color or the plug with the color of the slot and plug them in. Then power up your computer and the plug and play will find and install the device properly. When installing a graphic card you have to have the computer unplugged and off. You will then remove the case of the computer and locate the existing graphic card. Put on an anti-static bracelet before touching anything inside of the computer. You will then remove the screws that are holding the graphic card in the computer. Next you will remove the card and push the new card into place and secure it with the screws from the old orphic card. Plug your computer in and insert the disk that came with the new card. Your computer will then install all of the right drives from the disk. To install multimedia devices on your computer you have several options. You can plug them in to your computer with the USB ports on the computer if the device has this option. Then you would configure it as above. If it requires to be installed inside the computer, you will have to shut the computer off and open the case. You will locate the appropriate slot on the mother board to connect your device. Secure the device with the screws and plug the cords in to the motherboard. Power up the computer and install the drivers for the device. Your upgrade is now complete. A mouse is a viable component of any computer. Without a mouse it is hard but, not impossible to navigate a computer. A mouse allows you to point and click on links for easier navigation. A mouse allows you to select certain points in a document in order to edit the information. In order to install a mouse on a computer you need to start by determining what type of mouse you want. You can get a traditional wired mouse that plugs in to the ASS port on the back of your computer. You could also get