Computer Repair Center

Shop Worker’s Guide Author - Tom Morin Created August 2008 Last edited January 2009 Overview

I am always revising this document with improvements and additions. Refer to this document as needed. Report errors to me for correction. Offer suggestions to me. It is intended for use by the Computer Repair Center staff and is written with the type of equipment we service in mind. This guide will help shop workers, especially new employees, in their training to be proficient as computer technicians. Above all else, there are basic rules in the shop: 1. Quality is more important than quantity. Do not be intimidated by the occasional heavy work load. Your attention to detail is very important therefore ask as many questions as needed. Treat customer computers the way you would want your computer to be handled. 2. Integrity – We will maintain a high level of integrity and abide by licensing laws, data privacy laws and PSU policies. 3. Consistency - Use consistent procedures and practices when servicing systems. We have forms to follow for specific types of service. 4 Organization - .An organized shop runs more efficiently than one in disarray. Clean up at the end of your shift. Put tools and equipment away. 5. Service Manual - Whenever student workers are disassembling a laptop, the Dell service manual must be used. 6. Documentation – We document our work for multiple purposes: a. for reference when billing the customer and informing the customer of the steps we took b. for reference in repeat services to same computer c. for using consistent procedures in the service of computers d. for reference when another technician continues on with the work you started

Sections: Introduction What do we do What do we expect from you Procedures and Policies Front Counter Procedures Work Benches Forms

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Tool Trays Ice Cube Trays CD Kits Bench Bins-Plastic Software Library Software utilities used in the shop Recent additions to the shop hardware / software inventory prior to 2009. Shop Documentation and resources we use Revisions to this guide in calendar year 2009

Introduction If you are new to working in the shop, or simply need a reminder of our procedures, start here. We will guide you through the shop procedures. There is almost never a bad question. When in doubt, ask us! Personnel The Computer Repair Center consists of the ITS Desktop Support personnel and the Computer Repair Center technicians. We work as a team to accomplish the mission each section is responsible for and assist each other as needed. Individual references to each section may be made in this documentation but we all work as a team to accomplish the overall objectives. We also work with other ITS groups to accomplish the overall ITS mission. Atmosphere We work in a relaxed environment that can get quite busy depending on the time of the semester. We have a microwave oven and two small refrigerators and a coffee pot. We are in a small white wooden building on the northern end of the campus but there is hope that we will be moving to a larger location in Summer 2009. Who do we service We service the PSU community and can not service computers of individuals outside of the PSU community. Eligible PSU community customers include presently registered students and employees, alumni and retired employees. Workflow The customer's computer equipment requiring service is in-processed at the front counter. Customers must log into the kiosk themselves using their PSU account and password.. If the customer can not log in, ask what their affiliation is with PSU. They must have an active PSU account to log into the kiosk. Some short-term visitors may have guest accounts that will work as well. Once the equipment is checked in, label it and then place in the left-most column of shelves in the shop; appropriately marked “waiting for service". We service equipment mostly in a FIFO (First In, First Out) process. While there are exceptions, use FIFO unless otherwise directed. As equipment is serviced, and work on the equipment is delayed due to waiting for customer approval, waiting on parts, or the end of your shift, the unit is placed in the column of shelves marked "waiting for parts". Appropriate paperwork MUST be done at each step of the way. The Work Order

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System is to be updated as needed (We can not emphasize this enough!). Much focus is placed on maintaining the integrity of customers' data. If there are serious issues, or a questionable hard drive, back up the data to one of the work horses in accordance with our procedures. Use our recommended hard drive diagnostics to determine the functional status of a hard drive. Read on!

What do we do

We service the hardware needs of PSU-owned computers in campus offices and computer clusters. There are ITS individuals in other areas of ITS that support the software and network needs of PSU owned computers. We service computer hardware, printers and other peripherals. There are approximately 1600 computers and 175 laser printers as well as an unknown quantity of peripherals in the campus buildings used by faculty, staff and students. This does not include student-owned computers. We also provide service of the hardware and software needs of personally owned computers belonging to faculty, staff, and students (An estimated 95% of students own or have access to a family- owned computer). We service software on almost any brand computer but are certified to perform warranty work on only Dell and Apple equipment. We limit our hardware support on non-Dell / non- Apple computers based on the manufacturer's support structure and parts availability. We work on the following operating systems: Windows XP, VISTA, and MAC OS 10.4 or higher. We do a considerable amount of software repair, the vast majority being Windows XP and . We use the recovery console, repair feature, and the reinstallation of Windows XP or VISTA. We perform virus / spyware removal. This is a huge problem on personally owned computers therefore we continually update / improve our procedures. We perform warranty repairs on almost all Dell computers and most Apple computers. We perform non-warranty repairs on most manufacturers’ computers. We upgrade computer hardware such as hard drive, RAM, optical drive, graphics cards and system boards. We "clean up" hard drives when they get bogged down and interfere with the performance of the computer. We fully respect the privacy of personal data, and do not internationally look at data, pictures, etc... on any computer.

What do we expect from shop workers While we will supervise you and provide training, we need independent workers who will follow procedures! Students interested in working in the shop should have experience some of the following areas: 1. Comfortable with hand tools - In the process of servicing computers; you will be removing and installing components. The majority of our work is on laptops. 2. Experience with XP and/or VISTA – Install the Operating System. onto a blank HD, update an existing Operating System. installation, and repair XP or VISTA installations. 3. Apple OS experience – we will actively support Macintosh computers starting Fall 2008. 4. Internet experience – Many of our solutions to the computer problems, whether hardware or

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software, are from experience. Others are found online, from manufacturer web sites or through searching via forums, www.microsoft.com, or www.google.com. 5. Follow instructions – We have set procedures in place that need to be followed. 6. Reliability – We depend a great deal on student employees. Please work when you are scheduled to. 7. Quality – We insist on quality work. It is preferred to have one system done correctly than have three systems done incorrectly.

Procedures and Policies 2-hour minimum time periods for work. Work hours for student workers in the shop will be within the publicly open hours of the Repair Center. Hours worked are rounded to the nearest quarter hour. Time sheets must observe this procedure. Fill out your time sheets weekly. If hours are not filled in by the time we must submit them to payroll, yo time sheet might not get submitted until the next pay cycle due date. Although you will get paid, there will two-week a delay. Do not expect us to fill in your time sheet out for you. Sign your time sheet! Contact Tom or Peter beforehand if you will miss any scheduled work time. 1. Desired methods of contact: A: E-mail ([email protected]). B: Phone call (535-3499 or 53499) 2. If there are three unannounced missed work times, all or part of your hours may be reassigned to o workers to meet the needs of the shop. 3. See here for RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES of student workers [http://www.plymouth.edu/finaid/employment/rights.html?pagename=employment] Work on no more than two systems at any given time. ATTENTION TO DETAIL!!! All student workers should become familiar with http://www.support.dell.com . Dell’s support site is on the best ones out there. We will refer you to this site often for drivers, service manuals, and troubleshooting guides. This site is accessed quite often in the support of Dell systems. CD Kits: They are up-to-date (most recent updates as of August 2008). We all are responsible for keeping the kits organized. If any CD/floppy is left on a bench, return it to its respective case.

We strongly focus on quality. 1. Ensure ALL items are kept together and returned to customer. I.e. laptop carrying case, AC Adapter, sof mouse. 2. All bad / replaced components will be returned to the customer unless a vendor requires they be returned 3. Ensure ALL screws and other hardware is reinstalled and tightened. 4. Follow the instructions produced by shop personnel 5. Use service manuals for laptops whenever possible when changing hardware or disassembling for inspec 6. Most manuals can be obtained online (most common Dell model system manuals are on the service CD Driver DVD) 7. Update Status sheets as needed. 8. When a job is complete, communicate with shop full-time staff for a quick check of your paperwork and Place equipment, with paperwork; on shelve in store after you call the customer. 9. Clean up your bench at the end of your shift. Check your CD kit, tool tray and work bench. update your daily.

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Front Counter Procedures This is a new section added January 21, 2009. I will be brief now but will add to the section as time allows or as needed. Please review the sections prior to this section in order to get an idea of what the Repair Center does and who we service.

As customers bring in equipment to be serviced, they must have a valid PSU user account and password as they must enter this information into our work order system. The work order system is accessible through the kiosk on the front counter. At the present, this is the only system that the customers can use to create a work order. The customer will need to enter contact information and information about their computer. They may need assistance locating the serial number of the computer. This is important to us therefore help ensure accuracy. The student worker system is for your use. Once a work order is created, the customer automatically receives an email with the work order in it. They do not receive a paper copy. You will then bring the equipment over to the shop section and place the equipment in the appropriate shelf. When the stop staff complete the work, they will contact the customer, print out a completed work order, and place the equipment on the appropriate shelves. If there is payment due, we accept Visa, Master Card and check. We DO NOT accept CASH. You will be responsible for processing credit card charges. An advantage of this position is that there is not a telephone that you need to answer. More information to come!! Ask Peter or Tom any questions you may have.

Work Benches There are four work benches, each with minitower work station on which we connect customer hard drives or other components for evaluation, service, or data backup. There is a single MAC work bench with appropriate computer, tools and other equipment for the servicing of Macintosh computers. When backing up a customer’s personal data onto a work horse hard drive, back up data into d:\backup\..... Make a folder with customer’s first and last name. I.e. d:\backup\johnsmith. On the status sheet, indicate which work horse the data is backed up on. We back up data, music, pictures, and sometimes email, Check the Users' accounts, the Desktop, and folders on C: for customer files. Music might be in C:\shared, c:\itunes, c:\music, etc ..... Digital camera pictures and music sometimes gets outside the User Account’s profile. Know how to use the search feature (for data). If the operating system is to be reloaded, or the HD is reformatted or replaced, use the backup and re-image form and/or the Dell hard drive replacement document. Each Windows XP workhorse PC has almost identical hardware and software install. Each work horse has a DVD drive and a DVD/RW drive for backing up data. Each Windows XP work horse has an IDE card installed in the PCI slot. Use this to slave in

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customer hard drives. Each work horse has a SATA connector on system board. Do not disconnect IDE cables from the system board. This weakens the system board connector. With all the laptops on campus, and with the introduction of SATA hard drives for desktops and laptops, we needed adapters for connecting these drives to our work horse systems. Be familiar with the following shop items: IDE adapter for IDE laptop hard drives USB IDE adapter for desktop IDE hard drives USB SATA adapter for SATA 3.5” and 2.5” hard drives using our USB DVD +RW drive the forms used in the shop. the CD kits and tool bins. Diagnosing hard drives Running Dell Diagnostics Ask for assistance as needed when using these adapters.

Forms

As with any retail or service entity, there is paperwork! With the advancement of computers, there was talk of a 'paperless society'. Obviously, that is a myth! Below are forms we use in the shop.

Status sheet form – This is one of the most commonly used forms in the shop! This is used by the technicians to record their work on each system. This is important for two reasons: 1: record of service performed; 2: If technician “a” does not complete the work in their shift, technician “b” needs to know what work was performed up to that point.

XP Cleanup form and VISTA cleanup form - These are two of most commonly used forms in the shop! This form is a multi-step list of work-guidelines used when servicing computers needing software repair / cleanup.

Back-up-and-reformat/re-image form - This is one of the most commonly used forms in the shop! When a customer’s software is damaged beyond repair, or there is so much spyware / virus infestation that reformatting is the best option, or the hard drive is replaced, follow this checklist as a reminder of what to install or. This allows for consistent service.

Dell Hard Drive Replacement Document – Dell recommends specific steps when reinstalling the operating system. Use as necessary.

Service Sign - for out on campus – This form is available in the shop. We use this when we need to remove an item from on campus. It is to notify the end user or coworkers that the end user's equipment is in the shop for service. When you need to enter any department office, communicate with the end user or administrative assistant of that department before doing so. Peter or Tom will advise you in your initial work orders out on campus. Do not rearrange end users offices, desk materials, or any thing in their work area. If you must do so in order to access the computer, be conscious of the end- user’s work area and do the best you can to return the area or its original state.

License Codes / Utility Codes - This is a password protected excel file that has codes for some of our licensed utilities. Copies are available in the shop if you need the code.

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Change Office XP or 2003 product key - Instructions for changing the Office XP or Office 2003 license code in the registry.

Change Windows XP key June 06 - Instructions for changing the Office XP or Office 2003 license code in the registry. This replaced earlier instructions that no longer work due to an update Microsoft released in Spring 2006.

Activate a legit copy of Windows XP without having to call Microsoft. - We have a utility that will adjust the registry to activate Windows XP after installation.

Tool Trays There are between four and six plastic tool trays with the majority of the tools needed to service equipment in the shop. There should be one on each work bench. These include 7 screwdrivers of different sizes and type. needle nose plies black plastic scribe flashlight thermal grease a large paperclip pen/pencil/marker Nut Driver 3/8" and 1/4" (not in every tool tray) Tools specific to the service of Apple computers are located by the Apple work bench and to be used only on Apple computers. Additional miscellaneous tools are located in other areas of the shop.

Ice Cube Trays We use ice cube trays for screw holders when servicing laptops, mainly Dell laptops. Each 'cube' in the tray is labeled appropriately keeping in mind the flow of laptop disassembly. These have become an invaluable piece of shop equipment for the organization of laptop screws.

CD kits There are software kits containing CDs and floppy that are available for internals use. Do not take these kits out of the store/shop. Keep these kits organized and full. Communicate with Peter or Tom if any media is missing. If you find media on the work benches return it to the appropriate kit. Kits contain: _ Win98 Diskette – bootable diskette. _ Ghost 2003 Diskette - bootable diskette. _ DOS CD; Bootable - Bootable CD with DOS files.

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_ Driver DVDs - DVDs with drivers for the newer Dell laptops and desktops _ Service Pack CD - multiple utilities, service packs, etc… _ Audio CD – To test the speakers / sound card _ Ultimate Boot CD – Boot off this CD and check it out!! http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/ _ System Works 2003 CD – For running utilities. – now stored in software library _ System Works 2005 CD – For running utilities. – now stored in software library _ Roxio Easy CD Creator 5.3.4 – For older Dells with a CDRW _ Sonic Record now For Dells with DVD Drive _ Cyberlink Power DVD - For Dells with DVD Drive _ NT Password changer CD (bootable) – remove XP password _ NT Password changer floppy (bootable) - remove XP password _ Dell Driver DVDs for laptops - Has Drivers and service manuals for most Dells _ Dell Driver DVDs for desktops - Has Drivers and service manuals for most Dells _ 3-in one CD – stored in software library - from 2006 -– now stored in software library _ Office XP Professional SP3 CD - To reinstall Office XP. ** Use customer’s license code. _ Office 2003 CD Pro PSU license - To reinstall Office 2003. ** Use customer’s license __ Office 2007 Standard CD ( or DVD) _ OEM XP Home SP3 CD To reinstall Win XP Home. ** Use customer’s license code. _ OEM XP Professional SP3 CD To reinstall Win XP Home. ** Use customer’s license code. _ Dell XP Home SP3CD- To reinstall Win XP Home. Use customer’s license code. _ Dell XP Professional SP3CD- To reinstall Win XP Home. Use customer’s license code. _ PCI e-MAXX Diskette and PCI e-MAXX CD

_ Eraser Diskette and Eraser CD

_ Dell laptop Service TAG CD

Apple software is stored in separate location in the shop. Other CDs are in the software library file cabinet.

Bench Bins - Plastic

There is a clear plastic bin on the top shelf of each work bench. Each bin contains: CD the tool tray two USB mice kit two ice one USB keyboard two Dell ac adapters cube trays. At the end of the day, all or most of these items should be returned to the plastic bin. Additional miscellaneous tools are located in other areas of the shop.

Page 8 Computer Repair Center Software Library We have an ever-increasing software library in the shop, which we use to expedite the servicing of customers’ computers. These are located in the CD kits, file cabinets, or online. Some of these include: Registered utilities - The registered versions are more powerful than the free public versions also available. Non Registered Utilities - There are 10 -20 other free utilities we use in the servicing of customer computers. Slipstreamed CDs were updated Spring 2008. Service CD - A compilation of utilities loaded onto one CD. These are in the CD Kits. Dell Driver DVDs - There are four DVDs; one for Dell desktops and three for Dell laptops[ Laptop DVDs are: Latitudes, Inspiron and Vostro_Studio_XPS] . These have the drivers, user’s guides, and service manuals for the most common Dell models. As the DVDs get full, the older models are removed. You can access www.support.dell.com for the older laptop models, if not on the driver DVD. Ultimate Boot CD - The newest version of this CD was publicized in June 2008. We removed several utilities, and added others. This replaces the BART PE CD, of which updates are no longer being done. This bootable CD (boots to a windows environment on the CD) comes in handy when evaluating customer hard drives. Check it out!! Dell Software Image Library - We have over sixty Dell model images on DVD. These allow for a fast imaging process when the hard drive is blank. Once re-imaged, there may be a few updates required from the operating system, antivirus, or spy ware/ad ware utilities. The Windows XP License code will then be changed to reflect the customer's license located on the outside of the computer. Miscellaneous manufacturer's computer images - We are collecting images of miscellaneous manufacturer's computer images to be used to re-mage customer's computers, As with the Dells, once re-imaged, there may be a few updates required from the operating system, antivirus, or spy ware/ad ware utilities. The License code will then be changed to reflect the customer's license. OEM Operating systems - We have retail and OEM versions of the common operating systems. These are used on customer's computers when their CDs are not readily available.

Software Programs / Utilities used in the shop. In the servicing of customer computers we are always adjusting our procedures as we learn of new or improved procedures and utilities. Below are lists of the majority of the utilities we presently use. Registered utilities - for Spyware / virii / HD cleanup – The license codes for these registered utilities are available as needed. Ask shop staff for the codes. Always remember to uninstall these registered utilities from the customer computer when down. Acronis Workstation – for cloning hard drives (located only on work horse systems). Spy sweeper – used in the process of spyware and virii removal Advanced System Optimizer - used in the process of spyware and virii removal Registry Mechanic – used in the process of spyware and virii removal Pass-Mark burn-in test – for putting a computer’s hardware under a stress-test. Final Data 2.0 - data recovery utility from crashed hard drives. Final Data Quick reference guide Spyware Doctor - A registered version is being added to your resources in February 2009. Free utilities for Spyware / virii / HD cleanup Adaware - used in the process of spyware and virii removal Spybot - used in the process of spyware and virii removal Hijackthis – for evaluation and stopping or removing startup items. SpywareBlaster – this prevents specific web sites from downloading spyware/adware from being installed. Stinger – A antivirus utility - sometimes this picks up what other utilities do not. TrendMicro online virii scanner – programs that can be run to check for virii. AVG – a Free antivirus program

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CC Cleaner – good utility to remove unneeded temporary files and for removing miscellaneous programs. PC Decrapifier – Good utility to remove all the junk programs installed by a computer manufacturer. Malawarebyte Anti-Malware - removal utility for 'Antivirus XP 2008 or 2009 and other spyware Symantec Program removal tool – used to remove OEM installs of Symantec. McAfee removal tool - used to remove OEM installs of McAfee programs.

General utilities • Jellybean key finder – utility that shows Windows and Office license codes • Belarc Advisor - utility that shows all programs installed, hardware installed, and license codes • Particle Fury – Benchmark program, similar to Pass-mark Burn-in Test • VLC – a free alternative to Windows Media Player or Power DVD. • Reglite - an easy to use yet powerful registry editor. Be careful with it!! • DeepBurner – a free CD/DVD burning program. • HD Tune - Looks for bad blocks on a hard drive. - a nice utility! • JKDefrag, Ultimate Defrag – free HD defrayment utility. - a nice utility!

Most, if not all free utilities can be found at www.download.com, www.google.com or www.majorgeeks.com

Recent additions to the shop hardware and software inventory Fall 2007

We have increased the number of USB network adapters from 1 to 3. We have purchased a USB DVD +RW drive to be used to service systems. We have purchased several USB to SATA drive adapters; We have purchased Acronis True Image 9.1 Workstation. This is a software program we needed for creating images of SATA hard drives. Our previous utility, Ghost 2003, would not recognize SATA drives. It will be installed on the new work horse image to be finalized in late August. Our registered utilities; Spy Sweeper and Registry Mechanic have new versions. They will be on new workhorse image and CD media used in the shop. Lavasoft has a new version of Adaware in BETA. Once they kick out a "ready for primetime" version, it will be distributed to workhorses. The slipstreamed media which we use in the shop daily are all being updated.(XP PRO - PSU, Dell XP home, Dell XP PRO, and Office 2003 - PSU) We have an updated 'Ultimate Boot CD' which will replace our BART PE CD and other media containing utilities. Some of the shop forms that have been updated in summer 2008 include, but not limited to, are the Step-by-Step form and the re-image checklist. We have a buffer area with spare AC adapters for Dell D-series and some Inspiron laptop models and keyboard for the Dell laptops we have sold over the past few years.. These are for rapid warranty repairs. We must hold onto the bad AC adapters / keyboards until Dell sends us the replacement. The replacement will then replenish the buffer.

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New (to us) software utilities for spyware:

1. Larry's cleanup batch 2. PC Decrapifier 3. CC Cleaner 4. Malawarebyte's Anti-Malware 5. Apple support site- We will be supporting Apple computers starting in Fall 2008. This requires the purchase of Apple specific equipment and tools. These will be located in a specific area of the shop and are to be used only on Macintosh computers. 6. Service CD - many utilities have been updated or added 7. Driver DVDs - many drivers have been updated and some new Dell models have been added. 8. Shop documentation - Some of the shop documents have been updated ( XP cleanup sheet, VISTA cleanup sheet, this guide) 9. Work Order System - A new process is in place for receiving computer equipment. Instead of a 3- copy carbonless form, an online work order system has been created.

Shop documentation and resources

My web site --> http://oz.plymouth.edu/~tom/ - This site has troubleshooting documents and many, many links to manufacturer support sites, support sites, etc…. One item we added in Fall 2006 is creating the on-line Service CD. Most of the information on the physical Service CD (located in the CD kits) is available online here. Most of the shop documents are available here in the ‘Shop Documents’ drop-menu Basic Computer Troubleshooting --> http://oz.plymouth.edu/~tom/Troubleshooting/troubleshootingcomputers.html It focuses on servicing Dell computers in our shop. All new staff should read it, question it and offer suggestions for improvement. Diagnosing hard drive failures in DOS / Windows XP/VISTA --> http://oz.plymouth.edu/~tom/Troubleshooting/diagnosingharddrives.html Dell Hard Drive replacement form and checklist --> http://oz.plymouth.edu/~tom/forms/Dell% 20Hard%20drive%20replacement.pdf Spyware definitions and utilities--> http://oz.plymouth.edu/~tom/Troubleshooting/spyware_definitions.html Services Explained --> http://oz.plymouth.edu/~tom/forms/services%20explained.pdf

Revisions to this guide January 2009 - Installed a 750GB Networked storage device in the shop. This is to be used for backing up customer data. Previously, we would back up data to one of the workhorses' hard drives. The network drive is password protected. To use this device, connect a CAT 5 or CAT 6 network cable from the laptop to the switch on the work bench shelf. Map to the Network Drive using \\naps\backup. You will need a username and password, which is available from one of the full-time

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technicians ( Peter or Tom).

This document is available online at http://oz.plymouth.edu/~tom/ in the shop documents drop menu.

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