1 Computer Technician Computer Software: Failures, Corruptions, Repair, and the Future of Computing...

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Computer Technician

Computer Software: Failures, Corruptions, Repair, and the Future of

Computing

Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2013. All rights reserved.

Course Objectives

Define computer software failures, corruptions, and repairs

Identify and repair basic software failures Understand the future direction of

computing in the modern world

Copyright © Texas Education Agency, 2013. All rights reserved. 2

Computer Software

Software: one or more programs and a collection of data that is stored on the computer for a purpose There are many different types

of software programs Each piece of software serves a

particular purpose in making the computer function


Computer Software Failure

Software Failure: a crash or cessation of processing because of a logic error in a program

Identifiable by a software program becoming unresponsive or a popup on screen


Computer Software Failure

Causes Program Files were corrupted at installation Files are missing Hardware failure

Hard drive is failing Processor is overheating


Computer Software Corruption

Software Corruption: critical files or application data have been destroyed, altered, or deleted causing the application to be unable to function

The Operating System will not allow the user to boot the applications when critical files are missing to prevent damage to the computer’s hardware or other software applications


Computer Software Corruption

Potential causes Damaged installation program that did not contain and

install the full contents of the software program The end user accidentally deletes files from the hard

drive Adware or Spyware on an infected computer

intentionally alter or delete important application files or folders

Hardware failures


Computer Software Repair

Operating System Corruption: PC Repair by performing the following steps

Insert the Operating System disk, reboot the computer, and look for press any key prompt

Press any key to get to the Setup Press R to begin the Repair process Select the Hard Drive with the arrow keys and press R Files will begin to be checked and overwritten Upon completion, the computer will prompt the user to

set the computer up



Operating System Corruption (Non-PC) Repair by performing the following steps

Insert the Disk Utility CD into the computer Select Open Disk Utility under Installer at the top of

the screen The HD window should allow you to select the

computer’s Hard Drive on the left and then click the Repair Disk Permissions button

The computer will then scan and repair damaged files Once completed, eject the disk and reboot



PC Application Repair Depending on the severity of the corrupted

files, there are varying degrees to repairing software Resetting the program’s to its defaults (rare) Repairing the software (common) Uninstalling and Reinstalling the software (less

common)


Computer Software Repair PC Application Repair

Resetting a program to its defaults is frequently accomplished by selecting the top menu and selecting the Options Menu

Repairing the Software Click Start, Control Panel, Programs and Features Select the Application you wish to repair and click

Change Click Repair, then click Continue Upon completion, a computer restart may be

necessaryCopyright © Texas Education Agency, 2013. All rights reserved. 11


PC Application Repair Uninstalling and Reinstalling the software

Click Start, Control Panel, Programs and Features Select the Application, click Uninstall; then click

Continue Insert the installation disc back into the computer, and

then reinstall the software

Note: This step should be taken ONLY if the software repair failed to remedy the corruption


Computer Software Repair Non-PC Application Repair

Resetting a program to its defaults is frequently accomplished by selecting the top menu and selecting the Preferences Menu

Because the operating system has a built-in feature, it is possible to open this utility and restore the computer or files to an earlier time Select an earlier time to restore from and Click

Restore (Note: An external drive is required for this)



Non-PC Application Repair Uninstalling and Reinstalling the software

Open the HD by double clicking Click the Applications Folder Click on the Application you wish to delete Drag the Application to the trash and empty the trash Reinstall the software by inserting the CD into the

computer or re-downloading the software


Future of Computing

Moore’s Law: coined in 1970, states that as a rule of thumb in hardware computing history, the number of transistors that can inexpensively be placed on an integrated circuit doubles every 18-24 months.

Translation: Computer performance doubles about every two years


Future of Computing

Moore’s Law – What makes this possible? Transistor sizes (the tiny electrical pathways)

shrink allowing for more transistors to fit in the same space as the previous generation’s chip

What effect does this have? The processor can run at faster speeds The processor uses less energy The processor runs cooler Allows for more chips to be added to the processor

increasing the number of duties it can fulfill


Future of Computing

Quantum Computing: Applying the principles of quantum mechanics to computer technology, the concept could be made practical and result in computers of the future becoming markedly faster


Future of Computing

Photonics: the generation, emission, transmission, modulation, and signal processing of light Currently this technology is used in printing,

optical drives, remote controls, and audio Future computers could see more reliance upon

this technology in data transmission which is capable of much higher data speeds than current cables


Future of Computing

Nanotechnology: the study of manipulating matter at an atomic and molecular level Often size deals with nanometers and ranges

from 1nm to 100nm Currently, transistors in many of today’s

computers range from 22 to 40 nanometers The lower the number, the smaller the size, less

energy is used, and more densely a processor can be packaged for performance


Independent / Group WorkGroup Get into your groups Pick one of the emerging technologies (quantum computing, photonics, or

nanotechnology) and do some research online to explain and show explicit examples of your technology

Your findings must be backed up by two or more reliable sources Once complete, your group will present your findings to the class Take detailed notes on each group’s research as it is being presented

Individual Describe Moore's Law and pick one specific computer manufacturer to

display in a chart and illustrate the last 12 years of its technology growth. Your chart should prove Moore’s Law. Included in the chart should be the CPU and transistor count, in addition to the percentage of growth from one year to the next.


Exam Preparation

An exam will be given over the material presented in the presentation

Make sure to review your class notes and the information on these slides


1 Computer Technician Computer Software: Failures, Corruptions, Repair, and the Future of Computing...

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