Chapter 6 Purchasing and Maintaining a Computer Technology Now, 2nd Edition Chapter 6 Purchasing and Maintaining a Computer

In this Chapter Buy a Computer Install Hardware Protect Computer Hardware Safeguard Your Computer Troubleshoot Common Hardware Problems Keep Your Computer in Working Condition Use Software to Maintain Your Computer

Buy a Computer (1 of 9) Computers can be expensive, so you want to make an informed purchasing decision The computer you buy needs to be within your budget, and it must support the computing tasks you expect to perform

Buy a Computer (2 of 9) Computer purchasing options

Buy a Computer (3 of 9) Consider Budget and Intended Uses A peripheral device is hardware you add to your computer system for additional functionality Before you buy a computer, think about why you need it and how you intend to use it Consider many questions to help you decide the size and shape, operating system, hardware specs, and peripherals to look for in a computer

Buy a Computer (4 of 9) Select a Computer Form Factor Form factor is the size and shape of the computer

Buy a Computer (5 of 9) Select a Computer Form Factor

Buy a Computer (6 of 9) Select a Computer Platform Operating system or platform Coordinates the functions of your computer’s hardware components Determines the types and brands of application software you can use

Buy a Computer (7 of 9) Evaluate hardware requirements Central processing unit (CPU) Random access memory (RAM) Bytes Gigabytes (GB) Terabytes (TB) Storage devices Internal hard drive External hard drive Solid state drive (SSD)

Buy a Computer (8 of 9) Buy Peripheral Devices May include: Printer Headset Speakers Scanner Mouse

Buy a Computer (9 of 9) Make the Purchase Consult knowledgeable people Organize findings Look at all the options Consider service plans and extended warranties

Install Hardware (1 of 3) Understand the pairing or connectivity requirements Have needed cables ready Know the power sources

Install Hardware (2 of 3) Install Necessary Device Drivers Driver or device driver is a software program that works to connect and control devices attached to your computer so they can communicate and work together

Install Hardware (3 of 3) Pair Bluetooth Devices and Install Wireless Devices Bluetooth RF Wireless printer Pair

Protect Computer Hardware (1 of 4) Computers are made of sensitive electronic components that can be damaged Computer hardware should be protected from: Extreme temperatures Physical impact Liquids Magnetic fields Dust and sand Power fluctuations

Protect Computer Hardware (2 of 4)

Protect Computer Hardware (3 of 4) Protect Devices from Power Fluctuations Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) Power fluctuations Power spikes or power surges Surge suppressor

Protect Computer Hardware (4 of 4) Protect Devices from Power Fluctuations

Safeguard Your Computer (1 of 10) Valuable on your computer: software programs, documents, financial and legal statements, photographs, music, and video files Safeguard data by using secure devices, backing up your data, using passwords, building a firewall, and encrypting your data

Safeguard Your Computer (2 of 10) Hardware can be secured using physical locks and cables

Safeguard Your Computer (3 of 10) Recover Stolen Devices Global positioning system (GPS) Real- time location systems radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags computer tracking software

Safeguard Your Computer (4 of 10) Recover Stolen Devices

Safeguard Your Computer (5 of 10) Backup Data Best protection is to back up your files to an external storage location Store backups in a safe place Consider advantages and disadvantages of cloud backup and storage

Safeguard Your Computer (6 of 10) Backup Data

Safeguard Your Computer (7 of 10) Backup Data

Safeguard Your Computer (8 of 10) Use Passwords Passwords are short words or phrases kept secret by a person and used to gain access to a website or data Personal identification numbers often called PINs Usernames Two-factor authentication Strong passwords

Safeguard Your Computer (9 of 10) Build a Firewall Firewall inspects data being transmitted by your computer to external recipients to prevent unsolicited data exchanges

Safeguard Your Computer (10 of 10) Encrypt Data Data encryption Full disk encryption (FDE) Encrypting File System (EFS) for Windows FileVault for macOS

Troubleshoot Common Hardware Problems (1 of 5) Computers are prone to problems Basic hardware troubleshooting skills can save a lot of time and money Professional repairs can be very expensive

Troubleshoot Common Hardware Problems (2 of 5)

Troubleshoot Common Hardware Problems (3 of 5) Troubleshoot Storage Device Problems Head crash Manage Disk Space Random access memory (RAM) Virtual memory

Troubleshoot Common Hardware Problems (4 of 5) Solve Display Problems Video card Solve Keyboard Problems Solve Pointing Device Problems

Troubleshoot Common Hardware Problems (5 of 5) Solve Printer Problems Power Connectivity Toner or ink Paper Troubleshoot Power Problems Troubleshoot External Storage Problems

Keep Your Computer in Working Condition (1 of 6) Regular maintenance of a computer can keep it functioning properly and extend its life Maintaining peripherals is as important as maintaining the main computer

Keep Your Computer in Working Condition (2 of 6)

Keep Your Computer in Working Condition (3 of 6) Maintain the Hard Drive magnetic hard drive head crash solid state drives (SSDs) Maintain Removable Media flash drive solid state storage memory cards

Keep Your Computer in Working Condition (4 of 6) Care for Display Screens Always turn off device Use special cleaning products Us lint free soft cloth Use screen protector

Keep Your Computer in Working Condition (5 of 6) Maintain Keyboards Maintain Pointing Devices

Keep Your Computer in Working Condition (6 of 6) Maintain Printers Ink and toner Paper Use compressed air to clean Clean an Electronic Device Clean exterior regularly Use a professional when necessary

Use Software to Maintain Your Computer (1 of 5) Utility programs can help return your computer to better working condition Be sure that your computer updates drivers, and frequently run the programs that clean up and optimize your hard drive

Use Software to Maintain Your Computer (2 of 5) Use Disk Cleanup Tools

Use Software to Maintain Your Computer (3 of 5) Optimize Magnetic Drives disk defragmentation utility or disk optimization utility

Use Software to Maintain Your Computer (4 of 5) System and Security Maintenance Software on your computer is often updated automatically Check the Action Center periodically Control Panel > System and Security > Security and Maintenance

Use Software to Maintain Your Computer (5 of 5) A computer virus is malicious software that infects your computer without your knowledge or permission A virus can steal data, wipe out files or entire hard drives, and slow down performance Virus protection software can scan incoming messages and programs to prevent virus infection Spyware and Adware removal software can protect your computer from other harmful malware