© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Operational Procedures Chapter 2

© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Overview In this chapter, you will learn how to –Present yourself with a proper appearance and in a professional manner –Talk to customers in a professional, productive manner –Work with PCs safely using the proper tools

© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Appearance Proper dress Use deodorant

© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Traits of a Tech Honesty/Integrity –What’s the difference? Honesty is telling the truth Integrity means doing the right thing –Customer vs. in-house user Different standards apply to each Customer: “If it isn’t a felony, you didn’t see a thing” In-house user: Be “by the book”

© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Traits of a Tech (continued) Honesty/Integrity –Avoid prying into users’ personal files –Avoid learning passwords Or make the user change the password before you leave –Follow the Ethic of Reciprocity –Don’t touch users’ stuff without permission

© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Traits of a Tech (continued) Dependability/Responsibility –What’s the difference? A responsible person is answerable for the acts he or she does A dependable person can be counted on to perform those acts –Take responsibility for your actions –Make sure there’s a dependable backup of any system before you start to work

© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Traits of a Tech (continued) Adaptability/Versatility –User advocate: A tech only fixes the computers; a user advocate supports his or her users –Be technically and situationally adaptable Sensitivity –Be empathetic to your customer’s needs and expectations –Avoid personal calls or other distractions –Be politically correct

© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Communication Assertive communication –Avoid the “you” statements –Repeat the customer’s problem without being accusatory –State what you need to avoid this problem in the future What are some examples of assertive communication?

© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Respectful communication –The world does not revolve around you! –Always ask for permission to begin work –Listen to the customer’s problem Allow the customer to talk as long as he or she needs to talk Don’t be afraid to refocus the customer if he or she strays from the issue –Stay professional; don’t take angry customer statements personally –Avoid outside interruptions on customer time What are some examples of respectful communication? Communication (continued)

© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Communication (continued) Elicit answers –Use non-accusatory communication Not, “What did you do?” Instead, “When did it last work?” or “Has it worked in the past?” You're there to help, not accuse –Ask direct questions Explain what you're doing –Avoid jargon, acronyms, and abbreviations –Use analogies and visual aids when possible –Stay friendly

© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Expectations and follow-up –Timeframe: How long is this going to take? Best estimate, not a guarantee If the estimate changes, let the customer know ASAP –Documentation Always document the time, day, the problem, and the solution Always offer the customer any replaced parts –Follow-up Confirm the customer is happy a day or two later Communication (continued)

© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Safety and Tools

© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is the passage of a static electrical charge into your PC or a PC component such as a RAM stick –Static electricity can destroy sensitive parts of a PC –ESD damage is much more prevalent in dry, cool environments Electrostatic Discharge

© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Antistatic wrist strap –Keeps you and the PC at the same electrical potential to prevent ESD Antistatic mats –Used temporarily to place parts taken out of your PC Antistatic Tools

© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Antistatic Bags Antistatic bags –Used to store electrical components from your PC –Store components inside antistatic bags Always unplug a PC when you work on it. Don’t just turn it off

© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition EMI ElectroMagnetic Interference (EMI) –A magnetic field interfering with electronics Two or more magnetic fields interfering with each other –Unlike ESD, EMI cannot destroy electronics but it will destroy data What are some examples of EMI?

© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) –Radio waves interfering with electronics. –RFI will not destroy electronics or stored data but it can disrupt communication. What are some examples of RFI? RFI

© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Physical Safety Handling equipment –Use commonsense here –Lift with your legs –Place items securely: not teetering on the edge of a desk Spills –If it’s no big deal, clean it up. If it looks dangerous, call building services

© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition The basic tech toolkit: a Phillips-head screwdriver –Most toolkits contain a few other items It’s a good idea to include –Magnifying glass –Small flashlight –Plastic tweezers PC Toolkit

© 2010 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved Mike Meyers’ CompTIA A+ ® Guide to Managing and Troubleshooting PCs Third Edition Operational Procedures