Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting Computer Literacy

Learning Objectives • Know how to troubleshoot computer problems and find alternatives to costly commercial software • Understand basic computer and network troubleshooting including malware and viruses • Meet national technology standards for Technology Operations and Concepts • Create a flowchart demonstrating the ability to troubleshoot

Quest One: Murphy’s Law • According to Murphy’s Law – Whatever can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time, in the worst possible way. Anybody who has used technology knows this well. • Your mission is to prove Murphy wrong – Complete the three quests below to learn how to troubleshoot common computer problems. • You must be ready to solve problems! • Watch this video

Notetaker Q1 • Fold paper in half • Unfold • Rotate paper 90 degrees • Fold paper in half again • Unfold • Fold corners up Q1 Q3 Q2

Q1: Basic Computer Troubleshooting • This quest challenges you to discover what went wrong and how to fix the problem • Label One Section of your notetaker as Q1 • Watch this video • Take good notes in your Q1 section. Pause the video as needed so you don’t miss valuable information. Control your learning!

Q1: Malware and Viruses • Label ANOTHER section of your note taker as Q1 • Watch this video. • Continue taking good notes in your secondQ1 section. Pause the video as needed so you don’t miss valuable information

Quest 2: Now What? • This quest builds on the first Quest. You will create a flowchart for showing your steps for solving problems. • Watch this video

Q2: Error Messages and Updates • Label a new section of your note taker as Q2 • Watch this video • Take good notes in your Q2 section. Pause the video as needed so you don’t miss valuable information

Q2: Full Class Activity! (15 Minutes) • Murphy pushes the power button on her computer and nothing happens. • List all of the possibilities in flow chart form on how she would troubleshoot the problem. • Use either Gliffy or Bubbl.us to create your flow charts • Be prepared to share your flow chart with the class!

Q2: Row Activity (10 min) • Problem 2 - Murphy launches her Internet browser and sees a message that tells her, "The Page Cannot Be Found". In addition, you notice that you can't get to any of your network hard drives. • List all of the possibilities in flow chart form and how she would troubleshoot the problem.

Q2: Individual Activity (10 min) • Problem 3 - Over the past few days Murphy has noticed that her computer is starting to run very slowly, web pages are either not loading or she is being taken to a website that she did not intend to go to. In addition, she has been seeing pop-up boxes telling you that her computer may be infected. • List the possibilities of what is wrong in flow chart form, and describe the steps you would take to eliminate the problem. Submit your flow chart on Edmodo!

Quest 3: Just When You Thought it was Safe • Label the last section of your note taker as Q3. Take notes as needed! • This will be a two part quest. • In the first part you will be doing some research on purchasing an item from a company. You will choose two companies to compare and you will research the reliability of the company. • In the second part of the quest you will be doing some work at home on your family computer by checking on the type of virus protection you have installed. • Watch the video

Q3: Step One • In a browser (or new tab) go to the Google website • Select "Shopping" under the "more" tab

Q3: Step Two • Type in an item you would be interested in purchasing. • Choose an item that is available from at least 10 different stores.

Q3: Step Three • Click on the line where it says "from 25+ stores" to see the list of stores where the item is available. • Once you see the list of stores, choose two to research about on the Better Business Bureau web site

Q3: Step Three cont. • Here is an example of a businesses that was selling a stereo I searched for. • This business received n "F" rating

Q3: Step Three cont. • Here is another example of a businesses that was selling a stereo I searched for. • This business received n “A" rating

Q3: Step 4 • Open Word • Write at least three sentences summarizing each company you researched. • Be sure to include a snip of the company’s BBB rating • Save as “troubleshooting_Q3_your initials” • Submit this document on Edmodo

Q3: Step Five • Individuals or companies can monitor what you are doing on your computer by installing spyware. • Some ways that you can tell your computer might be infected include sudden changes in the behavior of the computer. • Be sure your operating system is up to date. • Watch the video

Q3: Homework! • Tonight: If you have a computer at home, check to make sure it has an up-to-date active antivirus software installed. If you don't have a computer at home, check with a relative or friend. • Popular antivirus software includes: BitDefender Antivirus Plus (rated best product by PC magazine for 2013), Kaspersky, and Norton . There are many more very good programs, the important thing is to make sure one is being used, and it has been kept up-to-date.

Q3: Homework cont. • When you open the antivirus program you should receive a report that tells if it is up to date.

Q3: Homework cont. • Is the computer protected? • If not, you can help them out and make a recommendation to the owner based on research you can do about the best anti-virus programs and prices.

Assessment • Go to Edmodo and take the unit quiz

Troubleshooting