Justify improvements that could be made to a computer system considering the costs involved and the potential benefits gained.

Many companies have had the same computers for 5-10 years and for the ones nearer the 10 year bracket should seriously consider getting new computers. They should do this because there base system, motherboard and CPU, will be of poor quality now and upgrading it would be very hard to do due to the fact the slots have evolved at least two generations. However, for the companies that are 5 years or younger then there are many things you can do improve your computers.

The first and most obvious is to improve the RAM, Random Access Memory. The RAM stores all the processes that goes on within the computer, so if you have a word document open it will be stored in the RAM until you save it permanently on the Hard Drive. Therefore, upgrading the RAM will mean a noticeable quickening of your system as it will be able to run more processes at once due to the increased amount of this memory. Along with being a good upgrade it is rather cheap to upgrade it in the first place which means you get a lot of improvement to your system for not a lot of money.

However, if you wish to upgrade your RAM it is a must that you check what your Operating System, OS, can hold in regards to RAM. Older versions of Windows may only be able to run with 2gb of RAM and sometimes less. The type of modern Windows is also a factor because if you are running on a 32bit OS then your system will only configure and use up to 3gb of RAM. If however you are using a 64bit OS the only limit is what your motherboard can take. Therefore, check what RAM you have in your system as by simply upgrading your OS you might be able to get a new OS and a more RAM than you expected, meaning it would be terrific value for money.

The benefits for upgrading the OS on its own merit is also worth considering. If the system is relatively new but the company wishes to use the latest software they may need to upgrade from the baseline software, Windows XP, to one of the newer versions of windows, Vista or 7. The benefits of upgrading to Windows 7 include a much improved user interface with many more customizable features that allow the user to truly reach their goals. As with everything you must check compatibility but that can be done through a simple download of Microsofts website and for as little as £100 can really improve the performance of your system.

Evaluate the performance of a computer system.

Windows XP has many configurable options, many of these are never used as for most the default settings are enough. However, for some the default setting can cause a variety of issues. The obvious settings that many change are the font and icon sizes as many do not have good enough eyesight to see or the resolution is really high on a small sized screen. Many do not know that this can in fact slow the computer down if the icons and font size are increased on the standard theme they can put added strain on the graphics processes. However, this impact can be greatly reduced if the theme is changed from the Windows XP to an older version of windows theme. With less colours and nice looking bars and edges it puts less strain on the system which could mean you see an obvious improvement in loading time at first boot up. On top of this you could also change the resolution to a lower one so that icons and font are bigger. Doing it this way rather than increasing the size of icons and font whilst keeping the overall resolution the same means that it actually takes less processing power, although the quality of the screen and any images will be reduced.

Along with visual configurations many hardware configurations are just as important. The most obvious hardware configurations are the drivers that run the hardware on the Operating System. If these drivers are not up to date it can mean they are not running to their optimum efficiency. On top of the drivers many components need configuring to run faster, even down the original formatting of the hard drive to either NTFS or FAT as if this is done in the wrong format the computer will not run as fast.

The undertaking of maintenance tasks on the standalone system.

Once I had set up the system and many lunchtimes and mid afternoon snacks had left the keyboard in quite a mess. To clean it I first got a long, non-stiff bristled brush and cleaned in between the keys. Next I got an anti-septic wipe and wiped across the surface of the keyboard as I had become sticky from sugar snacks. I used anti-septic wipes as the bacteria will build up on the keyboard over time if it is not maintained.

The application of a test plan of the configured system.

The test plan worked really well as half of the tests worked without a problem. The tests that did incur a problem were very simple to fix as one was simply an un-install error and the other was simply an update for drivers. So overall this was a very successful test plan.

The configuring of the standalone computer to meet user needs. (P6)

The first thing I configured was the keyboard layout, language and location of the computer within the Windows XP installation screens. The screen gave the default options of the keyboard layout being "US" and the default language was "English (United States)" and finally the location being the United States. To change the location and language I hit the "Customise" button and within there changed the drop downs to "United Kingdom" and "English (UK)". To change the keyboard layout I hit the "Details" button and changed it to "UK". I then hit next and the configuration was complete.

The next configuration I did was configuring the screen resolution as the OS had not automatically configured this. I right clicked on the desktop and selected the "Properties" button on the drop down menu and it opened the window that allows for customisation of all elements of the computer. I went to the "Display" tab and changed the resolution from 600x440 to 1024x768 which fitted the screen better.

While I had this window open I decided to go to the "Screen Saver" tab and go into the "Power Options" and changed the "Standby Mode" from "after 30 mins" to "after 10 mins" to save more energy. I then went back to the "Display" tab and changed the display picture from a dog to a windows picture as this is more professional.

The setting up of a standalone computer system.

The setting up of a standalone computer system was really easy due to the fact I have set up a few before. The main issue was checking that the computer had all the relevant power cables connected as this is the main problem that can stop it working and is easy to miss. I made sure before I started I had properly set up the anti-static kit to make sure that no accidents could happen to break the components.

I had to insert a power supply in order to get the standalone system to work. Once the anti-static kit was prepared I began by removing all the cables attached to various components inside the computer. I then removed the screws in the back of the old PSU to allow it to be removed as all the cables were not connected anymore. As I removed the cables I  made a note of which cable went were because it would make it easier to plug them all back in.

Once removed I then inserted the new PSU into the top and screwed it into the case so it did not move around. I then untangled the cables and systematically went through and made sure each cable was connected in the right port. I then did a last sweep to check all the cables were in the right place then plugged the kettle lead into the back and turned the power on. Then I turned the PC on and checked everything was working, and it was.

Random Progress Review Week Thing

Kay look I'm doing it now ok, back off me :)

I have learnt how to manage my time better as there has been many assignments due in around the same time. I feel that this amount of assignments forced me into making my time keeping better, and has extended into all areas of my time keeping.

Software utilities and How they can improve your performance (P3, D1)

There are many programs the claim to improve the performance of your system, speed it up or protect it from malicious attacks. The easiest way to improve the speed of your computer is to use clean up tools.

The different operating systems offer different levels of clean up tools. Microsoft Windows offers the most and many come free with the OS. They use these rather than having to do the clean up codes yourself. It is advised that you run these clean up tools every week to utilize your PC and leave it running fast.

The main clean up tool used is the disk defragmentation tool which connects all the lose file end and connects them up. It does this as when a computer saves to a hard drive the file is written on whatever point the actuator arm is on the disk. This means that when you are opening a file the hard drive has to search for the beginning of the file and the various other parts of the file, meaning it takes longer to open the file. By defragging the disk you sort all the lose file ends and so when you load the files they are all together and the hard drive does not have to search through itself to load the file. This also means that the write space of your hard drive is being properly utilized as the normal method can mean it does not have as much space as it would if the files are complete and in order. Through this the system is speeded up as it does not have to hunt for the files when loading them.

Window Disk Defragmentation Tool

Another clean up tool is conveniently titled, the Disk Cleanup Tool. This tool is used for cleaning the drive of all unused and unwanted programs freeing up space for saving files that will actually be used. It permanently deletes the files so they are no longer stored on your system and taking time to boot up during your operating system loading. This will speed up your system as it does not have to boot files that it does not need or want to. You can specify the area that you wish to be scanned and cleaned so if you only have a few minutes you can only chose to clean up the temporary internet files, or if you have hours then you can do a complete drive clean up. Along with determining the location of the files you wish to clean you can also determine the drive letter meaning you do not have to do all the drive in that one day if you do not have the time to do so. By being able to choose what drive you wish to clean the data up from it makes it very easy when dealing with multiple computers on a network or on a server, but it still permanently deletes the files so they are not still stored; meaning your system will be quicker as a result.

Windows Cleanup Tool

Speeding up you computer can be as simple as running the Disk Cleanup Tool, to the more complicated method of re-formatting your drives. Before formatting your drive you must first run Windows backup tool and back all of your system on either a second hard drive (internal or external) or to a disk. By doing this you can be sure that if anything goes wrong during the formatting you have not lost all of your data. Then run the format using the Windows Formatting Tool, and re-format the original drive to the default settings it recommends. Once the tool has finished re-formatting the drive simply put in the disk or hard drive and transfer everything you want back on the system as it will no longer be able to read the data. Any errors are bugs on your system will have been erased meaning that your computer will run faster as it does not have lots of errors and bugs slowing it down.

Windows Formatting Tool