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.