Need help learning more about Software/Hardware for computers (READ MORE) SUMMER SCHOOL?

Question

Okay, I'm 14, so for summer school all the class's are booked and full, so I got stuck with Computers for one of them but I'm 6-7 yrs experienced with computers and what I do personally in 25 minutes takes the class a day-2days (period is 2 hours long)

and since all the classes are full I can't be moved, so the teacher was really impressed by my progress since I know more the the basics for computers software/hardware wise and I can type very fast

So today he told me ill be in the back of the class fixing the computers (teachers have given him that wont work in some way) and for me to fix them, now Im worried I might not know EVERYthing on how to fix them but I dont wanna seem stupid and not know how/reject his offer

Are there any websites on teaching me (14 remember) more about fixing broken soft/hardware computers, are there any websites to help me out? hopefully not complicated and Tips PLEASE????

Answer 1

I was actually your age when I got my job at the computer shop I work in. I got my first computer when I was 11. And nowadays, i can fix virtually anything. Here's my advice- Tinker with things, play around! That's how you learn. There's nothing in books, things online that can teach you what I learned by playing with my little old pentium 1 when i was in in seventh grade. However, i will give you as many snippets of advice as possible:

The hardest thing for you at first might be detecting component failure (RAM, hard drive, motherboard, the works). A few rules of thumb: If a motherboard is giving you a double beep, and you take out the RAM, and it still beeps just like that, the RAM is bad. If the motherboard doesn't beep at all (the single "happy" beep), most likely, the board is bad. Loud hard drives mean that their bearings are wearing down, and might fail soom. Clunking ones are really bad, they're probably dead. Check the IDE ribbons, bad or torn ones can cause issues. When troubleshooting a nonbooting system, boot it with the bare minimum- Take out the PCI cards, IDE/SATA devices, front USB connectors, anything that it doesn't need to post. If it posts, you know that it was a faulty component, and you can test them one at a time. If it still doesn't work, reset the BIOS either by using the jumper on the motherboard, or unplugging the system, push the power button to drain any juice in the caps, pop out the CMOS battery, wait a minute or two, then put it back in. If it still isn't turning on, or if the fans whir up but nothing happens, the board is probably bad. Processors rarely die. I've fixed over 500 systems with extreme hardware issues in the past two years at out shop (http://jjjcom.net/ ), and not a single one was caused by a bad processor. You can get a power supply tester on newegg for cheap. They're handy.

If the computer boots, but acts faulty in Windows, some hardware could be failing/partially bad. For testing hardware, I love the ultimate boot CD ( http://ubcd.sourceforge.net/ ). For memory, use memtest86+, for hard drive, I always use the IBM test, without SCSI drivers. For partitioning, use GParted ( http://gparted.sourceforge.net/ ). Installing Windows? Don't forget service pack 3. If your school doesn't have images of the systems already, or drivers, the manufacturer of your system will have them on their website.

Now, issues within windows. Take a look at our shop cocktail (http://jjjcom.net/downloads.php ). All of the apps are free, and are handy in some way or another. Remember, F8 will boot you into safe mode after your computer starts, sometimes video drivers will prevent a system from booting in real mode. Simply uninstall the driver in safe mode, and it should work. At the Start --> Run prompt, type in MSCONFIG, and move over to the STARTUP tab to disable startup items (some viruses are listed in here). The SERVICES tab is useful, too, just check "hide all microsoft services" first, so you don't kill something necessary. Hijack This (just google it) is useful. It looks confusing, but if you read it all out, it generally explains itself. If you don't recognize it, delete it. Ccleaner is also useful to just clean the c**p out of a system, freeing up some space.

That's pretty much everything off the top of my head. These tips should solve 90 percent of your problems. The final thing I will say is this: Becoming good in a programming/scripting language is a good idea. I started off writing batch files, and just now, I've moved on to using a program called AutoIt. It's free, but powerful, and I can automate many redundant tasks with it.

I kind of wrote a lot... but that's good. I need to pass what I know somewhere! If you need anything else, have a specific problem, need any of these ramblings clarified, or need to be informed about something or another, please don't hesitate to email or IM me. I'd be more than happy to help you. I check my email several times a day, so if you get stuck mid-class, I might be able to help. I hope this enlightened you a bit!

~Sean Flanagan, JJJCom Computer Sales and Services, Age 16  ^_^