U14- INSTALLING AND

MAINTAINING COMPUTER
HARDWARE
L2-U14-MCH

Salford City College

BTEC First Extended Certificate In Information & Creative Technology
U14-MCH

Table of Contents
System Audit ........................................................................................................................................... 2
Why we maintain computer hardware ................................................................................................... 3
Why components fail .............................................................................................................................. 3
Impact of maintaining computer hardware............................................................................................ 4

Saul Wilkinson Page |1

BTEC First Extended Certificate In Information & Creative Technology
U14-MCH

System Audit

Item Managers Office General Office

Total computer/s 1 computer 18 computers (all the same spec.)

Make and Model Dell Optiplex 3010 Dell Optiplex 720

Printer invalid Invalid

Network type Ethernet-Wired Ethernet-Wired

Processor type I5 Processor I5 Processor

Processor speed All can have 4/2 4 GB

RAM type
RAM size
Video card Integrated Intel Integrated

Connectivity - USB 8 Slots 10 Slots

Connectivity - Firewire None None

Connectivity - Analouge Yes Yes

Connectivity - HDMI Yes Yes

Connectivity - Digital None None

Monitor Yes Yes

Storage type SATA SATA

Storage capacity 160 GB 500GB-4TB

Optical drive Yes Yes

USB drives 8 10

Peripheral 1 Keyboard Keyboard

Peripheral 2 Mouse Mouse

Operating System Windows 7 Windows 7

Application 1 Office Office

Application 2 Photoshop Photoshop

Application 3 7 ZIP 7 ZIP

Saul Wilkinson Page |2

BTEC First Extended Certificate In Information & Creative Technology
U14-MCH

Why we maintain computer hardware

Maintaining computer hardware is important. One of the reasons we keep computer hardware
maintained is because the computer would run slower if the hardware is not properly looked after.

We can ensure that faults do not occur and fix any faults that are currently bothering us if we keep
the hardware in check. The reason this is important is because a computer would not have any faults
if the user were to look after it correctly.

Another reason it is important is because we can improve the performance of the whole computer.
For example, if your CPU is maintained correctly, the whole computer is improved dramatically. This
will ensure you have a fast running computer without any unwanted noise or faults.

External components need maintaining too; if you had a keyboard with dirt and bacteria on it, the
keyboard would not work properly. Therefore, we need to keep the hardware clean to ensure that it
works correctly and satisfactorily. This means you wont have to replace the keyboard due to issues
with the keys not being read or being sticky. This goes for every piece of external hardware.

Wires are an important part of the computer system. Therefore, wires should be regularly checked
for any cuts or loose connections and fixed accordingly. This is useful to us because we can do
whatever we want to do without losing connection to one of our pieces of hardware. It is also good
to make sure the wires are connected properly because if not then it could end up breaking and
costing you money to replace/fix it.

One of the most important parts of maintaining a computer system is having a routine for it. If you
make sure to clean, update/change hardware you will have a perfectly running computer that will
not develop any faults. It also ensures that your computer is sanitary and bacteria free, so theres no
reason for not doing it.

Why components fail

The most common reasons for components to fail is over-heating and dust.

Over-heating the components causes aging to increase. If the problem concurs for too long then you
will have to replace them.

Dust causes issues with the fans of your computer. This makes heat build-up in your computer and
stops dissipation. It also causes connection issues with your components where failures and crashes
happen.

Having a problem with your power supply could break components within your computer, causing it
to have issues powering up.

Having static electricity can destroy your components. If it manages to actually affect your
components then you will have serious issues with your computer.

Saul Wilkinson Page |3

BTEC First Extended Certificate In Information & Creative Technology
U14-MCH

Impact of maintaining computer hardware

Training is an impact when maintaining hardware. Users will have to know how to use the newest
hardware and software quickly and effectively. External components are also going to need to be
used by trained people. The reasoning for this is because they will need to understand features and
know how to use them. An example of this would be whilst using a printer; you would have to show
users how to maintain a printer.

Compatibility is another impact when maintaining hardware; as some components do not work well
together. When you test the computer, obvious issues will appear. However, the computer usually
needs to use the components for a while before it can sense faults. When the computer finds an
issue it will need to be resolved quickly. An example of fixing an issue would be to upgrade a
component with a problem. This will give you a rough idea on how problems in your computer can
occur.

Decommissioning is a crucial part of maintaining hardware, as certain pieces of hardware will need
to be destroyed or wiped of all their data due to confidential information being stored on them.
However, disposing e-waste in landfill is not legal because there are dangerous materials like arsenic
contained within PCs.

Down time can lead to data loss. When a computer is inactive or unavailable it is affected massively;
it begins to stop working properly and can cause many issues for users. The cost to repair data loss
can vary depending on how serious the issue is; it is very expensive none-the-less.

Saul Wilkinson Page |4