LBST 290 - Lab 9

Proficiency 1.6

Proficiency Standards

Demonstrate competency in the operation and care of computer related hardware.

Clarification and Examples

Demonstrate the following skills based on district policies

Connect and disconnect at least two peripherals and/or display devices
Perform simple maintenance
Install/load new software on computer and run successfully as district policy allows

Lab

For Proficiency 1.6 you must demonstrate competency in the operation and care of computer related hardware. Review the proficiency objectives and the narrative template before beginning. The only artifact for this proficiency is an image named ports.jpg. A link to this file is already in the narrative template--you simply need to add labels to the file following directions below.

Resources

wikipedia
Free On-Line Dictonary Of Computing
Paint guide
PC maintenance tips
HTML font faces

Identifying Ports on a PC

One requirement of this proficiency is to connect peripherals onto a computer. In order to successfully connect devices, you must first be able to identify the external ports on a typical PC. To demonstrate this knowledge, you will use Paint to label the ports on a PC. Refer to the Paint guide for help in using Paint beyond what this lab provides. The one required artifact for this lab is the image of the labeled ports, which you should name 'ports.jpg.'

Editing an Image in Paint

First download the unlabeled image by selecting File->SaveAs after the image has opened in your browser. Save the image as 'port.jpg' on your flash drive. Start Paint from the Start->Programs->Accessories menu. In Paint, select File->Open to load 'ports.jpg' off your flash drive. Double-clicking on the image will not load it into Paint. Refer to this documentation on Paint if you need more detailed help than what is available in this lab. Use Paint to label all ports with arrows:

PS/2 port (mouse)
PS/2 port (keyboard)
Parallel port (printer)
Serial port (dial-up modem)
USB ports
VGA port (monitor)
Ethernet port (network)
Speakers (multimedia port)
Line in (multimedia port)
Microphone (multimedia port)
Game port (joy stick)

Instructions on Labeling Ports in Paint

Select the Text icon from the Toolbox (the letter A). Assume we are labeling the network port. Draw a suitable size text box to hold the words 'network port'. Make sure the Text Toolbar is displayed (View->Text Toolbar) and select a suitable font size. Type in your first label. Click on the Select icon from the Toolbox (the dotted square) and select the label. Drag the label to where you want it to be. Click on the Line icon (a diagonal line) and draw an arrow from the label to the network port. Select a heavier line. Complete all the labels, save your image as 'ports.jpg'. Note: To receive credit on this portion of the lab you must label all ports correctly.

Connecting Hardware Devices to a PC

For this requirement you must describe how to connect at least two peripheral devices. Most peripheral devices will be attached to a port that is on the back of the computer. However, newer computers have USB (Universal Serial Bus) interfaces on the front panel or on the monitor. USB is a standard for connecting peripherals across various hardware platforms (PC, Macintosh, Sun). USB also supports a wide range of peripherals (printers, modems, mice, external drives). The USB standard makes connecting peripherals simple and up to 128 devices can be connected via USB to a computer. Firewire is a similar standard for connecting devices that is found primarily on Macintosh computers.

At a minimum, explain how to connect the three standard devices (keyboard, monitor, mouse), an external USB device (your flash drive), and the Ethernet network cable. These devices are available on the lab computers. If the monitor is a flat screen, there is generally two connection choices. One is the standard VGA cable. The second is DVI (Digital Visual Interface). The DVI port provides a pure digital video signal to the display. Using a digital signal maintains the image quality at the highest level, because the signal does not need to be converted from digital to analog.

There are lots of USB devices to use for your narrative. For example, digital cameras store .jpg images on flash memory cards or memory sticks. The memory card in a digital camera and the camera itself are peripheral devices. You can read the memory stick by connecting the camera and the computer with a USB cable, or you can take the memory stick out and read it off a memory stick reader. A memory stick reader is considered a peripheral device. If you have used one - explain it in your narrative.

You can also power down a computer in the lab for this activity, or you can meet this requirement by working on your home computer. If you have already setup a new computer, just explain what you did from memory. If you have never setup a computer, power down the lab machine. Disconnect all the cables and then re-connect them.

In your narrative write down the steps you followed to perform these tasks.

Installing Software

You must also demonstrate that you know how to install software on a computer. You cannot install software on a computer on campus due to security restrictions.

What to install?

If you have an iPod, you can explain how you installed iTunes on your computer in order to download and share music with your iPod.

If you have a digital camera that you installed software for, you can use that as an example. If you don't remember the steps, most vendors of peripheral devices put downloadable drivers with instructions on their websites under Support->Downloads. For example, the Sony DSC-P9 driver is here. Just paste the steps into your narrative.

Installing the software driver for a new printer is also an option. If you did this a long time ago, you can use these instructions: From the Help menu in Windows find help on "Setting up a printer." Follow the instructions to open the "Install New Printer" option in the Control Panel. Follow the instructions by the Wizard. Windows automatically installs the appropriate printer driver. Explain how to make a printer the default printer.

You can also install Open Office:

goto http://www.openoffice.org and click on the Download link
check to make sure your version of Windows is supported
select a mirror site begin the download (over cable Internet the download may take 10 or so minutes)
click on the icon on the desktop to expand the compressed file.
click on the Install icon in the expanded folder and accept the terms of the GNU public license agreement.
select all the default install options and install the software.

You can also install Firefox, Mozilla's open source browser, on your home PC. Mozilla can be downloaded without cost from the Internet. The Department of Homeland Security has suggested that home users switch to Firefox for security reasons. Firefox prevents popups, a common source of viruses. Go to the FireFox website and click on the Download link. Select your language and the version of the operating system you are using. Begin the download (over cable Internet the download will take under two minutes). Click on the icon for the downloaded software on the desktop to expand the compressed file. Click on the Install icon in the expanded folder and accept the terms of the GNU public license agreement. Select all the default install options and install the software. If you have trouble following the instructions above, Chester created a web tutorial to demonstrate each step. You can view his tutorial here.

Other suggestions of software you can install on your home computer:

spyware removal software
software from CSUB's FTP server
FileZilla, a program to transfer files from one computer to another (we will use this software in future labs)
Open Office a free open source alternative to Microsoft Office.

Explain the steps you followed in your narrative.

Performing Simple Maintenance

The third requirement of this proficiency is to demonstrate that you know how to perform simple maintenance on your computer. Maintenance involves upkeep on your computer (like changing the oil or getting a tuneup on your car) and not fixing problems.

The most important maintenance you can do is to keep a backup of the critical files on your hard drive (and your flash drives as well!). Simple maintenance also involves tasks that keep your computer in good working order; i.e., preventing problems from occurring. PC maintenance tips provides some useful instructions specific for teachers in the classroom. Read through the tutorial. Feel free to incorporate what you learn in your narrative.

Removing unwanted data is also a good thing to do. Emptying the Recycle Bin to permanently delete files should be done weekly. Deleting temporary Internet files should also be done weekly. Since every file that is loaded into a browser is stored on the hard drive, the number of Internet files can grow quickly. Removing temporary system files can be accommplished by running Window's disk cleanup utility located here:

Start->Programs->Accessories->SystemTools->DiskCleanup

After removing unwanted files off the disk I can run the the disk defragment utility in Windows from here:

Start->Programs->Accessories->SystemTools->DiskDefragment

Other maintenance activities include installing Windows updates, running a spyware removal program, and running virus cleaning software with the most recent updates.

Routine hardware maintenance involves procedures such as disconnecting all hardware from the wall during electrical storms and connecting hardware into a good power surge protector rather than directly into a wall outlet. In general, liquid, strong magnets and extreme heat should be kept away from electrical devices. All power and data cables should be securely connected to avoid electrical surges. There is little cleaning involved in digital circuitry, but some peripheral components such as mice trackballs can be cleaned with alcohol. CD-ROM drives should be cleaned with a CD driver cleaner such as Kensington Drive Guardian.

In review, simple maintenance includes activities like backing up data, power cycling the computer, downloading updates for Windows, using a CD drive cleaner, removing temporary and unwanted files from the hard disk (which can slow down your computer), defragmenting your hard disk, and installing and running current virus protection software.

Writing Your Narrative

Open nar06.html off your flash drive in Notepad/Notepad++. Modify the narrative responses to make them your own. The sample narrative incorporates a mixture of font faces. If you would like to modify the font faces of your pages, this site provides a list of HTML fonts that are generally available. Put the font face into the font tag along with the color and size. A new  tag will override any previous settings until you end the tag with . Font size can be set with an absolute number or as a relative change from the current setting. Some sample font tags are

 // increases size by 1 // sets size to absolute 4 // decreases size by 1 // does not modify the current size // this is a very bold font face

The Glossary

Add these terms to the end of your glossary.html file:

device driver
parallel port
memory stick
USB
VGA (video graphics adapter)
DVI (digital visual interface)
Ethernet
PS/2
firewire
graphics card
NIC (network interface card)
sound card