Explain and Justify Improvements that could be made to a Computer System (D2)

When using old computer systems, it is important to realise how the system can be modified and modernised to improve the computer performance. The improvements to old system could include new hardware or software depending on the existing equipment and its current performance. The computers I reconfigured in the computer room hold the same hardware and software and the performance of these computers’ isn’t great. Realistically, the computers within the room all need major improvement but smaller updates can be made to improve the performance slightly.

One of the main ways of speeding up an existing system is to increase the amount of RAM (Random Access Memory) held within it. Having more RAM allows the computer to process more applications and processes at once. For users who like to have multiple applications open improving the RAM can improve the users’ use of the computer. RAM is relatively cheap and easily upgradable; therefore this simple upgrade is a brilliant way of improving an existing system.

Another improvement to make to a system could be to upgrade the Operating System used within the computer. The computers I configured were installed with Microsoft Windows XP, a 9 year old piece of software. The newer Windows 7 operating system has improved features would increase the users delight with the system. The newer operating system however requires a reasonable system to run, but a compatibility check can be found on the internet telling the user if they need to upgrade. The newer operating system can be purchased for around £100, and can be upgraded from your old system so there is no loss of documents or settings. However, a clean install can be performed meaning that the hard drive is formatted and only new data is put onto the new machine.

Evaluate the Performance of a Computer System (CS3 - M3)

Although the standard settings for the Microsoft Windows XP system are suitable for most users, there are users who prefer to customise and configure certain settings within their computer. For example, some users find that although the standard theme is pretty, it is not helping to speed up their system. Therefore some users find that changing the theme to the original windows theme speeds up the system as the graphic interface card does not work as hard when loading simple items such as menus and new windows. Similarly, simply changing the screen resolution of the system can allow easier viewing of the screen to less visually pleased users. People with bad eyesight who need a magnified screen would prefer a higher screen resolution as the items on the monitor are larger and easier to view (even though room is lost from the screen as existing items are enlarged).

Similarly, checking that the correct drivers installed for the devices connected to the computer is necessary to ensure that they are working to the optimum settings. Updating the drivers can be performed through the device manager which can be found by right-clicking the ‘My Computer’ icon and selecting the Properties option.

Undertake routine maintenance tasks on a standalone computer system (CS3 - P8)

Once I was happy the system was working correctly and was fully functional, I created a restore point on the machines so that if the system was to fail in the future, or programs added needed to be removed, the systems could be sent back to their existing initial states.

Test a configured system for functionality (CS3 - P7)

After the systems were configured and working, we had to test them for consistency and to ensure they were in full working order. One of the methods we used for this was to check that the Date & Time of the machine was correct. This was configured within the Control Panel of the computer (I had to have administrator rights to perform this action). Furthermore, the desktop icons were checked to ensure they opened the correct applications.

Setup a standalone computer; install hardware and software components (CS3 - P5)

When completing P5 of the CS3 assignment, I chose to completely re-format an existing hard drive and re-install the Microsoft Windows XP system on it. By booting the computer from a CD drive, the hard drive was formatted and a clean install of the operating system was installed upon it. The installation took about 90 minutes due to the system being made of legacy equipment. Upon completion of the software installation, a wireless adapter was then installed as to allow connection to the internet. This allowed for activation of the Windows XP system.

Furthermore, 5 existing legacy computer towers were upgraded on the side bench of the computer room. This involved the upgrade and installation of hardware such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and Graphics/ Networking cards. The hard drives we re-formatted could be interchanged between the 5 towers, meaning that they could be used by individuals for further use with the Computer Systems unit.

Configure a computer system to meet user needs (CS3 - P6)

Once the computers and hard drives were working correctly the systems were then configured to meet the requirements of the individual users. An example of how we configured the systems was to setup the default language and keyboard layout through the Regional and Language Options area of the control panel.

Progress Review | A New Skill Learn't

Since the beginning of my college course, I feel that I have gained a few new skills that can be used within my future workplace and are adaptable depending on various scenarios. For example, along with time keeping (which is highly relevant when handing in assignments and getting to college on time), I have had to gain a new skill for organising my college work. Without an organised file structure, college work can get confused and important documents could be lost. By using a 6 tier system, no document is lost or misplaced.

Why Software Utilities are used (P3, D1)

There are many different PC software utilities which claim to speed up your computer system or protect it from unwanted intruders. One of the most common ways of speeding up a computer is to use the Windows Clean Up tools...

The Microsoft Windows operating systems offer many different tools which they claim help to improve the speed and performance of the every day computer. As the Windows operating system is built for easy access rather than fancy designs or computer programmers, they are easy to execute and are advised to be performed on a weekly basis.

The main Clean Up tool is the System Defrag which helps to improve the speed of the hard drive by moving the connecting parts of each file next to each other, so that when the file is called by the user it is easily accessible on the hard drive. When the document is saved on a hard drive, the disk splits the data into many various little pieces and try to fit as many as possible on the disk, optimising the use able space of the disk. However, when the computer asks for that document,the hard drive than has to identify and collect all of the pieces of information from the drive and prepare them for use, which on some systems can take an age. A disk defrag collects all the pieces for one file, and saves them together so that when the file is called it can be reached quicker, speeding up the system.

The Windows System Defrag Screen

Another of the Windows tools is the actual Disk Cleanup utility itself. This handy programme cleans out all unwanted files from the hard drive and permanently deletes them, hence speeding up the system due to the fact that it is not storing files which are not used and not needed. Along with this, it allows a choice of preset areas to clean (Windows Components, Installed programmes and System Restore) which will automatically determine what to delete and quickly perform the clean up. The disk cleanup allows for a choice of drives, meaning that the user can not only choose what files to delete (from temporary Internet files to the recycle bin and everything in between), but to limit the drives it deletes them from. This is particularly useful on servers or multiple user systems, as data needed by one user is not necessarily needed by the other, but is still needed by the system.

The Windows 7 Disk Cleanup Utility

Another way to speed up a computer is to regularly format the drives it uses. Using the Windows Backup Utility, save all of the important and needed data (both user and system saved as they are all needed to run the computer), and save execute the backup to another operating system within the computer on a second hard drive, as to ensure that the data is safe. By booting the computer to the second hard drive and operating system, using the Windows Formatting Tool select the other hard drive and format with the default settings. Doing this will (when the operating system and data is re-installed to the newly formatted drive) speed up the drive as it has had a thorough clean and all of the useless or unneeded information has been deleted.

The Windows XP Formatting Tool