Tech Directions - November 2007 - (Page 26)

recovery console and how to replace files that are missing. Without this learning experience I believe that we would just reformat the computer and just deal with losing all of our information. It also has taught us how to be creative with breaking and solving the problems.” Students learn more than just troubleshooting in this project. They learn how to—and the importance of—backing up the system and user documents. Backups come in handy when the last-resort fix requires the emergency repair disks (ERD). They also learn that given features like Windows system file protection, it is not easy to delete some system files located in an NTFS partition. In short, the project helps students learn desktop OS as a whole. They practice all the important skill sets, including backing up documents, creating the ERD, using the Advanced Boot Menu, accessing the Recover Console, and repairing the OS with the ERD. Also, instructors can easily extend the “break and fix” approach used in the activity to other courses that require experience with troubleshooting. Student Instruction Sheet The challenge In this assignment, you will practice OS troubleshooting skills and repair a sabotaged PC. Simply reformatting the hard drive and reinstalling the OS is not acceptable for this assignment. Requirements This is a group assignment. Please document every step as you go. Each group will need • A Windows 2000/XP installation CD, • A working PC with Windows 2000/XP, and • A Zip disk or a secondary hard drive for backup purpose. Procedure Preparations: a. Create some folders and files in the My Documents folder to simulate users’ confidential documents. b. Use backup tool to create an emergency repair disk (ERD). 1. One person in the team will sabotage the PC OS. You can try any one of the following: a. Rename or move one or more system file that is needed for a PC to boot: ntldr ntdetect.com boot.ini b. Using the registry editor, regedit.exe, delete important keys or values in the registry, e.g. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE or HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM c. Locate some important system files in \%systemroot% directory, then rename or move them to another directory. d. Disable a critical device driver, e.g., the display driver. e. Another method that will corrupt Windows 2000/XP OS. 2. Restart the machine and verify that the problem exists. 3. Other team members will now troubleshoot the failed PC, working on solutions until it can boot and user documents are recovered. Some troubleshooting tools: a. Advanced Boot Menu (Safe Mode & Last Known Good) b. Recovery Console c. Emergency Repair Disk 4. Switch roles and repeat steps 1 through 3. Questions Each group should produce and troubleshoot at least two problems from the list. For each problem, you should then 1. Describe the problem (Symptoms). 2. Introduce your assumptions and list your troubleshooting processes (Diagnosis). 3. Describe how you solved the problem (Treatment). In the project report, answer the following questions: 1. How does the Windows File Protection feature help protect Windows system files from being damaged or changed? 2. Why is it important to create ERDs and to back up important user documents on a regular basis? A Final Activity To make the project even more engaging and further student learning, I also organize OS repair contests after they complete their project summarizations. The operating system corruptions that I use for the contests consist of a collection of problems that the students used in their activities. The contests help students retain what they’ve learned because they need to review different sets of problems and repair techniques. Troubleshooting a combination of problems requires them to be able to think critically and apply their knowledge. References Andrews, J. (2005). A+ guide to managing and maintaining your PC. Thomson Course Technology. Gralla, P. (2005). Windows XP hacks (2nd. ed.). O’Reilly. Laporte, L., & Soper, M. E. (2005). Leo Laporte’s PC help desk. Que. 26 techdirections ◆ NOVEMBER 2007

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Tech Directions - November 2007 Technically Speaking Contents Direct from Washington The News Report Technology’s Past Technology Today Mastering Computers Video Game Programmers Learn to “Pitch” Project Teaches Students to Diagnose an Ailing Windows OS See the Math with Your Binoculars! Fire Safety Technician ACTE Convention and Career Tech Expo Hands-On Activities More than Fun

Tech Directions - November 2007

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