· Jack Young · Education · 4 min read
Unit 2 (P5, P6, P7, P8, M3, D2): Computer Configuration
Set up a standalone computer system, installing hardware and software components.
Installing Hardware
Set up a standalone computer system, installing hardware and software components (P5)
Before installing hardware, I took the necessary precautions to satisfy the health and safety rules. Firstly, I needed to discharge myself by touching the case of the computer tower so I am free from static which means that the equipment will not be harmed. Secondly, coats, ties and anything that may interrupt the task needed to be taken off/away as I do not want cloths intervening with the task.
Floppy Disk and Hard Drive
This is me installing the floppy disk and hard drive after I discharged myself from static:
Mouse, Keyboard and Monitor
Before I turn the server on, I need to install the peripherals so I can make the server usable when I install the operating system on it.
Operating System
I plugged the needed equipment into the server so I can begin installing the OS. After following through several steps to properly install the OS, it has been successfully installed and I can now configure the settings if I wanted to. A witness statement has been made to show proof of this installation.
Configuring a Computer System
Configure a computer system to meet user needs (P6)
Testing a Computer System
Test a configured computer system for functionality (P7)
Maintaining a Computer System
Undertake routine maintenance tasks on a standalone computer system (P8)
Evaluating a Computer System
Evaluate the performance of a computer system (M3)
The performance of the configured computer system id to optimised standards for the users’ needs. All drivers are up-to-date and no errors are found. In addition to this, all the peripheral devices that the user needs is connected properly. When I click to run an application, it is almost instantaneous which means that the computer is healthy and runny smoothly. No lag between opening applications to closing them. No stuttering or freezes during the process of using the computer which means that the CPU used in the system is fine for what the user needs the computer for. The computer system is safe to put documents on as there is no virus to be found. The computer also has a minimal amount of fragmented files in the C: drive and therefor; the computer will quickly open files and folder very quickly as it is all defragged and organised. The antivirus software is also updated on a regular basis and also windows update too. This means that the computer is always updated to the latest version so nothing is out-of-date.
Improving a Computer System
Explain and justify improvements that could be made to a computer system (D2)
To improve the performance of the computer system, I could adjust what applications can run at start-up. If I only enable the necessary applications and disable then the computer will have a decreased boot time when loading the computer. This will make it so that users can quickly login without the hassle of waiting too long, sometimes I login to a computer just to print one thing and it is annoying to wait longer than you need to.
To further increase the performance of the computer system, you could also uninstall unwanted or unused software/files. If you have google chrome and Firefox on a computer, and you use google chrome most of the time, then it would be efficient to uninstall Firefox as it is taking space up on your computer. Furthermore, I personally use Google Drive to store my documents which has a free 15 GB of cloud storage. This is useful as I can store all my IT work and access it anywhere and therefor I can delete it on the computer as it is stored on the cloud. Deleting software/file saves space on the computer and can free up performance which can make it run faster.
