Lesson 7

Three backup utilities:

Acronis True Image Home 11

Runs from within Windows or a Liunx-based boot disk

Exact copy of the PC or only backup important data

Test software is safe mode, then decide whether or not to install it

Continue working during backups

Symantec Norton Save & Restore

Full system and incremental backups

Backup file encryption

Restore from system failure or recover data without OS

Create an exact backup copy

NovaBackup

Wizard guides for PC Luddites

Select all files of a certain type, no matter where they are on your hard drive

Disaster Recovery cd to completely restore the computer

Backup computer across a network with Peer-To-Peer

Lesson 7

Don’t get so nervous about viruses! While it’s true they are out there, they are not as omnipotent as you might think. A little prevention can go a long way.

One virus you might encounter is an executable virus. These live in the .exe files that we often click on without thinking twice. They are actually extensions of the executable files, and the virus loads itself into the memory and puts copies of itself into other executable files, thereby proliferating.

Another common virus is a Trojan virus. These are independent programs that disguise themselves as a program you might actually want to run.

You have probably also heard of worm viruses. These do not reproduce throughout your computer, but instead take advantage of a network connection to spread the virus to other computers.

Using an antivirus program on your PC will help keep you safe, as the program will scan your computer for viruses periodically. Human effort can also keep viruses out of your computer. Don’t download attachments if you don’t know where they come from, and know where your software comes from before you install it on your computer!

Lesson 6

There are several options available when installing Windows 2000 and XP. One of these, Remote Installation Services, allows installation by either a scripted or image installation. A scripted installation involves placing shared files on a network. Any computer that is hooked up to the network can connect to the location and start the installation from there. Scripts are used to select all the options and components needed. It’s like having a tech person in your cubicle, telling you which options to pick during the entire installation. In comparison, an image installation is a copy of a hard disk volume with an OS and preinstalled application software. The image can be stored on a cd or a network. The image is copied from the source to the local hard drive.

Lesson 6

When it’s time to upgrade your OS, you want to make sure that all of your current hardware will work with your new system. Before you begin, you’ll need to check the Hardware Compatibility List at www.microsoft.com/whdc/hcl/search.mspx. What do you do if you can’t find one of your hardware devices on the list? The list serves as a general, but not comprehensive, guideline. Check the discs and documentation that came with the hardware device or the manufacturer’s Web site for the proper drivers for the hardware. You should be able to locate the drivers you need to install a new OS and keep your hardware running.

Lesson 5

Well, it’s never good news when someone has to explain a new noise. It doesn’t matter if it’s a car or your computer – strange noises often aren’t good. In this case, a continuous high-pitched squeal is a sign that the hard drive on your computer is about to die. The good news is that it’s giving you a warning signal instead of just suddenly failing. I’d recommend you get a hold of an external hard drive and back up your hard drive immediately. Once all your data has been secured, we’ll need to install a new hard drive on your computer. I hope you kept all the discs for those programs.

Lesson 5

Hey, it’s always scary when the tech department says they’re going to upgrade your computer, especially when you don’t know your FAT32 from your NTFS. Usually, though, you can trust that those guys know what they’re doing. In this case, they’re giving you a more advanced system of file organization for your hard drive.

To put it simply, FAT32 is the system you currently have. FAT32 takes your file and breaks it into pieces, then stores those pieces in little slots of predetermined sizes. If you have just a little information, the rest of that storage slot cannot be used. Imagine you’re putting your clothes away in your dresser. But each drawer can only hold one outfit. One drawer might have a sweater, shirt, pants, belt, socks and shoes. That drawer is almost full, so it’s a good use of space. But the next drawer just has a dress and shoes. There’s more space left, but you can’t use it because of the one-outfit-per-drawer rule.

NTFS is another way of organizing and storing your information, but it is much more secure than FAT32. NTFS stores a copy of backup information in the middle of the disk, which provides protection against losing information. It is like spilling coffee on a report, but the coffee just gets the edges of the paper wet. That information in the middle is safe. NTFS also lets you control who can access which files. Because we have multiple users on computers, it’s important to make sure that the person who works the shift after you can’t get into your files and change them. NTFS also reduces the amount of storage space you need because it allows compression of files. So simple – why didn’t they think of that before? Finally, NTFS is much more customizable in terms of drive setups. If you realize you need more information on a volume, you can quickly and easily reallocate space.

NTFS is becoming more common as people upgrade their old computers. It’s what I’ve got on one of my computers at home.

CIOS Lesson 4

Sorry to hear that the file is giving you trouble. Here’s a quick way to delete it. Hold down the Window key and press R. Type CMD in the box and press enter. This opens up the Command Prompt. From here, you have to get to your folder. Type D: and press enter. This will bring you to the right drive. Type CD EMPLOYEE and press enter to get to the employee directory. This is where you should be able to find the file by typing DIR, but since it’s hidden, we need to un-hide it. Type ATTRIB and press enter. You should see the payroll.xls file, and it should have an H before it. Type ATTRIB –H PAYROLL.XLS and press enter. To check if this worked, type ATTRIB again and look at the list. If that H is gone before the file name, the file is now un-hidden.

CIOS Lesson 4

At the Help Desk, employees will need to understand basic access to the computer systems in order to diagnose and fix problems. One of the ways you will access the system is through the Command Prompt. After opening the command prompt screen, you will use various commands to identify problems in the system.

The DIR command will show you the contents of any given directory. For example, if you type C:\DIR, you will see the contents of the C drive. A:\DIR will show you the contents of the A drive, and so on.

If you want to switch from one directory to another, use the CD command. For example, if you are in the C:\PROGRAM directory and want to switch to the C:\MENU directory, type CD\MENU. Typing just CD\ will return you to the root directory. Typing CD.. will move you up one level in the directory.

There may be occasions when you must create new directories from the Command Prompt. To create a directory called New, type MD NEW. Use the DIR command to check that the directory was properly created.

The opposite of making directories is, of course deleting them, and this is done with the RD (remove directory) command. From the C:\ prompt, type RD NEW, and the directory you just created will be deleted. Use the DIR command to check this.

It is important to note that RD will not delete a directory that contains files or subdirectories. To remove directories that contain files, type RD /S NEW in Windows NT, 2000 or XP. For Windows 9x or MP, type DELTREE C:\NEW. Be careful when using this command, as it is very easy to delete files you did not want to delete.

CIOS Lesson 3

Computer-wise, I am in the middle of two worlds. Most businesses I go to use PCs, but all the computers around me at work are Macs. I see Windows XP as the most predominant OS for the PCs. I use it on my two PCs at home, as does one of my roommates, and when I get a glimpse of the OS on different computers around town, it is usually Windows XP. The Macs is my life are almost universally running Mac OSX, except for one ancient laptop that was running OS 9, but has since been upgraded. Finally, I have one roommate who runs Linux. I’m no sure of the version, because he tends to get pretty long-winded if I ask him about his precious computer.

I think that Windows XP is predominant simply because many businesses buy new computer with an OS already installed instead of building a computer and installing their own OS. The most common systems for these cookie-cutter computers is Windows XP. Of my two home PCs, one came with XP preinstalled, and the other was pieced together from spare computer parts by a friend, who installed Windows XP because that was the disc he had handy. Windows XP will continue to dominate the market as long as people are buying pre-packaged computers and accepting whatever OS the company dictates they should have.

CIOS Lesson 3

The System Information Tool can give you detailed information about your system in one convenient place. For example, you can find information about all the drivers installed on your computer under the Software Environment > System Drivers. Detailed information about all the components installed on the computer is found in the Components menu.

While the information in the System Information Tool might be very complex, it can also be used for easy solutions. For instance, if you are trying to use an image for your desktop but are not sure of the resolution, the information can be found under Components > Display. The System Information Tool can also give you information about the applications on your system, such as how many documents are currently open for Microsoft Word and how many templates are being used.

CIOS Lesson 3

Windows ME, like all version of Windows since Windows 95, builds upon the basis of Windows 95 as a standalone GUI operating system. However, all these systems are based on Microsoft’s experience with DOS. For example, Windows ME functions as two different products, the GUI that we associate with Windows ME and also a DOS protected-mode interface.

Windows ME also includes several legacy files which help older applications run on machines with the newer OS. In previous versions of Windows, the INI files were used to initialize drivers and applications. Windows 3x could have dozens of INI files. The holdovers for Windows ME are system.ini and win.ini.

System.ini functions like the config.sys files from Windows 3x. It contains global settings which tell the computer how to use its resources. Today, the system.ini is necessary for older applications that look for the file in order to load other files.

Win.ini functions like the autoexec.bat files from Windows 3x. While the file is not necessary to boot the computer, it stores all of the personalizations and helps to define how the applications interact with the resources.

CIOS 110 Lesson 2

In my Internet research on Operating Systems, I came across a rather interesting site, osdata.com. Sadly, it has not been updated much of late, but it contained links to many OSs I had not heard of before, such as Chios. I recalled hearing of other systems such as Fortran. Most of these OSs seemed to be historical, not current systems.

I next turned to wikipedia.com, which is full of information, but one must remember to visit the site with a sense of skepticism, as it can be written and edited by anyone. I focused on personal computers, and found the usual suspects: Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and BSD. I'm very familiar with both Windows and Mac OS X, so I chose to read a little more about Linux and BSD.

At this point, Linux still makes me uneasy. I'm just learning about operating systems, so I get nervous when I think that I can completely rewrite the code of a system to suit myself. However, a more technically inclined person would probably enjoy the chance to dabble in the code, and you certainly can't beat the price. I had never heard of BSD before, but I had heard of Unix. It's a good reminder that there are many options available for OSs, but I also think that the big companies became the big companies for a reason. At this point, I'll stick with Windows and Mac OS X, but I'll be sure to keep tabs on how the newer programs are doing over the years.

CIOS 110 Lesson 2

The Registry is a place where the computer stores all of the information about the computer, including hardware, drivers, etc. It is set up in a tree structure. Most reconfiguring of Windows involves editing the Registry files. In Windows XP, there are two Registry editors: REGEDIT.EXE (the original editor) and REGEDT32.EXE (a new editor added with Windows NT). Although the newer editor, REGEDT32, is more powerful, its search function is not as capable. Therefore, a general rule of thumb is to search with REGEDIT and edit with REGEDT32. To access either of these editors, select Start > Run and type either "regedit" or "regedt32" in the dialogue box.

CIOS 110 Lesson 2

One of the most important things that the four new interns should understand is that Windows allows for multiple users on a single machine. Rather than sharing the same configuration, each intern can configure his login to his desired settings.
After logging in, an intern will see his desktop, which is the main interface with the computer. The interns should familiarize themselves with the icons on the desktop (and add or delete them as they see fit to set up their optimal desktops). One very important icon is the "My Computer" icon, which will give them access to all the files and drives on the system. If the interns are unable to find a file using "My Computer," they should use Windows XP's "Explore" function.
Generally, when an intern saves work, it will automatically be saved to the "My Documents" folder. Any items they delete will go to the Recycle Bin. These files do not delete immediately, giving the interns a chance to save any documents they have accidentally deleted.
At the bottom of the screen, interns will see the Taskbar, which shows all programs currently running, the system tray (which shows time, connections and more) and the Start Menu. To open programs not on the desktop, the interns should use the "Start" in the left corner of the taskbar. This menu will show a list of all the programs and program folders on the computer.
Finally, the interns should familiarize themselves with the myriad of functions of the Control Panel. They will use this feature to add or remove programs, install new peripheral devices, adjust displays, create or modify network connections and much more.

CIOS 256 Lesson 2

I had problems with Lesson 2, specifically with validating the XHTML using the W3 validator. No matter what browser I used, it would crash out when I tried to validate the code. It didn't matter if I was uploading a file or pasting the code directly into the box. It didn't matter if I was using Netscape or Firefox. Crash city. Since the instructor was not available via IM, I decided the best way to find out if my XHTLM code was valid would be to find and use another validator. I used the one at Bermi, which worked just fine.

Is the problem that the W3 validator is old? The copyright at the bottom of the page is 1994-2006, and it seems odd that the site would not be updated at all during 2007.

CIOS 256 Lesson 1: Introduction

And so another CIOS class starts. This is the exact reason why I decided against using my personal blog. I just don't think my mother on the East Coast is interested in reading my assignments.

I am taking CIOS for two reasons:

1. It fulfills a requirement for the CIOS associate's degree
2. I've been dabbling with Web design for a while (writing the HTML for my personal blog and using Dreamweaver to create Web sites for my dance troupe), but I realize it is something that can help advance my career as an editor and page designer.
   

I've put links in the right-hand column to my personal blog and to the Web site I created for my latest dance troupe, Cold Fusion Tribal Dance. I'm tired of being self-taught in these things, and I look forward to the chance to actually learn some things from an instructor!

CIOS 110 Lesson 1

In studying the common operating systems, you have considered the availability of software that runs on each OS and the general reasons one may be chosen over the others. Put yourself in the position of an information technology professional in a new company that will open its doors on day one with 50 employees who will need computers on their desks connected to a corporate network and will need to work with standard business applications. What are some other practical considerations that you can think of that must come into play when making this decision? Your answer does not need to specify a particular OS.

My first consideration would be the type of software that the company needs to support. If the company required a lot of graphics and editing work, my experience indicates that a Macintosh system would be the best choice. However, if limited graphic editing was needed, a Windows-based system would be my first choice. I think it's highly likely that most new employees will already be familiar with Windows-based systems based on their dominance in the PC market, so less employee training will be needed. It's also likely that the company can lease computers, giving us the option of upgrading in a few years when the leases are up. Because all of the computers are interconnected and, presumably, connected to the Internet as well, I would look at the security configurations of the different systems. Finally, I would make sure that the IT professional has time to set up and test all of the computers before the company opens its doors to make sure that each computer can properly connect to each other, to peripheral devices such as printers and to the Internet.

CIOS 110 Lesson 1

I must admit to being a bit uneasy about the course after working on this first assignment. Students were directed to www.webopedia.com and instructed to use the "By Keyword" search box to find information on processors. Now, maybe my painfully slow dial-up connection is failing to load the page properly (we'll find out when the DSL gets hooked up this week), but there is only one search box, and no way to set it to a "Keyword" option. Furthermore, the sheer number of ads on the page would make it difficult for anyone just learning their way around computers (and isn't that ostensibly the point of this course?) to determine what is fact and what is a sales pitch.

With those concerns voiced, let's focus on the processor. I'll be frank that I often bandy about terms which I am not able to actually define. I found that this article explained a lot of those things. For instance, it's simple math to me that the higher numbers for bandwidth and speed mean a faster (and theoretically better) computer. After reading the article, though, I understood what each number rperesents and why they are important for the speed of the computer. Two new terms for me were RISC (a processor that recognizes a limited number of instructions. The limited number of instructions means the computer can operate at a higher speed. I'd liken it to using a basic calculator for simple addition versus using a scientific calculator. Do you really need all those bells and whistles if you're just adding?) and CISC (a processor which supports a much higher number of instructions. The article indicated a high end of 200 instructions.).

CIOS 110 Lesson 1

I enrolled in CIOS 110 mainly because it is a prerequisite for earning an Associate's Degree in CIOS. It might seem like a step backward to go from a Bachelor's of Science, which I earned in 2002, to an Associate's, but I think the two degrees are quite closely related. My B.S. (ah, the irony of that degree!) is in journalism. Although I started the degree intending to become an editor, there were no editing specializations available at any of the schools within 80 miles of my home. Instead, I chose the school with the best program within that 80-mile radius, since that was as far as I was willing to drive for daily classes.

SCSU gave me a great education, and the program heads were kind enough to allow me to create independent study courses. I think I was the first student they'd ever met who wanted to edit. I can't help it - spotting errors is second nature to me. I even found one on the first page of my textbook for CIOS 110. While I'm happy with my degree, I've found there's a world of difference between book learning and real world learning. Nearly every newspaper, magazine or book I've edited has been done on a different software program, and I've had to teach myself to use them all. My Photoshop skills? All self-taught. Adobe Illustrator? They didn't offer classes in that, either. When I realized that I could earn a degree in CIOS and could tailor it with the Desktop Publishing, Web and Graphic Design program, it only made sense to enroll. As a UAF employee I get free classes, but I hadn't been using them for any purpose. Swimming and yoga are fun, but they certainly won't help me advance my career. And while I may know most of the programs in my field, I've got nothing on my resume to show that I've actually been trained to use any of them.

CIOS 110 is a requirement for this program, but I'm hoping I can again solidify the computer troubleshooting skills I've taught myself over the years. It never hurts to back up personal experience with education.

Too many blogs....

On second thought, having all of my CIOS assignments for multiple classes on my personal blog is just going to get messy, so I'm switching to a CIOS blog. Assignments will be labeled with CIOS xxx in the subject line.