Big isn't always better (Chapter 12)

Anyone who has a computer knows that at times it may need special attention when something goes wrong.  Quality customer service goes a long way in the world of PC technicians.  There's a saying that goes, "A person may not remember what you said to them, but they will always remember how you made them feel."  When it comes to customer satisfaction, bigger companies may not always be keen on the "smaller" customer. When you are dealing with a larger corporation, the focus can shift from customer service to more profit focus, which abandons that interpersonal connection. As a PC technician, its important to empathize with every customer as if you were in their shoes looking for help.  Troubleshooting skills and customer focus skills go hand in hand.  The determining factor for a customer looking for PC help could be based on prior customer reviews and reports.  You can have the quality work but professionally your attitude sucks.  Avoid focusing on the profit end of the deal, but rather focus on customer satisfaction, in the long run this will reap better results.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/230198/Repair.html

Come out come out where ever you are (Chapter 11)

The world wide web is a melting pot of information and adventure.  Lurking in the shadows are entities that are out to destroy that experience, along with corrupting your computer to the point of no return.  Mal-ware is the name given to "malicious software" that can morph into many forms and attack your computer.  Mal-ware can spread by visiting "shady" websites that could potential leave your computer at risk to be infiltrated.  The umbrella of Mal-ware includes, spyware (stealing sensitive information), keyloggers, worms and true viruses.  A way to prevent becoming a Mal-ware victim is to heighten your computers settings so that nothing can slip through the cracks.  This can be done by turning on your computers firewall, making sure sites are creditable, and changing your computers security settings.  Mal-ware tends to seek out computers that a vulnerable to attack. Microsoft along with many other companies, have created Mal-ware programs that help protect your computer from any unwanted intrusions.  A very popular Mal-ware prevention program is called Malwarebytes by CNET.com/.  As a computer user you can equip yourself with the necessary tools and knowledge to prevent these types of invasions from happening.


http://www.pctools.com/security-news/what-is-malware/

Splitting up drives

Windows can have up to 4 partitions on its hard drive.  The main drive we are familiar with is drive C: The Windows operating system is typically stored in the active partition, which is used to boot the computer once you physically turn it on.  The 4th partition is also know as the extended partition. The only time two operating systems can be ran on two different drives is when a dual-boot occurs.  A dual boot allows a user to operate two operating systems at one time, for instance Windows 7 and Windows XP on two drives.  The purpose of partitioning your computer is it allows for you to distribute your files onto separate drives.  For example if you have different applications, media files or data that you want to store on a different drive, partition your computer allows this.  In the event a drive becomes corrupt, all of your information will not be lost.  Windows offers many ways for you to optimize your computer, which comes in handy when a system failure occurs.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/185941/how_and_why_to_partition_your_hard_drive.html

Language Barrier

Customer Service is the vocal point of any business or corporation.  As our economy continues to grow and advance, we have watched a gradual shift home grown operations to outsourcing them.  Globalization has caused major manufacturers and companies to look else where for production of their products.  Take for instance the world of computer technology.  Many of our once home based jobs have been outsourced to other countries due to cheaper labor rates, but does this necessary improve customer service.  Many of our PC technician jobs have landed in foreign countries such as India and China.  Back in January of 2004, Dell announced it had employed over 23,800 employees who are based overseas; so now when you call their customer service center you are more than likely to reach someone of foreign decent.  Outsourcing provides diversity but it also creates a language barrier between communication.  This break down in return leaves customers dissatisfied and disgruntle because of the language gap. With the uncertainty of the economy, more tech jobs could vanish from our home base and completely tarnish the image of PC support technicians.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/115648/article.html

Virtural Reality

Computer gamers are not the only one's who can live in virtual reality, when computer techs need to load multiple operating systems at one time, they use a virtual machine to do so.  A virtual machine can simulate hardware or software for a physical computer.  This type of environment can be used to run various programs on one desktop.  This type of program can also be used on training devices to teach a class or install two systems at one time.  On Microsoft you can use the program "Virtual Pc" which allows you to operate in this kind of environment.  If you to isolate a particular application in software or hardware you are able to do so using the virtual machine. You are also able to capture screen shots when in this kind of environment, which could be used as tools to help teach a class.  Be aware that this of program takes up a lot of a computers memory, and if you don't have the memory to support it, it could slow down your computer.


http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-a-virtual-machine.htm

Awww Snap

The very first lab top I had was a HP Compaq back in 2005.  Back then just having a mobile computer was a big deal despite it feeling like a ton of bricks when you carried it around.  I can remember how frustrating it was to have multiple screens open and if I wanted to view more than one at a time, I would have to minimize and continuously re-size that window. Windows 7 came along and revamped the Flintstone ways of Windows XP.  Windows 7 introduced a new application called Aero Interface which changed the way we view multiple windows.

The three interfaces are Aero Snap, Aero Peek and Aero Shake.  Aero snap allows you to compare two active screens side by side by simple dragging the window to the edges of the desktop.  This automatically adjusts and re-sizes the box for you. Aero peek gives you the ability to see through all the active screens to display the desktop.  If you have multiple windows open and you only need to view one, you can simply shake the other one's away.  Aero shake lets you control what windows you want open by minimizing the others.

http://www.petri.co.il/new-aero-features-in-windows-7.htm