Plan Installation and Maintenance of Hardware in

Technology System

BTEC Level 1/Level 2 First Extended Certificate in Information

and Creative Technology

Unit 14: Installing and Maintaining Computer Hardware

Due:

Submitted by: Simon Scott Lecturer: George Wakeman

Introduction

The aim of the assignment is to demonstrate how to be able to fault find and upgrade the
hardware of North Wiltshire Environmental.

North Wiltshire Environmental is an environmental agency which requires its employees to

have access to computers to receive environmental reports and information. The CEO would
like the computers to be up-to-date and functional to allow productivity to be constant.

The purpose of installing and maintaining hardware

• Compatibility: Upgrade to a DVD Burner to allow admin computers to read and write
rather than read only.
• Change in system functionality: Install a Web Cam to take advantage of
VoIP/Webcam technology
• Upgrade: Replace Hard Disk Drive with a Solid-State Drive to improve the boot-up time
and the performance of the computer
• Improve productivity: Identify the faults then perform Corrective Maintenance

User requirement description

• The CEO’s optical drive is broken. He would like to find the cause of the problem and
get it fixed. To do this, I must inspect investigate what caused the optical drive to fail, if
the cause is unidentifiable or is unidentified, I could back up the CEO’s computer then
replace the broken optical drive.
• The Administrator computers are overheating and are shutting down to prevent
damage, and the CEO is not happy with this as this will hinder the productivity and
efficiency of the employees, so he would like the problem to be fixed as soon as
possible.
• The CEO is unhappy with how slow the boot-up time of his administrator computers is.
He would like to upgrade the performance of the computers to improve productivity. To
fix this issue, I will need to open the case then replace the HDD with a faster SSD.

1
 • The CEO desires his administrator computers to be able to burn DVDs in order to do
work. To do this, I will need to remove the DVD ROM from all the administrator devices,
then install the DVD Burners and ensure that it functions.
• The CEO’s company is expanding. And he wants his computers to be able to use
VoIP/Web Cam technology.

Installation and maintenance plan

Installation activities list • Installation of a DVD Burner to allow

read and write on the computers of
the employees
• Installation of a Solid-State Drive to
further improve efficiency by
improving computer performance
• Installation of a Webcam to allow
employees to attend online
conferences/meetings properly
Maintenance activities list • Clear the hardware of any dust or dirt
to ensure the computer is functioning
properly
• Fault Find the faulty optical drive to
figure out the cause of the fault and to

2
 determine whether it could be repaired
or not.
Required hardware resources and • I would need a screwdriver to be able
justification (i.e. internal and external to open the computer
hardware/devices) • I would need a screwdriver tray so
that I would not lose the screws.
• I would need a DVD Burner so that I
would be able to install it on the admin
computers and the CEO computer (if
DVD Burner can't be repaired)
• I would also need a Solid-State Drive
to be able to improve the performance
of the computers to improve
efficiency.
• I would need an anti-static wrist strap
so that I would be able to work on the
computers without accidentally frying
the delicate parts of the device.
• I would need the appropriate screws
that suits the Solid-State Drive so that
it can be installed properly and safely
Required software resources and • I would need a USB Pen to be able to
justification (i.e. operating system, install the appropriate software to the
application software, security/antivirus hardware.
software) • I would need a blank USB Pen to be
able to perform back-ups on
computers before performing a task
• I would need spare USB pens to
insure I do not get stuck due to faulty
USB Pens

3
 • I would need ‘CDBurnerXP’ to allow
the DVD burner to function
Required fault-finding tools and • I would need a brush and air to clear
techniques and justification the cooling hardware of dust to
diagnose if dust was the cause of the
computer overheating

Installation test plan

No. Test How test Result Comments Possible future

description was carried yes/no changes
out
1. Did you meet Add the total Replace
the budget cost components for a
requirement of cheaper model
£150?
2. Are the Install
computers Windows and
performing boot up the
better? computer to
see if it
installs
quicker
3. Is the CEO’s Try and save Replace optical
optical drive data into the drive if
fixed? optical drive unrepairable
4. Are the DVD Burn CD’s
Burners
working?

4
5. Did the work Record the
get done on time it takes
time? to install the
hardware and
repairing
hardware
6. Was the Back up data
system backed and then
up and reinstall it to
restored? the computer
7 Is the SSD Install
working? windows and
see if it
downloads
quickly
8. Were there Look at the
damaged done physical
to the hardware and
computers then test the
during work? software

Possible alternative solutions and reasons for rejection

Alternative Solution 1

5
 Alternative hardware name External DVD Burner
Hardware features It is an external burner, so it could be
compatible for computers without DVD slots
Benefits over selected hardware Can be taken anywhere, does not require
DVD slot/space in the computer, can be used
in laptops
Reasons for rejection Exceeds budget
Alternative Solution 2
Alternative hardware name RAM
Hardware features Processes Tasks Quickly, easy to install,
relatively cheap, volatile memory, low disk
consumption (better battery life for laptops)
Benefits over selected hardware Way cheaper, easy to install, easy to find
Reasons for rejection There are different types of ram, and the ram
required for the admin computers is DDR2
which is difficult to find second hand and
more difficult to find a brand new one.

Justification of final decisions

• Rationale behind chosen hardware and software

The reason why I chose one hardware over another is because the user requires the costs
to be under £150. So, I had to choose one over the latter. For the requirements of the
administrator computers, I chose to install a brand-new SSD instead of RAM because the
motherboard can only fit in DDR2 RAM, which is very difficult to find a brand-new sample
of. Another hardware I could have installed is an external DVD burner, but since I can’t
exceed the £150 budget, it is not an option, so instead I will install an internal DVD Burner

6
instead which is much cheaper and would greatly help stay under the £150 budget set by
the client.

• How final decisions meet stated purpose and client’s requirements

With my final decisions, I have fulfilled the user requirements and believe the client would
be satisfied with the job. I have investigated the issue with the optical drive and hopefully
have fixed it. If issues arise again, I will replace it with a brand-new one. And I have met
another requirement by installing a DVD Burner on administrator computers. Since internal
DVD Burners are quite cheap, I could purchase a brand-new one without having to exceed
the budget. I have also done another requirement by diagnosing and cleaning the
administrator computers to clear dust off the cooling fans.

• Possible constraints and impact on the plan

The requirements set in place by the Company are a constraint, especially for the budget.
Because the budget has been restricted to £150, many solutions to the problems faced by
the company computers would not be able to be used due to the budget constraints put in
place by the company. Another constraint would be the company computers themselves;
the computers are dated so it's going to be very difficult to find a suitable part to install on
the computers.

7
8