windows_ProblemsThere are occasions where a system will become unstable, and the operating system is suspected as a likely culprit. When computer repair miami make this happens, you can attempt what is known as a repair install. The concept behind a repair install is simple: you want to fix the operating system but keep all of your user and data files. This is accomplished by computer repair miami running an upgrade of the operating system to the same operating system already running. Both Windows XP and Windows 2000 include an option to press R during installation to repair the operating system. You would see this option soon as you booted from the installation media. This choice is not present with Windows Vista, but a repair install can still be done. For example, assume that a workstation running Windows Vista becomes suspect. As always, run a full backup and hope that you don’t need it. Next, insert the Windows Vista DVD in the DVD drive. It should automatically start. Click on Install Now and a few cursory screens will appear asking for the product key, and so forth. You will come to the Install Windows dialog box; it will ask what version of Windows Vista to install and has an option at the bottom that you need to check: I Have Selected The Edition Of Windows That I Purchased. Following this, choose Upgrade from the options, and the operating system files will be copied over with all user data and files maintained. The computer repair miami install will be complete. Common Installation Problems, for the most part, the days of having to suffer through installation issues are a thing of the past. The wizards available in the Microsoft OSs tend to make installation errors much less common than they were with earlier operating systems. Several categories of errors and fixes that still crop up from time to time are as follows, installation disk errors retry the installation once more. If the errors persist, change to a new installation DVD or CD. Inadequate disk space take corrective action to proceed with the installation, such as deleting temporary files and archiving old data. Disk configuration errors Make sure you’re using hardware compatible with the operating system. Do computer repair miami by checking for the presence of the Windows certified logos for each operating system you are using. Can’t connect to a domain controller Verify that you’re entering the correct username and password and that the Caps Lock key isn’t on. Domain name error reselect or retype the correct domain name. Installing Device Drivers Hardware devices come in all shapes and sizes, adding a variety of capabilities to your computer system. In this section, you will learn the specifics of installing device drivers for various types of peripherals. You will learn the methods of connecting a peripheral as well as the steps required to install a driver on Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows 2000. As a technician, one task you will constantly be asked to perform is to install a device driver. A device driver or just driver for short is a small piece of software that allows the OS to communicate directly with a specific piece of hardware. Without computer repair miami the driver, the OS wouldn’t know the special commands to send to the device to make it do what you want. Most often, you will be adding a device or component to your computer in order to expand the computer’s capabilities. Regardless of function, devices that you can install can be divided into two primary groups, plug and Play (PnP) is a standard set of specifications that was developed by Intel to enable a computer to detect a new device automatically and install the appropriate driver. PnP makes a technician’s job easier because the system already knows what hardware settings are in use, and it sets the new device’s hardware settings IRQ, I/O address, and soon to appropriate, nonconflicting settings. Non Plug and Play if you have to configure a device’s hardware settings manually in order to install it, the device can be considered a non-PnP device. These devices are nearly obsolete but you’ll still see them out there, hanging on as manufacturers embrace PnP methods. The basic process for installing these devices is the same for all versions of Windows. There are simply some minor differences in procedures and the appearance of the dialog boxes.