5 Computers On The Network example essay topic

My advice to someone starting his or her coop would be to start as soon as possible. 150 or 250 hours is a long time, especially if you already have another job. This coop led to two and a half months of a very busy and hectic schedule. It is a very important part of the learning process and I don't recommend rushing it. In my case I found it a difficult task remembering where I was supposed to be on a certain day, so I bought myself a day planner. I also advise future students starting their coops from trying to do things that you may not feel comfortable with.

With me, I was not very comfortable with some of the DOS commands needed to build a new computer. All you have to do is ask someone, no matter how dumb you think the question is because this is supposed to be a learning experience and it will also help you learn to communicate. You will get more out of the coop by asking questions, which why we do the coop. BBS Computing is located in Greece New York It is a Computer Sales, Service center that also does some Networking systems. Paul Sa ussa, Ron Bess and John Bonacci are both owners and employees of the business. It is a relatively small business that mainly does computer sales and repair with some occasional networking jobs.

The actual business consists of a show room and a workshop. The showroom has different models of computers that customers can have built to buy. There are 4 different types depending on a customer's budget for a computer. The low-end models consisting of a Pentium processor and 256 Mb of RAM and the basic keyboard, mouse, monitor, printer, and speakers, and the high-end models consisting of a Pentium 4 processor or equivalent with 256 or more Mb of DDR RAM and premium speakers, keyboard, mouse, printer and monitor. Thus, meaning you get what you pay for. The display models allow you to show a customer some of the features of the different types of computer systems that are offered.

Such things as operating systems such as Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows 2000, and Windows XP, and also programs like Nero for CD burners, All-in-Wonder TV tuner cards and applications such as Microsoft Office. This was my first opportunity to work with Windows XP. AS far as appearance and ease of use it is a good operating system, but as I found out by working with it and from what Ron says there still are a lot of compatibility issues involved. There were a few cases where customers would bring in hardware or peripherals such as a printer, modem and could not use them with XP because there was not a driver available for it. Like there was one time back in March where a customer brought in a Canon All in 1 printer but the driver for XP did not come out until May so he could not use it until then. It is that kind of stuff that makes things difficult.

BBS Computing has a small TCP / IP based network with a Windows 2000 sever running in a mixed mode environment. There are about 5 computers on the network. They use a tape drive to run their network backups. The work lab had monitors, keyboards and mice already there to plug any system into and multiple ways for Internet connectivity (DSL, Dial-Up, And Road Runner) so any problems could be addressed.

If a customer had a problem with their dial up service we could replicate it in the lab. Two programs I used that I never used before are Partition Magic and Advanced Efdisk. Efdisk is command line utility that allows for users a more advanced way of using Fdisk by more available options. I mainly used it to delete NTFS partitions in Windows 2000 and Windows XP.

NTFS is a file allocation system that treats the entire hard drive as one physical drive, as opposed to separate sectors as in FAT. Efdisk is a very powerful tool. Partition Magic is also a very powerful tool that also gives flexibility to Allocation tables and partitions. However, I used it to create a dual boot system using the integrated Boot Magic. It allows you to run more then one operating system by displaying a window on start-up that gives you a choice between operating systems or to boot the default operating system.

Partition Magic is a real simple program to use because it has built in wizards that guide you through the process. A routine day for me was checking with Paul, Ron, or John on what I could work on for the day. These activities would usually be upgrades and new computer builds. Which I thought was good for me because I had not been exposed to building at Genesee Community College too much. A new build would involve putting the motherboard into the case, and installing the processor and RAM. Then I would install the CD-Rom or DVD-Rom and CD-Burner, along with the Floppy drive and Hard drive with all the ribbon cables.

Then I would Fdisk the system and format the drives. Next would be to load the operating system any updates and any software that was to be included. An upgrade or problem would be to fix or upgrade a component of the system that was causing a problem or was too slow. There were a couple of times where I was able to go on networking jobs. I mainly would just follow instructions given to me like run cables an making network connections through the wizard.

The Best Set Tile job was more of an oversight on how an installation goes. There are steps you must follow closely or else problems can occur like security issues or connectivity problems. I would also show customers different models of computers that they were looking at. This I found challenging because you had to explain the systems in a way that they could understand because not everyone is familiar with the terminology of a computer.

I found that this was especially true with elder people. The most valuable information I learned from this coop at BBS computing was two things. Computers live and die by their components and the people who use them. People are the problems for computers, because people cause most problems. A computer does not download viruses without a person somewhere sending or downloading it. Also what you put into a computer as far as hardware is what you get out.

If you spend $30 on a hub you get a thirty-dollar hub. You get what you pay for. The other important thing I learned is that the more you know the better, and if you don't know it there are many places to find the answer. This may include calling a customer service representative, looking it up in a book, asking someone, Tech Net or even the manual.

Tech Net offers some of the most in depth ways of resolving problems with Microsoft products. This experience has made me think that I need to stay in school, and learn as much as I can. I would like to take my degree from G.C. C and take it to Brockport to study Computer Science. I would like at least my bachelors in Computer Science because your career is basically selling yourself into the right situation for yourself. What you know is your biggest tool in your career. I want to get my A+ certification, MOUS certification then maybe MCSE.

I can't see myself working at a sales or repair shop because it is very limited to only certain issues. I would like to work at a medium sized company as an administrator, however I now know that the economy drives the industry and you can be out of a job quickly. Knowing your "stuff" allows for you to be valuable and may keep you from being let go, or allow you to catch on with a new job quickly. I think overall this coop was a good experience. I think I could have done more network related things. However, I found that being able to work with DOS more frequently and working from the Hardware level very beneficial.

I think that the program at G.C.C. needs some fine-tuning, perhaps another A+ based class, and more labs with laptop computers. I also think that an assistance program for finding prospective coops would help enormously. I personally found BBS Computing on accident by finding it as the nearest Nextel Cellular Phone dealer to my house. It was through this that I talked to Ron about the possibility of doing a coop there and later went back for an interview With John Bonacci.

My biggest problem with the coop was balancing my schedule to have enough time to do things. My coop at BBS, My regular job, and still maintaining my grades proved to be challenging. I think that this experience has helped me learn to plan somewhat better and will help me in my career future.