CompTIA A_ Certification All-In-One Exam Guide, Seventh Edition - Michael Meyers [235]
Optical Drive, Hard Drive
Bad optical discs, optical drives, or hard drives may cause lockups. Check the optical disc for scratches or dirt, and clean it up or replace it. Try a known good disc in the drive. If you get the same error, you may need to replace the drive.
Log Files
Windows generates a number of special text files called log files that track the progress of certain processes. Although Windows creates different log files for different purposes, two files most interest us:
SETUPLOG.TXT tracks the complete installation process, logging the success or failure of file copying, Registry updates, reboots, and so on.
SETUPAPI.LOG tracks each piece of hardware as it is installed. This is not an easy log file to read, as it uses Plug and Play code, but it will show you the last device installed before Windows locked up.
Windows stores these log files in the WINNT or Windows directory (the location in which the OS is installed). These operating systems have powerful recovery options, so, honestly, the chances of your ever actually having to read a log file, understand it, and then get something fixed as a result of that understanding are pretty small. What makes log files handy is when you call Microsoft or a hardware manufacturer. They love to read these files, and they actually have people who understand them. Don’t worry about trying to understand log files for the CompTIA A+ exams; just make sure you know the names of the log files and their location. Leave the details to the übergeeks.
Post-Installation Tasks
You might think that’s enough work for one day, but your task list has a few more things. They include updating the OS with patches and service packs, upgrading drivers, restoring user data files, and migrating and retiring.
Patches, Service Packs, and Updates
Someone once described an airliner as consisting of millions of parts flying in close formation. I think that’s also a good description for an operating system. And we can even carry that analogy further by thinking about all of the maintenance required to keep an airliner safely flying. Like an airliner, the parts (programming code) of your OS were created by different people, and some parts may even have been contracted out. Although each component is tested as much as possible, and the assembled OS is also tested, it’s not possible to test for every possible combination of events. Sometimes a piece is simply found to be defective. The fix for such a problem is a corrective program called a patch.
In the past, Microsoft provided patches for individual problems. They also accumulated patches until they reached some sort of critical mass and then bundled them together as a service pack. They still do this. But they also make it easier for you to find and install the appropriate patches and service packs, which, when combined, are called updates. They make these updates available at their Web site or on optical disc. Many organizations make the updates available for distribution from network servers. Immediately after installing Windows, install the latest updates on the computer. Chapter 17, “Maintaining and Troubleshooting Windows,” covers this process more fully.
Upgrading Drivers
Even if you did all your preinstallation tasks, you may decide to go with the default drivers that come with Windows and then upgrade them to the latest drivers after the fact. This is a good strategy, because installation is a complicated task and you can simplify it by installing old but adequate drivers. Maybe those newest drivers are just a week old—waiting until after the Windows installation to install new drivers gives you a usable driver to go back to if the new driver turns out to be a lemon. In Chapters 17, “Maintaining and Troubleshooting Windows,” and 18, “Input/Output,” you’ll learn more about working with drivers, including a little driver magic called “Roll Back Driver.”
Restoring