One of the primary objectives in the Networking domain is that you can identify when you are servicing a networked PC, which requires some special considerations and actions on your part. Not recognizing that a PC is on a network when servicing it can result in damage to the PC and possibly to the network. The following problems may result from not taking the correct precautionary steps before working on a networed PC:
- Reduced bandwidth (the data transmission capacity and capability of the network) on the network caused by a faulty NIC signal or improperly set NIC.
- A loss of data caused by an interruption in the network structure.
- A slowdown in the general operation of the network.
You can tell whether a PC is networked in a number of ways. Some of the ways you can determine whether a PC is networked are listed below:
- Look at the back of the PC for a network port with a cable attached to it. If you find one, you have a winner --- a networked PC.
- If a network cable is not attached to the back of the PC, it doesn't mean it is not a networked PC; the customer may have already disconnected it. You can ask the customer.
- If no network cable exists, check to see whether a NIC is installed. No NIC -- no network. However, if a NIC is in the PC, you can make other checks to determine whether the PC is networked.
- If you have access to the hard disk, search it for the tell-tale signs that the PC has been networked: folders or directories with names like NWCLIENT. Or look in the AUTOEXEC.bat or CONFIG.SYS for entries that start networking clients. (This is especially true for Novell software, which places entries in these files.)
- If you have access to Windows 9x, use the Windows Explorer to look for network drives. They usually have drive designators of E:, F:, or higher
If you determine that the PC is a part of a network, follow these steps to perform the repair.
- Check to see whether the PC is logged on to the network.
- One easy way to check this is to try to open a drive or folder on a network device. If you can open a file, the PC is logged on. If the drive is not available, the PC may be a node, but it is not logged into the network.
- If you are working on the hard disk, make a backup of all the files.
- Especially important is backing up any networking information on the hard disk.
- Log off the PC as necessary.
- Disconnect the network cable from the NIC card and proceed with the repair of the PC.
- After the repair is complete, reconnect the network cable, verify that the network files are on the disk, and restore them if needed.
- Ask the customer to log on to the network to verify that all is well.
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