Why this matters
Hardware problems are some of the most common calls in Ghanaian offices, schools and shops: a laptop that will not switch on, a desktop that is painfully slow, a printer that jams, a machine damaged when power came back after an outage. Adverts for IT support, desktop support and lab technician roles ask for hardware installation, repair, preventive maintenance and keeping an inventory of equipment. You do not need to be an electronics engineer. You need to know what each part does, how to look after it, and how to tell which part is failing.
What this section covers
- Inside a computer. The main parts (processor, memory, storage, motherboard, power supply, ports) and what each one does. With this you can read a specification sheet, compare two laptops for a client, and make a good guess about which part is causing a fault.
- Maintenance, repairs and upgrades. How to clean a computer safely, why heat and dust shorten its life, and the two upgrades (more memory and a solid state drive) that most often turn a slow machine into a useful one.
- Power, surges and protection. Ghana's mains supply, what outages and surges do to equipment, and the difference between a surge protector, a voltage stabiliser and a UPS. This topic alone can save an office a lot of money.
- Printers and peripherals. How printers, scanners and copiers connect and share, and how to clear the faults staff call about most.