Difference between revisions of "As-Is Checklist"

Revision as of 16:33, 18 December 2012

Goals

Learn to use the Laptop Build Room tools to identify hardware components.
Practice installing and removing hardware.
Get some practice using the Power-On Self-Test (POST) Troubleshooting guide in the Appendix of your Laptop Build Binder.

1. Data security check

We are responsible for securely wiping or destroying any storage device that is donated to Free Geek. This commonly means removing hard drives to be wiped, but keep an eye out for other kinds of data storage devices as well.
What to keep in mind when removing hard drives
☐ Make sure to separate any caddy parts and adapters from the hard drive.
☐ Tape any caddy parts, adapters, and screws together back inside the hard drive bay. These should stay with the system unless your instructor needs them for parts.
☐ Only ever leave hard drives and other storage devices in a designated box or with your instructor.
Check for disks and other storage media
☐ Check the optical drive for disks.

Look for the small quick-release hole on the faceplate, and use a paperclip to manually open the drive.

☐ Take a quick look for other kinds of media, let your instructor know if you find anything.

Commonly encountered storage devices:

3.5" hard drives (Desktop size)
2.5" hard drives (Laptop size)
Optical disks

Less commonly encountered storage devices:

1.8" and other odd-sized small form-factor hard drives
Mini PCI or mini PCIe solid state drives
Small media cards (SD, Compact Flash, etc)
SIM cards
Floppy disks
PCMCIA (PC Card) hard drives

Examples

3.5", 2.5", 1.8" and 1" Hard Drives
PCMCIA (PC Card) Hard Drive
SD Card
Mini PCIe Solid State Drive

2. Find an appropriate AC adapter

Requirements
For an AC adapter to power the device correctly, it must:

Match the input voltage (V) of the laptop exactly.
Match or exceed the recommended amperage (A).
Have a plug that fits into the laptop snugly and provides power.

☐ Find the input voltage and amperage listed on the laptop. This may be printed on the back of the laptop, or on the chassis under the battery.
☐ Find an AC adapter that matches the voltage and amperage listed on the laptop. You will be looking in the output section printed on the AC adapter, which should look like this:

INPUT:  100-240V~1.9A
        50/60Hz
OUTPUT: 16V ⎓ 4.5A

Tip
AC adapters are sorted in bins by voltage, amperage, and brand; the bins are color-coded by brand.

3. POST

☐ Try turning the machine on.

If the system loads the BIOS splash screen, you can move to the next step.
If the system does not boot, or appears to have screen or video problems, use sections 1 and 2 only in the Laptop POST Troubleshooting Guide in the Appendix.
- As-Is laptops with video or screen problems should be recyled unless they are high-end systems. Double-check with your instructor if you are not sure. Use the Recycle guide in your binder.

4. Determine specifications

☐ Enter BIOS.

Note the processor type and speed.
Note the amount of RAM installed.

☐ If processor and RAM information is not listed in BIOS, boot to the Free Geek network boot menu and use the Hardware Detection Tool.

Instructions for how to access the network boot are in the Appendix, in the Laptop Network Boot guide if you need help.

☐ Remove extra RAM.

Reduce the amount of installed RAM to no more than 512MB, as needed.
- Use lower-capacity RAM sticks where possible (i.e. two 256MB sticks vs. one 512MB stick).

5. As-Is sticker

☐ Fill out the following fields:

Processor type
Processor speed

Do not fill out the AC adapter field, the store folks will take care of that one.

6. Remove stickers

☐ Remove stickers:

Microsoft stickers.
Any sticker identifying the previous owner.
Stickers added by the manufacturer (specs, model number, etc) should be left on the system.

7. Sign-off and final steps

☐ Make sure the system is completely reassembled.
☐ Have your instructor sign off on your work.

Ask your instructor if the AC adapter should stay with the laptop.

☐ Put the laptop in the outgoing cart.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-The nature of As-Is laptops is that we spend very little time on them and they are sold very inexpensively to hobbyists and tinkerers.  ''If you find yourself putting in lots of effort for an As-Is laptop, then it's probably time to just junk it.''  Ask your instructor if you have any questions.
+__NOTOC__
+'''Goals'''<br>
+*Learn to use the Laptop Build Room tools to identify hardware components.
+*Practice installing and removing hardware.
+*Get some practice using the Power-On Self-Test (POST) Troubleshooting guide in the Appendix of your Laptop Build Binder.
-{| border="1" fontname="Nimbus Sans" fontsize="12" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" width=80%
+===1. Data security check===
-!style="color:white; background-color:black;" | STEPS
+{{Template:Data_Security_for_Builders}}
-!style="color:white; background-color:black;" | NOTES AND DETAILED DESCRIPTION
+----
-|-
+===2. Find an appropriate AC adapter===
-| REMOVE HARD DRIVE
+{{Template: AC_Adapter}}
-||Check that the Hard Drive has been removed, otherwise remove it. Leave the caddy hardware, screws and adapter with the laptop if possible.
+----
-|-
+===3. POST===
-| Check RAM
+&#9744; Try turning the machine on. <br>
-|| Get a power supply and boot to BIOS.  In general, As-Is laptops should have no more than 512MB of RAM.  Try to use smaller sticks of RAM if you can, e.g. 2 sticks of 256 MB if there are 2 slots, but don't go crazy swapping out the RAM.
+*If the system loads the BIOS splash screen, you can move to the next step.
+*If the system does not boot, or appears to have screen or video problems, use '''sections 1 and 2 only''' in the [[Laptop POST Troubleshooting Guide]] in the Appendix.
-If the system doesn't POST, or otherwise won't report processor information, try to determine the model number and do a quick Google search for its processor type (don't worry about the clockspeed).  It's not imperative that processor information is included on the scraptop, so don't spend a lot of time digging around if you have trouble finding it.
+**As-Is laptops with video or screen problems should be recyled unless they are high-end systems. Double-check with your instructor if you are not sure. Use the '''Recycle''' guide in your binder.
-|-
+----
-| Affix As-Is Sticker
+===4. Determine specifications===
-|| This sticker outlines the As-Is Policy and includes a place to write Processor Speed and Type, and whether an adapter is included.  Fill out the processor information if possible, but '''DO NOT''' fill out the adapter information.
+&#9744; Enter BIOS.
-|-
+*Note the processor type and speed.
-| Remove MS Stickers and Asset Tags|| Microsoft sticker can usually be found on the bottom of the laptop and on the palm rest.  Get rid of anything that identifies the former owner, whether an individual or a business.
+*Note the amount of RAM installed.
-|-
+&#9744; If processor and RAM information is not listed in BIOS, boot to the Free Geek network boot menu and use the Hardware Detection Tool.
-| Include the Power Adapter || Make sure the cords are neatly wrapped with a rubber band, but with enough slack so that you can plug the adapter into the laptop.
+*Instructions for how to access the network boot are in the Appendix, in the [[Laptop Network Boot]] guide if you need help.
-|-
+&#9744; Remove extra RAM.
-| Check-in with Instructor || They will look over the laptop, and sign off on the label.
+*Reduce the amount of installed RAM to no more than 512MB, as needed.
-|-
+**Use lower-capacity RAM sticks where possible (i.e. two 256MB sticks vs. one 512MB stick).
-| Put it in the Recycling Cart || There should be a box labelled '''As-Is/Scraptop'''; stash the system there.  Ask your Instructor for something new to work on!
+----
-|}
+===5. As-Is sticker===
+&#9744; Fill out the following fields:
-[[Category: Laptops]]
+*Processor type
+*Processor speed
+Do not fill out the AC adapter field, the store folks will take care of that one.
+----
+===6. Remove stickers===
+&#9744; Remove stickers:
+*Microsoft stickers.
+*Any sticker identifying the previous owner.
+*Stickers added by the manufacturer (specs, model number, etc) should be left on the system.
+----
+===7. Sign-off and final steps===
+&#9744; Make sure the system is completely reassembled.<br>
+&#9744; Have your instructor sign off on your work.
+*Ask your instructor if the AC adapter should stay with the laptop.
+&#9744; Put the laptop in the outgoing cart.<br>