Where has all my Software gone?

From my experience as a professional computer engineer offering IT support on an hourly rate, visiting clients on site all the time, repairing faults with hardware & more usually software, it occurs to me that most of my clients are not very careful with their software at all.

Software is what makes PCs usable, after all, what would you do without your program? The type of software that seems to get "lost" frequently is the setup software that came with the PC in the first place. This software is vital - not maybe immediately after you have bought the new PC, but should the operating system ever need reinstalling, this software is vital for a quick efficient solution to the reported fault in the first place. A typical scenario is:

For the purposes of this article, we will assume that the PC has either been hit by some very serious "Malware" or a very severe "Virus" which has trashed it. This is an increasing problem which can take many hours to put right, often the "blue screen of death" appears & if you cannot get into the PC in "safe mode" or by booting from a system CD, then it is often a good idea just to start again and reinstall the operating system from scratch. Most of my clients have a network with a file server, or in any case their precious files are backed up (I live in hope")

So the alternatives are:

Try to eradicate the "Malare" or "Virus" - this can take far too long a time to make it a practical proposition & you cannot guarantee that you get all of it anyway - it's a bit like medical surgery!

Re-instal the operating system.

In order to do this, you need a copy of the operating system installation program.

When you ask the client for the disks - they glaze over !!!

So you waste half an hour wandering around the office & looking in various locations for the software. If you find the disks - great, If you can't find them - not great. What you are looking for is either a proprietary "system restore" CD from the PC manufacturer, or a copy of Microsoft Windows, along with a motherboard/graphics card/network adaptor (LAN) driver disk.

As an engineer I carry a copy of most Microsoft operating systems with me all the time, the Microsoft product keys are on the PCs so no problem there, all nice & legal. Place the CD in the drive, boot from it & off you go. If all goes well, within an hour the new operating system will be up and running. That is only the start. Next you will need the Microsoft updates from the web - OK if the LAN (network adaptor) drivers installed with Microsoft Windows, but often they do not. So now a classic "Catch 22"occurs - you need the updates & the graphics drivers, but as you do not have the LAN adaptor drivers you can't get on the Internet to download anything !!!!

So . . . . you go to another PC, interrupt the user to their annoyance, get on the web, download the drivers & put them on your "Memory Stick"

If the PC is a proprietary one, then you may as well download a few more drivers onto your "Memory Stick" at the same time.

Return to the PC you are re -installing & with the help of the trusty "Memory Stick", set up the LAN adaptor.

Now you are on the web, so first download Microsoft updates & service packs - maybe it is a good idea to have a cup of tea while this goes on, or alternatively you can stare blankly at the screen & contemplate the many mysteries of the universe ! You can't really talk to the other users in the office because they are busy.

Eventually the updates are in, so now it is time to go to the graphics card manufacturer's website & download the graphics drivers. Then you go to the motherboard manufacturer's website & download the chipset drivers.

How much easier would it have been if the company had been more careful with the software that came with the PC when it was new.

It doesn't end there though, next you ask the company for a copy of Microsoft Office for the PC, more time wasted ferreting about in dusty boxes. If you find it good, if you don't - not good.

Eventually the PC is back up & running after a few hours work which could have been made much easier if the initial software had been readily available. Often the company copies of Microsoft Office are depleted, users probably "borrowed" them - that is the usual explanation - ! So a phone call to the supplier is then needed to obtain new copies - more expense!

Top Tip:

Always lock ALL of your precious software in the office safe - or at least in a secure locked cupboard.

It is also a good idea to perform an audit on exactly what should be present. - maybe one day, one day - !