Chapter 16: Configuring and Troubleshooting the Desktop and User Environments

Overview

The Configuring and Troubleshooting the Desktop and User Environments objective domain focuses on the skills you will need to configure, troubleshoot, and monitor the performance of your users’ workstations. The exam covers the following six areas: the user environment, multiple languages and locations, local security policies, local and group accounts, logon problems, and monitoring system performance.

As a desktop support technician (DST), you must be able to configure the desktop settings of a workstation, which can include toolbar settings, accessibility options, multiple user access configurations, regional settings, and creation of local and group accounts. You must be able to troubleshoot security settings that can prevent a user from logging on to a computer, as well as identify logon problems that might be the result of local or domain policies. You should be able to troubleshoot system startup problems and answer questions that users might have regarding logon issues.

The world has gotten smaller as users conduct business in countries all over the world. As a DST, you must be able to configure workstations to support the use of multiple languages and locations. You should know how to configure a computer to use different currency notations as well as foreign-language representations of time, numbers, and dates.

In many large organizations, groups are configured on networks to facilitate administration. Sometimes users might not have access to a resource because group membership, security settings, or local security policies restrict them. You should be able to troubleshoot these access problems. Finally, the DST must ensure that the user’s system is performing at optimum capacity.