Maintaining our computers is probably one of the more tedious tasks with owning a computer,
but never the less a must, if you want your computer to keep running in top condition. Just like you need to
maintain your car, boat or your vcr, you need to do the same with your computer. Not just on the inside but the outside a well.
Such areas as the monitor/screen, tower or desktop, mouse and keyboard, all need careful maintenance to keep them
looking and running well. Cleaning the out side of the monitor is a fairly easy thing to do with a damp cloth.
Caution:-
Ensure that no water or moisture gets into the vents or around the buttons and edges of the screen
as water and electrical components don't mix. Keep the top your monitor clear of any dirt or
paper, books etc, as monitors need air flow to stop them from over-heating. Many people have the bad habit of putting their fingers on the screen of the monitor
leaving marks. The screen needs a daily wipe with a slightly damp cloth, using window cleaner.
Polish the screen with a clean dry cloth afterwards or it will leave streaks.
The mouse is another item that must be looked after carefully.
Sometimes the mouse will not glide in the direction you want it to go. Its probably just dirt accumulated around the ball inside the mouse.
Make sure your computer is turned off, turn the mouse over and you will see the ball underneath, there is usually a cover that can be removed
and the ball can be taken out of the mouse. You will see rollers inside that are probably caked with a dirt build up. This dirt can easily be removed with a pair of
tweezers and a cloth.
TIP:-
Always when doing your own maintenance be very careful to ensure you do not
lose any of the small parts inside. Some mice have little springs inside, and while you are cleaning they can easily pop out!
The Keyboard is another part that must be kept clean and free from water, coffee, crumbs etc. If the worst does happen
you local computer shop will be able to sell you cans of compressed air which can blow dust or crumbs
out.
TIP:- When cleaning your keyboard, the vacuum cleaner does a terrific job as well.
Be very careful if your vacuum cleaner has metal tubing because of the static discharge.
TIP:- When you are not using your computer or printer, put a dust cover over them. Dust covers can be purchased at
any computer shop or retail outlet. They help keep the dust out and save on service fees.
Maintaining The Inside! (Scan Disk, Error Checking,Defragmentation.)
Scan Disk:-
Scan disk is a tool that comes with your operating system.
It is used to check and fix up any errors or problems that maybe on your hard drive. For example
if your hard drive is failing, scan disk can tell you where about's on the drive the problem may be and help you to move any data
into a safer area on your hard drive. Sometimes your files become corrupt and unreadable and scan disk can help fix these
sort of problems. It is a good idea to use scan disk regularly, especially if you do a lot of loading and unloading of programs.
Scan disk is located in the system tools directory and is very easy to use.
TIP:-
Close all programs
before using scan disk and if you run a screen saver make sure it is turned off.
To turn your screen saver off select start/ settings/ control panel/ display/ screen saver and under the screen saver tab select 'none'.
If you are using ' Windows 98', Scan Disk can be found under start > programs > accessories > system tools.
If you are using 'Windows XP', to find the Scan disk feature or other wise known as Error Checking, double click the
My Computer Icon on the desk top, click once on the drive you want to scan making it blue or highlighted, right click on the drive you have selected,
click on properties, go to TOOLS, click on 'check now' under the 'Error Checking' heading.
Disk Defragmenter:-
Defrag is a utility that is supplied with your operating system
and is a way of organizing your files to be retrieved more quickly. When software is added to your computer,
it is put on in the first available place on your hard drive. So, for example, if you put on a new program,
some of it may end up at the beginning of your hard drive, a bit more may end up in the middle and some may end up at the end
of your hard drive. This doesn't cause a problem except, when you wish to use that program, it takes longer for the
computer to load it up for you. Using the disk defragmenter puts all your programs into fully organized sections.
You should see a marked improvement after using the disk defragmenter. If you are using ' Windows 98'
, Defrag can be found under start > programs
> accessories > system tools.
If you are using 'Windows XP'
the defrag feature can be found by double clicking the My Computer Icon on the desk top, click once on the drive you want to defrag making it blue or highlighted, right click on the drive you have selected,
click on properties, go to TOOLS, click on 'Defragment Now' under the 'Defragmentation' heading.
TIP:-
Because of today's newer hard drive sizes, 20gb, 30gb, 40gb, (gigabytes) it can
sometimes take up to three or four hours to defrag a badly fragmented hard drive. Do it at night or when you are not using
your computer. Keep in mind if your hard drive is nearly full, 90% or more, it is going to take longer to defrag
as there is less room on your hard drive for the defrag process to work.
Weekly Maintenance
Set a weekly time to do your maintenance defrag, scan disk etc.
Back-Up -
Before adding any new software, back up your machine. Some software applications may upset your system settings.
Saving Space -
If you don't use it get rid of it! We all try out the software we find on computer disks, free cd-rom magazines etc. If
you are not going to use it uninstall it! If you don't you will end up with a full hard drive in no time.
Service Your PC -
At least once a year, get your PC serviced! They will run a diagnostic program to optimize your PC as well as give it a good dust out on the inside!
Maintaining our computers is probably one of the more tedious tasks with owning a computer,
but never the less a must, if you want your computer to keep running in top condition. Just like you need to
maintain your car, boat or your vcr, you need to do the same with your computer. Not just on the inside but the outside a well.
Such areas as the monitor/screen, tower or desktop, mouse and keyboard, all need careful maintenance to keep them
looking and running well. Cleaning the out side of the monitor is a fairly easy thing to do with a damp cloth.
Caution:-
Ensure that no water or moisture gets into the vents or around the buttons and edges of the screen
as water and electrical components don't mix. Keep the top your monitor clear of any dirt or
paper, books etc, as monitors need air flow to stop them from over-heating. Many people have the bad habit of putting their fingers on the screen of the monitor
leaving marks. The screen needs a daily wipe with a slightly damp cloth, using window cleaner.
Polish the screen with a clean dry cloth afterwards or it will leave streaks.
