Step-by-Step Guide to Proper PC Maintenance
Prepared by Rehema Baguma with editing by Kristine Visanen, Netaid.org volunteer
Computers are one of the valuable assets in which companies and
individuals invest a lot of money. This investment is in anticipation
for high value output in processing and storing data, sending and
receiving emails, accessing the Internet etc. However sometimes these
expectations fall short, when computers crash losing all the vital
data or malfunction in the middle of an urgent assignment. Many of
these crashes and malfunctions could be avoided, or their impact
reduced.
In case of any queries or requests for tips, please write to
techtips@wougnet.org.
Possible Reasons for PC Failure
According to webopedia.com, an online dictionary of computer
science, computer failures occur for a variety of reasons,
sometimes because of human error and sometimes because of
factors in the environment that cause a computer to
malfunction (or a combination of human and environmental
factors).
Adopted from the site at: http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Hardware_Software/2003/PreventiveMaintenancePC.asp.
These factors can include: excessive buildups of dust, heat or
magnetism; viruses picked up from the Internet or from storage media
shared between different computers; static electricity shocks or
power surges; carelessness (such as spilling liquids into a computer
or bumping or dropping the hard drive casing); software that has not
been configured correctly or a PC's setup that has been handled
incorrectly; and incorrect handling of upgrades.
The Following Tips Will Help Lessen a Likelihood of PC Failure:
- Do not place a PC directly near a heating or
cooling source, such as heating vents or air conditioners. Both
excessive heat and cold can damage a PC.
- Do not connect power sources directly into wall outlets but
rather connect them first to some form of surge protector. Surge
protectors prevent electrical surges from destroying hard drives and
erasing data.
- Use of dust covers, blinders, constant dusting will reduce dust
levels into the computer area. An efficient way to clean dust from
the inside of a computer is with compressed air, blowing dust away
from the motherboard and other components. (Note Use some one
knowledgeable if you are not conversant with the inside of a
computer.)
- Be extremely careful when moving a PC from one location to
another. Even small jolts can dislodge chips and expansion boards.
- Keep the root directory organized. Only keep your system's startup
and software initialization files in the root directory. Application
files and their data belong in a separate directory from the root
directory.
- Do not store data files in the same directory that you store the
software. This will eliminate the possibility of accidentally
erasing or overwriting a software file.
- Keep a set of backup rescue disks for the
operating system.
- Keep a backup copy of original software, either on CD or floppy
disk. This type of software copying is perfectly legal.
- Keep meticulous records of default settings, any changes you make
in a system's CMOS setup that differ from the default settings, and
any maintenance you perform on the system. You can often use this
record to backtrack when you are troubleshooting a problem and will
become valuable if you decide to upgrade any of the system's
components. It is also possible for the CMOS to lose settings and you
will want a record of the setup to reconstruct it.
- Keep meticulous records of any expansion cards you install and the
procedures you follow to install them.
- Save all documentation that comes with your PC and its components.
You may need to refer to the documentation if something goes wrong.
- Do not compress your hard drive. Compressed hard drives are more
likely to become corrupted than those that have not been compressed.
- Keep backup copies of any important data on a removable
medium. Hard drives can fail and having important data on more than
one medium can save a lot of stress and headaches.
- Install a virus scan program that automatically scans for viruses
when the system boots. Do not download any files from the Internet
unless you are certain the source is not transmitting a virus to
you. Do not use any storage media that has been used in another
computer unless you are certain the other computer is free of viruses
and will not pass the virus on to your system.
Getting into the habit of maintaining the health and integrity of
your system will save you money and time in the long run.
For More Information:
Please visit the following sites for more information on PC Maintenance.
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