Home Business IT - Computer Care

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Home Business IT - Computer Care

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Computer Care and Maintenance

Computer repair can add to your I.T. costs tremendously. Fortunately, 95% of all computer problems are software-related, and here again, a small amount of prevention now will spare you having to shell out for a lot of cure later.

The cardinal rule of computer care – as well as any peripherals you may have – is this:

“Don’t just plug it into the wall!”

The circuits, wiring and other electronic components are extremely delicate and can be affected by power spikes, surges, brownouts, and more. At the very least, you need to plug everything into a surge strip. A good surge strip will cut off power when surges and spikes are detected, protecting the delicate internal components from being “fried.”

For around $50, you can get a device that combines the function of a surge suppressor with a battery that will supply a limited amount of emergency power to your computer long enough for you to back up any data and shut it down properly. If you live in an area that is prone to brownouts and blackouts, you may want to consider this solution.

Protecting The Hardware

One thing will shorten the life of your computer hardware very quickly, and that is excess heat. A cooler running computer is a longer-lasting one, and fortunately, this is very simple issue to take care of.

First of all, make certain the case cooling fan in the back is operating (you should feel a nice breeze when you stick your hand back there. Also, be sure and allow at least 4 inches of clearance back there – plenty of air circulation is key to long service life. It’s also a good idea to clean the fan blades periodically, both on the case fan and the CPU cooling fan.

At least once a year – twice if you’re located in a dusty old building – you should open up the case and use a can of compressed air (available at most electronics stores) to blow out all the dust that tends to accumulate in there. Dust acts as an insulator and can cause the hardware to run hotter than it would normally. Blow dust out of your keyboards as well, as accumulation can cause the keys to become sticky.

Note: do not use one of those “mini-vacs” to remove dust and vacuum the inside, as these give off electromagnetic energy that can harm your computer’s components. For this reason, you’ll also want to avoid using a television, radio, or any sort of appliances or power tools near your computer (and vice-versa). These may not actually damage your computer directly, but they can interfere with its performance.

Today’s flat-screen monitors need less care than the old kind that used picture tubes, but you should wipe the screen gently with a soft damp cloth once a month or so and blow dust away from the ventilation openings in the back every so often.

The old-style mechanical type of mouse – with the ball – requires frequent cleaning. The advantage of the old-style mouse is that it’s very inexpensive. Nonetheless, you’ll be disassembling and cleaning it at least once a month, as well as replacing your mouse pad twice a year. You’ll need to remove the ring by unscrewing it . The ball will come out. Wipe it off with a dry, soft cloth. You’ll also see some rollers inside; prior to replacing the mouse ball, clean these thoroughly using a cotton swab and rubbing alcohol.

An optical mouse – which uses an infrared light – requires almost no maintenance, and works on any surface with a discernible pattern (it won’t work on a solid colored surface). For prices ranging from $10 - $25, they’re a marvelous improvement over the old ball-type.

1. Software Maintenance

Many software maintenance tasks can be automated, depending on the utility program you are using. Daily software tasks include:

1. Scanning your hard disk file systems for errors

2. Scanning for viruses

3. Backing up data

Items 2 and 3 have already been discussed in previous sections. Normally, you’ll need to do these manually, but a utility from Norton or Symantec can be programmed to back up your data every day to a location of your choice. As far as viruses go, a good security application such as Zone Alarm does automatic virus scans several times per week; there is nothing you normally need to do.

Over time, small errors tend to creep into the code which contains your data. This can be caused by bugs in software or drivers, power failures, and even human error. Rarely is it indicative of hardware problems, provided that the maintenance outlined in the previous section is performed as needed. 99.9 percent of the time, these errors aren’t a problem – as long as they’re caught early on.

To do this manually in Windows XP, go to the “Start” menu, select “My Computer,” then click on the “C” Drive icon as shown in Figure 22, using the right mouse button. This will bring up a menu; select “Properties” at the bottom, then choose the “tools” tab . Clicking the “Check Now” button

At least once per week:

1. Defragment your hard drive

2. Scan for hard disk read errors

Picture your hard drive as an old-fashioned LP record player. The “record” is the disk itself, to which data is written and read. The “tone arm” is what actually reads and writes the data. When you open a file, the “tone arm” reads the data on your hard drive and loads it into your computer’s RAM.

Whenever you save the data, this tone arm writes the data wherever it can find space – not necessarily in contiguous areas on the disk. Over time, these files literally become “fragmented” – in other words, the data comprising a file will be written in more than one place on the hard drive. This means your “tone arm” – technically known as the “head” has to jump all over the surface of the “record” – which is called the “platter.”

Defragmenting the hard drive consolidates this data, meaning the head won’t have to jump around quite as much – and this will mean less wear and tear on the mechanism. Defragmenting is done in the same way as error-checking (see Figure 23, above). If you have a very large hard drive, this can take several hours – so plan on running the defragmentation process overnight or on the weekend.

In order to scan for hard disk read errors, you’ll need a disk utility such as Norton Disk Doctor. This essentially looks for physical damage on the platter by performing a “surface scan” or “surface test.” This can reveal potential problems with particular areas of your hard drive, and even keep it from spreading to other areas. In any event, this process can take a good bit of time, so it is recommended that it be done at a time when you are not using the computer.

Once a month:

1. Clean the mouse (unless you have an optical mouse)

2. Free up hard drive space by discarding unnecessary files

3. Update virus definitions

Cleaning of your mouse was covered in an earlier section.

As far as freeing up hard drive space, you’ll find it amazing just how much “cyber-junk” can accumulate over the course of a few weeks. Even if you uninstall unused applications and drag files to the “Recycle Bin,” many times there will be remnant files left behind. Some of these are completely invisible. Your Internet browser cache can wind up holding several hundred megabytes of temporary files picked up during browsing sessions. By going to the Windows XP Control Panels and switching to “Category View,” you’ll see this window:

Click on “Performance and Maintenance,” then “Free up space on your hard drive.” Doing this will activate an application, which after a few minutes will present you with the window .

By highlighting the various choices, you’ll be able to learn more about them. Check the box(es) of those files you wish to delete. (If in doubt – don’t. Consult an expert.) Selecting the “More Options” tab offers more detailed choices; Windows can show you which OS components and applications that have not been recently used.

Because new viruses are created every day and spy-ware and ad-ware technology is in a constant state of flux, these definitions need regular updating. Ad-Aware SE automatically asks you if you would like to check for new definitions every two to three weeks when you launch the program. High-end virus protection software such as Zone Alarm and Black Ice Defender usually does this automatically as well. Otherwise, you’ll need to go to the website of whichever company created your chose firewall/security/anti-virus application, where virus definitions are updated on a regular basis.

Every three months:

1. Test power protection devices

2. Check fan and ventilation

3. Clean Disk and CD/DVD Drives

The second task has been discussed earlier. If you have an uninterruptible power supply and/or a surge protector, test these to make sure they are still operating, and replace if necessary.

CD/DVD, floppy and zip drives are exposed to air and dust (unlike your hard drive), so dirt can accumulate. There are special “cleaning disks” for all of these. There are also special, high-priced “cleaning fluids” as well, but none of these are any better than plain rubbing alcohol (at 80¢ per pint).

While important yearly tasks have already been covered, there are a couple of advanced precautions you may wish to take. One of these is to record your computer’s BIOS settings.

“CMOS Memory” is where your computer’s BIOS settings are stored. The BIOS– Basic Input Output System – controls all of your computer’s basic functions (anything it can do without accessing instructions from a third-party application). Normally, this information is persevered by a battery, so even if you computer loses all power, the BIOS settings remain.

Although it’s rare, this battery can fail. If your motherboard is getting old, this too can cause BIOS settings to be lost. In any event, it’s a good idea to have these settings recorded somewhere, and the best way to do this is with a good old fashioned pen and a piece of paper. Go through all the BIOS setup screens and record the settings you see there. This is only necessary when setting up your new PC, if you’ve purchased a second-hand one, or switched out a motherboard.

The other task is to update your emergency boot disk – which you may need in case of operating system corruption or hard drive failure. An emergency boot disk contains your computer’s operating software and will allow it to boot up without a hard drive. This gives you a chance to recover data from a damaged hard drive. An emergency boot disk should be updated whenever you make a major change to your computer’s system – such as upgrading or changing the operating software.

Two hours per month spent on maintenance may seem like a hassle, but you’ll spend a lot more than attempting to restore lost data.

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