Proper Cleaning and Maintenance for Hardware
Photo: Cleaning Supplies
You can help prevent failure of your hardware by performing periodic maintenance on it. This involves routine cleaning inside the case and maintaining the hard drive with special utilities. You will need the following equipment:
- A grounding wrist strap to prevent damage from ESD
- A grounding mat, if possible, as added ESD protection 9 Cans of compressed air
- A Phillips screwdriver
-A computer vacuum (would be nice)
Insider insight:" you have never worked inside a computer or you are uncomfortable doing so, then take it to a computer store or repair shop to have it cleaned professionally. Never take apart a PDA or mobile phone; you probably will never need to anyway. Cleaning inside a laptop is tricky and they can be difficult to put back together. Consider having a laptop cleaned professionally. You may void your computer's warranty by opening it Read it carefully and, if this is the case, let a professional do the maintenance.
Discharge any static electricity in your body by touching a metal surface. Then open the case, attach the antistatic wrist strap to your wrist, and clip the end of the grounding wire from the strap to the computer's chassis (metal frame). Do not attach the ground wire to components because this may cause ESD damage.
Using the compressed air, blast dust from all surfaces, in cracks, and from inside connectors. Follow the directions on the compressed air can exactly. Holding the can too close to components or spraying for too long damages electrical components by freezing them and through condensation of water vapor present in the air. If the can gets very cold, you're spraying too long.
If you have a computer vacuum, use it to suck up the dust you've knocked loose. Only use an approved micro vacuum; don't use your house vacuum or you could damage your PC. Never touch components with the micro vacuum because this may damage them. Hold the vacuum away from components and suction-dust without touching them.
Clean around fans and vents and blast any dust away from the heat sink. If your computer has a filter over the vents, clean it with warm water and blot it dry with a lint-free cloth. Allow it to air-dry before you replace it.
To maintain your hard drive, use a disk utility like Scandisk to scan regularly for errors in the disk media and repair any problems. Often you can catch problems before they reach the point of total failure and data loss. If you experience intermittent problems with your hard drive, back it up immediately. Often people ignore problems in the early stages, only to have the drive fail during continuous use.
I had fun reading this post. I want to see more on this subject.. Gives Thanks for writing this nice article.. Anyway, I