A cardinal rule of computer maintenance:
Part 1
by Ken Fermoyle
If cleanliness is next to godliness, we computer users are an irreverent lot! That's
the considered opinion of many computer maintenance and repair specialists.
Dennis Orloff, a computer service engineer in Southern California for more than10
years, is one. Lyle Wood, who services computer equipment in Vancouver, British Columbia,
is another. Technicians I know in several L.A. area computer shops agreed that dirty
equipment is a common problem.
Time after time when he was called in to fix failed machines, Orloff reports that
he had to tell clients "It's not brokenÖit's dirty!"
"Computers are a magnet to dirt; they can suck in dust from the air and major
parts that need to be kept cool get coated with it. The result is overheating and
poor performance, data loss, or even system breakdowns," notes Wood, honcho
at the aptly named Ounce of Prevention Computer Services (www.ounceofprevention.ca),
which now has franchises across Canada.
"There is a common misconception among individual and corporate computer users
that their machines are indestructible," says Orloff. "They don't realize
that dust residues, skin oils and adverse environmental conditions do a lot of harm"
to sensitive electronics and plastic materials.
Experts agree that simple cleanliness and regular maintenance can mean longer, trouble-free
life for computers, peripherals, and other office machines. It doesn't require a
lot of time or money, either.
All it takes is perhaps an hour of your time, a vacuum cleaner, CD and disk drive
cleaners, compressed air duster, brushes, swabs, plus cleaning products available
at most large computer and office supply stores, or via mail order.
Orloff started ComputerBath, a company that offers a line of products designed to
cover most cleaning needs. He developed Power Cleaner, a non-flammable, non-butyl,
wipe-on wipe-off formula that "cleans, removes stains and shines, all in one
step." The firm's Starter Kit ($12) includes a can of Power Cleaner, special
two-sided cleaning cloth, keyboard brush and long swabs for hard-to-reach places.
ComputerBath also has the most complete set of tools on the market in its Comprehensive
Maintenance Kit ($49.95). Check www.computerbath.com for details. (The Marine Corps
Information Systems requested a rugged "all-terrain" version for use in
the field.) User Groups might consider investing in the kit and recouping its cost
by having periodic "Keep It Clean" sessions in which members' computers
are cleaned for a modest $5 to $10.fee.
Other companies that sell computer cleaning and maintenance product include ACL Staticide
(www.aclstaticide.com), Allsop (www.allsop.com), Kensington (www.kensington.com/products),
Keysan (www.keysan.com) PerfectData (www.perfectdata.com)
Never use ammonia-based or abrasive household cleaning products on your computers
or other office equipment!
Start your cleanup by shutting off power. Dust computer system and work surfaces,
including under the monitor, keyboard, printer, etc. Vacuum around the work area,.
Vacuum vents on the computer case and all peripherals. Remove the case cover and
ground yourself by touching the metal computer chassis or, even better, wear a grounding
strap.
Blow out all debris from inside the case with a compressed air duster, being careful
not to damage any of the wiring or electronic components. Concentrate on the vents,
fan(s), power supply, diskette and CD-ROM drive openings. Use long cotton swabs to
get into crevices. Replace case cover.
Unplug your keyboard, turn it upside down and shake gently, then use a brush to clean
between the keys. Remove screws that hold on the bottom and blow out dust and debris
from the innards with the air duster. Replace the back. Follow a similar procedure
with your mouse or trackball, except that you should use swabs and a safe cleaner
made for the job to clean the ball and positioning rollers.
Clean your printer, too. Follow directions in your User Manual because different
types of printers require different care. (Look for more tips on cleaning printers
in Part 2)
Now that the insides are clean, go over the exteriors. A cleaning product like ComputerBath
should not be sprayed directly on surfaces. Spray it on a cleaning cloth, wipe on,
then wipe off. Stubborn stains may require a second application.
Use a drive cleaner disk to clean floppy and CD-ROM heads every three to six months,
depending on system usage.
Finally, make sure there are no kinks in cables and cords, and that all plugs and
connectors are still properly seated after being disturbed during the cleaning process..
Computers used in homes with pets may need special care, because fur from the animals
can build up on or inside air intakes. This can create serious overheating in a hurry!
One technician told me of a customer who had a Border Collie that curled up at her
feet while she used her computer.
ìShe thought it was cute(until one day her system acted up and she called me
in to see what was wrong. As soon as I pulled the mid-tower case out from under her
desk I could see the problem. Dog hair had been sucked into the case and was clogging
both the air intake areas and the fan cage! I cleaned it out well and everything
was fine. She had called me soon enough to permanent damage, though her CPU's life
might have been shortened by a few months."
Keep this in mind if you have a pet. Keep it out of your computer room and check
your system regularly to be sure they are free of fur or hair balls.
Keeping your system clean takes only a few hours a year, but could add years to its
life!
(Look for Part 2 coming soon.)
Ken Fermoyle
Ken Fermoyle (kfermoyle@earthlink.net) has written some 2,500
articles for publications ranging from Playboy and Popular Science to MacWeek, Microtimes
& PC Laptop. He was cohost/producer of radio talk show on computers and a partner
in a DTP service bureau during the `80s. Fermoyle Publications currently offers editorial,
consulting & graphics design services. Copyright 1997, Ken Fermoyle, Fermoyle
Publications.
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Fermoyle Publication
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Woodland Hills, CA 91364-3005.
Contact: kfermoyle@earthlink.net for further information
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