Computer Concepts in Action ©2009

Unit 1: Technology in Your Life

Computer Care and Maintenance

Computer Care and Maintenance – Part 1

Protect Your Computer from Damage

Like any kind of equipment, your computer requires care and maintenance to run smoothly. A number of factors can cause damage to your computer's hardware (the physical parts inside the computer) or media (storage devices like CD-ROMs and hard drives):

• Extreme heat, cold, or humidity can cause physical damage to a computer's internal components or media (external and internal).
• Electrical or magnetic fields can damage computers and media. Sources of magnetic fields include magnets, motors, speakers and televisions.
• A damaged cable will prevent the computer from communicating with input or output devices.
• Dust can damage hard drives and floppy disk drives and can prevent computers from cooling properly.

As you know, computers require electricity to operate. As such, problems can arise when there are power outages and power irregularities (called power spikes or power surges). If the power goes out while a file is open, the computer will shut off and all changes to the file since the last time you saved will be lost. Power spikes are sudden surges of increased electricity that usually occur when the power comes back on after an outage. They can also be caused by atmospheric conditions (such as lightning) in buildings with poor or defective wiring. Power spikes can cause physical damage to many of the components of your computer, especially the hard drive.

The following exercise will help you find ways to better protect your computer from each of these events. To open the data file in Step 1, click on the link. If you are not able to download the file, ask your teacher for help.

1. Open the data file Protecting Your Computer-Part 2. (15.0K)



2. With your teacher's permission, print the checklist



3. Read through both parts of the checklist and place a check in each box that applies to the computers in your classroom.



4. If there are any boxes left unchecked, think about ways you may be able to incorporate these tools or methods to protect your classroom computers from damage.

Computer Care and Maintenance – Part 2

Troubleshooting

There are several common problems you are likely to experience with a computer at some point. More serious problems like hard drive failures or malfunctioning monitors (monitors which do not display or display incorrectly) are not as widespread as they once were, but difficulties with hardware devices like printers and scanners are still common. Often the device is not plugged in or turned on, or it is not connected to the computer correctly. Sometimes the device itself is not set up properly. Below are some simple hardware troubleshooting tips:

• Make sure the power is on to the device. Most computer equipment will have a power light or even a display screen.
• Make sure devices that need external power sources are plugged in.
• Check the connections to the device.
• Check the connections to the computer.
• Make sure all cables are in good condition.
• Verify the set up of the device.
• Make sure the computer is set up to work with the device.

Troubleshooting computer problems can be a difficult task. Fortunately, there are some basic steps you can follow to help solve many computer-related issues. The following exercise will provide you with an example of how these steps may work in a real-world situation. Imagine that you are trying to print out a report, but there are problems with the printout.

1. Open the data file Troubleshooting. (12.0K)



2. Click the Print button to print the activity (see Figure 2).

   Figure 1 The Troubleshooting chart
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3. Exit Word.



4. Read the steps in the Troubleshooting Chart.



5. Read the Actions list at the bottom of the printout (see Figure 3).

   Figure 2 The Actions list
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6. In the Troubleshooting Chart, write the number of the Action in the right hand column (Action #) that best matches the Description in the Troubleshooting Chart.

Computer Care and Maintenance – Part 3

Cleaning the Mouse and Keyboard

Poor maintenance is often the cause of many hardware problems. If a mouse becomes dirty, it will not track smoothly. When a keyboard is contaminated with food particles (usually caused when people eat at their desks) the keys become “sticky,” meaning they do not spring back up immediately after you press them. Dust particles (including paper dust) cause printers to jam and smear your printouts. Keeping these and other devices well maintained will make them work better and last longer.

There are several simple things you can do to help maintain your computer.

• Regularly clean the keyboard and mouse.
• Clean the printer of any dirt or dust to prevent jamming.
• Carefully remove any paper jams. Damaging the printer will make it jam more often and decrease print quality.

While there is a lot that you can do to your computer to keep it running smoothly, there are some maintenance activities that should only be performed by an experienced professional. These include:

• Replacing or upgrading internal components of the computer.
• Repairing physical damage to peripheral equipment.
• Re-routing or adding electrical connections.

The activity below will help you learn the steps to clean your mouse and keyboard. Keeping a clean work area will help prolong the file of your computer hardware, and will reduce the amount of routine cleaning needed to maintain them. Important: Get your teacher's permission before disconnecting any input device or cleaning any part of your computer. For this activity, you will need cotton swabs, a lint-free cloth, rubbing alcohol, and compressed air.

1. If you are using an optical mouse, all you need to do is make sure the exterior of the mouse is clean.



2. If you are using a mechanical mouse, disconnect it from the computer.



3. Turn the mouse upside down and remove the plastic ring that holds the ball in place. There are usually arrows that tell you in which direction to turn the ring.



4. Remove the ball and check for lint on the ball and inside the mouse.



5. Use a cotton swab and a small amount of rubbing alcohol to clean the rollers inside the mouse. Clean the mouse ball with a swab.



6. Allow the mouse and ball to dry before reassembly.



7. Clean your mouse pad and the area of your desk where the mouse will be used.



8. To clean your keyboard, first turn off your computer.



9. Disconnect the keyboard from the computer.



10. If you have a can of compressed air, spray between all of the keys.



11. Turn the keyboard over and gently shake out the crumbs and dust.



12. Use a cotton swab and a small amount of rubbing alcohol to clean between the keys.



13. Use a damp lint-free cloth (water is fine) to wipe the keys.



14. Allow the keyboard to dry before connecting it to your computer.



15. Clean the area around your keyboard to keep dust away from your keyboard.

Computer Care and Maintenance – Part 4

Maintaining Your Hard Drive

If you do not regularly take the time to organize your desk, it will become harder and harder to find what you need. Just like your desktop, your hard disk will become cluttered if you do not take the time to organize it. Poorly organized files will lead to a decrease in the performance of your computer. It will take longer to locate the files you need. Keeping a clean and organized hard disk will result in better system performance. The easiest way to do this is to delete unused or temporary files regularly.

A variety of utility programs are available to help keep your computer safe and running without errors. Some are supplied with the Windows operating system, others are available for free, and some are available for purchase.

• Defragmentation software like Diskeeper or the one supplied with the Windows operating system gather files into one area on the hard disk to make searching faster.
• Disk Compression programs like Virtual Drive and FarStone are designed to minimized the amount of space used by files on the computer.
• Disk Scanning programs like ScanDisk (supplied with the Windows operating system) check for and attempt to repair errors on the hard disk.
• Firewall software like ZoneAlarm and BlackICE keep others from accessing the computer through the Internet.
• Spyware Detectors like Spybot SP and BPS Spyware Detector check and remove spyware programs that send information from the computer to the Internet.
• Virus Detection software like Norton AntiVirus and McAfee VirusScan detect and remove potentially damaging viruses from the computer.

Defragmenting your hard disk is an important part of maintaining your computer. The activity below will guide you through the steps to analyze and defragment your hard disk. Note: Analyzing and defragmenting can take some time (from several minutes to several hours). Make sure you have enough time to perform this activity before you start. Also, make sure to have the permission of your teacher before beginning this activity.

1. On the Windows taskbar, click start, then navigate to All Programs, then Accessories, then System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter.



2. The Disk Defragmenter dialog window open (see Figure 3).

   Figure 3 The Disk Defragmenter window
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3. Click Defragment now.



4. When defragmentation is complete, click Close.