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CompTIA A+ Study Guide (220-601 and 220-602)
Preventative Maintenance
Introduction:
Regular cleaning of computers and their components can extend their
lifespan, prevent accidents and injury, and save money. Computers and
their components are delicate pieces of equipment, so proper and
regularly scheduled care is very important. Below are cleaning tips for
various items.
Outside of the Case:
Cleaning of outer surfaces of a computer can be done with soap and water
as long as the solution does not enter the internal parts of the
computer. The solution should be applied with a lint-free cloth. The
cleaning should be followed with an anti-static spray that can be made
out of water and fabric softener.
Computer equipment should not be placed in areas of extreme temperature
or humidity. It should also not be located near any magnets such as
those found in speakers.
Inside of the Case:
Internal dust can be cleaned with canned air, a soft brush, or
anti-static vacuum. Anti-static vacuums are specially grounded to
prevent static discharge like regular vacuums. Dust can contribute to
overheating problems. Making sure that all expansion slot covers are in
place can reduce dust buildup. Missing covers can also disrupt the
airflow design of the case and cause overheating problems. Additional
fans can be added to help cut down on internal temperature problems. As
mentioned in the CPU section, there are newer cooling options such as
liquid cooling for CPUs.
Oxidation corrosion can slow down or even prevent electricity from
flowing through contact points. Oxidation buildup can be removed by
rubbing with an emery board or eraser. It can also be cleaned with a
special cleaning solution.
Drives:
Floppy drives can be cleaned using a cleaning kit available at computer
stores, or use a cotton swab with isopropyl/denatured alcohol to clean
the inside of the drive.
Other than keeping the dust off of them as described above, hard drives
don't get physically cleaned. There are, however, 2 important
maintenance tasks that are done through the operating system. Hard
drives can have clusters go bad so it is important to check for these so
that the operating system knows not to use them. In Windows, error
checking can be done in the following manner:
- Open My Computer
- Right click on the drive to be checked and select "properties".
- Click on the "Tools" tab.
- Click on the "Check Now" button.
Hard
drives can become littered with unneeded files. To clean these up,
follow the instructions above, but click on the "Disk Cleanup" button on
the general tab instead.
If a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM player is no longer reading discs, you might want
to try a cleaning kit. If the problem only appears to be with one CD or
DVD, it is either scratched or dirty. If dirty, use a CD cleaning fluid
and anti-static cloth.
Input/Output Devices:
Monitors should be cleaned with an anti-static wipe. Do not use
household cleaning solutions as they can damage the screen. Some LCD
screens have to be cleaned with a special solution. LCD monitors should
not be located in overly cold or humid environments.
Keyboards can tend to collect dust between the keys. They can be
vacuumed with a small vacuum or the dust can be blown out with
compressed air while holding it upside down. If you spill liquid inside
a keyboard, it can often be repaired by taking it apart and cleaning the
inside, however, most keyboards are so inexpensive that it usually isn't
worth it.
Ball mice need to occasionally have the X and Y rollers cleaned with a
lint-free swab, while little maintenance is needed on optical mice. If
an optical mouse starts behaving strangely and you know the batteries
are good, try cleaning the optics with a damp cotton swab.
Printer and Scanner care instructions are discussed separately in Domain
4.0.