Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
MiniTemp series are available from companies like Raytek (
www.raytek.com
)
.
Large Claw-Type Parts Grabber
One of the more useful tools in my toolbox is a large claw-type parts grabber, normally sold in stores
that carry automotive tools. Having one of these around has saved many hours of frustration digging
back into a system or behind a desk for a loose or dropped screw.
Preventive Maintenance
Preventive maintenance is the key to obtaining years of trouble-free service from your computer
system. A properly administered preventive maintenance program pays for itself by reducing problem
behavior, data loss, and component failure and by ensuring a long life for your system. In several
cases, I have “repaired” an ailing system with nothing more than a preventive maintenance session.
Preventive maintenance also can increase your system's resale value because it will look and run
better. There are two types of preventive maintenance procedures: active and passive.
Passive
preventive maintenance includes precautionary steps you can take to protect a system from
the environment, such as using power-protection devices; ensuring a clean, temperature-controlled
environment; and preventing excessive vibration. In other words, passive preventive maintenance
means treating your system well and with care.
An
active
preventive maintenance program includes procedures that promote a longer, trouble-free
life for your PC. This type of preventive maintenance primarily involves the periodic cleaning of the
system and its components, as well as performing backups, antivirus and antispyware scans, and other
software-related procedures. The following sections describe several active preventive maintenance
procedures.
Active Preventive Maintenance Procedures
How often you should perform active preventive maintenance procedures depends on the system's
environment and the quality of the system's components. If your system is in a dirty environment, such
as a machine shop floor or a gas station service area, you might need to clean your system every three
months or less. For normal office environments, cleaning a system every few months to a year is
usually fine. However, if you open your system after one year and find dust bunnies inside, you should
probably shorten the cleaning interval.
Other hard disk preventive maintenance procedures include making periodic backups of your data.
Also, depending on which OS and file system you use, you should defragment hard disks at least
twice a year (or up to once a month in some cases) to maintain disk efficiency and speed. Many of
these tasks can be automated with the scheduling features in your operating system or the utility
program. Note that defragmenting applies only to traditional hard disks and not to solid-state drives
(SSDs), which, because of their design, should never be defragmented.
Weekly and Monthly Checklists
The following is a sample weekly disk maintenance checklist:
• Back up any data or important files.
• Check for and install any operating system updates. If you have Automatic Updates turned on
(recommended), this is done automatically for you. Although OS updates are traditionally
offered on a monthly basis, critical out-of-band updates can happen at any time.
