BASIC COMPUTER MAINTENANCE
MAINTENANCE
One of the most common questions computer users ask is, ìHow do I maintain my computer and keep it
running great?î A computer is a lot like a car...it costs more than you think it should, it starts going down in
value as soon as you bring it home and it requires regular maintenance to keep it running smoothly.
To properly deal with repairable systems, we need to first understand how components in these systems
are restored (i.e. the maintenance actions that the components undergo). In general, maintenance is defined as
any action that restores failed units to an operational condition or retains non-failed units in an operational state. For repairable systems, maintenance plays a vital role in the life of a system. It affects the systemís overall
reliability, availability, downtime, cost of operation, etc. Generally, maintenance actions can be divided into
three types: corrective maintenance, preventive maintenance and inspections.
Preventive Maintenance
Preventive maintenance is the practice of replacing components or subsystems before they fail in order to
promote continuous system operation. The schedule for preventive maintenance is based on observation of past
system behaviour, component wear-out mechanisms and knowledge of which components are vital to continued
system operation. Cost is always a factor in the scheduling of preventive maintenance. In many circumstances,
it is financially more sensible to replace parts or components that have not failed at predetermined intervals
rather than to wait for a system failure that may result in a costly disruption in operations.
Here are a few basic guidelines required.
I Surge Protection: Power surges, spikes, lightning and brown - outs are all things that can literally burn up
your computer and its peripherals. Save yourself lots of money in repairs by buying a decent surge protector
(a.k.a. Power strip) for your computer and use it. A UPS (uninterruptible power supply), though slightly
more expensive, is even better.
II Anti-Virus Protection: Everyone should know about this by now, but we often see computers with either ìno virus protection at all, or anti-virus software that is badly out-of-dateî. Nothing can wreck your
computer faster than a virus (except for may be electricity), but with a small investment in good anti-virus
software and making sure you set it to update itself daily.
III Minimize the number of Software you install: This is another thing many people overlook. Installing lots
of programs on your computer is a lot like pulling a bunch of rowdy children together on a playground. Some of them may not play well together. A good rule of thumb is ìif you donít need, donít install. This is
especially true when you surf the web. You will likely get bombarded with pop-up ads trying to get you to
install all kinds of flee utilities they claim your computer canít live without most of these are spyware, adware and junk.
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