PC Maintenance

PC Repair and Troubleshooting

Maintenance

• Maintenance - activities done to conserve the original condition of an asset or resource while compensating for normal wear and tear

• Computer maintenance - practice of keeping computers in a good state of repair.– Corrective Maintenance - performed to correct an

already existing problem– Preventive Maintenance - performed to avoid

problems from occurring

Preventive Maintenance

• Importance:– Saves money – maintain rather than repair– Saves time – prevent rather than troubleshoot– Safeguard your data– Improves performance

• When to perform:– The frequency of the maintenance will depend on

how often the computer is used and what is it used .

Computer Maintenance

• Computer Cleaning - practice of physically cleaning the interior, and exterior, of a computer by removing dust and debris

• Back Up - Important data stored on computers may be copied and archived securely so that, in the event, of failure, the data and systems may be reconstructed

• Disk Maintenance - Disk storage, such as your hard drive, fills up with unwanted files over time. Files may become fragmented and slows the computer down

Computer Maintenance

• Registry - Operating systems files such as the Windows registry may require maintenance.

• Computer security - protection of information and property from theft, corruption, or natural disaster, while allowing the information and property to remain accessible and productive to its intended users.

• Updates - Software packages and operating systems may require regular updates to correct software bugs and address security weaknesses

Maintenance ChecklistActivity Frequency Auto?

Scan hard disk file systems for errors Daily Yes

Scan for viruses Daily Yes

Back up data Daily No

Clean monitor screen Weekly No

Defragment hard disks Weekly Yes

Scan for hard disk read errors Weekly Yes

Clean mouse and keyboard Monthly No

Check for full hard disk volumes and remove unnecessary files

Monthly No

Update virus definition files Monthly Sometimes

Check power protection devices to ensure they are still protecting the system

Quarterly No

Maintenance ChecklistActivity Frequency Auto?

Check power supply fan for ventilation and dirt build-up and clean if necessary

Quarterly No

Back up CMOS information Quarterly No

Check processor temperature, inspect heat sink and fan to ensure they are working

Annually or Whenever case is open

No

Check hard disk for temperature and vibration Annually (or whenever case is opened)

No

Clean exterior of case Annually No

Clean exterior of monitor Annually No

Check and clean interior, motherboard and expansion cards if necessary

Annually No

Check internal connections and cables Annually No

Computer Virus

• Run without the user wanting it to and/or create effects that the programmer wants but that the user did not want or request

• Have the ability to "infect" or modify other files or disk structures

• Replicate itself so it can spread to other files or systems.

Types of Virus

• Boot Sector Infectors - attacks the boot program and is executed by the system when the PC starts up

• File Infectors - attack and modify program files by loading itself into memory and waits for a trigger to find and infect other program files

• Macro Virus – these programs use the built-in programming languages and when opened they duplicate themselves into other documents and spread

Virus Prevention

• PC– Connections is equal to risk– Software Installation– Use Backups– Control Access

• Networks– Control your connection– Scan shared files

• Removable Media– Scan before use– Remove before Reboot– Disable Booting from Removable Media– Boot Password– Abstinence

• Internet– Obtain software from reputable sources– Scan new downloaded files– Beware of automatic downloads

Backup

• Risk to your data– Hardware Failure– Software Failure– File System Corruption– Accidental Deletion– Virus Infection– Theft– Sabotage– Natural Disaster