IT Essentials: PC Hardware and Software 1 Chapter 10 Preventative Maintenance.

IT Essentials: PC Hardware and Software 1

Chapter 10

Preventative

Maintenance


Elements of Preventative Maintenance

•The main goal of any preventive maintenance program is to

preempt problems before they happen. There are three

questions that need to be addressed when developing a

preventive maintenance program: When? Why? and How?

•When is the best time to prevent problems from happening?

•Why is this maintenance being done now?

•How is this system to be maintained?


Tools and Equipment

•Every technician's toolbox should contain a few important pieces

of equipment.

•These items include anti-static vacuum cleaners, canned air,

various solvents, and lint free cloths.

•Anti-static vacuum cleaners should be used whenever

vacuuming computer components since normal vacuum cleaners

generate static.

•Canned air is one of the most useful tools besides lint-free

cloths.


Environmental Guidelines

•As with other computing devices, a computer eventually comes

to an end-of-life.

•Eventually, the question arises: What to do with the old

computers or parts? Can they simply be placed in the garbage

bin so that they are hauled to the landfill and buried?

•Computers and peripherals contain some environmentally

unfriendly materials. Most computer components are either

hazardous or contain some level of hazardous substances.


Environmental Guidelines

•Computer printed circuit boards consist of plastics, precious

metals, fiberglass, arsenic, silicon, gallium, and lead.

•CRTs (monitors) contain glass, metal, plastics, lead, barium,

phosphors, and rare earth metals.

•Batteries from portable systems can contain lead, cadmium,

lithium, alkaline manganese, and mercury.


Disposal of Batteries

•Batteries often contain rare earth metals that can be harmful to

the environment. Typically, batteries from portable computer

systems can contain lead, cadmium, lithium, alkaline

manganese, and mercury. These metals do not decay and will

persist in the environment for many years if not carefully

disposed of.

•The desired method for the proper disposal of batteries is

recycling, if possible.


Disposal of Monitors (CRT)

•CRTs that have come to an end-of-life must always be handled

with care due to the potentially lethal voltage that is maintained

even after being disconnected from power.

•According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

CRT monitors contain four pounds of lead on average.

•Like the case of batteries, all or most of the components of end-

of-life CRT monitors can be salvaged or recycled.


Material Safety and Data Sheet (MSDS)

•To determine if a material used in PC repairs or preventive

maintenance is classified as hazardous, consult the Material

Safety Data Sheet (MSDS).

•All hazardous materials are required to have Material Safety

Data Sheets (MSDS) that accompany them when they change

hands.


Material Safety and Data Sheet (MSDS)

•MSDS are a valuable source of information and typically contain

the following information:

•The name of the material

•Its physical properties

•Any hazardous ingredients it contains

•Reactivity data, including fire and explosion data

•Spill or leak procedures

•Any special precaution information

•Health hazard information

•Any special protection information


Creating a ESD-Free Environment

•In order to avoid ESD, it helps to know the conditions in which it

is most likely to occur. When the humidity is low, the potential for

ESD increases dramatically. Also, if the temperature is cool or if

there is carpeting on the floor, the potential for static electricity is

higher.

•A few key elements to a good working area should be anti-static

tile on the floors, grounded workbenches with anti-static mats,

and wrist straps.

•The area should be clean and well lit as well as have a climate

control system that raises the relative humidity above 50%. If all

of these elements are in place, the risk of ESD will be

significantly reduced.


Preventative Maintenance - Computer

•There are many things that can cause a computer system to fail

physically. The most common are dust buildup, extreme

temperatures, and rough handling.

•If a computer isn't regularly cleaned, dust can build up on the

components inside the computer, such as on the fan bearings or on

the printed circuit boards.

•In order to clean inside the computer case properly, unplug the unit

and move it away from other equipment. Use a can of compressed

air, making sure to follow the directions carefully, to blow out all of

the dust within the case.

•This simple process should be done at least once a year in not very

dusty areas and two or three times a year in very dusty areas.


Preventative Maintenance - Monitor

•When cleaning a display, some common sense should be used.

•Make sure the device is unplugged from the wall so as not to cause

damage if water ends up inside.

•Using a damp cloth with a mild detergent, wipe down the entire

display unit to remove any dust buildup. ?


Preventative Maintenance - File Issues

•There are several utilities that are included with DOS and Windows

that help maintain system integrity. If run on a regular basis, these

utilities can make the system run faster and more efficiently.

•Scandisk

•Defrag

•CHKDSK /f


Power Issues

•Blackouts, brownouts, noise, spikes, and surges are all examples

of power interruptions that can cause system malfunctions or even

complete system failure.

•Blackouts – Are the complete loss of power.

•Brownouts/Sags – Sags and brownouts are a drop in power. A

sag is a brownout that lasts less than a second. These incidents

occur when voltage on the power line falls below 80 percent of the

normal voltage.

•Spikes – Are sudden increases in voltage that are much higher

than normal levels.

•Surges – Are a brief increase in voltage usually caused by high

demands on the power grid in a local area.


Power Suppressors & UPS

•Three different devices can be used to protect sensitive computer

equipment from the commonly occurring power events:

•Surge suppressors – Can make sure that the voltage going to a

device stays below a certain level. However, they are useless during

brownouts or blackouts.

•Standby Power Supplies (SPS) – Are equipped with a backup

battery to supply power when the incoming voltage drops below the

normal level. When the voltage slips, the battery kicks in to provide

DC power to a power inverter, which converts it to AC power for the

computer.

•Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) – Are comparable to

standby power supplies; however, a UPS runs off the battery power

the entire time it is in use.

IT Essentials: PC Hardware and Software 1 Chapter 10 Preventative Maintenance.

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