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BOOT CAMP 163 (22/02/01)
SPRING CLEAN YOUR PC part 1
Spring seems to have arrived a little early this year, which
is as good an excuse as any for our annual clean-up session that should leave
your PC looking smarter, smelling sweeter and hopefully running a little
smoother. This week we'll tackle all the bits you can touch and see; next week
it's the turn of your PCs operating system and software.
Before you start make sure your PC is properly switched off
and not in standby or sleep mode. If you're concerned switch it off at the
mains, but leave it plugged in so the case remains earthed. After each cleaning
job it's a good idea to boot the machine up and make sure it is behaving
normally, that way if a problem occurs you'll know where to start looking.
We'll begin with the hand-held desktop Hoover, otherwise
known as your mouse. You can muck out most models by turning them upside down;
remove the ball retaining plate by twisting it a quarter of a turn
anticlockwise. Take the ball out, shake and blow out any loose debris. Erratic
pointer movement is almost always caused by a build-up of grime encrusting the
movement rollers. This can be easily removed with a cocktail stick or sharpened
matchstick, blow it out again and reassemble.
Next its the turn of the crumb-catcher or keyboard. Flip it
upside down and give it a shake to dislodge the bigger bits lodged between and
behind the keys, however, the best way to clean it is to use an 'air duster',
which can be bought from your local PC or stationery store for around a fiver.
Basically it's a can of compressed air or non-toxic gas, with a long thin nozzle
that can get in between the keys, and blast out the remnants of a hundred coffee
breaks and lunches. You can also try sucking out the gunge with a vacuum
cleaner, incidentally you can get miniature battery powered models for this kind
of job but in my experience they're a waste of time. You can clean the keys with
a lightly moistened cloth and a dab of washing up liquid. If any water drips
into the innards and this applies to any of the parts you are cleaning -- it's
best not to switch the PC back on but leave the affected component overnight in
a warm place.
The high voltages flying around inside CRT-based monitors
produce a powerful static electrical charge that works like a magnet on dust and
airborne particles. The screen will probably need a thorough clean, especially
if there are any smokers nearby as their exhalations leave a particularly sticky
residue. Use one of the specially made screen cleaners as these usually contain
anti-static agents that slow down the build up of dirt. Remove all of the
clutter from the top of the monitor; it might be blocking ventilation holes,
which could cause problems. Give the vents a quick blast with your air duster
and clean the outside of the case with your damp soapy cloth. LCD viewing screens are generally a lot
easier to deal with, they run fairly cool and do not attract dust to anything
like the same extent as CRT monitors so a quick wash and brush up is usually all
that's needed.
Printers are best dealt with using the air duster; if
possible open the top or front so you can get a good shot at the rollers and
paper path. On inkjet models avoid blowing near to the ink cartridges, better
still take them out first but keep the air jet away from any ink ports or tubes,
it can be incredibly messy, and it probably doesn't do it any good either! Wipe
the outer casing over and it's done. Scanners don't usually get very dirty,
though the platen is often dotted with greasy finger marks, so give that the
once-over with a glass cleaner or a screen wipe.
Our last port of call is the big beige box or system unit.
Cooling fans inside the case draw in dust-laden air, which is deposited over all
of the internal components and surfaces. Some say you should leave well alone
and whilst it's true a thin layer of dust won't do much harm, sooner or later
sooner if you work in a smoky or dusty atmosphere -- it can build up and cause
problems. If you're happy about removing the lid and taking all the usual
precautions regarding static discharge (if you don't know what they are, stay
out!) then you can let loose with the air duster (but not the vacuum cleaner!).
Pay particular attention to the areas around the main processor its cooling fan
and fins, which can get clogged with dust. Get into all of the corners and save
a good long puff for the back of the metal box housing the power supply.
This step is optional but before I replace the lid I always
give the plugs and sockets going to the motherboards and disc drives a little
push, to make sure they're properly seated. All of the components inside a PC
are subjected to repeated heating and cooling cycles as the machine is switched
on and off, and this can lead to an effect known as 'contact creep' whereby
plugs and microchips gradually work their way loose from their sockets.
If you're not keen on the idea of poking around inside your
PC don't worry, there's plenty you can do on the outside. Good quality floppy
disc and CD-ROM cleaning kits are a sound investment and should be used
regularly, especially on well-used machines. If you can get to the back of your
computer reseat all of the plugs one at a time so you know where they came
from and tighten up any retaining screws. Give the case a wipe over and boot
it up one more time to make sure everything is okay.
Next week Spring Cleaning, part 2
JARGON FILTER
CRT
Cathode Ray Tube TV type video display, basically a big
glass bottle with all of the air sucked out. The image is formed on a layer of
phosphor coating the side of the glass faceplate, which glows when struck by a
stream of fast moving electrons
LCD
Liquid crystal display flat-screen type display; an image
is made up of tens of thousands of picture elements or 'pixels' that can be
switched on and off to control the passage of light
PLATEN
Glass plate inside a scanner or copier on which you place
documents and material to be scanned or copied
TOP TIP
The following tip may be of interest if you are using a
Windows 98 PC with more than 64Mb of RAM.
It's all to do with the way Windows manages your PCs RAM and 'virtual'
memory, which is space that is set aside on the hard-disc. Anyway, this tip
might just make your PC do some things a bit quicker, then again it might not,
but it's definitely worth trying. Open Windows Notepad (Start > Programs >
Accessories) and use Open on the File menu to show System.ini, which is in the
Windows folder. You may have to change the 'Files of Type' line in the Open
dialogue box to 'All Files'. When System.ini appears scroll down the file until
you get to the section headed '[386Enh]' and at the end add the following entry:
'ConservativeSwapfileUseage=1' (without the quotes of course), click Save and
re-boot. Try it for a few days, you may be pleasantly surprised.
NEXT
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