Chapter 1: Performing Preventive Maintenance

Exam Objectives

Understanding the purpose and use of preventive maintenance tools and cleaners

Identifying and applying maintenance techniques

If you are the kind of person who takes your car for scheduled maintenance, you probably have very few problems with your vehicle. On the other hand, if you have repair work performed only when a problem crops up, you risk always having a major component on your car developing problems.

My point is this: Long-term, trouble-free use of any device involves practicing preventive maintenance. Your computer is no different. Performing regular maintenance helps ensure trouble-free use. As a CompTIA A+ Certified Professional, you need to know what maintenance should be done for your computer. This chapter takes a look at why you want to perform maintenance, what tools you can use, and how to prevent problems by controlling the computer’s environment and by maintaining specific computer components.

Preventive Maintenance 101

The goal of preventive maintenance is to prevent problems. Repairs — remedial or unscheduled maintenance — are the flip side of the coin. The main reasons to perform preventive maintenance are so that you can

Save time. Even though it takes time to perform some maintenance tasks, many can be automated (saving time). If a computer is well maintained, you have fewer repairs to make (saving more time), and the user ends up with less downtime (saving user’s time).

Save money by increasing productivity. Time is money. Users with less downtime related to IT activities are more productive. Also, if you’re not spending time repairing computers, your time can be devoted to other pursuits that can improve the overall IT infrastructure.

Protect data. Data is the life of many organizations. A company that experiences a major loss of computerized data has little better than a 40% chance of reopening, better than a 50% chance of going under within two years, and only a 6% chance of recovering and surviving long-term. With these statistics in hand, you can easily see why many companies invest so heavily in backup technologies. In many cases, though, companies do not plan backups, or they forget about the data that resides on desktop computers — even desktop and laptop computers should be protected.

Improve performance. All computer systems seem to slow down over time, and some simple steps can eliminate these slowdowns.

Although most businesses can equate everything to saving money, do not forget saving time, protecting data, and improving performance.

One of the biggest things that people do not do when it comes to preventive maintenance is create a schedule. When I bought my car, I got a schedule of maintenance activities and when they should be done.

Schedules are great, but if people do not follow them, what good are they? In addition to the schedule for my car (and so I don’t forget), I also get warning lights in the car that remind me to perform maintenance. In the case of the computer environment, the more processes that can be scheduled and automated, the better. If you rely on people to do the task, they will invariable forget to do the task occasionally — or regularly — so automate when possible.

The other important point is to not bite off more than you can chew. That is, keep your maintenance manageable because if it is not, you probably will not do it. Planning to do three things and getting them done is better than planning a dozen and getting nothing done.

Although your schedule for tasks will vary from mine, and might be affected by the industry you are in, having a schedule for your tasks is important. If you do not have a schedule, your tasks will not get done. As I mention, schedules vary from one organization to another, or even within an organization. For instance, a computer on a factory shop floor will likely need its internal components cleaned and its vents checked for obstructions more frequently than a climate-controlled office. A schedule will likely have daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually scheduled tasks. A list of possible tasks includes

Scanning for file system errors

Scanning for virus and malware

Updating virus and spam definitions and emergency boot disks

Backing up data and CMOS settings

Defragmenting hard drives

Removing unnecessary hard drive files

Cleaning screens, mice, keyboards, floppy and tape drives, and internal and external surfaces

Ensuring that external system fans and vents, internal fans, and heat sinks are functioning properly and are free of dirt and debris

Checking power protection devices as well as internal and external cable connections

Although lists will vary, at a minimum, you should remember these items on your list of preventive maintenance tasks.

Schedules vary depending on the computer’s environment and use, but when looking at this list, you likely already have done some classification of daily, monthly, quarterly, and annual tasks.

With scheduled maintenance, you might have most tasks automated and performed remotely, but you should have an interval during which each computer is visited. Visiting the computer allows you to conduct visual and audio checks. This goes to the see no evil, hear no evil axiom. When you are near the computer, you might notice environmental issues, such as piles of paper surrounding a computer, blocking intake and output ventilation holes. Or you might hear a noisy fan that is close to failure. (When fans start to fail, they are often unbalanced when they start up, and then they slowly level out.)

Using Preventive Maintenance Tools

Your cache of preventive maintenance tools should include software and hardware devices. A balanced approach to maintenance includes a good number from each category.

Materials and equipment

For you to effectively perform preventive maintenance on your computer equipment, you need the correct tools with you. These tools include the ­following:

Compressed air: Use to remove debris and dust from surfaces you don’t want to touch, or to dust small corners.

Computer vacuum: These vacuums can be used to remove dust and debris from a variety of surfaces within your computer, such as system fans.

A number of companies produce computer vacuums. One of the largest suppliers is Metropolitan Vacuum Cleaner, which makes the DataVac line (www.metrovacworld.com).

Cleaning cloths: Cleaning cloths should be lint-free. If you use synthetic cloths, take care when you’re working with cleaning chemicals because some chemicals can decompose the cloth or bleed out the dyes in them, which might leave residue on the surfaces you are trying to clean.

Cleaners and chemicals: Most approved cleaners are mild, nonabrasive, and benzene- and ammonia-free. In most cases, using chemicals should be avoided for most surfaces, and either a dry cloth or a cloth moistened with water should be used.

Cleaning pads: These soft, lint-free cloths are premoistened with mild cleaners. Cleaning pads are usually more of a convenience item than a necessity.

Manufacturer-approved cleaning kit: Such kits are usually designed for components such as floppy disk drives and tape drives.

Never spray cleaners near vents, around keys, or on most surfaces (best to just say “never”) of a computer and its peripherals because of liquid damage that can cause malfunctions or electrical arcing.

Software utilities

In addition to the hardware tools listed in the previous section, many software-based preventive maintenance tools are at your disposal, such as

Automatic update tools for antivirus, antispam, Windows, and so on

Firmware updates, although these should be applied only to respond to a problem because they sometimes create other problems

Driver updates can be thought of as firmware updates

If you don’t have a reason to update, don’t apply updates out of hand.

OS-level tools, such as defrag.exe, chkdsk.exe, Task Scheduler (covered in Book VI, Chapter 4), and ntbackup.exe (covered in Book VII, Chapter 3)

Third-party maintenance tools, which are often available as packages from large companies (such as Symantec and McAfee) or from smaller, independent companies

Recovery or rescue boot CD, which you can use to boot up the computer and repair a damaged OS, or rescue data from a nonbooting hard drive

Many companies provide a disc with prepackaged tools, or you can use a tool like BartPE (www.nu2.nu/pebuilder; covered in Book VII, Chapter 3).

Remember the hardware and software tools used for preventive ­maintenance.

Maintaining Environmental Controls

In addition to equipment-specific preventive steps, you can take several environmental steps to protect and preserve your computer. This section looks at those factors and elements.

Ventilation and airflow

When discussing equipment ventilation, only two factors come into play: external ventilation and internal ventilation. Poor ventilation can contribute to higher-than-recommended CPU temperatures or other damage. Components that are affected by these internal and external factors include power supplies; processors; hard disk drives; and motherboard components, such as chipsets and capacitors. To see how your system is performing, most modern motherboards and hard drives provide temperature sensors that can be accessed from software within your operating system.

External ventilation

The largest single variable in the area of external ventilation is actually the ambient room temperature. If the room is not cool enough, your computer will never be cool enough because the computer simply brings room air into the case to cool components, which is expected to be cooler than the air that is currently inside of the computer case. Room temperatures should be between 60° and 75° Fahrenheit (15°–25° degrees Celsius), but try to stay at the low end of that scale. Most computer manufacturers provide a recommended operating temperature range for their computers. If the computers are constantly used at higher temperatures, your failure rate will go up.

Just like extreme heat is bad, so is extreme cold, and many systems are exposed to extreme cold when being shipped to final destinations. If the outside temperature is substantially below your room temperature (especially if it is below freezing), you should let your computer acclimatize to its surroundings before plugging it in and powering it up. The length of time depends on the temperature variation and whether this warm-up is done within or outside of the packing material. If the computer is left in the packaging materials, the chance of condensation (which should be avoided) on internal components is reduced. In addition to condensation, thermal stress can damage the computer if it is heated too rapidly. (This is similar to pouring boiling water into a cold glass — do not try this at home! Cold items tend to be more brittle than warm items.)

Most computer cases (with intake vents to bring cool air into the case, and exhaust vents to expel the warm air) are constructed from metal to dissipate additional heat that is not exhausted. Objects placed around the case can block the vents and act as insulation for the case, preventing proper cooling of the computer from occurring. It’s obvious enough that exhaust ports should remain open to allow heat to leave the inside of the computer, but if intake ports are blocked, the computer does not get a supply of cool air and will overheat. Without thinking, many people stack papers around and on their computer, blocking intakes.

People also push their computers back to free up desk space, thereby blocking rear exhaust ports. The computer placement and surrounding environment should be checked periodically to ensure that no airflow vents are blocked. In addition, many workstation areas built into desks do not take airflow into consideration, with solid doors on the front and only a small cable routing opening in the rear. Avoid placing computers or monitors in any space that reduces airflow to or from the unit.

Internal ventilation

Besides the environment around the computer, you can do a lot inside the case to aid or hinder ventilation or cooling. The rest of this section looks at factors that affect heat inside the case, and what can be done to reduce heat or increase airflow. To start, I should establish what the typical internal ventilation or cooling process is. As I mention in the previous section, most computer cases are made of metal so that internal heat can be dissipated into the surrounding air. Also part of the case design (and some are better designed than others) are air intake areas and exhaust areas. For tower cases of all form factors, air usually comes in from the front (along the bottom) and is expelled at the top in the back (usually through the power supply). Case form factors are examined back in Book I, Chapter 4.

For power supplies without fans, this exhaust is passive. More often than not, though, the power supply has a fan that provides active exhaust. In either case, this situation takes hot air from the internal components and runs that hot air over the power supply components, adding to the thermal stress that the power supply’s components already suffer from. To aid airflow, some power supplies have two fans: one external and one internal. When airflow is increased, the expectation is that each cubic foot of air that passes through the space will be cooler. The internal vents or fan on the power supply open either to the front of the case or to the bottom. When they open to the bottom, they can take more heat away from the CPU.

To keep the airflow going in the correct direction, keep the case cover on and also keep rear expansion slot covers in place. Also make sure that you keep all front ventilation openings clear of obstructions. If you don’t do this, the airflow won’t go in the direction that the case designer planned.

Many case designers add extra fans and vents to aid airflow. Standard vent locations include an exhaust location on the back of the case below the power supply, which can accommodate a fan that exhausts rising hot air before the power supply has to deal with it. Intake fans are also popular in the lower front of the case, increasing the air intake function. Typical case airflow is illustrated in Figure 1-1, with both a power supply having internal vents opening to the front of the case, as well as an airflow-optimized case with multiple fans to assist in air movement.

Because the fan on a heat sink typically blows air down onto the heat sink (helping with heat dissipation), another common area for vents and fans is on the side of the case, parallel with the heat sink fan, so that cooler air from outside of the case can be drawn directly to the CPU rather than moving the warmer air existing in the case over the CPU. To augment this airflow even more, some cases also include a funnel on the side of the case to directly channel the air to the heat sink fan. You can find out more about heat sinks and cooling in Book I, Chapter 4.

Less popular for most case designs (but sometimes added as an after-market addition) is a blowhole, which puts an exhaust port and a fan on the top of the case, drawing all the rising heat directly from the case. If heat is a major problem and this modification makes sense for you, it does give a lot of bang for its buck.

Internal airflow can also be improved by using a larger case, which just has more room for air to move around. There is no bigger heat challenge than taking a new multigigahertz processor (which generates more heat than slower processors) and adding it to a small microATX case with 4GB of RAM and a couple of 7200 rpm IDE hard drives. This is a recipe for thermal challenge, especially if noise reduction is also a goal; noise reduction usually means reducing the number or the speed of the system fans. By taking the same components and putting them in a full tower case, the additional air flow from the larger case will reduce the overall system heat.

Reducing the number of ribbon cables used on IDE devices can also improve airflow. These ribbon cables make little walls within the case that air has to go around. Ribbon cables can be replaced by rounded cables; or, the drives can be replaced with SATA drives, which have smaller cables to begin with. Book II, Chapter 5 has more information on hard drives and storage options.

In addition to the items already mentioned, wise placement of internal components can help air flow as well. If you’re adding two hard drives to the computer, for example, placing them in adjacent bays might seem to make everything look nice and neat. The reality, though, is that such placement also reduces the airflow between the drives, and heat generated by the bottom drive will rise and increase the overall temperature in the top drive. Leaving the one-bay gap allows the system fans to draw some of that heat away from between the two drives, lowering the temperature of the top drive.

Humidity and liquids

In terms of computer maintenance, humidity is a double-edged sword and should be approached carefully. To reduce the chance of electrostatic discharge (ESD), keep a humidity level of 60%. To reduce corrosion, though, humidity levels should be as low as 35%. Areas that are too damp add to the corrosion of metal components on the motherboard, such as leads for capacitors and the hundreds of metal contact points in the computer. As if corrosion weren’t bad enough, condensation is also an issue that can occur if that damp air is also warm when it makes contact with the cooler computer components. Because water is such a good conductor of electricity, condensation is never good and can lead to major electrical problems. Whenever possible, reduce the computer’s exposure to overly humid areas, which can sometimes be done by moving the computer to the next room. You can also extend the cables for the monitor, keyboard, and mouse into the damp environment.

Just as how overly damp environments are bad, extremely dry environments increase the risk of static build-up and cause early wear on capacitors, rubber rollers, and some other components.

In addition to damp environments, spills are another source of liquid problems. In general, avoid using liquids around the computer. If keeping liquids away from the computer isn’t possible (who am I to deny you your morning caffeine?), perhaps you can remove the computer from the area of the liquid. You can get special computer cases, keyboards, and accessories that have been hardened to protect them from moist environments, but often at the cost of cooling. To moisture-proof a case, most of the unit — including the ventilation openings — is covered with a rubberized material.

ESD

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is caused when an electrical charge builds up on one surface, and then that surface comes in contact with another surface that has a lower charge. In most cases, your body builds up a charge when any synthetic materials rub against each other, such as your clothing, or your feet moving across a carpet. Then, when you come close to touching the computer (which is plugged into a grounded or bonded source), the electricity naturally attempts to balance itself out, often jumping the remaining gap and producing a surge of electricity and a spark. The discharge is normally absorbed by the device, and the extra electrical power is drained through the grounding device. However, if the gap were formed while you were inserting a piece of RAM or an expansion card, you could damage the slot or the chipset it is connected to.

Because static is more prevalent in dry locations, increase the relative humidity in the area to reduce the chance of static discharge. When servicing a computer, you can also use antistatic work mats and straps to keep you and the device you are working on at the same potential energy. Even though damage rarely results from small ESD, there is no sense in taking needless chances.

Do not forget the relationship between ESD and humidity. Lower ESD risks by increasing humidity.

Dirt, dust, and debris (the three Ds)

Users are often surprised by how much dust, dirt, and debris collect inside a computer even though the room seems dust-free. Computers collect even more dust when they’re placed on the floor, where they essentially act as air filters. In most cases, computers should be cleaned annually. If the computer has to be placed in a dirty or dusty location, though (such as on a factory floor), internal cleaning should be scheduled more frequently. Similar to water-hardened cases (read about those earlier in this chapter), special cases are available for dirty and dusty areas — again, usually at the cost of system cooling.

When system components are clear of dust and grime, they last longer and function properly. On several occasions, I have attempted to install a Windows OS only to get errors during the file copy phase. Normally, this would suggest bad media, but it has invariably been caused by a thick layer of dust and dirt very visibly covering all components. After I use compressed air to get rid of the grunge, the file copy problem invariably goes away. In addition to the dust causing various short circuits, it also causes heat to be retained by the components that are covered in the dust and dirt.

EMI

Electromagnetic interference (EMI), also known as radio frequency interference (RFI), is caused by rapidly changing signals in electrical circuits radiating a field around the circuit. This might be caused naturally as part of the circuit’s normal operation, or it might indicate a problem with the installation or operation of the circuit. This interference often affects AM frequency bands and other low-frequency devices, such as speakers. If you have been in a boardroom with a speaker phone or radio nearby, you will often hear EMI caused by ring signals being sent to the occupants’ cell phones. These signals precede the phone ringing and usually cause a static noise on the speaker or radio. EMI caused by cell phones is why cell phones are banned in certain areas of hospitals — they can disrupt electronic medical devices within about 3 feet.

Solutions to EMI include physical isolation of devices, installation of dedicated circuits, and power conditioning of incoming power.

Power, UPS, and suppressors

Power conditioning comprises cleaning or regulating power that is supplied to devices. In addition to conditioning power and reducing EMI, surge suppressors and a UPS (uninterruptable power supply) can provide protection to your computers and electronic devices. If you are using these power conditioning devices, check the status of these devices periodically. Most major UPS have self-test buttons or automatic tests that can be scheduled and reported to administrators, as well as reporting on load levels and battery health. To help UPS and other power protection devices, using dedicated circuits reduces the chance of other devices on the circuit causing EMI, other line noise, power surges, or circuit overloads.

In addition to keeping the power clean and available, grounding equipment is important. All computer equipment comes with polarity base plugs (with one side larger than the other), and most have ground connectors (the third connector on the plug).

Some users who need extension cords will cheat and get two-conductor cords, thereby removing the grounding facility for their equipment. This should always be avoided because of the risk of damage to equipment from static discharge.

If power interruptions or blackouts are expected, as happens in some areas of the country regularly, computer equipment should either be protected by a UPS or shut down when not in use. This reduces the chance of data corruption from power loss. If electrical storms are a risk, equipment should be protected by a UPS or unplugged, preventing possible damage from a lightning strike. You can find additional information about UPS devices and power conditions in Book II, Chapter 7.

Aside from the previous points, many people ask, “Should I usually leave my computer on or shut it off?” There are two schools of thought on that, which should not be a surprise. Some factors that affect this decision are

The convenience of having the device ready to work: If you visit your computer regularly, you might want to keep it on.

Power consumption: Running your computer 24/7 will consume more power than shutting it down when you aren’t using it. Many people shut down systems that won’t be used again for 8 or 24 hours. This means either shutting down every night or shutting down just for weekends.

Thermal stress: Thermal stress happens every time components heat or cool because they expand and contract. This expansion and contraction causes failures to occur. Leaving equipment on for longer periods reduces this problem.

Wear-out: Most equipment has an expected lifespan measured in hours or days. This rating is the Mean Time Before Failure (MTBF). If components are forced to run continuously, they will hit their usage limits more quickly, so this problem is reduced by powering items down or having them enter a low-power mode.

The real answer is that you should find the solution that works better for you and your organization.

Completing Maintenance Tasks

With the principles of preventive maintenance under your belt, take a look at what can be done for specific components. This section looks at each of the major components that make a modern computer, and looks at what tasks should be taken to properly maintain each of them.

Case and components

To keep most components in good health, regularly perform maintenance on your systems. The frequency for these tasks depends on the task, with external tasks being performed daily, weekly, or monthly; and internal tasks being performed monthly, quarterly, or annually. The following tasks should be part of your maintenance routine. Make sure that you

Have good airflow both inside and around the case. This will help prolong the system life.

Periodically clean the inside with a vacuum or compressed air to ensure that dust and dirt do not built up on the components or fans.

Verify that all the fans function.

Check the processor temperature by using internal sensor chips, relative temperature by touch, or a digital infrared thermometer.

Ensure that the heat sink and fan are clean and free of dirt and debris.

Check the position of expansion cards and removable chips to verify that they are correctly seated.

Newer technology for slots has reduced the chance of chip creep. Still, chip creep can occur from thermal expansion and contraction, which happens during the heating and cooling of components. These heat changes can cause components — such as removable chips — to shift position or work their way out of their mounting clips.

Check that external and internal cables are properly seated and ­connected.

Some of these cables can work loose from movement of the case or ­thermal expansion.

If you have systems that use custom CMOS settings (less of an issue these days), ensure that you have a good backup of the CMOS settings. To learn more about CMOS settings, review Book II, Chapter 4.

Power supplies

Very few maintenance tasks are associated specifically with power supplies. You should

Verify that your power protection devices are working properly to ensure system integrity.

Ensure that power outputs are correct. This can be verified with the use of a multimeter or power supply–testing tool. Both of these methods are covered in Book IV, Chapter 2.

Verify that the power output is still sufficient if system components have changed.

Make sure that the fans are clean.

Monitors

With their lack of moving parts and low number of failures, monitors are often overlooked during the maintenance process. However, even though they are relatively trouble free, include them in your maintenance routine to ensure that they continue to provide trouble-free operation.

Ensure that the monitor or OS power-saving feature is turning off the monitor properly. This not only saves power but also prevents image burn-in of a static image onscreen.

Make sure the monitor has proper ventilation. Ensure that the vents on the unit are not covered. With traditional CRT (cathode ray tube) monitors having large, mostly flat, tops, I have often seen users use the top of a monitor for an extra filing area for papers, blocking the upper exhaust openings. Or, users with cluttered desks fill in the area around the base, blocking the lower air intake openings. Even LCD (liquid crystal display) monitors generate heat, so ventilation is still important to get rid of their heat; LED (light-emitting diode) displays generate very little heat.

Always check the owner’s manual for the correct cleaning solutions for your monitor. The screens of many monitors these days have special antiglare coatings that are not supposed to be cleaned with standard glass-cleaning products. When in doubt, use a dry cloth or a cloth moistened with deionized water for troublesome spots.

Always apply cleaners to a cloth — not directly to the monitor. This warning should also be applied to any computer equipment that you are cleaning with liquid cleaners.

Keyboards and mice

For keyboards and mice, preventive maintenance includes checking that cables are not damaged by keyboard trays or other external forces. Verify that they are properly connected and have not been pulled loose.

Keyboards on trays can often collect litter that’s wiped off the desk, as well parts of meals that some users eat above them. For keyboards, proper maintenance consists of the following:

Prevent spills. Ensure that food and liquids are kept away from the keyboard’s spill area, which is usually about 12 inches (30 centimeters).

Clean carefully. If a key’s surface appears dirty, you can clean key caps with a cloth moistened with a mild cleaner or water. Vacuum around the keys to remove debris between the keys.

Hold the keyboard upside down during this process to keep any debris from falling between the keys.

If debris between the keys is causing key motion problems, use compressed air to blow it out.

If there is no issue, you might want to leave the status quo because using compressed air could move debris to a position that does cause an issue.

How you keep your mice clean and happy depends on what type of mice you have:

Optical mice: Verify that the optics are clean and that the surface that it is used on is not too glossy. Some tabletops and mouse pads might not be suitable for optical mice, so add or remove a nonglossy mouse pad as needed for mouse problems.

Mechanical mice: Check the mouse ball and the mouse pad.

• Ball: Remove the mouse ball’s retaining disc and the ball. Then remove any dirt collected on the rollers inside the mouse by using a cotton swab moistened in alcohol.

• Pad: Verify that the mouse pad is clean. If the pad is cloth, replace it regularly. Pads tend to accumulate oils and other little nasties from your hand. That build-up, when paired with dust from the surroundings, accumulates on the mouse rollers.

Drives

Regular preventive maintenance for all types of drives includes verifying that cables are properly connected and that sufficient power is being supplied.

Hard drives

For hard drives specifically, regular preventive maintenance includes

Running Check Disk scans of your hard drive for errors

See Book VI, Chapter 4, to find out more about Check Disk (chkdsk.exe).

Scanning for viruses with an antivirus program, which, together with regular backups of important data, reduces the chance of problems that could affect the integrity of your data.

Defragmenting your hard drive to keep disk access at an optimal level; this is not necessary for solid-state drives.

Regularly monitoring the temperature and free space of your hard drives and CPU.

You can monitor your hard drives locally with tools like SpeedFan (www.almico.com/speedfan.php), or remotely with SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol — the TCP/IP device management and monitor protocol) tools like MRTG (www.mrtg.com) and Cacti (www.cacti.net). These tools gather temperature readings from your S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology) hard drive, which is incorporated into most new drives. In addition, you can gather S.M.A.R.T. messages from your Event Viewer.

Locally, Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 provide warning messages when hard drive space is very low (less than 200MB).

Avoiding vibration and shock

Vibration and shock to the hard drive should be avoided because either can cause substantial data errors.

Floppy and tape drives

Floppy drives can be maintained with the following actions:

Regular head cleaning (based on manufacturer recommendations for frequency) with head cleaning kits

Head alignment verification

To verify the drive’s head alignment, format a new disk and then try to read it in other floppy drives. If the disk is unreadable, you might suspect an alignment problem in one of the drives.

When dealing with tape drives, you also want to clean the heads with the manufacturer-recommended cleaning tools. This should be done based on the manufacturer’s recommended frequency, which is usually based on hours of drive use. Verification on data recovery should also be regularly tested by attempting to read the data from the media.

CD/DVD drives

CD/DVD drives are optical drives, so occasionally the optical components inside the drive might get dirty. However, this is rare when compared with media problems, which is usually where the problems arise. Cleaning kits for the optical components are available, and you should check with your drive manufacturer for recommended use.

Storage media

To have consistent access to data you recorded on storage media, you need to make sure that you protect that media:

Scratches and pits: If your optical media is scratched or pitted to a point that it is unreadable, you might be able to repair or polish it by using a commercial repair kit or Brasso metal polish.

Deep scratches: For very deep scratches in optical media, check whether your local video store has a repair service — if you still have a local video store.

Proper labeling: Optical discs can be damaged by glue found in many types of labels, so a felt-tipped marker is often the safest choice for labeling a CD/DVD, unless you have LightScribe media and burner.

Body oils: For all media, avoid physical contact with the media surface. Oil and dirt from your skin can damage the material immediately or over time.

Each type of media has a recommend shelf life, as estimated in Table 1-1; your mileage may vary based on media quality and storage conditions. All media should be kept in a clean, dry, cool, low-light place. If the media is magnetic, keep it away from electromagnetic fields.

Table 1-1 Shelf Life for Recorded and Stored Media

Media Type	Examples	Shelf Life
Flexible magnetic media	Floppy disks, magnetic tape, Bernoulli cartridge drives	10 years
Rigid magnetic media	Hard disk drives, removable cartridge drives	15 years
Writable optical media	CD-RW, DVD-RW	5–10 years

Laptops

Laptops have their own maintenance issues, including screen types, battery usage, charging, storage, and theft.

Before cleaning a laptop screen, check the owner’s manual for proper cleaning instructions. Many laptop LCD screens have special coatings or mesh filters that can be damaged if you don’t know what you’re doing.

With each new generation of laptop computers comes a new generation of batteries, each with its recommended care procedures. Nickel-cadmium (NiCad) batteries were replaced by nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries, which were replaced by lithium-ion (Li-Ion) batteries, which were replaced by lithium-ion polymer (Li-Poly) batteries. The latest generations of batteries do not develop charge memories when not fully discharged between charges, cannot be overcharged, and have a better weight-to-power ratio.

One drawback of lithium-based batteries is that at room temperature, they lose 20% of their charge capacity per year, starting at the time of manufacturing. That means that a three-year-old lithium battery will have a maximum charge of about 40% of what it was when the battery was purchased. This charge loss can be reduced to 6% per year if the battery is stored at 0° Celsius or 32° Fahrenheit, but then the battery needs to be warmed for over 24 hours to return to a usable temperature.

With Li-Ion and Li-Poly batteries, you no longer need to fully discharge batteries. In fact, it is best to keep them topped off; deep discharges can reduce their life.

To keep your battery in tip-top shape, you should let the battery run down (except for Li-Ion and Li-Poly batteries) and perform a charging cycle every few weeks. In general, you can expect to replace your battery every four to five years. If your laptop is going to be used while connected to a power source, some manufacturers recommend removing the battery. See your owner’s documentation to find out whether this applies to you.

When moving your laptop between locations, you should use a travel case that is sized and designed appropriately for your computer. This case serves two main purposes: to keep the system free from dust and dirt, and to protect it from shock.

Because laptops are so portable, they are ideal targets for theft, and all come with a lockdown point that you can use with a computer lockdown cable or motion sensor. A lockdown cable — a thick, vinyl-coated braided-metal cable, like the cables used for bicycle locks — needs to be attached to an immovable object. A motion sensor sounds a loud alarm when the laptop is moved. You can see samples of each of these at the Targus Web site (www.targus.com and search for DEFCON). Targus also distributes Security Plates, which are stickers and a tattooing process that prevents the resellability of stolen devices. One or more of these types of devices should be used for a laptop when you are traveling, as well as in your office.

Printers and scanners

Dust, dirt, and debris tend to be the three big issues with printers. Much of this can be removed with a vacuum, compressed air, and a cleaning cloth, but here are some other cleanliness issues to take into account to keep your printers running smoothly:

Pickup rollers: Printer pickup rollers can become dirty and should be cleaned with cotton swaps moistened with alcohol.

Print heads: The print heads on inkjet printers can become clogged and should be cleaned through built-in cleaning procedures on the printer. (See your owner’s manual for the exact procedure for your printer.)

If the printer has its print head as part of the ink cartridge, you can also soak the heads in warm water to clear clogs.

Fans and vents: Laser printers often have fans and vents that should be checked and cleaned out.

Worn components: Many laser printers have maintenance kits that should be purchased and installed as necessary. These kits often replace components that wear out, such as pickup rollers.

Calibration text: Many printers also have a calibration routine and a test or diagnostics page that ensures that multicolor print heads are all in alignment and that all print mechanisms are functioning. As part of your maintenance routine, you should print the diagnostics page.

Scanners, like printers, can suffer from the dust, dirt, and debris issues. Scanners tend to have a sealed body, which keeps the internal optics clean, but they usually need to be opened every year or two to clean the internal components. During regular maintenance, only the deck (the glass platen) of the scanner needs to be cleaned; use a glass-grade cleaner unless your scanner has a special coating. As always, never spray the cleaner on the surface, apply it to a cloth and wipe the surface. In addition to this issue, scanners usually have a locking mechanism that should be used when moving the scanner, which will keep the scanner properly calibrated.

Because scanners and printers suffer from a build-up of dust and dirt, try to place them in areas that are clean and dust free. I have seen people save money by not purchasing a printer stand, leaving the printer on a carpeted floor, only to pay more than the cost of a stand in additional cleaning and repair services.

Getting an A+

In this chapter, you should remember

Perform preventive maintenance to increase productivity and save time and money.

Conduct preventive maintenance tasks at scheduled intervals.

Standard tools for preventive maintenance include cleaning materials, vacuums, compressed air, and software tools, such as defrag.exe and chkdsk.exe.

Factors that affect computer lifespan are heat and humidity, ESD, dirt and dust, and incoming power issues.

Each major component has specific maintenance that can or should be carried out.

Prep Test

1 Which of the following is not an acceptable cleaner for computer components?

A Alcohol and cotton swabs

B Dry, lint-free cloth

C Ammonia-based cleaner

D Cloth moistened with water

2 Which of the following does not help improve computer airflow?

A Adding exhaust fans

B Leaving spaces between devices

C Keeping vents clear of debris and dust

D Using ribbon cables where possible

3 Which of the following is not a reason to implement a preventive maintenance schedule?

A Reduce office temperature

B Improve performance

C Protect data

D Improve productivity

4 Which two items will help ensure that your preventive maintenance plans are followed?

A Filing completed checklists

B Keeping the number of tasks limited

C Automating tasks

D Purchasing colored index tabs for files

5 What tools will help with hard drive maintenance? (Choose two.)

A defrag.exe

B fdisk.exe

C chkdsk.exe

D mem.exe

6 What is one of the problems caused by low relative humidity?

A EMI

B PKI

C ESD

D TCP

7 Which of the following can become an issue if you keep your computer running all the time?

A Thermal expansion

B Wear-out

C Chip creep

D EMI

8 What factors affect the storage life of computer media? (Choose two.)

A Media length

B Age of facility

C Temperature

D Humidity

9 What is usually found in vendor-supplied, laser printer maintenance kits?

A Paper pickup rollers

B Replacement power cable

C Paper

D Toner cartridges

Answers

1 C. Ammonia- and benzene-based cleaners are too strong for most computer components. Although alcohol is not used as often as dry or water-moistened cloths, it is still acceptable for many computer-related components. See “Materials and equipment.”

2 D. Ribbon cables create small walls in the path of airflow and can be replaced with rounded cables to improve airflow in most situations. Review “Internal ventilation.”

3 A. Reducing office temperature is something that can help systems as part of a preventive maintenance plan, but it is not a reason to implement the plan. Check out “Preventive Maintenance 101.”

4 B, C. Keeping the number of tasks limited keeps the process from becoming unwieldy. Automating tasks removes the need for action on a user’s part, which also promotes having the tasks performed. Filing and indexing physical files will not promote having the tasks completed but can be used to report on what has been completed. Peruse “Preventive Maintenance 101.”

5 A, C. defrag.exe and chkdsk.exe are both tools that can be used to perform standard maintenance on your hard drives. Take a look at “Software utilities.”

6 C. When relative humidity is too low, there is an increased risk of static build-up and electrostatic discharge (ESD). Peek at “Humidity and liquids.”

7 B. When devices are running all the time, they can wear out. Look over “Power, UPS, and suppressors.”

8 C, D. Media’s storage life is greatly influenced by its storage environment, which ideally will be cool, dry, properly lit for archival purposes, and free of EMI sources. Study “Storage media.”

9 A. Most laser printer maintenance kits include replacements for components that wear out, such as pickup rollers, as well as cleaning materials for the inside of the printer. Refer to “Printers and scanners.”