Transcript No Slide Title

Chapter 10
Preventative
Maintenance
IT Essentials: PC Hardware and Software
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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?
IT Essentials: PC Hardware and Software
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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.
IT Essentials: PC Hardware and Software
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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.
IT Essentials: PC Hardware and Software
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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.
IT Essentials: PC Hardware and Software
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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.
IT Essentials: PC Hardware and Software
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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 endof-life CRT monitors can be salvaged or recycled.
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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.
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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
IT Essentials: PC Hardware and Software
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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.
IT Essentials: PC Hardware and Software
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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.
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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. ?
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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
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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.
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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.
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