Computer Maintenance – Time for a Spring Clean?

A close up of a computers motherboard showing the resistors and capcitors

After what has seemed like an eternal winter here in the UK, spring is finally upon us!

Along with the arrival of the first flowers of the season and (for some at least) the annual ritual of cleaning their homes from top to bottom is inevitable. Why not ensure that ALL your computers (both at work and at home) get a “spring clean” too, starting with basic computer maintenance?

Basic computer maintenance top tips

The first part of your computer maintenance spring clean is to give it a good dusting. Using you home PC as an example; shut down the computer, disconnect it from the mains supply and unplug any peripherals.

Turn the keyboard upside down and give it a gentle shake to remove those crisp and biscuit crumbs! A can of compressed air is a must have for cleaning computers and peripherals. A quick blast at the keyboard should remove the more stubborn dust deposits. Give your keyboard and mouse thorough wipe over with a barely damp micro fibre cloth or a specially made antibacterial wipe, a swab dipped in isopropyl alcohol is great for reaching into the crevices. A recent study revealed that an average office computer keyboard carried more harmful bacteria than a toilet seat, not so great!

Clear your view

Cleaning a monitor screen requires a little more care these days. There are many different materials used these days, so best to check the manufacturer’s recommendation for this. Generally though, a cloth of the kind used to clean glasses is usually a relatively safe option. If you are going to dampen it, then lightly spray/mist the cloth with a little water from a spray bottle, but it’s best to never spray water or cleaning fluids directly onto a monitor.

On the other hand, if it’s a laptop that you are cleaning, give the air vents a quick blast with the compressed air. For desktops or towers, providing you are qualified to do so, open up the case and blow out the dust with compressed air and/or vacuum it carefully. Under no circumstances attempt this procedure if any part of the equipment is still connected to a mains supply.

Now, plug everything back in and it’s time to get the software sorted. Run an up to date anti-virus scan, free up and optimise hard drive space and maybe even clean up those desktop icons.

Phew, and that was just your home PC!

Cleaning your home PC, software and hardware is reasonably easy to do and shouldn’t take up too much of your time (plus it will make it last longer and run faster), but more complicated work based systems are of course quite a different story.

That is where BeanIT can really help.

Call us TODAY on 01827 68613

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