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Preventing Computer Hardware Woes
by Marnie Pehrson
Computer components can be a hassle to replace, and they will only last so long, but there are ways to extend their lives. This article will focus on different ways to make your hard drive, mouse and CPU last as long as possible.
Hard Drives
Your hard drive is the main storage area inside your computer that holds all your programs. As you write to and erase from your hard drive, it can become disorganized and fragmented. Periodically, you should scan your hard disk and defragment it. It would be a good idea to do this at least once a month to prevent lost clusters of information and fragmentation.
When your hard disk becomes fragmented, it slows down the speed of the machine. It makes it more difficult for programs to find the files they need to operate. If your FAT (file allocation table) forgets where a portion of a file is located, the system may inadvertently save over it. This can cause loss of important data and program files. By keeping your hard disk defragmented, you will avoid these problems. To scan your hard disk for errors, exit all programs you are running, such as Windows. Go to a DOS prompt and type scandisk and press ENTER. To defragment your hard disk, at a DOS prompt type defrag c: and press ENTER. Running scandisk and defrag are time consuming processes, so allow a couple hours. The time it takes to run these diagnostic programs depends on the size of your hard drive.
Mouse
You can extend the life of your mouse by keeping it clean. Sometimes a mouse will quit working and you'll think you need a new one when you really don't. To clean your mouse, turn it over and remove the ball. Wash the ball with rubbing alcohol and allow it to dry.
The inside of a mouse has small wheels or rollers that the ball moves against to make it work. These rollers can become caked with strips of lint that can cause the mouse to stop working properly. Use tweezers to remove these strips of lint. Shake or blow any other dust from the inside of the mouse. If the inside of your mouse is extremely dirty, you can use a Q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol to clean the rollers and inner workings. Make sure to remove any excess alcohol from the Q-tip before using it inside the mouse. Allow the mouse to dry thoroughly and put it back together.
CPU
The CPU or Central Processing Unit is the main part of a computer. The fan that is attached to your computer can bring large amounts of dust into it. Periodically open your computer and remove the dust. You can buy cans of compressed air to blow the dust away from the components. They even make vacuum cleaners specifically for cleaning computers.
It is best to keep computers in a smoke-free environment. Dust and smoke can do great damage to floppy drives, hard drives and other components.
Marnie Pehrson is an author, creator of www.IdeaMarketers.com, www.LocateACoach.com, www.SheLovesGod.com, and more. She is the author of inspirational books like Lord, Are You Sure? and historical fiction such as The Patriot Wore Petticoats. She also helps people earn money from home using the phone and the Internet. For more information on her projects, visit http://www.pwgroup.com.
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