PC Maintenance

Why Computers Fail?

Computer failures occur for a variety of reasons, sometimes because of human error and sometimes because of factors in the environment that cause a computer to malfunction — or a combination of both. These factors can include excessive buildup of dust, heat or magnetism; viruses picked up from the Internet or from storage media shared between different computers; static electricity shocks or power surges; carelessness, such as spilling liquids into a computer or bumping or dropping the hard drive casing; software that has not been configured correctly or a PC's setup that has been handled incorrectly, such as incorrect handling of upgrades.

The following tips are a basic guideline that you can use to keep your PC maintained to run efficiently, increase component lifespan and also help lessen the overall likelihood of PC failure:

Operating & Environment Conditions

Do not place a PC directly near a heating or cooling source, such as heating vents or air conditioners. Both excessive heat and cold can damage a PC. This includes putting the PC in the path of direct sunlight.

Manufacturers often recommend that PCs be in a humidity-controlled environment, but again the PC should not be positioned so that an air conditioner is blowing cool air directly onto the unit (as temperature drops, the likelihood of static electricity increases).

Keep the PC's air vents and fans unobstructed and free of dust.

Do not smoke around a PC. Cigarette smoke can damage exposed metal contacts.

Do not place a PC near water sources that can splash onto the components or drip down into them. This includes open windows through which rain can come and also under plants than can drip water down into them.

Do not connect power sources directly into wall outlets but rather connect them first to some form of surge protector. Surge protectors prevent electrical surges from destroying hard drives and erasing data.

Buildup of dust can seriously hamper a PC's capability to cool down, and even if you never open your computer's case dust can still get in through the drive openings. Dust also compromises the lifespan of your PC's hardware. An efficient way to clean dust from the inside of a computer is with compressed air, blowing dust away from the motherboard and other components. You should never blow air directly into a floppy drive as this can cause dust to lodge in the drive and cause it to malfunction. Users who are not familiar with working inside a computer case should take the unit to a professional for cleaning because it is possible to do more harm than good to a computer if you do not know how to safely work inside of a case.

Always turn off and unplug the system before you clean any of the components inside the case. It is also important to ground yourself to prevent static electricity discharge before touching any components inside.

Be extremely careful when moving a PC from one location to another. Even small jolts can dislodge chips and expansion boards, so be sure to power off the system before moving it — even if it's only going from one side of your desk to another.
Save all documentation that comes with your PC and its components. You may need to refer to the documentation if something goes wrong.

Always shut your system down properly (in Windows use the Start --> Shutdown method) whenever possible. It is also important to respond to warnings and error messages to prevent possible data loss or corruption.