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- CLEANING PROCEDURE
-
-
- For the purpose of cleaning, we can divide the computer system
- into the following parts:
-
- 1- The Keyboard
- 2- The Monitor (Screen)
- 4- The Computer shell (Case)
- 4- Disk Drives
- 5- The Power Supply
- 6- Electronic Boards
- 7- The Printer
- 8- The Hard disk
-
- The cleaning process involves removing dirt, dust, and any other
- foreign particles from all computer parts to keep the computer
- clean and looking new.
-
- Before you start cleaning make sure that the power is OFF. Unplug
- the computer, monitor and keyboard. Generally the cleaning process
- is simple if you have the right cleaners.
-
- 1- KEYBOARD
-
- In cleaning the keyboard you may perform some or all of the
- following.
-
- * Keyboard caps can be brushed lightly with all purpose cleaning
- spray on a cloth.
-
- * Use presaturated swabs to clean the area between the caps.
-
- * Using the duster blow away all the remaining dirt and dust.
-
- * You may open the screws at the bottom of the keyboard then
- clean the inside of the keyboard using the duster.
-
- * A vacuum cleaner with a small attachment may also be used to
- clean the keyboard. Neither sprays nor liquids should be used
- on the keyboard because a drop of liquid might fall underneath
- and damage the electronic board.
-
- 2- MONITOR
-
- The only maintenance required for the monitor is to keep the
- screen clean for good vision and the air vents free from dust and
- dirt.
-
- * A dirty screen can be rubbed clean with a lint free cloth
- moistened with ordinary glass cleaner. You may also use the
- special monitor screen cleaners such as PLAST-N-GLASS or
- SCREEN PREP mentioned earlier. If the monitor is equipped with
- anti-glare screen, the use of solvents or cleaners is generally
- prohibited.
-
- * The monitor shell can be cleaned with cloth moistened by all
- purpose cleaner. Instead of the all purpose cleaner you can
- moisten the cloth with TF SOLVENT or any general purpose
- computer cleaner. You may also use CHEMPAD or any other special
- lint free wipers.
-
- 3- COMPUTER CASE
-
- To clean the computer case use the same cleaners used for
- monitor shell.
-
- 4- DISK DRIVES
-
- Disk drives (floppy drives) are extremely sensitive and are
- usually the first part of computer to need repair. Never use
- Dusters or SWABS to clean the disk drive heads. You should always
- use the special disk drive head cleaning kit. The kit contains a
- cloth disk on which you drop a small amount of cleaning fluid
- which is included in the kit. Insert the disk in the drive while
- the computer is on. Type in a command and press enter or return.
- You will hear the disk spinning. Let it spin for about 10-20
- seconds then open the disk drive door to stop the spinning. This
- cleans the heads. Repeat for the other drive. The kit is usually
- good for about 15 times of use.
-
- Note that the process of disk drive cleaning is the only one that
- requires the computer to be ON. Therefore you should clean the
- disk drives after you are finished with your other cleaning, or
- if you wish you may first clean them before turning the power off
- and disconnecting the cords. You should keep in mind that SWAPS
- ARE NOT RECOMMENDED FOR CLEANING DISK DRIVE HEADS.
-
- 5- ELECTRONIC BOARDS
-
- Electronic boards consist of the main board (mother board),
- controller cards such as disk drive and/or hard disk controller
- and other cards such as monitor card, memory expansion card,
- modem card and multi-function card. The names are not important
- for the purpose of the cleaning. So don't worry about them. All
- you need to do is to clean them using a cleaner which is safe and
- leaves no residue. TF SOLVENT is the best for circuit boards.
- You may use a duster in combination with TF SOLVENT. If it is
- too dirty inside, it is a good idea to use a small vacuum cleaner
- to remove most of the dust and dirt before using other cleaners.
-
- Before you can clean the electronic boards, you will need to
- open the computer case by removing the screws that is holding it.
-
- 6- POWER SUPPLY
-
- Usually the power supply is mounted in a separate metal box. You
- can not get to the inside of it. All you need is to make sure
- that the air vents are free from any dust or dirt. Use a vacuum
- and/or a duster to clean the air vents of the power supply.
-
- 7- PRINTER
-
- In most computer systems, the printer has the largest number of
- mechanical parts. It is the device that most likely to fail. You
- should make sure that the ventilation openings are clear of dust
- and debris.
-
- Periodically you should disassemble the top part of the printer
- and look for dust and debris inside. Where found, dust should be
- wiped off with a lint free cloth, vacuumed or simply blown away
- with a duster.
-
- For the moving parts, the best cleaner I found for printers is
- TRIFLEX which is made by Chemtronics. It is good for cleaning
- acrylics, nylon, polystyrene, and rubber. Use dusters to remove
- dirt around the paper feeds and printing mechanism, then use
- TRIFLEX to clean other moving parts. It also works as a dry
- lubricant for all the moving parts of printers specially the
- gears. The printer case is cleaned the same way as the computer
- case or the monitor shell.
-
- 8-HARD DISKS
-
- Hard disks are sealed and hard to get into. Therefore they
- require no cleaning. However, you may clean the metal surface of
- the hard disk by rubbing it gently with presaturated pads or lint
- free wipers.
-
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