Cleaning a Keyboard
Ensure that keyboards are not used in an environment where food and beverages are present, as spillage of these substances can cause the keyboard to malfunction and make it difficult to clean.
Always shut the computer down properly and disconnect the keyboard when cleaning the keys.
Use the following procedure to clean the keyboard:
- Hold the keyboard on end, with the keys facing slightly downward over a sheet of paper to catch the debris.
- Use compressed air, a natural bristle brush or a PC vacuum cleaner to remove any dust and debris that has fallen between and under the keys, working steadily down the length of the key panel.
- Clean the surface of the keyboard using an approved cleaning solution.
It is not advisable to use foam cleaner on the keys, as the foaming action may lift dirt particles and deposit them in the key switches.
Do not use an anti-static screen cleaner on a keyboard. It leaves a conductive film on cleaned surfaces; if it penetrates the key switches, it can cause malfunctions.
If using a spray cleaner, spray onto a lint-free cloth and use the cloth to clean.
Do not use household spray polishes; silicone oil in the spray can affect switch mechanisms and it leaves a conductive coating.
Cleaning a Touchpad
Use the following items to clean a touchpad (as found on many laptop computers)
- A soft, dry cloth
- A soft cloth moistened with an ammonia-based glass cleaner. Remove excess liquid from the touchpad with a dry cloth.
- A soft cloth moistened with de-natured alcohol. Remove excess liquid from the touchpad with a dry cloth.
Cleaning Drive Heads
When cleaning the heads of magnetic media devices (for example, floppy or tape drives), you should use a
purpose-designed cleaning product; such as a cleaning disk or cartridge.
If this type of cleaning product is not available, use a lint-free cloth or approved cleaning pad or swab. Cotton buds, plain tissues and other household materials leave behind traces of fiber that can clog the read/ write heads and cause excessive tape or head wear and data errors.
Only use approved cleaning solutions. Usually, these preparations are based on Isopropyl Alcohol (also called IPA or 2-Propanol). This chemical requires careful handling, as it is toxic if inhaled or swallowed.
Do not apply excess pressure to delicate read/write head assemblies.
Apart from regular cleaning you should not attempt any other servicing of drive heads.
Disk Maintenance
Floppy disks can eventually wear out due to the (normal) abrasion between drive heads and the surface of the disk. As a simple precaution, you should regularly copy important floppy-disk based data onto new disks.
Avoid storing floppy disks in extremely hot or cold areas, dusty environments, or near electromagnetic fields such as those produced by monitors, TV sets, vacuum cleaners, or power supplies.
You can clean CDs using a lint-free cloth. Always store CDs in their case, and avoid exposing them to extremes of temperature and bending.
Hard disks do not require any cleaning as they are held within a sealed unit. However, the data held on the disk can sometimes become corrupted, temporary files left on the disk after a system crash can fill up the free space, and the files on the disk can become disorganized, causing slow down in response time. To help solve these problems, most operating systems provide a utility to find and fix these problems; for example, SCANDISK and DEFRAG are provided with DOS and most versions of Windows.
Another Option to Empty your cache
There are other ways to empty your cache; however they pose a higher risk for users unfamiliar with operating their computer.
- Empty your Documents Menu
This will empty the list of recently accessed documents:
- Click on the " Start Menu"
- Choose "Settings"
- Click on "Taskbar and Start Menu"
- Click on the " Start Menu Programs" tab
- Click on " Clear" in the Documents Menu section
- Now, you can do the rest using the Maintenance Wizard if you have it.
- Click on the "Start Menu"
- Click on " Programs"
- Click on "Accessories"
- Click on "System Tools"
- Click on " Maintenance Wizard".
Follow the wizard's instructions and then all you need to do is run it! If you don't have it on your computer, you will need to proceed to step 4...
- Run Disk Cleanup
this will clean your Hard Disk of trash, unused system files and temporary files. It is important because it reduces the amount of unnecessary files and makes your computer 'cleaner' to run.
- Click on the "Start Menu"
- Click on "Programs"
- Click on "Accessories"
- Click on "System Tools"
- Click on " Disk Cleanup"
- Make sure the correct drive is selected (usually C), then click "OK"
- After it finishes calculating what your computer can discard, a new box will pop up.
- Select all four options in the Disk Cleanup Tab
- Downloaded Program Files
- Temporary Internet Files
- Recycle Bin
- Temporary Files
- Click " OK". It might ask you if you really want to delete all these file - you do!
- Run "Scandisk"
Scandisk checks your drives for errors and fixes little problems with files, such as incorrect dates or misplaced data.
- Click on the "Start Menu"
- Click on " Programs"
- Click on "Accessories"
- Click on "System Tools"
- Click on " Scandisk". The Scandisk box will pop up
- Click on "Standard" and check "Automatically fix errors"
- Click "Start". When it's finished it will tell you if there were any problems
- Click "Close", you're done! You should also periodically run Scandisk in " thorough" mode.
- Run Disk Defragmenter
Disk Defragmenter reallocates your files in a more efficient, organized way on your hard drive. Browsers, for example, automatically download and delete data, such as pictures, programs and music, every time you view a web page. This can result in files that are often used together being spread out across your hard drive's medium. The Disk Defragmenter will sort your programs back to their rightful places and order, so that your computer can find things quickly.
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- Click on the "Start Menu"
- Click on "Programs"
- Click on " Accessories"
- Click on "System Tools"
- Click on " Disk Defragmenter"
- The Disk Defragmenter box will pop up. Check the correct drive is selected (usually C)
- Click " Start"
- When it's done (it can take a long time), restart or shutdown your computer
- It's okay to leave disk defragmenter running overnight then reboot in the morning.
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If you have several hard disks (other than C:/) you can defragment each of them separately to achieve better performance. Remember to give your computer a rest by restarting or shutting down when you are done with this process.
Call us if you experience any of these problems and we will fix it.
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