When was the last time you performed preventive and corrective maintenance to your PC? Do not worry! If you do not remember, here we tell you everything you need to know about computer maintenance and the importance of deep cleaning of your work equipment.
The computer has become an indispensable tool for anyone and, like a car, it is a piece of equipment that requires constant maintenance to ensure proper operation and avoid possible repairs. Therefore, this time we will teach you everything you need to know about computer maintenance.
What is computer maintenance and what is it for?
The PC maintenance It basically encompasses all those measures that we carry out so that our equipment maintains its proper functioning. Such maintenance is not only based on cleaning the equipment as such, because at the software level, it is necessary to clean junk files to prevent it from crashing or working incorrectly.
When we talk about cleaning, we mean both externally and internally, including other hardware equipment such as the mouse, keyboard, monitor, etc. All are prone to accumulation of dirt and in the long term can interfere with proper operation.
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How often is it necessary to perform computer maintenance?
Maintenance will depend on the operating time of the equipment, the location of the computer, the environment that surrounds it and its usability.
Considering these points, if you notice that the performance of the equipment decreases, it is prudent to do a deep cleaning and remove the dirt that it carries inside.
It would be advisable to clean at least once every three months. It is also wise to have the equipment serviced every 6 months or once a year.
In the case of software, there are programs that will help you optimize the operation of the computer, thus avoiding it from being filled with unnecessary information, having viruses and a worse performance. Can you do Preventive Maintenance periodically, this will help your computer run longer and increase its life.
Who can do a computer maintenance?
Make him preventive and corrective maintenance to your computer is not as complicated as it seems, and there are several things you can do without any professional preparation. However, to do the correct cleaning to your equipment, you must take into account several precautions to carry it out correctly.
In the event that the PC continues to be slow or there is a failure in the system, it is best to go with a qualified personnel specialized technical service, since they will be able to determine if the problem is due to lack of cleaning or it is necessary to do some corrective maintenance.
Why is computer maintenance important?
Like any other tool or equipment, a computer must be properly cared for to maintain optimum performance. Having a ventilation system is likely to get dust inside the equipment and this has its consequences in the long term.
When there is a lot of dirt inside a PC, the safest thing is that the ventilation system fails and as the internal temperature increases, the performance of the components decreases. The accumulation of dust also impairs the performance of the equipment, since it has particles with conductive properties that can cause a short circuit in them.
Similarly, many junk files accumulate on the PC and take up more storage space. Perform a Preventive Maintenance consistently is extremely important, as this will ensure proper behavior.
Advantages of a computer maintenance
- As long as the ventilation system works well, an increase in the temperature of the components is avoided.
- The team works faster.
- It reduces the risk of a failure in the system.
- Extends the life of your computer.
- The computer maintenance increases the probability of repairing a damaged component.
- It ensures that the PC is free of viruses or malware.
- Your computer in general will be cleaner, and with a better appearance.
Computer maintenance tools
To make preventive and corrective maintenance, you need the right equipment to work more efficiently and avoid damage to components. Among the tools for the PC maintenance they find each other:
Screwdrivers
It is one of the most used tools for household chores. As its name suggests, a screwdriver is a type of wrench that allows you to unscrew screws.
There are countless models and sizes on the market, we recommend having a Phillips head screwdriver, also known as a star screwdriver, if it has a magnetic tip, much better.
Voltage detector
Also known as a hustler, it is a tool that will help you a lot when making computer maintenance, because with it you will avoid the risk of causing a short circuit, this is because the voltage detector verifies if any component has an electrical charge.
Multipurpose silicone
This product is a kind of pasta, to which you give shape and you can use it to glue different types of plastic. It is a very special material for repairing cables and components, as well as joining plastic and rubber parts. Something that characterizes it is that it works as a thermal insulator and is waterproof.
Thermal paste
It is a kind of quite thick liquid, whose function is to transfer heat from one body to another. The thermal paste is applied on the processor of our computer and the graphics card GPU, what it does is reduce the temperature they produce these components to the heat sink.
This product should be used when we are going to place these components in our equipment and, as Preventive Maintenance, it is recommended to change the thermal paste every 24 to 30 months.
Contact cleaner
It is very similar to a spray and it serves for remove dust, grease and all kinds of dirt of electronic components. In addition, it helps eliminate corrosion, increase conductivity, and decrease voltage losses. It is an essential product for deep cleaning our team in computer maintenance.
Tester
It is also known as a multimeter. This equipment is capable of measuring voltages, that is, the electrical magnitudes of a component. When doing some Corrective maintenance hardware, it is essential to use a tester to corroborate the operation of any part of the equipment.
Currently there are multimeters that have a USB connection, with it you can check the operation of ports of this type, measure the charging power of a device and the capacity of a portable battery.
Tweezers
When we do PC maintenance, when removing parts and components, we must have a certain degree of precision and reach intrinsic parts, it is best to have on hand a set of tweezers to do this task more easily.
Types of Computer Maintenance
Preventive Maintenance
The Preventive Maintenance It is what we do on our equipment to foresee any failure that may occur in the future. This involves keeping the computer free of dust and dirt, as well as performing some tasks in the software to optimize the performance of the computer.
Some preventive maintenance tasks are:
- External cleaning of the computer, including the keyboard, mouse and monitor.
- Clean the work area.
- Clean the inside of the equipment.
- Avoid direct sunlight on the PC.
- Keep the computer away from windows or an environment with high humidity.
- Delete temporary files from the system.
- Do an analysis with the antivirus.
- Back up existing information.
Corrective maintenance
This type of work is already done when we notice a failure in our PC. Basically it is about repairing our equipment and in this case it is best to ask a professional for help, since they can detect the problem and proceed to repair it based on it.
Some tasks of the Corrective maintenance for PC are:
- Replace or repair a damaged component.
- Remove viruses and malicious software.
- Deep cleaning of the equipment.
- Hard drive defragmentation.
How is computer maintenance done?
Hardware
- Clean the external areas of our equipment with a damp cloth.
- Disconnect the PC. Lay her lying down in a well-lit work area. It is recommended to wear shoes with a rubber sole. Unscrew and uncover the case. With the help of a handkerchief or a vacuum cleaner extract the dust that is inside.
- Then with a brush or a brush you can remove the dust present on the motherboard and other components.
- Use contact cleaner to clean corroded and stained areas of components.
- Change the thermal paste on the GPU and CPU after a certain time.
- Check that all parts are properly connected before turning the PC back on
software
- Delete programs and files that you don't use, like music that you no longer listen to.
- Defragment the hard drive, this will allow you to have the most optimized equipment.
- Delete temporary files (you can install CCleaner, it will help you to do this)
- Format the PC.
- Backup files and save them in the cloud.
- Have the antivirus carry out a deep analysis, to check that you do not have viruses on your PC.
- Try not to have the computer on for a long time, so that the operating system can make system updates.
Once all the tools prescribed here have been applied, you will be able to successfully optimize your equipment by doing preventive and corrective maintenance of computers (PC). Remember that this is a job that anyone can do to get extra income.
If you are what this world is passionate about or you simply want to strengthen your knowledge in this matter, you can check some computer maintenance and repair course on-line. You will see how easy it is and you will also be able to help friends and family to greatly increase the useful life of their computers.