The Care and Feeding of Your Computer Troubleshooting and Maintenance

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1 Keeping It Clean The Care and Feeding of Your Computer Troubleshooting and Maintenance The computer itself: Regularly dust the exterior. You can use a cloth dampened slightly with water, but do not use products that contain isopropyl alcohol, ammonia, or abrasives. Check the cables for abrasions and check that they are properly connected. Be sure to remove all dust from the fan case located on the back. It is important that your computer has good ventilation to prevent overheating. Use a vacuum to remove the largest of the dust bunnies. The Monitor: Use a soft cloth and cleaner made for electronics to clean the monitor screen. Spray the cleaner on the cloth and not directly on the monitor. The Keyboard: Turn off the computer and unplug the keyboard. Turn the keyboard upside down and shake out any loose dirt. Use a vacuum to suck out any crumbs and dirt. You can use canned air to blow out the dirt, but it is a good idea to vacuum first so that you don t get dirt trapped under a key. The Mouse: Turn off the computer and unplug the mouse first. Remove the ring on the bottom of the mouse. Wash the ball in soap and water and dry it well. With dampened cotton swabs, wipe off the rollers. If the rollers are really dirty, use the edge of a plastic knife to scrape them clean. An pencil eraser will also help to clean them. Before You Call Technical Support Check the cable connections and power supply first. Were there any power surges or power failures at the time you began having difficulties?

2 If you are using a power strip, check that it is plugged into the wall and turned on. It is easy for a power strip on the floor to accidentally be turned off with a touch of a foot. Plug something else into the outlet to see if it works. Gently push in the cables on the back of the computer. Sometimes it helps to actually unplug the cables and plug them back in. Are there any lights on the keyboard? Monitor? Computer? Printer? RESTART!!!! Directions for doing this are listed in order from the most preferred method to the least. Control Alt Delete (commonly called the three finger salute) and then select End Task. If this does not work, Control Alt Delete and then select Restart. Hold the power button for at least 10 seconds until the computer restarts. Document what you did and what happened. If you get an error message, copy it completely. If you have recently installed software or downloaded something from the internet, have details of what you installed and when you installed it. Are you the only one that is having this problem or are there other people in your building with the same problem? If you have more than one computer in your room, are you having the same problem with them all? Be sure to log in with the same user name. Are the people in the classrooms adjacent to yours having the same problem? What about in other parts of the building? It helps to ask the building secretary if other people have reported problems. Regularly Back-Up Your Files and Clean-Up Unused Files At least once a month, copy any files that you have created that you would not want to lose. You can save a copy of your files on the server, but if they are important it is always a good idea to back them up to a floppy or CD that you maintain as well. Keep your back-up copies in a safe location. You want to keep them in a case where they will not be damaged. Clean up the files you no longer use to save memory. Selecting Delete for a file moves it to the Recycle Bin where it can be restored if you realize you still want it. Empty the Recycle Bin regularly to permanently delete files. It is important to clean up the temporary files created from the internet. In Internet Explorer, select the Tools Menu, select Internet Options. On the General tab, select the Delete Cookies and also the Delete Files. In Netscape, from the Edit Menu select Preferences and Clear the History. Remove Programs you are no longer using or want.

3 Go to the Control Panel and select Add/Remove Programs. From the list, select the ones you want to remove. In some instances, you will need to uninstall/remove a Program before downloading the newer version. If you get a message in the Installation Wizard that tells you to uninstall the earlier version you should follow the step above. Using System Tools to Improve Your Computers Performance It is recommended that you run Disk Cleanup once a month or anytime that your computer appears to be running slower than normal. Go to Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Cleanup. Disk Cleanup will check your hard drive for errors and will also locate files that you can delete to save space on your hard drive. You will definitely want to delete the Temporary Internet Files. You can view the contents of any of the checked boxes to decide if you want to save these files or delete them. You will also have the opportunity to remove programs you are no longer using. Disk Defragmenter should be run after Disk Cleanup. It will rearrange files and unused space on your hard drive that may be slowing down your computer and causing it to be less efficient. Go to Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter. You can select the drive you want to defragment. You will select Drive C.

4 Select Analyze and the program will scan your computer and advise you whether or not you need to defragment your computer. Do not stop a defragmentation when it is in progress. Automatic Updates Your computer should be configured to automatically update. It is important that the updates be installed. These updates frequently are to correct security problems with Windows. Verify that your computer is set to download and install the updates, right click on the My Computer icon. Select the Automatic Updates and set it as shown. Select a time of day when you know your computer is turned on, but one that will not interfere with your work. Most updates can occur while you continue to use the computer, but they frequently require the computer to restart. Check periodically for updates for programs you use. Go to to get the updates and newest version of Adobe Reader. This is important so that you can read and print files in Progress Book. Go to to get updates for Office. Adware/Spyware/Malware/Viruses/Trojan horses (information from Adware is considered a legitimate alternative offered to consumers who do not wish to pay for software. Programs, games or utilities can be designed and distributed as freeware. Spyware is any software that covertly gathers user information through the user s internet connection without his or her knowledge, usually for advertising purposes.

5 Spyware monitors user activity on the Internet and transmits that information in the background to someone else. Spyware can also gather information about e- mail addresses and even passwords and credit card numbers. Because spyware exists as independent executable programs, they have the ability to monitor keystrokes, scan files on the hard drive, snoop other applications, such as chat rooms or word processors, install other spyware programs, read cookies, change the default home page on the Web browser, consistently relaying this information back to the spyware author who will use it for advertising/marketing purposes or sell the information to another party. Spyware is similar to a Trojan horse in that users unwittingly install the product when they install something else. Malware is short for malicious software, software designed specifically to damage or disrupt a system, such as a virus or a Trojan horse. A virus is a program or piece of code that is loaded onto your computer without your knowledge and runs against your wishes. Viruses can also replicate themselves. All computer viruses are manmade. A simple virus that can make a copy of itself over and over again is relatively easy to produce. Even a simple virus is dangerous because it will quickly use all available memory and bring the system to a halt. An even more dangerous type of virus is one capable of transmitting itself across networks and bypassing security systems. A Trojan horse is a destructive program that masquerades as a benign application. One of the most insidious types of a Trojan horse is a program that claims to rid your computer of viruses but instead introduces viruses onto your computer. How to Protect Yourself Remember that there are no free lunches. Anytime you download a program from the internet you open yourself up to the possibility of spyware, viruses, and Trojan horses. The cute smiley faces that you can download will not make you smile if your computer becomes infected. Before installing free virus protection or spyware or pop-up blockers, do some research or check with Jeff or me. A number of these free programs can create more problems than you were trying to correct. Some will require your hard drive to be completely wiped clean and reloaded with Windows software causing you to lose all of your files (unless you have them backed up!) Do not let anyone install software or files on your computer that have not been checked by a virus protection program. Students should NEVER use your computer without you logging off and them logging on as a student. Students do not have the permissions that will allow them to download and install files from the internet. If the computer is logged in with a teacher account, they have access to areas in the network that we do not want them viewing or changing. Ultimately, you will be held responsible. Do not open attachments in s from people you do not know. Be cautious even with you receive from friends and relatives. Some Trojan horses will

6 capture addresses and begin sending messages as though they are coming from someone you know. Do not open s that have been forwarded. Advise your family and friends that you will not be reading anything that has been forwarded repeatedly. You have no way of knowing what you may catch when a message passes through multiple people, especially ones that you may not know. If you have virus protection, be sure to get the updates installed on a regular basis. Keep it enabled and working to protect you. If you suspect you have a virus, disconnect the cable that connects your computer to the internet immediately. Contact your building sysop, Jeff, or me right away. Virus Protection and Spyware Blockers Norton Ant-virus software McAfee Anti-virus software free version of AVG virus protection for home use only - free virus cleaning program by McAfee - Spybot Search and Destroy free Spyware Blocker - Microsoft has a new FREE Beta Anti-Spyware program Additional References Windows XP Tips and Tricks: About PC s: Helping Teachers Use the Internet More Effectively: This site has some excellent resources for lesson plans that incorporate technology. The On-Line Practice Modules will assist you in using Word, PowerPoint, and Excel more effectively. Managing Students With Computers: ce.html Computer term dictionary and resources: