Care of Computer
After purchasing a computer, you definitely will want to take care of your investment.
General
care
With just a little care, your computer will continue to give you maximum
performance. Here are some computer care tips:
Keep your computer away from direct sources of heat (like space heaters).
Do not eat or drink when you use your computer.
Clean the keyboard with a vacuum cleaner
nozzle equipped with a brush tool, and periodically clean the air vents on the
side and back of the monitor with the vacuum brush.
Turn the monitor off to clean it, and use only a soft cloth with no soaps
or chemicals.
To help keep the keyboard clean, wash your hands before using the
computer. When dirty, wipe the keyboard keys with a soft cloth, moistened with a
mild cleanser.
Dust and cobwebs can accumulate in the CPU case.
Once a year, remove the case cover. If there is an accumulation of dust and
cobwebs, use a can of compressed air to blast the debris away. Be
careful, however, not to poke and prod the computer's internal components!
Static discharges can destroy sensitive electronic components.
Invest in a good
quality surge protector. Plugging your computer into a surge protector instead
of directly into the wall outlet will protect your computer from surges of
electricity which might cause an overload to the sensitive components, and
damage the computer.
Virus
protection
A virus is a small piece of software that piggy-backs
on real programs, and causes the computer to perform certain unwanted functions.
There are several types of viruses:
E-mail virus,
which moves around in e-mail messages and usually replicates itself by
automatically mailing itself to addresses in the victim's e-mail address book.
Worm,
which is a small piece of software that uses computer networks and security
holes to replicate itself
Trojan Horse,
which is a normal computer program that claims to do one thing but in reality
will do another thing, namely, cause damage when you run it.
The best way to protect yourself against a computer virus is with an
anti-virus program. These anti-virus programs check the computer for viruses and
repair damaged or deleted files that are infected
with the virus. Most companies that
market anti-virus programs provide copies of their programs that can be
down-loaded for free and used for a short period of time. The best way to
protect yourself from viruses is to buy the copy of the anti-virus program.
Since viruses are constantly being created, you will need to provide continuing
protection for your computer. Purchasing the anti-virus program will provide you
with updates for your anti-virus program so you can deal with new viruses as
they come out.
You
have just purchased a new computer.
What steps will you take to ensure that your computer will give you
dependable service for a long time to come?
Introduction to Computers
Developed by Alyce Bunting, Jintavee Monsakul, and Donna Green
Return to Introduction to Computers
dfgreen.com
Back 