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Cleaning
Your Mouse: Your
ball or track mouse needs to be cleaned periodically,
here is how to do it:
1.Unplug
your mouse from your computer. Have a cotton swab and cleaning fluid
(Window cleaner or Rubbing Alcohol works well) on hand. 2.Turn
mouse over and rotate center insert (see Fig.1).
Remove insert and ball. 
3. Locate
the 3 rollers (see Fig.2).
4.
Next notice if there is any build up on any of the rollers (see Fig.3).
5. Carefully
remove all traces of dust/debris
from all rollers as the smallest piece can cause your mouse to behave
erratically. When you have removed all traces of dust/dirt from the
rollers and the ball, simply put the ball back in and replace the cover
turning clockwise to lock it in place. Your mouse should be as good as
new.
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BACK UP BACK UP and BACK UP!!
We cannot impress upon you strongly enough the importance of making
daily or weekly back-ups of your most crucial and important information!
Information such as My Documents, Email/Address Books, Financial data,
Personal pictures/videos/music and all their subdirectories. This can be
done either manually or automated and should be performed weekly but
preferably each day you use your computer.
Consider purchasing a secondary drive to hold your back-ups.
Ouestech offers courses to assist you in setting up an automated backup
solution. It's time and money well spent.
There are 3 basic software tools built into your Windows operating
system to help keep your system running along smoothly.
Disk Cleanup, Scan Disk, and Defrag*.
*Make sure all running programs are closed (including screensavers and
especially antivirus
programs) before performing the proceeding steps and in order.
Disk Clean Up:
The disk Clean up can be done daily (or at
the least once a week) and will delete all of your unused and unwanted
files. it will also delete your garbage and old internet files. Just
click on Start, Programs, Accessories, and then System Tools and then
Disk Cleanup. We can also show you how to create a desktop short cut
icon.
Scan Disk:
Use the scandisk program to check for any
possible problems with the logical configuration of your hard disk(s).
This can not only speed up your machine but spot and correct potential
errors. The easiest way to find this utility in all Windows Operating
Systems is to go into My Computer and click on the drive you want to
scan. Then right click on it and click Properties. Then click Tools.
Disk Defragmenter:
This utility should be used sparingly, mainly after
installing/uninstalling large programs or as part of your monthly
maintenance routine. Windows XP offers an “analyze” feature and its
recommendation should be followed. Over time, files get scattered all
over the hard drive and then get moved, deleted, copied and so on and
fragments of unused space get left over. It then takes longer for your
system to look up information on a fragmented disk. Defragmenter will
put all of the pieces back into sequential order. To Defrag a hard drive
just go to Programs, Accessories, and System Tools. Select the Drive and
click Start. If you have rarely done this, it can take a very long time,
even overnight but the results will be remarkable in most cases.
Web Browsing:
If you’re a daily web surfer, this should
be done weekly…
Check your browser history, cache files and cookies. In your Browser go
to: Tools, Internet Options, Temporary Internet Files, History.
Delete the cache files and history files then reset the history files to
no more than 1-3 days unless you specifically need to store that
information longer. By freeing up the cache, downloads from the Web will
speed up since there is more space available to store the temporary
files.
Ouestech also offers Remote Care Packages. We can do all the above plus
we can install and maintain Virus – Spyware Programs all remotely.
Give us a call and we can put together a custom package to suit your
maintenance and security needs.
Keeping your computer clean:
These simple tips can greatly extend the life and quality of your
equipment.
Dust is a big enemy of your computer. It's amazing how much dust can
collect in a computer over a short period of time since the CPU and
Power supply fans are working continuously (or they should be!). 
At Ouestech every computer we service gets a complimentary internal
clean out. But for those who prefer to do it themselves here are a few
words of caution.
First, since the air pressure is much higher with canned air, follow the
instructions upon the package carefully or it may cause damage to
internal circuitry, rendering the computer inoperable, having to replace
crucial and expensive parts.
Always blow out the power supply from the inside out, this will avoid
getting dust blown into the computer. (Yes, outdoors would be the ideal
place to do this!)
Make sure you prevent the spinning of fans (CPU & Power
supply) as this may cause damage to the fans itself.
Lastly, make sure the inside circuitry of your computer does not get
wet!
To prevent static electricity, (Which will damage the internal
circuitry), avoid using a standard vacuum when cleaning the inside or
outside vents of a computer; however, a portable battery powered vacuum
can be used to clean the inside of the computer as well as air
vents.
KeyBoards:
Keyboards are relatively inexpensive ($8-$14). If you use your keyboard
extensively we recommend replacing it every 6 – 12 months. Blowing it
out with compressed air periodically is also a good idea as you will be
amazed at how much dirt and junk gets trapped inside. (Make sure
keyboard is not plugged into the computer when cleaning!)
Monitors / LCD Displays:
When cleaning your monitor/display, make sure it is turned off.
It’s much easier to see all the fingerprints and smudges this way and not to mention in the event
liquid is spilled
inside (and it does happen!) it’s already off.
**NOTE**
In the event that any liquid does spill/drip into
the monitor, you should turn it off immediately and allow it to dry
completely before turning it back on!
Clean dry or damp cloths are the only things that should touch your
monitor. Paper towels can scratch the surface…this is especially true
of LCD displays. Try keeping a cloth dedicated to cleaning your monitor
and not just any old rag that might have dirt particles in it that can
scratch the surfaces of your displays.
Do not use household cleaning products containing ammonia, ammonia-based
cleaners, or strong cleaners.
When cleaning, spray water directly on the cloth, not the monitor.
After cleaning the screen, don’t forget to clean the lip edge of the
screen as well as the exterior casing.
Never
open the monitor casing, which contains electric voltage that can
cause a shock!
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