Clean Your PC Follow these steps to keep your computer healthy.If you want your computer to last, you need to clean it regularly. As Roger shows Chris on today's episode of "Call for Help," a little maintenance prevents some major hardware failures. In case you missed the instructions on the show, this guide explains how to clean your hard drive, monitor, mouse, laser printer, fax, and scanner. Before you begin, have the following supplies handy: Simple Green Since 1982, Mike Nadelman has owned his own computer repair business, Advanced Computer Solutions. Clean Your Hard DriveFans: Check the power supply fan for airflow and the processor fan for movement at least every six months. Take the case off of the computer and turn the computer on to check the processor fan. If one of the fans stops while the machine is on, you need to replace it immediately to prevent further damage. Computer case: While the computer case is off, use a can of compressed air (available at most office supply stores) to blow out the dust. One caveat: If you are using canned or compressed air, use short bursts to avoid condensation. Drives: Clean the floppy drive(s), CD drives, and tape drive to help prevent errors during use. Clean with either Simple Green or 409 spray. Be careful not to get the insides of the drives wet. Tape drive: If you have a tape drive, you may be able to clean it by using a long Q-Tip dampened with rubbing alcohol. Open the door and clean the rubber pinch roller and head located inside. If you have a DAT, SLT, or DLT drive, this may not be possible, since the pinch roller and heads are too difficult to access. Clean Your MonitorClean the outside of the monitor with Simple Green, 409, or a similar cleaner. Spray a cloth with glass cleaner and wipe the screen. If you attempt to clean an LCD screen, be careful not to press too hard on the screen. Be sure to use a clean, soft cloth.
Clean Your MouseMechanical mouses almost always need cleaning. The easiest way to clean them is to remove the mouse ball to access the X and Y rollers. A careful inspection of the small rollers usually reveals gunk.
Clean Your Laser Printer
Check the fan. It's important to check the operation of the fan while the printer is running. Some fans run only after the printer gets hot, so testing this may take some time. A stopped fan will cause a gradual overheating condition that is serious, but not instantly fatal to the printer. Blow dust out of the printer only if there is no major toner spill. Clean out toner spills. Toner -- especially color laser toner -- is hazardous to your health. If you have to vacuum the printer, use a toner vacuum with a micro-toner filter like the ones made by 3M. Check and replace the fuser wand that is usually marked with the word "Hot." Caked-up toner on this wand will destroy your printer's fuser and cause image defects. Clean the ozone filter. In most laser printers this filter is made of carbon. If there is a lot of dust on this filter you can order a new one to replace it. If a new filter is not available, simply remove it and blow out the dust with canned air. Clean the roller. There are two types of rollers in printers:
hard plastic and rubber. Plastic rollers can only be cleaned with
alcohol. Rubber rollers can be cleaned with Goof Off, which is
available at most office supply stores. It smells awful, but works
well to rejuvenate rubber rollers. Try not to get Goof Off on
any plastic parts, as it will damage them. Clean Your Fax Machine and Scanner
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