Cleaning your computer

Start From The Outside

OK, so undo both ends of every cable and cord on your computer, and all the peripherals. Blow out the ends of the cords with canned air. (Go ahead and use a compressor for this job if you want). Check the cords for any freyed ends, broken or bent pins. Depending on the type of monitor, you may not find all 15 pins present in the connector. Just make sure none are bent or broken off. If any are, the cord needs to be replaced. Use a damp cloth to clean the length of the cords, and set them aside.

Use a brush attachment on your vacuum, and vacuum the outside of your monitor. Carefully, start with the vent slots on the top of the monitor, and then progress to the rest of the unit. Remember, you do not open up the chassis of a monitor, and you do not stick anything in the vent holes.

Use a damp cloth to clean the outside of the monitor. Lightly spray a soft dry cloth with anti-static spray to clean the screen (CRT). Do not spray directly on the screen, it can drip down beneath the cover. If there are some stubborn marks on the screen, use diluted window cleaner. Be careful with your monitor's screen, some have an anti-glare coating, and using cleaners, or pressing too hard may damage the coating, leaving ugly, permanent streaks.

Do the same with the rest of your peripherals, and use some common sense. You can blow out a printer with canned air, and use window cleaner on a scanner's glass, etc...

Check with the various manufacturer's websites. With a little digging, you can often find info on cleaning and caring for your different peripherals. This is more important than you think. A lot of troubles and communication errors that your computer has with different peripherals can be avoided, or resolved by proper cleaning.

For cleaning the rollers on a mouse, click here!

For information on the keyboard, click here!

So now we get to the actual computer. Vacuum the outside of the case. Make sure you vacuum the vent holes. Check the front, sides and bottom. Vacuum the back of the case and its ports and vent holes. Check all ports and connectors for bent or broken pins and debris. If there are any bent or broken pins, the device associated with that port needs to be replaced.

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