Maintaining and Protecting Your PC David Cox Region VI Facilitator

Keeping Your PC Clean What will I learn today? How to clean the outside and inside of your PC How to use built in features of Windows to clean your PC

IMPORTANT NOTE Shut down your PC normally and unplug it before doing any external cleaning to avoid damage to your computer and possibly yourself Shut down your PC normally and unplug it before doing any external cleaning to avoid damage to your computer and possibly yourself Create and keep a home-made cleaning kit handy: clean soft cloths, a small paint brush, an old toothbrush, foam-tipped & cotton swabs, compressed air, bleach, and tweezers Create and keep a home-made cleaning kit handy: clean soft cloths, a small paint brush, an old toothbrush, foam-tipped & cotton swabs, compressed air, bleach, and tweezers

Keeping Your PC Clean Inside Inside Outside Outside Do the right thing Do the right thing

Outside Use a can of compressed air, a small brush, or a small vacuum cleaner to remove dust from all external parts you can see Use a can of compressed air, a small brush, or a small vacuum cleaner to remove dust from all external parts you can see Use a soft cloth and plain water or bleach to remove rubbed in dirt and germs from the keyboard & mouse Use a soft cloth and plain water or bleach to remove rubbed in dirt and germs from the keyboard & mouse Use a soft damp cloth to remove material from the monitor screen Use a soft damp cloth to remove material from the monitor screen

Outside Always dampen the cloth, not the computer component Always dampen the cloth, not the computer component If you use swabs, use foam not cotton except on keyboard & mouse If you use swabs, use foam not cotton except on keyboard & mouse Never use an abrasive on the computer or the monitor Never use an abrasive on the computer or the monitor Always turn off the power before cleaning your computer system, including peripherals like printers Always turn off the power before cleaning your computer system, including peripherals like printers

Inside Delete unwanted files on a regular basis Delete unwanted files on a regular basis Empty your Recycle Bin weekly: right-click on Recycle Bin icon and click on Empty Recycle Bin Empty your Recycle Bin weekly: right-click on Recycle Bin icon and click on Empty Recycle Bin Empty Internet Explorer files weekly: click Tools->Internet Options-> Delete Files->check Delete all offline content box->click OK Empty Internet Explorer files weekly: click Tools->Internet Options-> Delete Files->check Delete all offline content box->click OK

Defragment After deleting all of those files, you need to remove the space on the hard drive where the files had resided, called defragmenting After deleting all of those files, you need to remove the space on the hard drive where the files had resided, called defragmenting Defragmentation speeds up your hard drive a great deal Defragmentation speeds up your hard drive a great deal Defragmentation makes your programs run faster Defragmentation makes your programs run faster

To defragment At the Windows XP desktop, click StartProgramsAc- cessoriesSystem ToolsDisk Defragmenterand Defragment At the Windows XP desktop, click StartProgramsAc- cessoriesSystem ToolsDisk Defragmenterand Defragment

This process is similar in Windows 95 through XP This process is similar in Windows 95 through XP Be prepared to wait several minutes for the process to complete Be prepared to wait several minutes for the process to complete

Whats it look like? The following slide is a screen capture of a program view of a defragmented hard drive The following slide is a screen capture of a program view of a defragmented hard drive I usually use the Windows application but there are others like Norton SystemWorks Speed Disk, Perfect Disk, I usually use the Windows application but there are others like Norton SystemWorks Speed Disk, Perfect Disk, and Diskkeeper and Diskkeeper

Conclusions Cleaning the outside or exterior of your PC makes it look better to you and others, making you happy Cleaning the outside or exterior of your PC makes it look better to you and others, making you happy Cleaning the inside of your PC makes you and your computer happy because everything works better so you dont end up like this lady Cleaning the inside of your PC makes you and your computer happy because everything works better so you dont end up like this lady

Bye now!