1. By Marcus Woodward

2. List Objectives For The Chapter Identify Problems that can occur if hardware is not properly maintained. Identify routine maintenance that can be performed with other users. Identify maintenance that should be performed by experienced professionals.

3. Maintenance Issues To properly maintain a PC in order for it to run smoothly, you’ll have to keep checking it. Sooner or later you are going to have problems. Always keep your computer cables organized, if damaged then they will not communicate with the computer.

4. Hardware Maintenance One of the best ways to cut down a computer repair is through preventive maintenance. You should at least clean your computer every 3 to 6 months. A-Keyboard and Mouse. Always clean up anything on your Keyboard. If you do not clean up your keyboard, then you will have jams. B-Printers Cleaning the printer will make the printers work longer. The first thing you should do is to check the printer documentation.

5. Computer Memory One way to measure a computer’s power is by it’s capacity to remember. RAM is made up of small memory chips that form a memory module. The memory modules are installed into RAM slots. Adding RAM can increase performance, speed and usability. There is a maximum of ram that can be installed in a PC though.

6. Preventive Maintenance Computers tend to slow down as you delete files or add them. To eliminate these problems, you delete temporarily files that you have installed. Empty the recycle bin too. A. Disk Defragmentation- Occurs when a piece a data is broken up into many pieces that are not stored closed together. B. Recycle Bin- A holding area for files and folders before their final deletion from a storage device. C. Temporary Files- Various apps, such as those in Microsoft Office suite, create temporary files for reasons such as to free memory from other programs. D. Cookies- a small text file that a Web sites uses to identify a specific computer.

7. Specialized Maintenance Basically Upgrading your PC by doing the following: Replacing the power supply or opening the power supply case Replacing other components Replacing the processor Replacing or adding RAM Replacing or adding a hard disk

8. Risk of Network Computing The security of a computer network is challenged everyday by equipment malfunctions, system failures and computer hackers. These threats can steal info or sabotage any info saved on your PC.