USE AND CARE OF COMPUTERS by Editor, Waco KUG, August 1987 (How to clean and maintain your personal computer) Common sense tells you that there are certain maintenance duties which are necessary for any computer system. Routine cleaning, testing, and preventive maintenance can significantly reduce down time and costly repairs. This month we will start a series of articles on routine preventive maintenance procedures which even non-technical users can perform to keep their systems up and running at the peak of performance. PART I: KEYBOARD COVERS AND CLEANLINESS Cleanliness is next to Godliness according to the old adage. In computers, this cannot be stressed too much. A clean working environment is critical for any computer. This is especially true if the computer is crucial for daily business operations or for critical data storage and retrieval operations. A dirty drive head or dusty contacts on a keyboard can result in poor data transmission or, worse, inaccurate data storage. One area where cleanliness is often neglected is on the computer's main source of data input, the keyboard. The Kaypro keyboard is the principal source of data input for the system. Older Kaypro keyboards are noted as being rugged and durable. But they also need periodic cleaning to retain their optimum performance. Here's one way to clean a keyboard. The tools you will need include some surgical strength alcohol (70% concentration or greater) and several cotton swabs (such as Q-tips). 1. Power down your system. It is best to switch off at the back or turn off the power strip (if you have one), but leave the system plugged into the wall. This will maintain your grounding and will reduce static electricity problems. 2. You should remove any templates or help notes you have on your keyboard, such as Keyborders, Kleertex templates, or keypad overlays. 3. Moisten the end of a swab with alcohol. The swab should be damp not drippy. 4. Gently, with slight pressure, move the swab between the rows of keys on the keyboard, keypad, and cursor key areas. Change swabs often if dirt and gunk accumulate. Do not push the dirt and gunk into the keyboard, but rather lift the swab up and away as the grime accumulates. 5. Next, following the step 4 procedure, clean between keys on each row. Take care to change swabs as the dirt accumulates. 6. Check to see that all dirt and gunk is cleaned from around the keys. Remove any excess or residual material found. 7. Let the keyboard dry for 5 minutes prior to use. It should be dry as you finish, but just in case you missed a drip or two of alcohol, it is better to be safe than sorry. This should have left you with a clean keyboard free of dust, dirt and grime. A gentle polish with a clean, lint-free rag or cloth across the top of the keys should be all that remains to be done. Key cleaning is not the only routine maintenance item which keyboards need. Adjustments to screws is particularly important on the portable Kaypro series computers. The screws on the sides of the old K-2, K-4, and newer K-1 computers sometimes loosen over time. This could result in a dropped keyboard and a big repair bill. To tighten these screws, you need a small Phillips head screwdriver. Tighten the screws until they are hand tight. Do not over tighten, as the plastic latch might crack or break. The latch points on the main case should also be tightened at this time using the same procedure. It is best to tighten both the latches and latch points at the same time to ensure proper security of the keyboard in transportation. How often should you do this type of maintenance? It really depends on how much you use your computer. Every two months on keyboard cleaning and every six months on screw tightening is about average. We hope that these tips will help you KEEP 'EM KAYPROING!!