Small Business I.T. Insider

As a business owner your computer is your lifeline. In today’s society almost everything can and is done on the computer; shopping, marketing, school, we even date through our computers.  Due to the fact I am a part of the Net Generation I have truly never known anything different, but I have experienced the devastation of having my computer crash. Unfortunately, my dear friend and neighbor just suffered a similar fate. She came over a few weeks ago in tears holding her computer tower. I calmly removed it from the clench of her hands and sat her down at my kitchen table. She looked at me with desperate eyes and said; “my computer is broken; please help.” This may seem a little dramatic, but Kristen is currently enrolled in a Doctorate program for Forensic Psychology; a large part of her grade and successful graduation from this program relies on her Dissertation. Kristen’s Dissertation is on Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome; a subject she has researched for the past year. Guess where all this research is? Yep, on the machine next to my sobbing friend across from me. Kristen, knows I work for StoneHill Technical Solutions so she was looking to me for answers. However, I am not a tech and to be honest I don’t understand anything about the computer other then how to operate it, but luckily I have access to some of the greatest technical minds in the country.

I brought Kristen’s computer in for one of my associates; Christos Kirst to inspect. Upon opening it he made the comment “doesn’t anyone know to clean their computer” and as a non-tech my response was “why?” He then went on to explain the importance of keeping your computer clean. Dust blocks the circulation of air, which is of crucial importance for keeping your machine cool and heat is the biggest component to computer failure. If dust or animal hair clogs your vents and the vital components inside your computer it will heat up putting your computer’s health in jeopardy. Routine cleaning could save you lots of money, maintenance fees, and heartache.

Christos provided me with a few helpful tips to clean a computer. However, I advise you seek professional should the task seem too complicated.

The easiest and most affordable method is to buy a can of air; these can be purchased at your local Costco or office supply store.

Turn off and unplug your computer.

For the first of your cleaning series you should open your computer (any performed after, your computer can remain closed.) If your case has screws, use a screwdriver to remove them and open the side of the case opposite the motherboard. For screw-less cases slide the side panel off. Give the inside of your computer a good blast of air to dislodge and remove any dust particles clogging your system.

For laptops; simply place the nozzle of the air can inside the vents located on the sides and bottom of your laptop.

For computers; you should clean them every 60 to 90 days (to ensure you don’t forget schedule it in your planner & outlook calendar.)  For your laptop it is safe to repeat this process twice a year.