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techtips
Prevent damage and computer
related accidents
By following these helpful tips, you
can extend the life of your computer and ensure user safety.
Electricity
Like all electrical appliances, computers
should be used with caution. While injuries resulting from electric shock
from computers are rare, they are not impossible.
- Use twist ties or special cable ties (available
at most hardware and electronics stores) to keep computer cords out
of the way and prevent accidents.
- Avoid using extension cords. But if you must, tape
them against walls or fixed furniture to increase safety.
- Do not overburden electrical outlets. Plugging
in too many items may blow fuses or circuit breakers, damage equipment,
or cause a fire.
- Keep computers off the floor to prevent damage
from flooding. Using blocks to lift computers a few inches off the floor
can mean the difference between inconvenience and disaster. Where roofs
may leak, use tarps or plastic sheeting to cover computers during storms
and over weekends and vacation breaks.
Computers
Besides keeping food away from computers, you can
follow these rules to avoid other problems.
- Cover computers with a light cloth (such as a
lavalava) when they are not in use. This will not only brighten the
classroom, but also prolong the life of the computer by keeping dust
out of the system. Avoid tight-fitting plastic covers that may prevent
moisture from evaporating and cause circuits to corrode.
- Keep classroom aquariums and appliances like coffee
makers and hotpots away from computers. A tipped aquarium can damage,
or even destroy, a table full of computers.
- Do not place computers in the middle of the room.
Keep them against walls or fixed furniture to reduce the risk of accidental
bumps and students getting caught in the cords.
- Protect floppy disks! Inexpensive hard plastic
cases for floppy disks can save you the time and trouble of retyping
term papers or final grades.
- It is important to maintain temperature control
in hot, humid areas. However, running the air conditioner part of the
day can cause stress and damage. Once the computers are cool and the
air conditioning is shut off, the heat and humidity cause condensation
both on and in the computers. It is actually better not to use air conditioning
if it is usually turned off.
Tech Tips provides information on the use and maintenance
of computers. PREL provides no guarantee against any loss that may occur
to your computer system(s) as a result of following the advice provided
above. Professional assistance should be obtained as appropriate.
An earlier version of this article first appeared in
Hawaiian Hard Drive (June 2002).
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