Warning: Remember This Before Working on Your Computer!

Jun 29th 09 Posted by Kermil J. Fogarth in Affiliates

by Kermil J. Fogarth

If youre going to open up your personal computer case to check some computer hardware components or clean up the hardware you must take the precautions listed. Computer motherboards and components, such as the sound card, video card, and memory, contain very delicate Integrated Circuit (IC) chips. It is necessary to protect computers against damage from static electricity. A brief explanation of static is its a major contributing factor in the breakdown of computers. Eliminating the damage from ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) can save a lot of money. Here are some things you must remember and precautions to follow whenever you work on your computer.

1. Unplug your computer when working on the inside or well known inside of central processing unit (CPU). You must unplug the power cord to ensure that there is no power to the motherboard.

2. Capacitors can still store electric charges for a short time from the when you turned off the power switch, so it is wise to make to wait a few minutes after pulling the plug before working on your PC.

3. A properly grounded wrist strap may be gotten from an electronics store to prevent ESD. Use one of these before touching any components inside such as hard drive, video card, memory stick, etc. If a grounded wrist strap is not available then make sure you touch a grounded object such as a metal pipe to discharge any built up static so you don’t “Shock” your components.

4. To avoid damage due to static electric discharge, hold circuit boards by the edges and avoid touching the individual components, wires, chips, or capacitors.

5. Place components on a grounded anti-static pad or on the bag that came with the components whenever the components are separated from the system to prevent static discharge. Remember, avoid dropping your hard disk because cylinder of the hard disk is very sensitive and it may never work again if dropped.

6. Never, ever open items labeled as non-serviceable. Components labeled “No Serviceable Components Inside” are not a challenge because opening them up could lead to serious injury. Some parts of your computer just aren’t meant to be repaired. The power supply is one such item and should be replaced if defective, don’t attempt to repair it.

Remember that you are responsible for protecting yourself from injuries and from causing damage to your computer. A common incident is loss of stored data due to a hard drive crash. These are some simple things to remember that will protect you, your computer and most of all the data stored on your computer.

About the Author:

Kermil J. Fogarth has excellent free reports on Preventive Maintenance, or Saving Money with a Computer Support Plan