FP104 Computer Hardware Chapter 3 Computer Maintenance and Troubleshooting Part 1: Understand Safe Working Conditions

LEARNING OUTCOME
By the end of this class, students will be able to: 1) Describe safety procedures and potential hazards for users 2) Explain safety procedures to protect equipment from damage and data loss 3) Identify safety procedures to protect environment from contamination.

SAFETY PROCEDURES AND POTENTIAL HAZARDS FOR USERS

Safe Lab Procedures and Tool Use

The workplace should have safety guidelines to follow to: 1) Protect people from injury 2) Protect equipment from damage 3) Protect the environment from contamination

Recognize Safe Working Conditions

Some things to look for: 1) Clean, organized, and properly lit workspace 2) Proper procedures for handling equipment 3) Proper disposal or recycling of components containing hazardous materials

General safety rules

1) Listen to or read instructions carefully before attempting to do anything. 2) Wear safety goggles to protect your eyes from chemicals, heated materials, or things that might be able to shatter. 3) Notify your teacher/lecturer if any spills or accidents occur. 4) Roll up loose sleeves. 5) Know the location of the fire extinguisher, fire blanket, eyewash station, and first aid kit. 6) Keep your work area uncluttered. Take to the lab station only what is necessary

General safety rules

7) It is suggested that you wear glasses rather than contact lenses. 8) Never put anything into your mouth during a lab experiment. 9) Clean up your lab area at the conclusion of the laboratory period. 10) Never horse around or play practical jokes in the laboratory

Potential Hazards: Fire

Have a fire plan before you begin work: 1) Know the location of fire extinguishers, how to use them, and which to use for electrical fires and for combustible fires 2) Have an escape route in case a fire gets out of control 3) Know how to contact emergency services quickly 4) Keep the workspace clean 5) Keep most solvents in a separate area

Potential Hazards: Electric

1) Lay electrical cords where no one can trip on them or get caught in them. 2) Be sure your hands and your lab area are dry before using electrical equipment. 3) Never poke anything into electrical outlets. 4) Unplug cords by pulling the plug and not the cord. 5) Unplug all electrical equipment at the end of the lab period.

First Aid

Injury: What To Do:

Burns Immediately flush with cold water until burning sensation is lessened.

Injury: What To Do:

Cuts, bruises Do not touch an open wound without safety gloves. Pressing directly on minor cuts will stop bleeding in a few minutes. Apply cold compress to bruises to reduce swelling.

First Aid
Injury: What To Do: Fainting Provide fresh air and have the person recline so that their head is lower than the rest of their body

Injury: What To Do:

Eyes Flush eyes immediately with plenty of water for several minutes. If a foreign object is lodged in the eye, do not allow the eye to be rubbed.

First Aid
Injury: What To Do: Electrical shock Shut off the current at the source. Remove wire with rubber gloves. Alert the teacher immediately

SAFETY PROCEDURES TO PROTECT EQUIPMENT FROM DAMAGE & DATA LOSS

Electrostatic Discharge (ESD)

Static electricity is the buildup of an electric charge resting on a surface. This buildup may zap a component and cause damage. At least 3,000 volts of static electricity must build up before a person can feel ESD, but less than 30 volts of static electricity can damage a computer component. Preventing ESD Damage i) Use antistatic bags to store components ii) Use grounded mats on workbenches iii) Use grounded floor mats in work areas iv) Use antistatic wrist straps when working on computers

Power Fluctuation
AC power fluctuations can cause data loss or hardware failure: - Blackouts, brownouts, noise, spikes, power surges To help shield against power fluctuation issues, use power protection devices to protect the data and computer equipment: 1) Surge suppressors 2) UPS 3) SPS CAUTION: Never plug a printer into a UPS device. UPS manufacturers suggest not plugging a printer into a UPS for fear of burning up the printer motor.

SAFETY PROCEDURES TO PROTECT ENVIRONMENT FROM CONTAMINATION

Proper Disposal
Batteries from portable computer systems may contain lead, cadmium, lithium, alkaline manganese, and mercury. Recycling batteries should be a standard practice for a technician. Monitors contain up to 4 pounds of lead, as well as rare earth metals. Monitors must be disposed of in compliance with environmental regulations. Used printer toner kits and printer cartridges must be disposed of properly or recycled. Contact the local sanitation company to learn how and where to dispose of the chemicals and solvents used to clean computers.

TOOLS IN COMPUTER MAINTENANCE

Hardware tools
Skilled use of tools and software makes the job less difficult and ensures that tasks are performed properly and safely. 1) ESD Tools - antistatic wrist strap, mat 2) Hand Tools - screwdrivers, needle-nose pliers

3) Cleaning Tools - soft cloth, compressed air can

4) Diagnostic Tools - digital multimeter, loopback adapter

Software Tools
Disk management tools: 1) Fdisk - create and delete disk partitions 2) Format - prepare a hard drive prior to use 3) Scandisk or Chkdsk - check for physical errors on the disk surface 4) Defrag - optimize use of space on a disk 5) Disk Cleanup - remove unused files 6) Disk Management - creates partitions and formats disks (GUI interface) 7) System File Checker (SFC) scans the operating system critical files and replaces any files that are corrupt