Simple Maintenance Can Extend Your Lab Computer's Life

Chemist Jim Bostick, an assistant fellow at Sandoz Research Institute in East Hanover, N.J., recalls a colleague who made a fundamental error in taking care of the personal computer in his lab--he placed his PC next to a machine that generated a high electromagnetic field. "His PC actually got used to the field that had been generated, and as soon as we moved the machine away to put in a bigger one, my colleague's monitor didn't work right anymore, because it had adjusted to that high field," says Bostick. The error in placement of the PC was such an obvious one that "even my friend had to laugh about it," Bostick says. Even in meticulous labs run by top scientists, neglect can cause personal computers to malfunction. Some of this is unavoidable--no matter where you place a PC, for example, some dust will accumulate in the machine. Still, many PC problems come about because of indifference, general sloppiness, and mistakes that even seasoned hackers occasionally make. While some disasters, like Bostick's colleague's mistake, can't be overcome, at least the absent-minded can take solace in the fact that PCs are quite hearty instruments. When a steam pipe burst in Sally Solomon's research lab, an IBM PC escaped the encounter unscathed. "It's remarkable how much these little machines can tolerate," says Solomon, an associate professor of chemistry at Drexel University in Philadelphia. "Dirt seems to fall from the ceiling in one of my research labs, and the computers appear unaffected." A PC doesn't need the kind of regular preventive maintenance that, say, a car requires. But a few simple--and often-overlooked--maintenance steps can extend the life and dependability of a lab worker's PC. And, best of all for those who don't care to understand the inner workings of their equipment and just want the machines to work, maintenance usually requires simple common sense rather than computer wizardry. * Cool off. Anyone who's ever owned a PC--or even a video cassette recorder or compact disk player--should know that you don't place materials around the device. Yet, go into a lab and you'll often see books stacked around PCs. That can block the PC's vents and cause it to heat up. "The main thing that will kill a computer these days is heat," says Glenn Ouchi, a chemist and president of the Lab PC Users Group in San Jose, Calif. PCs should always be placed in an area of the lab that has sufficient circulating air. Free-standing computers are less likely to be near a heat source and typically have better airflow, in addition to allowing more bench space. * Keep 'em moving. Disasters can sometimes be avoided by keeping computers out of the way until they are needed. Solomon, the Drexel professor, has numerous Apple Macintosh computers in her lab for freshman chemistry students--who, with their combination of zeal and inexperience, give lab PCs a hard workout. The Macs are mounted on an inexpensive cart with an anchor board, a device that prevents the computer from being jostled. The cart includes a shelf for the keyboard and mouse. Admittedly, this setup is cumbersome and wouldn't be ideal for word processing, but it has definite advantages for less manually demanding tasks like inputting data. The PCs are kept under plastic covers in a corner of the lab. When needed, the Macs are rolled up to the experiment and then taken away when data input is concluded. "We were afraid something would spill on the computers if they were sitting out permanently," says Solomon. The anchor pads also prevent the computers from toppling over if someone bumps into the cart. * Dust it off. Even in pristine labs, dust accumulates in the vents and nooks in a PC and keyboard. Fortunately, this will not normally bother a computer, although thick dust balls that can develop over time will overheat the machine by restricting airflow. Ouchi recommends using a vacuum attached to a needle-nose head designed for cleaning drapes to remove the dust. Once a month, or more for a particularly dusty lab, the keyboard and the vents should be vacuumed. The entire system should be left off for at least five minutes before any surface is cleaned to avoid generating static discharges that may damage the equipment. Ouchi pops open the back of his computer (which normally requires only the removal of a few screws with a Phillips-head screwdriver) and "sucks out the bad stuff" once a year. Before doing this, however, check to see if opening the computer violates the warranty. "I wouldn't recommend taking out any parts or removing plugs or boards, because doing that would probably destroy the warranty," says Thomas Hendrickson, a computational chemist at Agouron Pharmaceuticals Inc. in San Diego. * Turn it off. Dan Miele, a manager in the office of computing services at Drexel University, is often asked by scientists about the best way to maintain their PCs. A question he is asked most frequently is whether one should ever turn a computer off. Miele advises taking a "common sense approach" to lab computers. "If the machine is being used a lot during the day when you're in and out, leave the machine on until you go home at night," he says. "Shut it off at night and then turn it on in the morning." Leaving the computer on continually will cause its degradation over a shorter period, according to Miele. "The components are meant to be turned on and off, not like large mainframes that have a shut-down procedure that can take an hour," he says. Be advised, though, that this is not a universally held opinion. Others believe that leaving a computer on will eliminate power surges that run through the PC when it is first turned on. "If you do keep the system on, always turn down the intensity on the monitor," says Mike Wasyl, engineering manager at Radiomatic Instruments and Chemicals Corp. in Meriden, Conn. Otherwise, he says, images that are shown on the screen "may be etched into the monitor itself." * Avoid static cling. Here's another fairly obvious step that far too many PC users ignore: Always ground yourself--by touching some piece of metal--before touching the equipment, especially if you're walking in carpeted areas. "Every time you zap a computer [touch it before you're grounded, causing a small discharge], you do a little damage that builds up over time," says Bostick of the Sandoz Research Institute. Before using his computer, Bostick simply touches a screw on the outlet strip so he is case-grounded. * Clean your drive. While most PC users know enough to wipe the screen when a thick layer of dust accumulates, not many give the same attention to dirt inside the machine. Numerous commercial kits are available to clean a computer's floppy disk drives; these involve sliding a presaturated pad into the PC's housing. "How often you clean the disks depends on usage," says Bostick. "If you're buying preformatted floppies, your usage is going to be down quite a bit. But if you're formatting a lot of floppies, you should clean the drive heads once for every couple of hundred of floppies you format." However, disk-drive cleaning is another area about which experts disagree. Many scientists operate PCs for years without ever cleaning their disk drives. "You have to be careful with cleaning floppy drives, because if you don't know what you're doing, the floppy drives themselves can be damaged in the process of cleaning," says Drexel's Miele. "A lot of people, when they apply them [the cleaning devices], end up smashing the drive heads, and a simple problem can turn into a expensive problem." Many cleaning kits for disks are available, but Apple approves only the 3M Diskette Head Cleaning Kit for its products. * Clean the outside. Exterior cleaning of the PC is much less complicated than de-dusting the disk drives. Wipe the screen using a dry or slightly damp cloth (never any material that is dripping wet). Avoid strong soaps, furniture polishes, alcohol, or ammonia. Never spray anything on a dusty keyboard, since small particles may be blown into areas of the machine that are hard to reach. * Protect from surges. Most people know to use a surge protector for every computer because voltage from outlets varies throughout the day. However, a surge protector or power strip also offers another, often-overlooked advantage. Ouchi of the Lab PC Users Group always leaves the switches on his computer, monitor, and printer in the "on" position; he leaves the plugs to the equipment in the power strip and simply turns this one switch on and off. "One of the things that will wear out first on your computer is the on-off switch," Ouchi explains. "It's a lot cheaper and easier to replace the power strip than the computer switch. "Besides, if a lot of scientists are turning the computer on and off, they may have junk on their hands, which would get on the equipment." * Cover up. Speaking of dirty hands, transparent keyboard covers that the PC user can type through should be considered for labs where liquids and other materials might spill onto the equipment. These covers are designed specifically for each keyboard; some suppliers are Merritt Computer Products Inc. in Dallas; ProTecT Inc. in West Bountiful, Utah; and Viziflex Seels Inc. in Hackensack, N.J. And, of course, plastic covers should always be placed on the PC printer and keyboard when they are not in use. * Dry off. Let's say liquid does spill onto the keyboard. If the PC's power is on, or if the liquid is an acid, the keyboard will probably short out and need to be replaced. If coffee or a soda is spilled onto the keyboard when the machine is off, there are several steps you can take. Drexel's Miele advises users encountering such snafus to disconnect the keyboard and pour hot water onto the unit to remove the residue of the liquid. Afterward, put the unit in a room with indirect sunlight and let it dry out for a week, because if any moisture is left, the keyboard will short out when turned on. Agouron's Hendrickson recommends a slightly different approach for liquid spills. He would disconnect the keyboard, take it apart, and clean it with alcohol. Alcohol evaporates quicker than water and is less abrasive to the equipment. * Fix it now. If you believe something is wrong with your computer, attend to the problem immediately. Pay attention to what your computer sounds like and looks like when it's operating properly. "My disk drive makes a little `song' [a series of sounds] when it's loaded up," says Ouchi of the PC Lab Users Group. "When it stopped doing that, I knew something was wrong." Consequently, the problem was solved simply by replacement of a connector. Such attentiveness is smart. "If a laser printer starts to work erratically, often a scientist will continue to use it rather than bring it in," says Miele. "Something that starts out small could affect other components, but too often people wait until the system completely fails." The same could be said for maintenance in general: It seems rather simple and obvious to do. Ignore it, however, and you might be left wondering what insidious forces made your PC break down. Joe Mullich is a freelance writer based in Norristown, Pa.

Simple Maintenance Can Extend Your Lab Computer's Life

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of