Excerpt from “Taming Costly Computer Service Calls” Farmers Magazine and The Cattleman magazine

In the thirty years since I began working as a computer technician, I’ve seen a lot of problems that could have easily been avoided. From early on, many of my clients have been farmers. The farming community embraced computers mostly because of the ease with which tax records could be kept. But it wasn’t long before computers were finding their way into all aspects of farming. Most farmers today not only keep records of purchases and inventories on computer, but many also track individual field yields, amounts and types of fertilizers used, animal feeds, medicines, fuel costs, equipment repairs, and maintenance schedules.

Computers represent a substantial investment for today’s farmer. Even with computer prices falling, soaring maintenance costs have negated much of the savings. Service calls can range from $75 to $200 an hour so anything that can be done in-house will save you a lot of money.

Serious problems such as hard drive crashes, memory errors, or intermittent lockups, will most likely require the expertise of a technician. But many other things can shut your computer down just as quickly. With a little preventive maintenance, you can save hundreds of dollars in service calls simply by fixing minor problems before they become major ones. Here are five things you can do to save yourself time, grief, and money.

1: Clean the inside of your computer: Very few people take the time to clean the buildup of dust and dirt from the inside of their computer. On every computer there is a fan located inside the power supply that pulls air thru the system. Along with this air comes dirt and dust. If your computer sits on the floor, it’s at even greater risk.

Cleaning the system is relatively easy. First, unplug the power cord. Next, remove the side panel to expose the inner workings. This usually amounts to removing two screws from the rear of the panel and sliding it off. Read your manual if you’re not sure about how to do this. Once the computer is open, you’ll see the power supply, processor, motherboard, etc. If you notice a buildup of dirt and dust, any vacuum cleaner with a hose attachment is all you’ll need to get rid of it. Pass the hose lightly over the components, barely touching them. In the summer, especially when the humidity gets high, dust becomes conductive and is the source of many lockup problems.

2: Clean the processor fan and heat-sink: Looking at the motherboard, you’ll see a small fan and heat-sink mounted on the top of the processor. This fan pulls air thru the heat-sink cooling it. The problem here is that the fins on the heat-sink can become clogged with dirt and grime carried by the air flowing over them. When they do, they loose their efficiency and the processor heats up. A short blast of compressed air (Endust, DustBlaster, etc.) works well at dislodging dirt around the heat-sink and other hard to reach areas.

Fans and heat-sinks are common sources of component failure. If the power supply gets dirty, it will heat up and either output errant voltages or shut down altogether. The bearings on the power supply’s fan are also at high risk from dirt and dust. If it stops, the power supply will fail…sometimes taking the motherboard with it when it does.

The processor fan is just as important. Today’s processors have built in thermal protection that automatically turns the computer off if the processor gets too hot. Keeping the heat-sink and fan clean will keep this from happening.

3. Clean your monitor: A dirty monitor isn’t something that’s going to cause you downtime but it definitely is detrimental to productivity. Whether you have a standard CRT or a flat screen LCD monitor, the best way to keep them clean is to use water and a soft, clean cloth. Use just enough water to dampen the cloth. Press lightly on the screen rubbing with a circular motion. Dry the screen with a lint free cloth. Don’t use anything stronger than water on your monitor because you might damage the anti-reflection coating if you do.

4. Clean the keyboard: Turn off the computer. Computer keyboards tend to collect grime, under and around the keys. The same can of compressed air used to blow dirt out of the heat-sink works wonders in getting tiny bits of dirt, paper, crumbs, etc., from the recesses of your keyboard. Don’t try to pry off any keys. If one accidentally does come off, just press it back on and it should be fine. A cloth dampened with water works great to clean the key-tops and plastic parts of the keyboard. Use a soft touch.

5. Clean the mouse. Trying to work with a mouse that has lent built up on the tracking mechanism is annoying, to say the least. Actually, my first recommendation is to get rid of any mouse that uses a “ball” and replace it with an LED “optical” mouse. Since there is no ball on this kind of mouse, you don’t have to worry about cleaning it. Optical mice use an LED emitter/detector to track the mouse’s position without the use of moving parts.

If you are using a “ball” type mouse, it’s mandatory to keep it clean. To do this, turn the mouse over and rotate the plastic ring that holds the ball in place, counter clockwise. The ball and ring will fall out when you turn the mouse right side up. If you look into the ball’s socket, you’ll see two small axels and a tiny wheel. You’ll probably also see a buildup of lint where the ball touched these objects. I use a pocket knife to scratch away the lint, making sure that it doesn’t fall into the inside of the mouse. If it does, it’s time to break out the trusty vacuum cleaner again.

I advise my clients to do these simple tasks at least quarterly. It’s an easy, inexpensive way to tame those costly computer service calls.