Shocks, dirt, heat, impact can all kill your computer

It once was the standard opening line delivered to new students of home computing. They were told to experiment with the machine without worry because “nothing you can do will hurt it.”

I kept waiting for a student to take a swipe at the PC and monitor and send them crashing to the floor and say, “Hey, I thought you said I couldn’t hurt it!”

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There are thousands of ways to kill a computer. I’ve aided in the execution of dozens myself. Today, under the theory that it’s good to know the enemy, we’ll run down a few of the ways you can turn that fancy computer into a king-size paperweight.

It’s easy — even for a novice — to open the computer and add memory, replace a hard disk or do some other chore. But, especially on a dry day or in the dry air from air conditioning, static electricity can damage delicate components. If nothing else, make sure you touch the metal chassis before grabbing a memory chip or touching the circuits inside the machine. Or, if you want to do things right, get a wrist strap used by technicians to guard against static charges. Here’s a Web site where you can order one: http://tinyurl.com/l8ltjx .

It’s tempting to put a PC on the floor and save desk space. But it’s not a good idea. Even in the cleanest homes, there’s a surprising amount of dust in the air. Dust is heavier than air, and as it settles toward the floor your PC’s cooling system sucks it in. Eventually a blanket of insulating dust forms on the circuit board, trapping heat. Heat will eventually kill a computer.

Heavy impacts — especially when a computer is turned on — can damage a hard disk.

While disks are remarkably robust these days, enough of a jolt can do damage. The inner mechanism of a hard disk works with tolerances smaller than the width of a human hair. Impacts can also loosen circuit boards and components. So treat your computer gently and it will last longer.

Hot tip

We’ve already talked about the dangers of heat to electronic components. Industrial computer rooms are kept cool so that the computers inside aren’t harmed.

There’s no need for you to operate from a freezer, but it is smart to keep plenty of space free around your computer.

That lets air circulate so that the machine’s cooling system operates effectively. If you have a laptop that stays on for hours at a time, you should consider placing it on a cooling rack — the kind used to cool off cookies and cakes. It will let air move beneath the machine and help keep things cool.

Lightning strikes and voltage surges can fry your machine. Unplug the PC in really severe lightning storms. To protect against voltage surges buy and install an Uninterruptable Power Supply, or UPS. These devices are more powerful and less expensive by the year. I favor the APC brand but almost any will do the job. Besides providing battery power that allows you to shut the PC down when the lights go out, it’ll provide filtered and regulated power every day.

Killer at the keyboard

Stand up and walk over to a mirror. Take a look. You’re now seeing the greatest danger your computer faces.

Computer users bent on fixing something that they don’t quite understand kill more computers than all the lightning strikes in Kansas. It’s great to learn how to fix a computer and not all that hard. But unless you get some training you could fix your PC to death.

Now you have enough information to be a mass murderer of computers — or a savior.