9.1 Maintaining your computer In this lesson you will learn how to do basic maintenance of your computer and how to connect peripherals safely. Maintaining your computer itis important to keep your computer system clean. Here are ‘tscuvwivlean some basic cleaning procedures to follow that will keep your sesame computer and its peripherals in good condition. Before doing about. basic. maintenance any maintenance on your computer, make sure it is turned off and procedures that will keep... |Uinpligged from electrical power your.camputer clean Cleaning the keyboard ‘You.will\earn aboout the Dust can gather between the keys of your keyboard and prevent cables that are used to them from working properly. To clean your keyboard: connect your. computer. ‘1. Unplug the keyboard from your computer. system and how.to.checkif.... Turn the keyboard upside down and gently shake it to remove software you want to install dirt and dust. is compatible with your 3. Moisten a cloth or paper towel and gently wipe away any dust from the keyboard. Do not pour liquid directly onto the keys. ‘computer a 4, Reconnect the keyboard to the computer once itis dry. Cleaning the mouse Dirt and dust can build up on the base of your mouse. To clean your mouse: 1. Unplug the mouse from the USB port. 2. Moisten a soft cloth and wipe the top and bottom of the mouse. Cleaning the monitor Grease, fingerprints and dust can make your computer screen difficult to read. Be careful cleaning screens. They often have special coatings that can be damaged by chemicals. The best method is to use a soft cloth or paper towel moistened with water. Before Figure 9.1.1. A soft brush will remove dirt ; Figure 9.1.2 Keep your work area clean and tidynue CMR rte Cad 1. Turn off your computer and unplug the monitor from the power. if you are using a laptop, unplug it. 2. Wipe the screen with a soft cloth moistened with water. 3. Wipe the case of your computer with a moist cloth to remove dust. Be careful to clean around any fan vents. Connecting your computer system Re There are two types of cable used with computer systems: power . cables and data cables. Figure 9.1.3 USB cable Power cables connect your system to electrical power. Electrical power must be treated with respect. Always ensure power is turned off at the wall before disconnecting a power cable. Ensure you have saved your work before disconnecting power cables. Data cables There are many types of data cable. The two you will see most ofte are network cables and USB cables. USB is the most commonly used cable in modern computers. USB stands for Universal Serial Bus. USB is used to connect almost. Bure B14 VS for every type of peripheral except for computer screens. A USB mouse, printer or keyboard can safely be connected and disconnected without turning off the computer. USB cables can be used to connect screens but are limited in bandwidth so other cables tend to be used instead. [TREMOSE popular cables for monitors are Video Graphics Array (VGA), Digital Visual Interface (DVI) anc High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) Figure 9.1.5 HDMI is better for multimedia applications like video and games Create a maintenance guide to be used in your school computer room. Use the content in this lesson and do some web research of your own. Find some suitable images to illustrate your guide.Unit 9 9.2 Determining system requirements In this lesson you will lear how to find the specification of your computer. Installing software There will be times when you need to install software on your computer. You might want to install new graphics software to process your photographs, ar perhaps install a new word processor, Before installing software you must find out if the software will run ‘on your computer Software compatibility To find out if software will function on your computer you must compare the system requirements of the software with the system specification of your computer A system specification is a description of the minimum components in your computer. For example, the system specification will tell you how much memory your computer has. System requirements are a description of the components a piece of software needs to run on a computer. In Windows 10, selecting Systern and clicking the About menu gives you summary information about your computers system specification. 1. Running the software may affect the performance of your Another way to get computer if the system requirements are too demanding. system specification 2. You may waste money buying software that will not run on your information is to search | | eompulter for ‘System information’ - in the search box on System requirements the taskbar along the System requirements are published by the software developer bottom of the screen. There are three places you can look for the specifications: IF the system specification of your computer matches the system specification of a piece of software, we say the software is compatible You should check the system requirements against the components of your computer before installing it. This is for two reasons: 1. Printed documentation issued with the software. 2. The official website for the software, 3. The website of the company selling the software. The minimum system requirements of a piece of software will look something like this PC: Intel Core 2, 4GB RAM (8GB recommended), Windows 7 to 10 Hard drive: 468 @ Minimum screen resolution: 1280768 pixelsTe CMa RTatoo acs List five pieces of information in the system requirements that you need to check against the system specification. Ww Figure 9.2.1 The settings icon 6. If you need information on other parts of your computer system, find and click the appropriate menu link. For example, Display gives you information about your screen settings and Storage gives information about your storage drives. tome ‘About soe Device specications \ynoasast = se Deecrone | uartoeoad ee frome eons uoionts scene mae ome ab a a 8 Se gamige ttt ieny ger ated paces X Sentence =< Fm tener Jo soe Windows pectin Figure 92.2 The About window Search the web for an alternative to Microsoft Word. Choose a ‘word processor from the alternatives you find. Find the system requirements for the word processor you have chosen, Check them against the system specification of the computer you are using. Write a report on whether your chosen application is compatible with your computer.