PC Repair Precautions

Cleaning the hardware or checking the components of your computer require opening the case which may be dangerous to its health. The printed circuit boards inside your computer all contain small devices known as Integrated Circuits (ICs). There can be millions of individual circuits in one IC and they are all susceptible to damage from static electricity. Static electricity is a major contributing factor in the failure of computers. Eliminating damage from Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) leads to untold savings. Below are some things to remember as well as precautions to follow when working on your computer.

1. Unplug your computer when working on the inside or well known inside of central processing unit (CPU). You must unplug the power cord to ensure that there is no power to the motherboard.

2. Capacitors can still store electric charges for a short time from the when you turned off the power switch, so it is wise to make to wait a few minutes after pulling the plug before working on your PC.

3. Use a grounded wrist strap before handling computer components such as the video card, memory, hard disk, and etc. if you do not have one, touch both of your hands to a safely grounded object or to a metal object, such as the power supply case to prevent a discharge from your body to the component.

4. To avoid damage due to static electric discharge, hold circuit boards by the edges and avoid touching the individual components, wires, chips, or capacitors.

5. Use a grounded anti-static pad or the bag the component came in to place the components on and prevent static discharge when they are removed from the computer. Avoid dropping your hard drive as it is heavy and will most likely stop working if dropped.

6. Some parts are labeled as "No Serviceable Components Inside" which is not a challenge but a warning because they contain high voltage components which could cause you to hurt yourself if touched. Not all parts of a computer are meant to be repaired such as the power supply. If you determine that a part labeled "No Serviceable Components Inside", then be smart and just replace it.

Remember that you are responsible for protecting yourself from injuries and from causing damage to your computer. A common incident is loss of stored data due to a hard drive crash. These are some simple things to remember that will protect you, your computer and most of all the data stored on your computer.