Recommended Tools And Accessories; Cleaning The Computer, Monitor, And Keyboard Exteriors; Cleaning Drives; Environmental Factors - Dell 4100 User Manual

Recommended Tools and Accessories

Dell recommends that you use the following tools and
accessories when you clean the computer:
•
A soft, lint-free cleaning cloth — Moisten the clean-
ing cloth with the dishwashing detergent solution to
clean the exterior of the computer system.
•
A nonabrasive diskette-drive head-cleaning kit —
Dell recommends that you use a kit that contains pre-
treated diskettes in individually sealed packages.
These kits ensure that the cleaning solution is
applied evenly over the entire diskette-drive head
surface, and they prevent contamination of the heads
by exposure to foreign substances.
•
A small vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment —
Use the vacuum cleaner to remove dust and dirt from
the exterior of the computer and keyboard.
Cleaning the Computer, Monitor, and
Keyboard Exteriors
A conventional monitor or keyboard cover minimizes the
accumulation of dust and other debris inside the monitor
and keyboard when they are not in use. Also, commer-
cially available keyboard membrane covers make it
possible to use the keyboard while providing protection
against foreign particles.
However, regardless of any protective covers, the moni-
tor and keyboard must be cleaned occasionally. To clean
the exterior of the computer, monitor, and keyboard, fol-
low these steps:
1. Turn off the computer, monitor, and any other
attached peripherals, and disconnect them from
their power sources.
2. Use a vacuum cleaner to remove any dust from
the slots and holes on the computer and between
the keys on the keyboard.
3. Use the moistened cloth to wipe the computer
cover, the keyboard, and the exterior of the moni-
tor, including the screen.

Cleaning Drives

You can clean the heads of your diskette drives by using a
commercially available diskette-drive head-cleaning kit.
These kits include diskettes pretreated with a chemical
C-2 Dell PowerEdge 4100/180 and 4100/200 Systems User's Guide
solution to nonabrasively remove contaminants that
accumulate on the drive heads during normal operation.
If the kit does not contain instructions, insert one of the
pretreated diskettes into a diskette drive and turn on the
system. After 20 or 30 seconds, remove the diskette from
the drive. Repeat this procedure for each diskette drive in
the computer.
CAUTION: Do not attempt to clean drive heads
with a swab. You may accidentally misalign the
heads, rendering the drive inoperable.
E
nvironmental Factors
This section discusses various environmental factors that
can adversely affect system performance and longevity.

Temperature

Temperature extremes can cause a variety of problems,
including premature aging and failure of chips or
mechanical failure of devices. Extreme temperature fluc-
tuations can cause chips to become loose in their sockets
and can cause expansion and contraction of disk drive
platters, resulting in read or write data errors. When you
perform a low-level format operation on a hard-disk
drive, it is important to ensure that the drive's surround-
ing temperature is at or near the temperature at which the
drive will be operated. Failure to do so can result in relo-
cation of the tracks on the disk platters.
To minimize the negative effects of temperature on sys-
tem performance, follow these guidelines:
•
Ensure that the system is operated in an environment
no colder than 10 Celsius (C) (50 Fahrenheit [F])
or hotter than 35 C (95 F).
•
Ensure that the system has adequate ventilation. Do
not place it within a closed-in wall unit or on top of
cloth material, which can act as insulation. Do not
place it where it will receive direct sunlight, particu-
larly in the afternoon. Do not place it next to a heat
source of any kind, including heating vents during
winter.