Opening your personal computer to clean up hardware or check some of the components can be dangerous to its health. Motherboards and components such as memory, video cards, sound cards, and hard drives all contain small Integrated Circuits which are very susceptible to Static Electricity. Static Electricity is the spark you see when you touch a doorknob after walking across the floor. The problem with static electricity is if you touch a component in your computer when your body is charged up then there is what is known as an Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) across the components. ESD causes pitting of the surfaces of the components which may not cause an immediate failure but can lead to failure in the long term and cost a lot of money in replacement costs. Below are some precautions to follow as well as tips to remember when working on your computer.
1. After turning off the computer, unplug the power cord to make sure there is no power to the motherboard.
2. Capacitors inside the computer can store an electric charge for a short period of time after turning off and unplugging the computer so it is wise to wait a few minutes after disconnecting the power plug before actually opening the PC case.
3. Get a grounded wrist strap from an electronics supply house and connect it to a ground before handling the parts, such as memory, video card, modem, hard drive, etc, inside your computer. If a grounded wrist strap is not available then touch a safely grounded object such as a metal pipe to discharge any static electricity that may have built up on your body.
4. Hold components by both edges and try not to touch the IC chips, leads, capacitors, or circuitry as these are miniature electronic components and may be damaged.
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. Never, ever open items labeled as non-serviceable. Components labeled "No Serviceable Components Inside" are not a challenge because opening them up could lead to serious injury. Some parts of your computer just aren't meant to be repaired. The power supply is one such item and should be replaced if defective, don't attempt to repair it.
Failure to protect yourself can result to injury and also damage to your computer. The most common accident is loss of data caused by a hard drive crash. Remembering these simple things will help to protect you, your hardware, your software and your precious data. - 16039
1. After turning off the computer, unplug the power cord to make sure there is no power to the motherboard.
2. Capacitors inside the computer can store an electric charge for a short period of time after turning off and unplugging the computer so it is wise to wait a few minutes after disconnecting the power plug before actually opening the PC case.
3. Get a grounded wrist strap from an electronics supply house and connect it to a ground before handling the parts, such as memory, video card, modem, hard drive, etc, inside your computer. If a grounded wrist strap is not available then touch a safely grounded object such as a metal pipe to discharge any static electricity that may have built up on your body.
4. Hold components by both edges and try not to touch the IC chips, leads, capacitors, or circuitry as these are miniature electronic components and may be damaged.
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. Never, ever open items labeled as non-serviceable. Components labeled "No Serviceable Components Inside" are not a challenge because opening them up could lead to serious injury. Some parts of your computer just aren't meant to be repaired. The power supply is one such item and should be replaced if defective, don't attempt to repair it.
Failure to protect yourself can result to injury and also damage to your computer. The most common accident is loss of data caused by a hard drive crash. Remembering these simple things will help to protect you, your hardware, your software and your precious data. - 16039
About the Author:
Before you buy or work on a computer make sure you check Kermil J. Fogarth's excellent free reports on First Time Buyers Perfect Computer, or Reducing Computer Problems
