Hardware
Turn your PC off if an electrical storm (thunderstorm etc.) starts to draw close. Time between the flash and the thunder clap (1 second for each mile). If the interval keeps dropping down, turn the PC off at the two seconds interval or before. After the last storm which passed directly above my local area, I received many, many calls from people who had damaged power units and even worse - irretrievably damaged Hard Drives - an expensive alternative to taking a simple precaution.
Although nothing can protect from a direct lightning strike, an un-interruptable power supply will keep power on if mains power is completely lost in a power cut (these are expensive). You should however have a surge-suppresser to even out power spikes/surges which are a common occurrence in many buildings. These are cheap - medium price and available at all computer shops/electrical shops
To avoid power surge damage DO NOT have the power for PC on the same socket or circuit as a Fridge or any other devices which have intermittent power cut-in...
To avoid signal interference, KEEP mobile phones well away from the PC when the PC is on, high frequency waves may cause the PC to fail, hang-up or result in damage to files if the hard drive is in operation
ENSURE all connections are made AND any device needing external power e.g Fax Modem, Scanner, Backup Drive..etc, is turned on BEFORE switching on the PC
Keep the PC and SCREEN away from direct sunlight to avoid unnecessary over-heating.
Keep PC away from direct contact with surfaces which generate static (e.g. PC placed on carpets or other static building surfaces). If possible use an anti-surge power protector on your power source (around £10).
DO NOT place PC or its cables near/across doorways or communal walking areas.
DO NOT place PC in a room with unstable floor boarding/floor surface as excessive vibration may cause cable connections to shift enough to cause misconnection.
DO NOT place drinks on a surface near the keyboard or any other electrically water-vulnerable device.
DO NOT move the PC when it is in operation.
PC Power:
United Kingdom:
In the UK we use a 230/240v supply and 3 pin plugs, ensure that:
- For a normal 200w or 250w desktop or tower case, the fuse on your mains lead should be 5 AMP and not 13 AMP. Although a 13amp would still work, if there was any trouble with your power supply which caused a shorting, then if the 13amps or more got through to your PC it would likely cause failures of components. If you have any doubts, consult your local PC shop or electrician.
United States & most other counties
Countries other than the UK usually have 115v supply with a 2 pin plug. Again a normal case should have the appropriate rated fuse in the power lead plug. If you have any doubts, consult your local PC shop or electrician.
ALWAYS CHECK THE LOCAL POWER SUPPLY RATINGS BEFORE STARTING UP A PC WHICH WAS MADE/SETUP IN ANOTHER COUNTRY. For example a PC from the United States: At the back of the case you should find a power rating switch, ensure that this is flipped up to 230v for UK usage. Failure to do so WILL result in hardware failure and the cost to you of replacing components.
I have encountered problems with PCs due to the power cables used on them. The tower or desktop case power cable has a shorter head than the power cable for a screen (the head being the end that fits into the power unit of the case). If a screen power cable is used, there is a tendency for the long head to flop down and it definitely does not fit firmly. Should such a cable be moved by say the mouse or other cable, then power could be temporarily interrupted / or shorting could occur, causing damage to the system, particularly the hard drive. So, screen power cables for screens, system unit cables for system units. Also check that your system unit power cable plug fuse is 5amp only (UK standard..for other countries, check manuals or seek advise from your manufacturer).
Software
NEVER allow any game or program to change any setting, or make changes to Autoexec.bat and Config.sys, unless you are 100% SURE that the changes to be made are valid and will not upset the system.
BEFORE setup of any game or application program, browse the Setup diskette or CD disk for an UNISTALL or UNWISE program. If the software does not have one of these then it is not fit to be used.
When running any new utility or program, NEVER proceed if in doubt.
Always ensure that a current or relatively current ANTI-VIRUS utility runs automatically on the PC.
If an automatic disk error checker & defragmenter (such as System Agent - Microsoft) is not installed, then use a disk scanner (as often as you like) & a file defragmenter (at least once per month).
If Win95/98 hangs up and you are forced to turn the PC off, when you get back into Windows, delete the TMP files in Windows/Temp and any CHK files in the root (C:\), - the CHK files being generated if Scandisk fixes errors. The more of these files that are left on the C Drive, the worse the system performance will become.
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