The maintenance tag has no wiki summary.
2
votes
1answer
76 views
Certain keys on my keyboard stopped working
Ive never spilt anything on my keyboard and they do work some of the time. All the keys that aren't working are on one side of the keyboard, but its not the entire side...
123456789
qwertyuio[]\
...
31
votes
10answers
2k views
Which malfunctions cause old computers to slow down and crash?
I've had a few computers of my own break after a few years of use, and I've seen computers owned by friends and family do the same thing. They either slow down (even running the original software ...
0
votes
3answers
63 views
is there a tool I can use that will show me the size of directories visually? [closed]
Possible Duplicate:
How can I visualize the file system usage on Windows?
I was listening to the StackExchange podcast (either 28 or 29) and Jeff briefly mentioned a tool that you could use ...
1
vote
1answer
29 views
Writing scripts for use on multiple system with change in some variables etc
The title may not be much clear. I have written some scripts for housekeeping tasks on the Ubuntu servers we maintain. When ever there is a new deployment for a client, I have to change user ids, ...
0
votes
1answer
22 views
Raid maintenance cares?
Are there any maintenance that should be done overtime to the RAID/HD's related ?
Just to serve as an example defragmentation or any other system diagnostic tool or anything...
I have SCSI SiI 3132 ...
0
votes
1answer
123 views
Touchpad on MacBook is shiny?
I noticed that the touchpad was getting a little shiny on the middle-most part. I just want to know if there's a way to clean this and restore the laptop to its previous texture? If there's no way to ...
0
votes
1answer
44 views
Is it possible to lower key resistance on a MS Natural Ergo Keyboard 7000?
My old keyboard finally died. Kaput, dead, it will be missed.
I've read many good things from coders about the MS Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000, but when I went to the store they only had the 7000 ...
1
vote
1answer
191 views
Blinking of Caps Lock key and F11 and F12 keys being constantly on, on a new HP DV7 notebook
I believe it is related to a faulty keyboard that has very unstable behavior in regards to letter "N".
History:
Laptop was fine (CPU and GPU and RAM perfectly stable even on heavier conditions ...
0
votes
1answer
49 views
Accessing an additional GUI Windows-XP [closed]
Possible Duplicate:
Is there a way to allow concurrent remote desktop users on XP without changing dlls?
Is there a way to access a 2nd instance of a GUI in Windows XP?
For instance, I ...
1
vote
1answer
38 views
How to clean all the junk out of my Windows PC (autorun'ing apps, registry errors, temp files, etc.) [closed]
I frequently encounter customers who have an old PC and they're thinking about getting a new one because there's so much garbage on the current one. I hate to see all those computers going into a ...
1
vote
2answers
245 views
Can a Raid5 array be optimized using defragmenting or other maintenance tools?
I have a Lian Li Ex-50 Raid Array setup to be 4x 2TB WD Black in a Raid5 formatted to HFS+ (journaled).
The raid array is a hardware raid running through a Sil3132 chipset (SATA2 via eSata ...
1
vote
2answers
68 views
How do I maintain and clean a printer?
Just like computers, printers also collect dust and dirt over time which can staple up and cause opponents to slow down or move incorrectly. Unlike computers, they contain objects that move a lot and ...
1
vote
1answer
166 views
How to reduce heat on palm rest and left side of the keyboard?
I got an Asus N43SL and it's really hot on the left hand side. I can't rest my left hand there for too long, because it's really hot.
The problem probably is its harddisk. And the air vent is there ...
4
votes
5answers
145 views
Is there general Linux periodic maintenance that I should be doing?
On Windows, I used to check every so often for disk fragmentation, delete large files, defragment, check through the registry for startup entries/process hogs, etc etc.
While generally people say ...
1
vote
1answer
98 views
Windows 7 System Crash
I am using a Laptop running Windows 7. For past few days, the system crashes for no apparent reason( as much as I know) .
Either the system crashes or become unresponsive which requires a hard ...
9
votes
3answers
93 views
How often do drives need to be spun up?
I've got a Frankenputer that is used as a workbench PC to help fix other machines. As such, it's only ever used when something else is broken, so there are often long stretches where it's sitting ...
47
votes
7answers
10k views
Restoring performance and estimating life of a used SSD drive?
My old 128 GB SSD drive is about a year and a half old now, and I've since upgraded to another drive.
I'd like to clean up my the old SSD to ...
restore its performance to near-new levels
...
0
votes
6answers
255 views
How many cans of compressed air does it take to clean a computer? [closed]
Does it take more than 1 can of compressed air to clean out a desktop PC? I know it will "probably depend on the level of dust", etc, but how many do you use, on average? Or will one can do more than ...
52
votes
9answers
2k views
Suck or blow? What's better for dust?
The guy at the local PC hardware store told me it's better to use a small hand-held leaf blower to blow dust out of your PC case than a hand-held vacuum cleaner. Why is this? I understand that fans ...
10
votes
3answers
489 views
How do I preserve an unused computer?
I have a netbook that I am not using but would like to preserve for posterity. What precautions do I need to take to ensure that the machine does not undergo any deterioration? The machine will remain ...
0
votes
1answer
58 views
General Windows Vista check-up
Being very new to windows can anyone recommend a tool/app that does a general clean-up health-check for a windows vista system. Coming from a mac world I would use onyx or main menu and fsck - etc
0
votes
1answer
62 views
Connecting an external monitor
I plan to connect my laptop to a 22" external monitor. My earlier laptop crashed a few days ago because of the video card problem.
I am not an expert in this, but still would like to know connecting ...
0
votes
1answer
142 views
Green Screen when the system restarts
I am having this problem with the Sony Laptop (VGN-NR38Z series). Sometime, it just crashes with a green screen.
When I do a hard reboot, it will have a Green Stripes in the boot menu as well.
Any ...
1
vote
1answer
515 views
How do daily/weekly/monthly maintenance tasks work and how can I automate them?
MacOS comes with daily/weekly/monthly system tasks. However it looks like I have to manually start those tasks. Is there a way to automatically have those tasks executed daily/weekly/monthly?
1
vote
4answers
258 views
Need advice on a monitoring, reminder and warning application
I am a developer that also has to monitor several things on different servers.
Such as:
1) Did all of the MS SQL databases backup last night?
2) Did all of the MySQL databases backup last night?
3) ...
0
votes
0answers
161 views
Why does my Mac OS X installation get so much slower with time? [closed]
Possible Duplicate:
How can I increase the performance of Mac OS X?
I used a Mac OS X installation for approximately 4 years. Within this time period I upgraded from Tiger to Leopard to ...
3
votes
3answers
817 views
Why does my computer slow down after being on too long?
I'm sure everyone has experienced it - if you leave a computer on too long, every once in a while, it needs a fresh reboot. I have a laptop, and I only hibernate it, but every week or two, I'm going ...
0
votes
2answers
134 views
Is there a way to reverse a windows update?
The most recent Windows update has caused some issues with my system. When I start up Starcraft, I get a BSOD (Blue Screen of Death). I'd like to reverse the changes that Microsoft pushed out. Is ...
1
vote
3answers
259 views
Is it normal for an AC adapter to drop voltage if it's not used by a laptop?
I'm currently investigating the livelihood of a laptop adaptor and I noticed, unlike another adaptor it drops voltage to almost zero after I also attempt to measure its current [while it did show ...
3
votes
1answer
65 views
How do i reformat my Macintosh?
How do I completely clean out/reset/reformat/whatever my Macintosh? I'm talking a deep cleanse here.
I'm willing to look at any free software that may aid in this.
I'm running OSX 10.6.5.
1
vote
2answers
229 views
Laptop burned after heavy OpenGL usage. Is there hope?
After programming for OpenGL and a 'slow OS' case for a couple of minutes the screen went blank. I shut it down with forcing it with the shutdown key and now there's no led at all with battery or AC, ...
2
votes
2answers
133 views
Registry Cleaner, useful or not [closed]
Possible Duplicate:
Is it worth cleaning the registry?
Hi, I’m constantly seeing Ad’s about Registry Cleaning. Each time I see one of those Ad’s I remember reading an article (don’t ...
4
votes
3answers
1k views
how to restore windows 7 to a know working state every time it boots
A couple of days ago my mother asked me to set up a computer at her house, she wants to use it to basic web browsing, video chat and nothing more.
The problem is, neither my mother nor my sister know ...
5
votes
2answers
1k views
How do I safely remove keys from a keyboard?
I have a custom key I want to use on my new Deck keyboard, but I'm unclear how to safely remove existing keys from the keyboard without damaging them in the process.
Should I use a special tool? A ...
2
votes
6answers
136 views
What is the longest lived computer component you regularly use? [closed]
Look around your office and home. Among those computers, routers, etc. that you are using at least weekly, which were made in the 1990s? Do not count your car's computer, spare parts that are ...
0
votes
2answers
2k views
Automatically Deleting C:\Documents and Settings\user\Local Settings\Temp
I'm trying to find a way to automatically clean/delete the temporary files from C:\Documents and Settings\user\Local Settings\Temp\ at shutdown/boot on my Windows XP Pro x64 SP2 machine.
The main ...
2
votes
2answers
403 views
Automatically Executing Disk Cleanup On Shutdown
I've been poking around trying to get Disk Cleanup to run as my Windows XP Pro SP2 machine shuts down.
The main reason for this is to clean Local Settings/Temp to remove old junk automatically. (I ...
3
votes
6answers
464 views
What are the reasons for a Computer to gradually slow down after months of use? [closed]
Possible Duplicate:
Why does hardware get slower with time?
After freshly installing an OS, the PC is super fast, and after few months they are super slow. I regularly maintain the PC, my ...
0
votes
2answers
95 views
Cleaning temp folders on Windows
How are the temp folders on Windows supposed to work? On my Vista PC I notice they simply get larger and larger. I presume I'd eventually just run out of space (I'm already getting low because of ...
1
vote
2answers
76 views
What does everyone have running in their cron?
In cron I run a bunch of regular maintenance stuff on my production server.
I was wondering what everyone else runs in theirs. Is there anything novel? Is there anything very basic that noobs ...
1
vote
2answers
113 views
How should I generally manage my computer? [closed]
Possible Duplicate:
Looking for a tool to manage all maintenance work on my PC
So I guess these questions are a little basic for this form, so sorry to come across as a fool! I've been ...
2
votes
1answer
180 views
Should I care about my HDD?
This is screenshot of HD Tune:
Should I care about my HDD? Are these warnings important?
2
votes
1answer
1k views
How to make changes in linux maintence mode
I notice when Linux boots in maintenance mode the filesystem is read-only.
Is there a way to change this, perhaps remounting as writable?
An example of this being a problem is that I was unable to ...
8
votes
1answer
316 views
Tools to (privately) annotate/markup a website for maintenance
I've been tasked with updating a website. Rather than proofreading and updating each page (one at a time), I want to make a single pass over the entire website, marking graphics/images/videos that ...
1
vote
1answer
82 views
Unpacking a laptop touchpad to clean the keys
How can I get to and remove the touchpad buttons on my laptop in order to try and clean them and the area around the buttons?
I have an Acer laptop and I think I have a hardware problem where ...
4
votes
8answers
366 views
What things should I run daily, weekly, monthly on my Windows machine?
What things should I run daily, weekly, monthly on my Windows XP machine?
De fragmentation
Scan-disk
Full system scan
Disk clean up
Trojan checker
malware remover
or any other thing...
And should ...
1
vote
1answer
410 views
Tools for Computer Repair [closed]
Possible Duplicate:
What do you put in your computer repair toolkit?
Sir,
I have an urgent requirement to demand the list of the following for the purpose
of repairing and maintenance of ...
1
vote
2answers
158 views
is it worth defragging an iPod
Essentially my 5G iPod was cutting tracks off and generally misbehaving.
So I did the following:
1) Use Diskwarrior - heavy directory fragmentation which it fixed;
2) Use iDefrag - some ...
6
votes
3answers
3k views
How do I trim my Time Machine backups and find and exclude frequently-updated large files from bloating it?
Time Machine is nice because it Just Works and it does its magic in the background. But left to itself, it can really swell up due to either large files that you don't really need backed up slipping ...
1
vote
1answer
112 views
Looking for a tool to manage all maintenance work on my PC
I'm looking for a tool to manage the maintenance tasks on a Windows PC. Things like disk defrag, antivirus, update software and any other maintenance.
This should not be an all-in-one solutions, with ...
