Preventive Maintenance Of The Power Supply, CMOS and BIOS

The power supplies most computers are switchable power supplies. These are smaller, lighter and use smaller transformers inside the case that don't dissipate much heat and waste power. These units can handle a wider range of Alternating Current (AC) voltages.

Power Supply maintenance involves nothing more than being sure the computer is located in a place where air can ventilate through the system unit and that the fan in the power supply is operational.

Visually check the rear of the power supply to see if dust have collected in or around the fan. Use compressed air or a clean soft cloth to remove all excess dust. This will allow the power supply to work more freely and add longer life to the device. Always watch the monitor as the computer boots up for evidence of power supply problems.

If you work inside your computer often. Take note of the power supply connectors for the drive. Be sure they are not damaged and tight if you have removed the connectors. Pay attention to the power supply cord at times to be sure nothing has ran over it and causing a break or flat spot.

It is always a good idea to open your system unit and see if you can recognize every component. Locate your power supply and take note of the connections at the motherboard. Be sure the voltage selector is set to the proper voltage for the country you live. If you experience or suspect problems with your power supply, email us before purchasing that new power supply.

When the power supply begins to act up, one of the first tell-tell signs are computer will Rebooting at random, or the screen will display error messages. Be ready to recognize power supply failure and what you can do to verify the problem is the power supply.

The maintenance of the CMOS can best be described as checking your CMOS setup and making backup copies of your cmos ram. When the battery for the cmos fail, it may take hours to rediscover settings of the cmos. Use software utilities to make copies of your cmos and most of these utilities will allow you to restore the cmos settings.

If you don't have software utilities, you can make a Hard Copy which contains the data on paper and is filed away in a safe place. The easiest way to make a hard copy of your cmos backup is to capture a screen of the data screens. This should be done NOW while the cmos battery is working as it should.

You can also use Battery Checker to check the battery level. The cmos battery is mounted onto the motherboard and is eventually go bad. Its best NOT to wait until you experience boot-up problems to check the cmos battery. Click Here to download CMOS RAM, a very good small utility for backing up and restoring your cmos setup.

The BIOS maintenance is similar to that of the CMOS in that you want to monitor the Battery to have an idea on when in should be replaced Regardless of which backup technique you use, File or Hard Copy, (You may want to use both) you should make a backup each time your computer's configuration is changed. You may have installed a new cdrom drive or modem for example. This way you have the latest cmos backup.

======================
Article by: Otis F. Cooper
Learn how to save your computer
visit our site today!
http://www.ultimatepcrepair.com
allaboutpc@juno.com
======================
You may reprint this article if
the author box is kept intact
Copyright 2002 Otis F. Cooper
======================