P8- James Brooks

Undertake routine maintenance tasks

on a standalone computer system.

Organizing and naming files

It is important to name and organize files properly as when it comes to accessing the file in the
future it will help you locate the files and manage them more efficiently. Also, if you were
working on a project with others you will need to store it somewhere so that they can find it. As
soon as you make a new folder, it will be named “New Folder” if you need to rename it is very
simple. To rename the files you will need to right click on the folder and select the option
“rename” and you can call the folder whatever you desire. Below are images demonstrating
how to perform a file rename and how to systematically store files in individual folders.
P8- James Brooks

Replacing Consumables
When you run out of paper in the printer it will
require replacing. to replenish the paper in the
printer, the printer usually has a tray that you need
to slide out and insert the paper into the tray. if your
printer doesn’t have a tray it will be most likely need to be fed through the top.
You may also have to to change the ink cartridges. this is a very easy activity as there are usually
directions on top of the cartridges on where to place them and how to fit them in. usually you
lift up the top of the printer and you will see the internal components of the printer, the ink

cartridge will normally slide across for you to change it.

P8- James Brooks
P8- James Brooks

Deleting Unwanted Data and Temporary Files

Once renaming the files on the computer, I looked through all the folders to
see if there were any documents that were no longer required and could be
erased to clear disk space. In certain folders there were documents that were
not important enough to archive so could be removed from the system. This
allowed for extra room on the disk.
This image demonstrates an unnecessary document being removed.
This image indicates the proof of removal. The Disk Clean-Up tool can
thenceforth be used to delete temporary files stored on the computer. It
throws any needless files such as cookies, older internet files, freshly deleted
documents and old backups of files which are not required once completion
of scanning the chosen drive. When the drive has been scanned, the
program displays how much storage can be increased from removing the
files. In general, removing temporary files are vital as it can free up disk
space that the computer can use for more important files or software. It is a
good idea to schedule automatic deletion on your PC as it ensures unwanted
and unnecessary files are always removed from the PC therefore consistently
preserving storage space.
The image above shows the Disk Clean-Up program being operated on the
computer system to delete temporary
files and unnecessary data. On this
computer’s hard drive, I can add an
additional 16 MB of storage by erasing
files.
P8- James Brooks

Back-Up Procedures
The following procedure was to produce copies of the data kept on the
computer system. As there happened to be just a few files, the files were
backed up onto a USB pen drive because it can store small quantities of data
typically up to 64GB and is easily portable, if the data was missing or
required to be moved to another computer it could be transferred
effortlessly. As soon as the files were duplicated onto the USB storage
device, it was detached and kept in a secure location.
The first image shows me inserting the USB pen drive into my PC to begin
the backup process.

The second image shows me clicking

the ‘copy’ button to replicate the files so
they can be placed on to the backup
storage device.

This third image shows me selecting the

paste option on the pen drive to place
the duplicated files on the device.
P8- James Brooks

Finally, the fourth image shows the duplicated folders on the backup storage
device.

When working on documents it is vital to produce backups in case of a hard

drive malfunction or a natural incident. Backups allow the files to be placed
back onto the system if it crashes. Operating systems occasionally offer a
backup service in their utility suite that will back up data when launched, as
an alternate cloud storage and secondary storage devices can be utilized to
keep backups. Below are images showing how I backed up my files onto an
online
cloud.
P8- James Brooks

Cleaning Hardware
PC’s require cleaning frequently to avoid dust and grime building up and
clogging the components in the computer. When a computer collects
extreme amounts of dust or dirt, the cooling system can stop working and
cause the computer to overheat, this can then end in components
overheating and being damaged. There are numerous unique resources that
can be used for cleaning a computer which are lint-free cloths, for glass and
plastic surfaces of components, non-static brush, to remove any kind of dirt
that is extra tough to get rid of, compressed air, to clean heat sinks and fans
and non-static vacuum cleaners, to eliminate any remaining dust particles
from the casing.
Prior to setting up
the computer
system I
needed to
remove the
dust from the
screen of my
computer so
that I had a perfect
viewing
experience. I
used a lint-free
cloth to remove
dust from the
screen and
surface of the computer.
P8- James Brooks

Archiving
When it comes to increasing storage on your PC but don’t want to lose important old files, a
good idea would be to perform an archive which involves compressing files onto either an
external storage medium or an online backup and removing the original from the PC to increase
storage. You can use many storage mediums to archive files the most popular are OneDrive,
burn disks and USB pen drives. Archiving is beneficial because it gives your PC more space to
store new or bigger files and also allows you to access the old files at a later date for reference.

Replacing damaged components

The CPU is one of the most likely components to require changing as the amount of strain it
goes through on a day to day basis also if it’s not adequately taken care of it can overheat and
need urgent replacing. To replace this component all you must do is detach the side panel
where the opening for the fan is positioned and you will see the fan it will typically stick out as
it will be coated in dust, there will either be four screws on every corner or two catches,
unfasten or unscrew them and there will be another catch to undo, just unfasten that and you
will be able to lift the CPU out and put then new one in.
Motherboards – this is the main circuit board. It holds several of the essential electronic parts
such as the CPU and the memory, without this the computer wouldn’t run. it must be cleaned
once every two months or so to ensure it doesn’t overheat. You also need to update the parts
for it to run at highest capacity for instance you could swap the Ram for a bigger memory.
Sound Card – to keep the sound card operating efficiently you must make sure everything is
connected correctly and make sure to clean everything frequently
Graphic card – Similar to the sound card make sure everything is connected correctly and also
needs to be cleaned more regularly as it is associated with the display of the computer.
RAM (Random Access Memory) -is a kind of computer storage. A random-access device lets
saved data to be immediately retrieved in any random sequence. to preserve the efficient
P8- James Brooks

running of this device you must ensure the computer turns off correctly as this restores the
memory and can then perform its highest capacity.
Hard drives – SATA is a computer interface that links the host adaptors to a large storage device
for example, hard drives and also optical drives. To keep this running at full capability you must
ensure that everything is connected properly.

Defragmentation
A defragmentation tool is used to rearrange broken files on the hard disk. Once unnecessary
data and files are removed from the system, you can use a Disk Defragmenter tool to organize
the hard disk and make it easier for the computer to load files. Once a drive is defragmented
you can continue with the additional routine maintenance procedures. Defragmentation is a
beneficial routine maintenance procedure to do as it arranges files on the hard disk so they can
be accessed easily and quickly and can be used to increase computer performance.