maintenece P.M.Cs for computers crucial

[bigjohnthescot]

For those of you who are ignorant of such matters did you know how important regular maintenance is for your computer and other electronic devices? especially In this day and age when the devices are getting more complicated and more prone to the elements. You all remember your first car? or the car your dad let you drive right? the first thing that he should have taught you (besides not running out of gas) was checking the oil the tire pressure and the coolant level at least if not more and if like me you went into the service of your country you were taught the proper maintenance of your weapon and your kit. Well the same is to be said for your electronics if you treat them shabbily and do not maintain them you will be spending a whole lot of money you cant afford or you just will not have aforementioned electronics.througout my life I have been taught several things which somehow managed to penetrate my thick skull that men tougher than me made sure I knew despite myself. #1take care of your tools and they will take care of you and the one that REALLY stuck with me was from my time as a combat medic in the army, If your gear is broke dick then the men you are supposed to take care of will die along with if your weapon isn't properly maintained then YOU will die. pretty sobering eh? 

 

We spend a lot of our hard earned time and money to enjoy our hobby and I would be remiss in the way I learned to learn one do one and teach one if I did not bring up the reality of good old-fashioned preventative maintenance checks. I really don't think the industry has been able to teach this due to roses law but I think the time has come for us to learn what it means to be good stewards of not just our conspicuous consumption of electronics and the ecological impact of what it does to the environment but if you take into account that the industry is feeding us iPhones  proce3ssors PCBs etc at an incredible rate that we really need to look at the long term. and by that, I mean trying to make what you have last as long as possible and not go right out and camp out at the apple store for the new iPhone or the Verizon store for the new galaxy etc.

 

 there is quite a few very simple ways to maintain your equipment that will keep your gear working just as good as the new stuff and make it last at LEAST 5 years as long as you don't listen to the fools and let the mob rule and rush out to get the newest gear (ooooooo shiny).I have had a note 3 now for 5 years now and even though I treated it somewhat cavalierly my big old brick of an Asus g75vx rog laptop got me through close to the same until it died a month or so ago we need to all take a certain responsibility in life to leave this planet a better place or at least not screw it up for the next guy as much as we can and part of that is just simple maintenance.

 

its pretty simple really just think of how you like to be treated and the amount of respect that you need to feel validated in life and reserve some for the next guy

 

  take care

[ravenshrike]

Why are private military corporations essential for computers?

[bigjohnthescot]

Really? thats all you took away from this smh guess I failed

[vanished]

OK I see your point is maintenance is very important, but you didn't list any specific things to do? 

[bigjohnthescot]

Well what do you guys think it takes to keep a computer well maintained? there are the obvious answers and the not so obvious and the little tips and tricks you guys let me know and ill fill in the blank spaces. Like proper disposal of li ion batterieries

[Mira Yurizaki]

The problem with using cars as an argument about maintenance is that a car hasn't really changed much in the last 30 years as far as performance for the everyman is concerned. I mean, sure, the average amount of horse power has gone up (I'm sure the equivalent of a $20K car in 1980s would've only had a 100 HP motor versus 150 HP or so you can find these days), but for the most part, cars are just there to get people from point A to B and nothing's really changed beyond creature comforts. Having Bluetooth is nice, but it doesn't make the car perform any better.

 

For computers, performance has changed significantly and with that the demands of the consumer. Nobody would've thought 15 years ago we would have pocket sized devices that could perform most of our daily activities that we do on a PC. 5 years for a PC is practically considered ancient and most people replace PCs usually not because they're broken, but because they don't perform what the user wants to do (and for a variety of reasons that's beyond the scope of this topic).

 

The other part of it is that costs on a car are often much larger than anything on a PC. Fixing a head gasket problem can easily run you $1500+ for an older car. If something on the PC breaks? You're probably looking to spend no more than $200 at the worst. Also PCs don't have recurring costs other than your electric bill. Cars have all sorts of recurring costs and often they're more expensive the newer the car is.

 

But if you want to know what helps keep a PC running well:

• Keep software up to date
  • My only exception to this is BIOS unless it fixes a huge security problem or some other major issue.
  • I'm also weary of updating certain firmware if it doesn't fix anything big.
• Install only what you need and get rid of what you don't use
  • The exception to this are OS components. If it doesn't require administrative privileges to tweak, feel free to tune it however you like, but once it requires it, you better know what you're doing.
• Doing basic internet safety practices (don't go to shady websites, don't click on links from people you don't know, etc.)
• Scrubbing for files you don't need anymore
• Dusting it out once in a while

[vanished]

Physically, the only real maintenance I can think would be needed is blowing the dust out.  The rest comes down to just not mishandling them, but I would assume those things are all common sense (don't leave it in the rain, don't spill drinks on it, don't give it electrical shocks, don't take it apart and put it back together without thermal paste, don't let your parts run excessively hot or with excessive voltage, especially for long periods of time, etc.)

[ARikozuM]

The only PMC my PC needs is Big Boss and Diamond Dogs!

 

Also, computer duster is important too. 

[Tsuki]

2 hours ago, ravenshrike said:

Why are private military corporations essential for computers?

just in case you forgot the "/s"

PMCS = Preventive Maintenance Checks and Services

 

ie.  dust it out, check for leaks, redo thermal paste, etc

[Mira Yurizaki]

I felt like I was rambling.

 

My point is, a car is an expensive purchase for many people and so it must last a long time. Doing maintenance on a car also helps it from getting issues that are even more costly to fix. Getting the oil changed every year for $50 is much cheaper than repairing a seized engine (if it can even be salvaged). Spending the time to make sure the tires are inflated is infinitely cheaper than having a blowout or whatever. There are reasons why you should do maintenance on a car

 

Computers require almost no physical maintenance other than dusting if needed, which what, costs like $20 for a couple of cans that'll last you a few years? Plus ignoring a computer's maintenance doesn't normally put anyone's life on the line if it breaks.

[vanished]

4 minutes ago, Tsuki said:

ie.  dust it out, check for leaks, redo thermal paste, etc

Actually you reminded me of something

 

If you have a water cooler, especially a custom loop, and/or you've played with thermal paste before, there will be additional things you need to do, including the above.

[Tsuki]

1 minute ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

Actually you reminded me of something

 

If you have a water cooler, especially a custom loop, and/or you've played with thermal paste before, there will be additional things you need to do, including the above.

yep, even on my AIO i feel the rad every couple weeks to make sure its not wet.

 

with a custom loop you should probably check the color on your fluid, make sure its not all fucky, and replace it once per year or so

[vanished]

Really, most of the maintenance comes in on the software side.  A lot of that was already covered above (updating, managing a list of installed programs, running virus scans and cleaning out temp/garbage files).  I would add to that:

• Running TRIM on an SSD, or defragmenting a HDD
• Keeping your files organized, not just letting them pile up on the desktop, or remain scattered across many devices
• Maintain proper security.  Change passwords on your accounts every now and then, or immediately if you suspect or become aware of a leak

And finally, I don't consider this maintenance, but it is extremely important and something that should be done routinely:

• Take a backup!  There's details in my sig about the ways you can and should do this

[bigjohnthescot]

my point to starting this thread was and is to get people thinking that "eh its no big deal" can be considered complacent. do you know that there are families suffering right now in America and Canada due to the lack of a computer? those things we have and take for granted like oh I'll just post my resume or ill just walk into a home depot or lowes or.... and use their computer kiosk to fill out a job application. when there are over 2 hundred THOUSAND illiterate people in the united states alone! and probably twice that many computer illiterate everyday children suffer because of illiteracy I have been to countries around the world where the infant mortality rate is as high as it was a thousand years ago.

 anyway yall proved my point to some extent please donate your used electronics that you don't sell and maybe try to participate in a program like free geeks and educate those who are less fortunate and do your best to educate others on how to keep our landfills free of toxic E waste.oh and one more thing. back in the late 1800s early 1900s the automobile was just a "fad" that was NEVER going to replace horse mule and donkey

 

food for thought

 

[Mira Yurizaki]

4 minutes ago, bigjohnthescot said:

do you know that there are families suffering right now in America and Canada due to the lack of a computer?

There are children starving in Africa.

4 minutes ago, bigjohnthescot said:

when there are over 2 hundred THOUSAND illiterate people in the united states alone!

What does having a computer have to do with this?

4 minutes ago, bigjohnthescot said:

and probably twice that many computer illiterate everyday children suffer because of illiteracy I have been to countries around the world where the infant mortality rate is as high as it was a thousand years ago.

I'm pretty sure my roommate's kid learned how to operate a smartphone earlier than she could read to any significant effect. I've seen old people who can't even figure out pinch-to-zoom.

4 minutes ago, bigjohnthescot said:

 anyway yall proved my point to some extent please donate your used electronics that you don't sell and maybe try to participate in a program like free geeks and educate those who are less fortunate and do your best to educate others on how to keep our landfills free of toxic E waste.oh and one more thing. back in the late 1800s early 1900s the automobile was just a "fad" that was NEVER going to replace horse mule and donkey

 

food for thought

 

... So was this a post to try to make us feel bad?

 

There are more things to worry about in developing countries than having a computer. Sudan for instance could really use a stable government. That doesn't need a computer to get going.

[AshleyAshes]

The OP doesn't seem to comprehend that there's minimal preventive maintenance that one can do for a PC.  The only things I can even imagine is cleaning dust out and ensuring fans are running correctly or watching your HDD's SMART errors and replacing the drives before things go critical.

 

But even then, HDD's can't just 'die' without warning.  An HDD can literally report that it's perfectly fine until the moment that it becomes very, very, very not okay.  I've RMAed a Patriot Blast SSD twice now and each time it just suddenly died.  Your capacitors will work fine... Until the day they don't.  I turn, your power supply will work fine... Until the day it doesn't.  The CPU, GPU, and any other chip will work perfectly fine... Until the day they don't.

 

For most cases of computer failure I honestly can't imagine any real ways to perform 'preventative maintenance' to prolong overall service life of a PC.  In some cases I can imagine 'preventative maintenance' being counter productive.  Let's take hard drives for example, a lot of people on this forum have 'ideas' as to long long a hard drive can be in service but it's really a wild card.  I've seen hard drives blow up at 12 months and I've seen a hard drive run for 7 years and only THEN show early SMART errors earning it a 'Caution' in CrystalDiskInfo and meanwhile I have a 7.6 year old drive that's perfectly fine.  A hard drive will spin until it dies, it has moving parts, there's no real 'predicting it', it could be a month after you buy it or it could be a decade after you buy it.  Trying to say, replace HDDs 'every two years' or something could give a user a false sense of security in their data's security when what they should be doing is putting money into redundant backup copies of their data rather than pre-emptively replacing perfectly good hard drives.

[vanished]

7 hours ago, bigjohnthescot said:

my point to starting this thread was and is to get people thinking that "eh its no big deal" can be considered complacent. do you know that there are families suffering right now in America and Canada due to the lack of a computer? [...]

sorry I literally loled at this, I thought you were gonna say something like "lack of food" or "homelessness" I admire your passion for the importance of tech

[bigjohnthescot]

OK this got far from where I was really trying to take it so I must have stated my case fairly badly and for that, I am sorry I was just trying to create a collaborative effort in critical thinking on a topic that Unless you are involved in this industry most people just don't give two shakes about. they buy a computer every 2 years get a new phone every year and dont care what happens to the stuff they throw out. how many people out there in this conversation know for a fact what goes down in a landfill. I am not trying to make anyone feel guilty or bad I am just hoping to a awaken a certain thought or spark, I am truly sorry if I have given the wrong impression of a dullard or holier than thou tone of speech

 

[vanished]

7 hours ago, bigjohnthescot said:

OK this got far from where I was really trying to take it so I must have stated my case fairly badly and for that, I am sorry I was just trying to create a collaborative effort in critical thinking on a topic that Unless you are involved in this industry most people just don't give two shakes about. they buy a computer every 2 years get a new phone every year and dont care what happens to the stuff they throw out. how many people out there in this conversation know for a fact what goes down in a landfill. I am not trying to make anyone feel guilty or bad I am just hoping to a awaken a certain thought or spark, I am truly sorry if I have given the wrong impression of a dullard or holier than thou tone of speech

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you're concerned about:

• the consumerist nature of buying and replacing large amounts of electronics needlessly when we could hold on to what we have for much longer,
• the fact many electronics are thrown away or processed improperly by children in unlivable conditions rather than recycled correctly, and
• the fact many people don't have access to technology despite the fact it is and will continue to be an incredibly powerful and influential element in society, and deprivation of it will leave some seriously disadvantaged

If I got it right, then I agree, these are unfortunate issues that deserve more attention.

[divito]

Having been in the industry, as has been pointed out, there isn't a lot you can do for preventative measures to ensure longevity of a PC. A PC is not a car, where it's primarily mechanical with some electrical elements. A PC is in most cases, purely electrical, with a mechanical item like a fan, or maybe a hard drive or disc drive. Outside of dust removal, your PC will last as long as the components do.

As for aspects of consumption and disposal, that can apply to every industry, not just electronics. Some people waste food, some people throw away electronics. A good portion of people will electronically recycle through programs in place, but just as with regular recycling, some people just don't do it. Is that bad? In some ways possibly, but recycling is actually more expensive to do, and the benefits, or lack thereof can definitely be argued.

[bigjohnthescot]

36 minutes ago, M.Yurizaki said:

There are children starving in Africa.

What does having a computer have to do with this?

I'm pretty sure my roommate's kid learned how to operate a smartphone earlier than she could read to any significant effect. I've seen old people who can't even figure out pinch-to-zoom.

... So was this a post to try to make us feel bad?

 

There are more things to worry about in developing countries than having a computer. Sudan for instance could really use a stable government. That doesn't need a computer to get going.

I have been in the Sudan Somalia and Etienne --most of my military career was spent in that part of the world and yes -I- would definitely be a boor if -I believed that a computer would fix- the world.but without technology we stand less of a chance of getting water to those villages so their women dont have to walk 10 miles a day just for water and technology is going to show them how to irrigate their crops  

[Drak3]

48 minutes ago, bigjohnthescot said:

do you know that there are families suffering right now in America and Canada due to the lack of a computer?

None. Literally none. Same for Asia, Europe, Australia, Afrika, South America, Mexico, or any of the island nations that may not fall in any prior land masses/countries.

 

A computer is a luxury. Nothing more.

[bigjohnthescot]

3 minutes ago, Ryan_Vickers said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you're concerned about:

• the consumerist nature of buying and replacing large amounts of electronics needlessly when we could hold on to what we have for much longer,
• the fact many electronics are thrown away or processed improperly by children in unlivable conditions rather than recycled correctly, and
• the fact many people don't have access to technology despite the fact it is and will continue to be an incredibly powerful and influential element in society, and deprivation of it will leave some seriously disadvantaged

If I got it right, then I agree, these are unfortunate issues that deserve more attention.

thanks for the bullet points -Ryan you nailed it

[AshleyAshes]

14 minutes ago, bigjohnthescot said:

OK this got far from where I was really trying to take it so I must have stated my case fairly badly and for that, I am sorry I was just trying to create a collaborative effort in critical thinking on a topic that Unless you are involved in this industry most people just don't give two shakes about. they buy a computer every 2 years get a new phone every year and dont care what happens to the stuff they throw out. how many people out there in this conversation know for a fact what goes down in a landfill. I am not trying to make anyone feel guilty or bad I am just hoping to a awaken a certain thought or spark, I am truly sorry if I have given the wrong impression of a dullard or holier than thou tone of speech

 

So... Basically this is a thread where you want to make yourself feel better by saying 'Somebody has to DO something!' without any meaningful suggestions on WHAT to do, but since you said it, that's mission accomplished for you, despite overwhelming evidence presented to you that few 'preventative maintenance' options exist for electronics...

[ravenshrike]

3 hours ago, Tsuki said:

just in case you forgot the "/s"

PMCS = Preventive Maintenance Checks and Services

 

ie.  dust it out, check for leaks, redo thermal paste, etc

In which case he should have used allcaps. The small s threw me off completely. Not to mention that apart from dust maintenance, there's not much you need to do with a modern computer if you're using quality non-exotic TIM. With modern LMs even the most you want to do is clean and re-apply after the first 2 years.