COMPUTER CARE AND SAFETY

Senior Two Term One 2011

Mukalele Rogers & Kiyimba Robert

Computer Studies Department

12/08/21 O level Computer Studies Topic: Computer Care and Safety 1

© Jinja College Computer Studies Department, 2011
 Unit Objectives

To be able to know:
 The Rules and Regulations (behaviour in the
computer laboratory).
 Management of computers and their
environments.
 Maintenance of computers in good working
conditions.
 The Ethics and integrity in computer use.

12/08/21 O level Computer Studies Topic: Computer Care and Safety 2

© Jinja College Computer Studies Department, 2011
 Unit Introduction

 Computers, like any other piece of electronic equipment,

need special care and attention in order to perform properly
and safely.
 There are many tasks that should be done, and caution that
should be taken to ensure proper working, and safety of all
components of the computer system (including the hardware,
software and human ware)
 In this topic, we shall concentrate on some daily do's and
don'ts and precautions that any one in a computing
environment should know.

24-Feb-11 O level Computer Studies Topic: Computer Care and Safety 3

© Jinja College Computer Studies Department, 2011
a) The computer laboratory Rules
and Regulations
 Computer components should be kept dust-free. Avoid
smoking and exposing computers to dust.
 Never try to remove the cover on your computer or touch
inside the system unit. There are many sensitive
components. Instead, take it to a qualified technician.
 Keep all liquids and food items away from your computer.
Liquids and food crumbs can cause rusting and corrosion
and damage electronic circuits. Also, mixing liquids and
electronic components can cause serious electrical shock!
 Never use your computer during a storm. The computer is
connected to electricity and that means that lightning could
be conducted to the computer.

24-Feb-11 O level Computer Studies Topic: Computer Care and Safety 4

© Jinja College Computer Studies Department, 2011
a) The computer laboratory Rules
and Regulations (cont)
 Physically, be careful, avoid dropping and hardware to the
ground as this could cause any of the delicate components to
break or be damaged and stop working.
 Proper shut down of computers should be followed to avoid
disk failure (avoid abrupt switching off)
 Be careful when using the internet. Do not accept
downloads from Internet sites that you don't know and trust.
And never open an email attachment unless you know and
trust the person who sent it.
 Avoid making hardware connections to the motherboard
when the computer is on. Eg keyboard connections, monitor
mouse, etc.

24-Feb-11 O level Computer Studies Topic: Computer Care and Safety 5

© Jinja College Computer Studies Department, 2011
a) The computer laboratory Rules
and Regulations (cont)
 Don’t bring magnetic devices to the lab. The computer has
magnetic disks which can be spoilt if they come near other
magnetic fields.
 Handle delicate storage devices with care. Don’t touch the
inner surface of Compact disks and Floppy disks. Safely
remove Flash disks from the system.
 Avoid over bright and flickering computer monitors. The
brightness of the computer monitors should be adjusted to
avoid eye strain.

24-Feb-11 O level Computer Studies Topic: Computer Care and Safety 6

© Jinja College Computer Studies Department, 2011
a) The computer laboratory Rules
and Regulations (cont)
 Always Sit upright to avoid muscle pains and back aches
caused by poor sitting posture.

24-Feb-11 O level Computer Studies Topic: Computer Care and Safety 7

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(b)Management Of Computers And
Their Environments
After the establishment of the computer laboratory, a number of
precautions should be observed to provide a safe conducive
environment for teaching and learning as seen below:
 Avoid direct sunlight and high Temperatures that may
damage hardware components.
 Always use surge protectors, Uninterruptible Power supply
(UPS) or voltage stabilizers to ensure steady power supply
to safeguard their system.
 Protection against fires. A computer room should have fire
extinguishers of carbon dioxide but not water or powder.

24-Feb-11 O level Computer Studies Topic: Computer Care and Safety 8

© Jinja College Computer Studies Department, 2011
(b)Management Of Computers And
Their Environments (cont)
 Proper cable installation and placement. Cables should be
preferably along walls, avoiding danger of exposing the use
to electric shock
 Burglar proofing avoid unauthorized access to computer
room. Fit strong locks, doors, windows and roofing. Security
should be good around computer room to avoid thefts.
 Always install lightening conductors to the computer
laboratory to protect the machines and the users of the
computers.
 Overcrowding of either machines or people should be
avoided.

24-Feb-11 O level Computer Studies Topic: Computer Care and Safety 9

© Jinja College Computer Studies Department, 2011
(b)Management Of Computers And
Their Environments (cont)
 Proper cable installation and placement. Cables should be
preferably along walls, avoiding danger of exposing the use to
electric shock
 Burglar proofing avoid unauthorized access to computer
room. Fit strong locks, doors, windows and roofing. Security
should be good around computer room to avoid thefts.
 Always install lightening conductors to the computer
laboratory to protect the machines and the users of the
computers.
 Overcrowding of either machines or people should be
avoided.
 Ventilation should be good. Good aeration enables the
computer to cool and hence avoids overheating
24-Feb-11 O level Computer Studies Topic: Computer Care and Safety 10
© Jinja College Computer Studies Department, 2011
(b)Management Of Computers And
Their Environments (cont)
 Minimize Electrical noise in the computer environment.
 Electrical noise refers to unrelated signals caused by
externally radiated signals or electrical interferences
causing undesirable additions to the voltage/current
waveform.
 Electrical noise is commonly generated by devices like
Fluorescent lights of high frequency, Motors, Battery
Chargers, Inverters, Radios, television, and Cell phones.

24-Feb-11 O level Computer Studies Topic: Computer Care and Safety 11

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(b)Management Of Computers And
Their Environments (cont)
 Dust and dump control. When setting up
the computer laboratory, consider a location
away from excessive dust. The room should
have special curtains and computers should
remain covered using dust covers when not
in use.
 Humidity must be regulated in the computer laboratory to
remain at an optimum 50%.
 Low humidity may cause static electricity to build and
damage sensitive components.
 High Humidity of over 70% may cause rusting of the metallic
parts of the computer system.
24-Feb-11 O level Computer Studies Topic: Computer Care and Safety 12
© Jinja College Computer Studies Department, 2011
(b)Management Of Computers And
Their Environments (cont)
 A computer room should be
well lit to avoid eyestrain,
and headaches. Radiation
filter screens should be
fitted to reduce the light that
reaches the eye.
 Standard furniture: The
table on which a computer
is placed must be strong
and wide enough to bear
the weight and
accommodate all the
peripheral devices

24-Feb-11 O level Computer Studies Topic: Computer Care and Safety 13

© Jinja College Computer Studies Department, 2011
c) Maintenance of Computers In
Good Working Conditions
 Regular servicing should be done for hardware and software
updates to ensure proper working conditions of the
computers
 Computers require special cleaning even on the outside
including hardware parts such as the mouse and keyboard to
perform correctly.
 Always use and regularly update antivirus software. Viruses
and worms are horrible computer-unfriendly programs that
can crash your system and cause irreparable damage.
 Always use utilities like the optimizers that modify programs
to make computers to run more quickly.

24-Feb-11 O level Computer Studies Topic: Computer Care and Safety 14

© Jinja College Computer Studies Department, 2011
c) Maintenance of Computers In
Good Working Conditions (cont)
Avoid Installation Marathons
 Sometimes, installing a new program can cause conflicts
within your system.
 These conflicts will need to be worked out or else the
program will have to be uninstalled so that your system will
work correctly.
 Use your computer long enough to see how your system
responds to the installation before loading the next program.

24-Feb-11 O level Computer Studies Topic: Computer Care and Safety 15

© Jinja College Computer Studies Department, 2011
c) Maintenance of Computers In
Good Working Conditions (cont)
Defragment when necessary.
 A computer is a storehouse for mass amounts of data, so you
could say a computer is like a big bookcase.
 Like real bookcases, they can become disorganized, which
can be frustrating when you're trying to find something.
 Having a disorganized computer also slows down the
processing time for your normal every day functions.
 Defragmenting your computer will organize files in a fashion
where the computer can easily access everything.

24-Feb-11 O level Computer Studies Topic: Computer Care and Safety 16

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 d) The Ethics And Integrity In
Computer Use
 Computer Ethics refers to human values and moral conduct
relating to right and wrong behavior / decisions made when
using computers.
 Computer Integrity refers to steadfast loyalty to a strict
moral or principled set of laws regarding computer use.
 In 1991, the Computer Ethics Institute(CEI) held its first
National Computer Ethics Conference in Washington, D.C.
The Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics were first
presented in Dr. Ramon C. Barquin's paper prepared for the
conference, "In Pursuit of a 'Ten Commandments' for
Computer Ethics."

24-Feb-11 O level Computer Studies Topic: Computer Care and Safety 17

© Jinja College Computer Studies Department, 2011
 d) The Ethics And Integrity In
Computer Use (cont)
The Computer Ethics Institute published them as follows in
1992:
 1. Thou Shalt Not Use a Computer to Harm Other People.
 2. Thou Shalt Not Interfere with Other People's Computer
Work.
 3. Thou Shalt Not Snoop around in Other People's
Computer Files.
 4. Thou Shalt Not Use a Computer to Steal.
 5. Thou Shalt Not Use a Computer to Bear False Witness.
 6. Thou Shalt Not Copy or Use Proprietary Software for
Which You Have Not Paid.

24-Feb-11 O level Computer Studies Topic: Computer Care and Safety 18

© Jinja College Computer Studies Department, 2011
 d) The Ethics And Integrity In
Computer Use (cont)
 7. Thou Shalt Not Use Other People's Computer Resources
without Authorization or Proper Compensation.
 8. Thou Shalt Not Appropriate Other People's Intellectual
Output.
 9. Thou Shalt Think about the Social Consequences of the
Program You Are Writing or the System You Are Designing.
 10. Thou Shalt Always Use a Computer in Ways That Insure
Consideration and Respect for Your Fellow Humans.

24-Feb-11 O level Computer Studies Topic: Computer Care and Safety 19

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