PREVENTIVE MAINTANANCE 1

It’s time to ask you a couple of questions. Do you conduct regular tests for your computer? Do you take adequate preventive measures to ensure that your computer is in working order at all times? If you can’t answer these questions in the affirmative, you may be headed towards disaster.

Performing preventive maintenance activities for your computer is not optional. Your computer is a sensitive and delicate device, and if you do not devote adequate time and attention to it, it just might not work properly or break down in needs time.

To ensure the smooth functioning of your computer and to prevent frequent problems, you need to maintain your computer. You reduce the chance of system failure and downtime (and minimize repair costs) by performing preventive maintenance activities.

Preventive maintenance is used to reduce the probability of hardware or software problems by systematically and periodically checking hardware and software to ensure proper operation.

Some benefits of preventive maintenance include the following:

■ Increases data protection

■ Extends the life of the components

■ Increases equipment stability

■ Reduces repair costs

■ Reduces the number of equipment failures

NOTE: If you are a smoker, make sure you don’t smoke near your system. Cigarette smoke is not only hazardous to your health; it also reduces the life span of the computer. The gunk from smoke accumulates on the mouse ball and rollers. It also affects the performance of the drive head adversely.

Be proactive in computer equipment maintenance and data protection. By performing regular maintenance routines, you can reduce potential hardware and software problems. Doing this will reduce computer downtime and repair costs as said earlier.

A preventive maintenance plan is developed based on the needs of the equipment. A computer exposed to a dusty environment, such as a construction site, will need more attention than equipment in an office environment. High-traffic networks, such as a school network, can require additional scanning and removal of malicious software or unwanted files. Document the routine maintenance tasks that must be performed on the computer equipment and the frequency of each task. This list of tasks can then be used to create a maintenance program. Remember, the more you use your computer, the more frequently you should perform preventive maintenance. This can include doing a defragmentation of the hard drive weekly rather than monthly, continually scanning files for viruses rather than performing a scan once a week, and checking for updates for software and hardware every two weeks rather than monthly.

Now that you know some general rules of preventive maintenance, you may want to know what components require the most attention. In general, cleaning and maintenance is required for almost every component of the system, because dust accumulates almost everywhere and affects the efficient working of the components. System components that require regular maintenance include the following:

✦ Mouse

✦ Keyboard

✦ Floppy drive (outdated)

✦ CD-ROM drive (outdated)

DVD drive

✦ Hard disk drive

✦ Monitor

✦ Power supply

✦ Printer

And other peripherals

When it comes to preventive maintenance, components may require different tools and methods; however, some tools are commonly used, such as liquid cleaning compounds, a vacuum cleaner, Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), and suppressors. You can use software utilities, such as Disk Defragmenter and ScanDisk, for maintaining floppy disks and hard disks.

Use the following tasks as a guide to create a hardware maintenance program:

■ Remove dust from fan intakes.

■ Remove dust from the power supply.

■ Remove dust from components inside the computer.

■ Clean the mouse and keyboard.

■ Check and secure loose cables.

If you are in enterprise environment, verify that installed software is current. Follow the policies of the organization when installing security updates, operating system updates, and program updates. Many organizations do not allow updates until extensive testing has been completed. This testing is done to confirm that the update will not cause problems with the operating system and software.

Keep the following points in mind to ensure that your computer runs smoothly:

✦ Switch off the power supply and remove all cables before you start work on your computer.

✦ Check all wires and connections for wear and tear. (Check the condition of cables, components, and peripherals).

✦ Clean the peripherals regularly. Clean components to reduce the likelihood of overheating.

✦ Disconnect all peripherals from the computer before you start cleaning them.

✦ Vacuum-clean the CPU at regular intervals.

✦ Check the voltage of all power supply equipment to see if it falls within the prescribed limits. (Repair or replace components that show signs of abuse or excess wear)

✦ If you use liquid cleaners to clean a component, ensure that the component is dry before you connect it to the computer.

WINDOWS 10 CONTEXT MENU PROBLEM

Inconsistency. Never really beneficial. And when it comes to the Windows 10 context menu design, the overall aesthetics, inconsistency if perhaps the first thing you notice.

Microsoft tried to tweak their new operating system in the visual sense of things, and somewhat succeeded in offering a fresh new look — a modern interface that users seem to really like, new icons scattered throughout, and all that.

But one area that still has not been addressed is the design of the context menus.

In fact, users have been complaining about a high level of inconsistency across the operating system, particularly when the traditional context menus are concerned.

This screenshot posted on Reddit, for example, perfectly illustrates the problem:

As you can see, the File Explorer alone features three different context menu styles, for no apparent reason, at that. Other than inconsistency, of course.

While the Taskbar and the Start Menu make use of the new dark theme and the menus feature that look. Again, for no apparent reason. Other than the fact that they go well with the overall dark theme that on the returning Start Menu.

Things are also wildly inconsistent in the Edge browser.

Sure, one can say that Microsoft is still trying to find a better look for the context menu, which is a very important UI element of the Windows platform as a whole.

The small changes in the various preview builds are sign enough that the company is trying.

But really, this is not all that hard to figure out.

DELL AND EMC MERGER

The second-largest tech merger of all time is now official.

Dell Inc. on 21^st October 2015, formally announced that it has agreed to acquire network storage giant EMC Corp.  EMC 1.16%  for approximately $67 billion.

Under terms of the complex deal, EMC stockholders would receive approximately $33.15 per share. This includes $24.05 per share in cash and $9.10 worth of a tracking stock for VMWare  VMW 0.38% , an EMC-owned cloud and virtualization software company that already has around a 20% equity “stub” trading on the public markets. EMC also has included a 60-day “go shop” provision, which would allow it to solicit superior offers. The deal is expected to close in mid-2016.

 

EMC chairman and CEO Joe Tucci would remain in that position until the deal closes, after which Michael Dell would become chairman and CEO of the combined company. Dell’s headquarters will remain in Round Rock, Texas, while the combined company’s enterprise systems unit will be based in EMC’s current base of Hopkinton, Mass. Tucci said Dell first reached out to him last year.

Overall, the deal values EMC around 27% higher than where it was trading before news of Dell’s interest first broke last week. It would be the second-largest tech merger ever, behind only the $106 billion tie-up between AOL and Time Warner in 2000, and the largest-ever take-private transaction for a tech company.

Dell itself was acquired in late 2013 for $24.9 billion in a deal that included participation from private equity firm Silver Lake, which will be among those helping to finance the transaction. Other equity participants include MSD Partners (a family office of Michael Dell) and Singaporean sovereign wealth fund Temasek. The deal also will require a large amount of new debt issuance, although there are no financing conditions tied to closing.

In an interview on CNBC, Michael Dell said that “the revenue synergies here are three times larger than the cost synergies.”

Morgan Stanley  MS -0.76%  served as lead financial advisor to EMC, while J.P. Morgan  JPM -0.18%  served as lead financial advisor to Dell and Silver Lake. Debt will be provided by Barclays, BofA Merrill Lynch, Citi, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Goldman, Sachs & Co., J.P. Morgan and RBC Capital Markets.

On a 7:45 a.m. of that day (21/10/2015) EDT call announcing EMC results, VMware chief executive Pat Gelsinger said the deal “is a positive for VMware” and should help that company sell more mobile and desktop products due to Dell’s PC business.

“Our mission and strategy remain unchanged,” Gelsinger said. He reiterated that VMware will remain a publicly traded company.

On the EMC call, Tucci noted that Dell will give EMC a great channel for more of its products. “For many vendors, Dell is the number one reseller. Now we’ll favor the family products.”

Elliott Management, the activist investment group that had been pushing EMC to make a bold move, issued a statement of support.

Jesse Cohn, senior portfolio manager, called it “a landmark transaction” that will create “a powerhouse with leading franchises across enterprise IT.”