It’s Spring cleaning time for your PC! Just think about it – Can you still remember when was the last time you took your PC for a spring cleaning? Deleted old files from your pc? If you can’t remember, then maybe it’s time to clean!
No worries, not too many people have the spare time set aside to clean their computer, but they do find time to notice their PC is slowing down. The regular cleaning of your computer and its parts, especially since most are in a restaurant environment, can keep your system running smoothly and help protect you from unwanted problems. This can also get your restaurant Point of Sale system up and working the way it’s supposed to be.
Here are some advices for spring cleaning:
1. Clean the mouse. It’s not that big of a deal, but your mouse could hold all sorts of harmful bacteria that may cause illness. Use a small amount of cleaning solution on a lint free cloth to clean the mouse regularly. If you or other users have been sick, you may want to do this more often..
2. Cleaning your keyboard. Keyboards collect a lot of extra dirt or germs from you – little crumbs of food, dust from papers scattered across the desk, and most of the times even from your unwashed hands on the keyboard. Cleaning the keyboard is not hard as it seems, first shut down your computer, remove the plugs and take your keyboard to a trash can. Turn it upside down, to prevent it from falling to the ground, and lightly shake it or use compressed air to remove any dirt or deposits hiding between the keys.
After getting rid of the dirt from around the keys, use cotton {swabs|buds} with a little cleaning solution like isopropyl alcohol to clean in between the keys. Next use a lint free cloth with a little bit of cleaning solution to wipe the top of all the keys. Finish up by wiping the entire keyboard with a dry cloth.
3. Cleaning your PC. The actual computer component that your monitor, keyboard and mouse plug in to , also called the CPU. These units can surpricingly collect huge amount of dust and debris, especially if they are placed on the floor. Did you just look down at your tower bewildered? If so, then it’s definitely time for cleaning!
Again, with the same lint free cloth with sprinkles of solution, wipe down the outside vents and around the connections. You have to make sure you get as much dirt as you can out of the vents. The more dust, the more heat is kept inside.
4. Trashing old useless files. Can’t remember how long has it been since you emptied the recycle bin? The recycle bin is where any deleted files are dumped before they are permanently removed from your computers hard drive. To empty the recycle bin, simply right click on the “trashcan” icon and click “Empty Recycle Bin” then click Yes to permanently delete the files and free up space on your hard drive.
5. Clear the cache. Another disk space hog can be temporary internet files that have never been deleted. To simply delete temporary internet files within Microsoft Internet Explorer, open IE, click on Tools -> Internet Options. You will find the buttone labeled “Delete…” under the Browsing History section. Click it and you will see several choices like Temporary Inter Files, Cookies, History, Form data and Passwords, which you can delete whenever you want.
Below is a brief description of the choices under the Browsing History section:
Temporary Internet Files – Deleting this will remove all copies of the websites/webpages you’ve visited, images and media that are saved on your PC for {faster|quick} viewing.
Cookies – Deleting the cookies will remove the files stored on your PC by websites to save preferences such as login information.
History – Deleting the history will delete all websites you have visited.
Form Data – This will delete any saved information that you have typed into forms.
Password – This will delete any passwords that are automatically filled in when you log on to a website you’ve previously visited.
There’s also the Delete button that can clear all info of the choices above.
After these quick and easy to follow guidelines, I’m sure you’ll be able to clean your PC properly!
The author of this article is the Customer Relations Vice President for POS-For-Restaurants. With over 20 years of restaurant POS solutions experience, POS-For-Restaurants helps you use your technology to be more efficient, more productive and more profitable.
More information on our website: POS-For-Restaurants.com