A preventative maintenance schedule can take many forms. There are commercial
software programs available that will allow you to schedule and track your
maintenance activities. The simplest method, however, is a chart that shows
various maintenance activities and how often they should be done., These allow you
to set up a calendar so that you remember to do your maintenance tasks. Once you
have set up a schedule, you can translate it to actual dates to help you remember
when to perform various preventative maintenance activities.
Software procedures, which often should be performed daily, are best done using
some sort of automated program scheduler. For tasks you perform at longer
intervals, you can simply mark the activity down on a calendar. If you have
appointment book software, you can put reminders for the key maintenance tasks.
When setting up a maintenance plan it is important not to make the schedule too
aggressive, otherwise maintenance becomes tiresome and it is likely that none will
get done.
As many maintenance activities require you to open up a computer, it may be
helpful to have an annual ‘clean the computer day’. This allows you to keep your
workstations running at top form without having to open them up several times a
year.
The frequency of maintenance tasks is determined in part by the prevailing
conditions of the PC itself and the environment in which it is kept. For example, if
the PC is subject to constant abuse or vandalism, then you will need to make the
cleaning routine more frequent.
