Keyboard
If dirt, food, or liquid gets under its keycaps, a keyboard can develop all sorts of prob-
lems, including keys that stutter, get stuck, or just sto pworking. The very best mainte-
nance ti pfor a keyboard is to kee pfood and beverages away from it com pletely. After
the monitor, the keyboard should be cleaned more frequently than any other compo-
nentonthePC.Thekeyboard,liketheoneshowninFigure22-1,isanopen-faceddevice
that collects whatever falls or spills on it.
To clean a keyboard and perform preventive maintenance, use the following steps:
WARNING: Avoid removing the keyboard cover, especially on older PCs with mechanical switch
keys (see Chapter 18). If the keyboard is that seriously dirty or damaged, it might be better just to re-
place it altogether.- The easiest and best way to clean a keyboard is to turn it upside-down and
shake it. Just about anything that has fallen under the keycaps should fall out,
unless it is a larger item that is stuck behind the keys, such as a paperclip. - You can open a cleaning hole so that larger items can fall out by removing the
keycaps of the last three keys on the right-hand end of the keyboard, which are
the -, +, andENTERkeys of the Numeric keypad. To remove a keycap, gently
pry it up with a small flat-bladed screwdriver.
Chapter 22: PC Care and Maintenance^573
Figure 22-1. A standard 104-key keyboard