(^596) PC Hardware: A Beginner’s Guide
Case
Portable PC cases, except those on ruggedized portables, are fragile, having been de-
signed for lightness rather than strength. Dropping a portable PC can damage all of the
components of the PC.
To clean the portable PC’s case, avoid using any liquid in or around the keyboard. Use a
soft, damp, lint-free cloth to wipe over the keyboard and the exterior of the case. Use com-
pressed air to clean the keyboard and diskette and CD-ROM slots.
Virus Detection and Protection
A computer virus is a nasty piece of software that attacks a PC with the intent of disrupt-
ing its operations, destroying its data, or erasing part or all of its disk drives.
A virus attaches itself to another file or piece of code on a floppy disk, downloaded
file,e-mailattachment,orittakestheformofanexecutablefileandrunswhenit’sopened
on the target system. A virus replicates itself and infects other systems, propagating itself
from one computer to another on a file or by e-mail.
OnceonthePC,avirusmanifestsitselfinavarietyofways,including(butnotlimitedto): Spontaneous system reboots
System crashes
Application crashes
Sound card or speaker problems
Distorted, misshapen, or missing video on the monitor
Corrupted or missing data from disk files
Disappearing disk partitions
Boot disks that won’t boot
All of the entries in your e-mail address boot receiving copies of the virus
via e-mailThe best defense against a virus on your PC is antivirus software. There are several
antivirus offerings on the market, such as Norton Antivirus, McAfee Vshield, and Trend
Micro’s PC-cillan. These companies provide you with the ability to update the virus data-
base about as often as new viruses show up, which is almost daily.Electrical Protection
SeverallevelsofprotectionareavailabletoprotectasinglePC,agroupofPCequipment,or
an entire network. How much protection you need is based on the amount of equipment
you are trying to protect against electrical over-voltage and under-voltage conditions.