Cleaning The Mouse; Cleaning Diskette Drives; Power Protection Devices; Surge Protectors - Dell Dimension L Series Reference And Troubleshooting Manual

1-6 Dell Dimension L Series Systems Reference and Troubleshooting Guide

Cleaning the Mouse

If the screen cursor skips or moves abnormally, clean your mouse by performing the
following steps:
1. Turn the retainer ring counterclockwise to remove the ball.
2. Wipe the ball with a clean, lint-free cloth.
3. Blow carefully into the ball cage to dislodge dust and lint.
4. Look for a buildup of dirt on the rollers inside the ball cage. This buildup usually
appears as a stripe running around the middle of the roller.
5. If the rollers are dirty, clean them using a cotton swab moistened lightly with
isopropyl alcohol.
After cleaning, make sure the rollers are still centered in their channels. Make
sure that fluff from the swab is not left on the rollers.
6. Replace the ball and retainer ring.

Cleaning Diskette Drives

You can clean a diskette drive using a commercially available cleaning kit. These kits
contain pretreated diskettes to remove contaminants that accumulate during normal
operation.
If the kit does not contain instructions, insert a pretreated diskette into the drive and
turn on the system. After 20 or 30 seconds, remove the diskette from the drive.
NOTICE: Do not attempt to clean drive heads with a swab. You may acci-
dentally misalign the heads, rendering the drive inoperable.

Power Protection Devices

A number of devices are available that protect against power problems, such as
power surges, transients, and power failures.

Surge Protectors

Surge protectors prevent voltage spikes, which occur during electrical storms or fol-
lowing power interruptions, from entering a system through the electrical outlet.
There are various types, and they usually provide a level of protection commensurate
with their cost. Some also provide warranty coverage for certain types of damage.
Compare joule ratings to determine the relative effectiveness of different devices.
Most surge protectors do not protect against lightning strikes, so you should dis-
connect your computer when lightning is near.
Modems can also be damaged by power surges on telephone lines and should be
disconnected during electrical storms. Many surge protectors have a phone jack for
modem protection. Network connections cannot be protected by surge protectors.
Therefore, always disconnect the network cable from the network connector during
electrical storms.
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