Chapter 6 - Preventive Maintenance; Diskettes; Care Of Streaming Tape And Dat Cartridges - Alpha Microsystems AM-6000 Owner's Manual

Your computer requires little care. However, preventive maintenance is an integral part of keeping any
computer running at peak efficiency. To safeguard your investment, we recommend you establish a
regular maintenance schedule for your equipment.
This chapter contains some recommended maintenance procedures for:
• Diskettes, DAT cartridge, and streamer tape cartridges.
• The diskette drive, as well as DAT and streaming tape drives.
• The main enclosure.

DISKETTES

In order to protect your data, diskettes must be handled and cared for properly.
Here are some important hints to remember:
• The recording surface on diskettes is contained within a protective enclosure—never try to
remove this enclosure or touch the recording media within.
• Treat diskettes gently. Fingerprints, scratches, spills, and dirt can ruin them.
• Keep your diskettes in a dust-free environment. This helps them stay clean.
• Never expose diskettes to an electromagnetic field—doing so could cause your data to
disappear! For example, do not leave diskettes on top of the computer or terminal since various
items within the enclosure emit a strong magnetic field.
• Keep magnets away from your diskettes. Even weak magnets such as those in paper clip holders
can erase data on a diskette.
• Avoid temperature extremes. Do not expose diskettes to temperatures below 50 degrees
Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius) or above 125 degrees Fahrenheit (52 degrees Celsius). Do not
leave your diskettes next to a window where radiant heat from direct sunlight can cook them.
Diskettes should be at about the same temperature as your computer or spurious device errors
could result. If the place you store the media has a very different temperature than the area
where your computer lives, place the diskette near the computer and give it a few minutes to
adjust to the new temperature before use.

CARE OF STREAMING TAPE AND DAT CARTRIDGES

A cartridge tape can store data from an entire disk, so it is worth taking care of properly. In addition to
the tips for diskettes, above, remember the following:
AM-6000 Computer Owner's Manual, Rev. 00
Chapter 6 - Preventive
Maintenance