Preventive maintenance is a concept that is applied to equipment, tools, and machinery for the purpose of keeping it in top operating condition. The personal computer has afforded the end user great strides in productivity, and output. However, the PC is a tool, not unlike many others which require maintenance. When the maintenance cycle of a PC is ignored, the tool becomes difficult to use and less reliable than when new. The application of preventive maintenance to the personal computer results in greater ease of use, reduced incidents of failure, and increased efficiency due to the improved reliability of the machine.

The time and effort invested into PC maintenance generates a positive return on investment when balanced with the typical cost of business data loss and down time due to a system failure.  An effective PC maintenance program will encompass a combination of the services listed above.  Click on the links above to learn more about what each service entails.

Red Rocks Technology Partners Maintenance service includes the following:

Virus Scanning & Definition Maintenance
With more than 60,000 computer viruses currently identified, and another 500 discovered each month, virus scanning is necessary to protect your PC from computer viruses like Nimda, SirCam, and high-risk threats similar to the recent Bugbear.

This service provides the following:  
° Initial setup of virus software and regular updates to  the program as issued by the vendor  
° Periodic maintenance of virus definitions
° Scheduling and adjustment of software to continuously protect against Internet downloads and email borne viruses   
° Cleaning of infected systems

Security Patch & Hot Fix Installation
Security patches and Hot-fixes are released by hardware and software vendors in order to address immediate issues with a product. These fixes typically address issues relating to security, operating systems, or hardware faults, and other widespread issues that impair proper functionality. This differs from Service Pack installation in the regard that it does not add any new functionality, and is intended only as a temporary fix until a long term resolution has been established

This service will provide installation of relevant hot fixes for:
°  Designated applications
°  Operating system
°  Designated hardware

Hard Drive Maintenance
As one of the core components of any PC, the hard drive requires regular maintenance to ensure fast application performance and the prevention of errors.  Fragmentation is one such error. This is essentially the spreading of the many parts of a file throughout the hard drive. Fragmentation causes rapid declines in stability. System crashes, slow file access, and even blue screens are often due to fragmentation.

This service provides the following:  
° Disk Clean Up - Removal of old temporary files deposited by programs such as Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, and Internet downloads
° Scan Disk - Repairs the files that are broken when an application crashes or the PC shuts down improperly
° Defragmentation - Speeds up application access by reorganizing files on the drive

Service Pack Installation
Software and hardware vendors regularly release updates for their products which are intended to eliminate bugs and add features to increase usability. These updates are packaged in a manner that allows them to be installed over the existing product. The service pack installation replaces the files necessary to bring the system up to the new revision level.

This service will provide installation of all service packs for:
° Designated applications
° Operating system
° Designated hardware

Backup & Recovery Maintenance
Backups are a good way to restore critical application data to a system once it has become damaged or the system has crashed. In order to provide full recoverability, a backup of the operating system state must also be made. The combination of these actions will allow a recovery from any hardware or software failure.

This service will provide the following:  Creation of a backup set for application data
°  Backup of system state to removable media
° Offsite storage and rotation (Optional)

Hardware Cleaning
Unknown to most users, many hardware failures are the result of excessive dust that collects inside of a PC. This dust causes hard drives and CD-ROM’s to fail due to the fact that it collects on the moving parts causing wear and tear. Additionally, dust collects on CPU’s and memory chips causing excessive heat gain. Without proper heat dissipation, these sensitive electronic components can overheat causing system failure.

This service will provide the following: 
° Disassembly, internal cleaning, reassembly of PC case
° External mouse / printer / keyboard / monitor cleaning

Connector Cable Maintenance
Peripheral connector cables are subject to wear and tear due to movement of the devices, and exposure to the environment. Often, cables are pinched in a drawer or frayed due to user-induced stress. The replacement of worn cables will keep all peripherals operating properly and error free.

This service will provide the following: 
° Inspection of all external cables connected to the PC
° Replacement, as necessary, of worn or damaged cables

Call today for an appointment!