Proper Use of the Computer

iSchools Project Team

HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT GROUP

Commission on Information and Communications Technology

 Health Concerns

• eyestrain
• head, shoulder, neck, and back pains
• hand and wrist injuries

2
 Proper Workstation Design

1. Position in a well-ventilated room

2. Use an adjustable workstation: ergonomic computer
chairs
3. Place the monitor 16 to 24 inches away, at eye level
or slightly at a lower angle; tilt the monitor or adjust
the light source; adjust the brightness and contrast
settings
4. Use extendable/retractable legs of the keyboard
5. Mouse must be easily accessible by your dominant
hand
6. Use a document holder to minimize vertical head
movements

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 Good Posture

1. Sit up straight. Feet flat on the floor, use

a footrest if needed.
• position your lower arms parallel with the
floor and level to your keyboard, with elbows
at your side
2. Keep wrists straight vs. carpal tunnel
syndrome
3. Do not lean into the monitor but sit close
enough to the keyboard and the mouse to
stay relaxed.

4
 Good Working Habits

1. Tap on the keys/mouse buttons gently

2. Avoid long, uninterrupted periods of typing
– Take short stretch breaks, ideally every 20
minutes, to prevent fatigue
3. Avoid staring at the monitor for long periods
– Take vision breaks: focus on objects at least 20
feet away
– Do eye exercises

5
 Proper Care of the Computer

Computer = Investment!

Hardware
Software
Maintenance
Supplies

6
 Power Surges

1. Use an Automatic Voltage Regulator

(AVR)
2. Unplug your system during lightning
storms, even if it is surge protected.
3. Disconnect from the Internet during
lightning storms to protect modems.
4. Avoid octopus connections.

7
 Basic Troubleshooting

• Do not panic!
• Create a boot disk / startup disk.
• If the computer hangs or is acting weird:
– Ctrl+Alt+Delete to bring up the Task List.
– Do a manual reboot or shut down the
computer and turn it back on after at least 10
seconds.
– Avoid by not opening too many apps
simultaneously.
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 Basic Troubleshooting

• If a hardware component is not

functioning well or not functioning at all:
1. examine the power button, power cords,
cables, and connectors
2. try rebooting so that the computer can
detect the hardware
3. call the lab technician for a replacement
hardware component.

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 Basic Troubleshooting

• mouse or the keyboard not functioning well:

usually due to dust and dirt
• “Non-system disk” message: check if diskette
is inserted in the disk drive
• drive has difficulty reading storage device: ask
the lab technician to examine and clean the
drive

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 Basic Troubleshooting

• “safe mode”: generally due a corrupted

operating system, or bad sectors in the hard
disk, or having a non-compatible hardware
connected - use the system utilities to try and
fix the problem
• printer not functioning properly: use the Printer
Properties – Maintenance tab
• scan for viruses

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 Basic Troubleshooting

• final resort: contact your vendor in case your

unit is still under warranty. If not, then contact
the local computer shop or the lab technician
• Never try to tinker with the internal
hardware unless you have undergone
special training on computer maintenance.

12
 System Utilities

• Error-checking vs. bad sectors

• Defragmentation to increase the speed
of access and retrieval.
• System Backup for easy restoration in
the event of a system crash or failure.
• Disk Cleanup to free up space on the
hard disk.

13
 Regular File Back-ups

• to portable storage devices like CDs,

flash drives, and diskettes
– for easy retrieval of files vs. accidental
file deletion, a system crash, or
hardware failure
– take care of storage devices: keep
away from heat, moisture, and
magnetic fields like phones, and
speakers

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 federlvoice.dcc.dla.mil
www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au
www.winnpsb.org/dhs/troubleshooting/bct.htm
Microsoft Help feature
Tan, Computing for Life Book A. FNB Publications, 2005.

Commission on Information and Communications Technology